Best Ever Caramel Corn With Nuts (Irresistible!)
“I would recommend this for anyone interested in making a DYNOMITE gift or party snack… All I can say is it turned out beautifully!” Lisa
No, you can’t stop at one handful of this homemade caramel corn (aka caramel popcorn). It’s that good. Crunchy popcorn and nuts are coated in a buttery, salted caramel that hits all the sweet-salty notes – totally worth every calorie!
I got this caramel corn recipe from my cousin Cindy, who brings it to every family gathering -and there’s never a kernel left behind. It starts with plain popcorn and ends up as a golden, caramel-nut gourmet treat that’s simply unbeatable.
What you can expect
Foolproof, easy recipe: Don’t let ‘homemade caramel corn’ scare you off. I promise this is a simple recipe – no need for a candy thermometer and just 7 ingredients plus a pinch of salt.
Perfect for any occasion: This popcorn is a decadent treat anytime, anywhere – great for gifting during the holiday season (I give them as ‘loot bags’), parties, baby showers, or movie nights. Best part? It keeps for 2 weeks (although I doubt it will last that long).
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Ingredients: popcorn kernels, butter, baking soda, vanilla, brown sugar, corn syrup, nuts, salt.
- Popcorn: Use good-quality popping kernels for the best results. For a shortcut, buy pre-popped plain, non-GMO popcorn (as plain as possible). It’s pricier but saves time and a step.
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter. If using salted, use a bit less added salt.
- Brown Sugar: Use light or dark. Dark brown sugar has a deeper, molasses-like flavor.
- Baking soda: Creates a lighter, airier texture and a smoother caramel.
- Corn syrup: Light corn syrup keeps the caramel coating smooth and glossy. Dark corn syrup gives a richer, more robust flavor.
- Nuts: Use any nuts or combination of nuts you like, such as almonds, pecans, macadamia, cashews or peanuts. Or skip them for a nut-free caramel corn.
- Salt: A finishing flaky sea salt adds a lovely finish. Kosher salt also works. If using table salt, use less (it’s much saltier).
Substititions
- Corn syrup substitute: Replace with honey or maple syrup (texture will be slightly stickier).
- Butter alternative: For dairy-free, use vegan butter or refined coconut oil.
- Popcorn base: If you only have microwave popcorn, choose unsalted and unbuttered varieties and skip the extra salt.
Variations
- Chocolate drizzle: Once cooled, drizzle with melted white, milk, or dark chocolate. This makes it messier to eat, though, as the chocolate melts in your hands.
- Holiday version: Add festive sprinkles or red-green M&Ms while the caramel is still tacky.
- Spice twist: Add ½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the caramel mixture for fall flavors.
- Nut cluster mix: After baking, toss in a few broken pretzels or roasted peanuts for a snack-mix style variation.
- Nut-free: Omit nuts or swap with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for crunch.
Step-by-step instructions
Scroll down for full instructions in the recipe card.
Tips
- Storing: Cool the popcorn completely before sealing it up in large ziploc bags or other containers. Warm popcorn will cause condensation, making the popcorn soggy.
- Freshen it up: If your caramel corn loses its crunch, spread it on a baking sheet and reheat in a 250°F oven for 5–8 minutes to crisp it again.
- How to avoid unpopped kernels. After popping, transfer the popcorn to a large bowl and give it a few shakes – the heavier unpopped kernels will sink to the bottom so you can remove them easily.
How to serve caramel popcorn
Serving in fun paper cups, treat boxes or popcorn cartons for parties and movie nights. For gifts, I fill up small clear treat bags from the dollar or bulk store and tie them with a bow for any occasion:
- baby showers
- birthday parties
- special milestone events
- picnics
- holiday cocktail parties
- teacher or hostess gifts
Shortcut
You can pop your own popcorn on the stovetop or with an air popper – or skip a step and buy plain, unsalted popcorn from a popcorn kiosk or grocery store. It saves time and cleanup (I do this!).
Recipe FAQs
The Kitchn tested 8 ways to pop popcorn and found the stovetop, air popper, and wok methods gave the best flavor and texture.
According to Serious Eats, baking soda added to the caramel coating will help to neutralize the acidity and prevent it from becoming too brittle.
You can adjust how much caramel coating covers your popcorn by using more or less popcorn. For full coverage (lots of caramel), use less popcorn. For a lighter coverage (less sweet, fewer calories), add more popcorn.
Baking helps dry out and set the coated popcorn for that perfect crunch.
Yes! Freeze for several months in airtight bags. Thaw uncovered at room temperature. If more crisping is needed, place it in a 250°F oven for 5–8 minutes
Other tasty snacks
If you’re in the mood for a savory popcorn instead, try our spiced herb popcorn. Or check out these other homemade sweet snacks with quick prep.
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thank you so much!
Caramel Corn & Nuts (Irresistible!)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels, Note 1 for shortcut (to make about 8 cups popcorn))
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2 cups pecans, macadamia, cashews, peanuts and/or almonds
Caramel Coating
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) or salted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or less if you use salted butter) (or sub Kosher salt)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250F/121C. Prepare two baking pans lined with parchment paper.
- MAKE STOVETOP POPCORN: Put 3 kernels and 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot with a lid on medium heat When kernels pop, add rest of the kernels. Shake to cover them in oil. Cover pot and let kernels pop. When popping slows, remove from heat and empty popcorn into a large bowl, removing any unpopped kernels. You should have 8-9 cups. Add nuts. Note 1 for shortcut.
- MAKE CARAMEL SAUCE: Bring sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to blend. Leave mixture to boil for 5 more minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Add baking soda and vanilla (be careful, it will foam and bubble up). Stir until well blended.
- STIR AND BAKE: Pour caramel sauce over popcorn and mix well until popcorn is evenly coated. Divide popcorn onto two baking pans. Spread it out as evenly as you can on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 1 hour, stirring 2-3 times to break up clumps and coat popcorn well with caramel. Remove from oven and let popcorn cool completely. If desired, form tennis-size balls while the popcorn is slightly warm.
Recipe Notes
- Shortcut for popcorn: I do this all the time. Buy plain non-GMO popcorn (as little as possible added) at your local popcorn kiosk or grocery store. You will need about 8-9 cups. I don’t suggest you use microwave popcorn because of the additives, but you can in a pinch. The Kitchn tested 8 ways to pop popcorn if you’re interested.
- Substitutions
- Corn syrup substitute: Use honey or maple syrup (texture will be slightly stickier).
- Butter alternative: For dairy-free, use vegan butter or refined coconut oil.
- Variations:
- Chocolate drizzle: Once cooled, drizzle with melted white, milk, or dark chocolate. Messier to eat, though, as chocolate melts in your hands.
- Holiday version: Add festive sprinkles or red-green M&Ms right when popcorn comes out of the oven.
- Spice twist: Add ½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to the caramel mixture for fall flavors.
- Nut cluster mix: After baking, toss in a few broken pretzels or roasted peanuts.
- Nut-free: Omit nuts or swap with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for crunch.
- To store/freeze popcorn:
- Store completely cooled popcorn at room temperature in an airtight container or large ziploc bags for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw, uncovered, at room temperature. If needed, reheat in a 250°F oven for 5–8 minutes to crisp it again.
Why an entire tablespoon of baking soda? Is that a typo? It tasted okay, but I’m sure it would have been fabulous had I reduced the amount of baking soda by half that amount or less…maybe 1 teaspoon?
Great question! The baking soda is what gives the caramel coating its light, crisp texture. It creates bubbles when added to the hot caramel.
You can reduce it to 1–1½ teaspoons, but the coating will be a bit denser and less airy. I use 1 tablespoon for a lighter, crunchier result, and it’s worked well for me, but go ahead and experiment to find your sweet spot.
Super easy. Made 2 batches for a party. 1st batch I followed directions to toss the popcorn on the pan. This didn’t work out for me because the 2nd pan had cooled while I was tossing the first pan and was pretty clumpy and not as evenly covered. Second batch I put popcorn and nuts into a large Tupperware bowl that was sprayed with oil and tossed it all at once in there before putting on pans. Turned out PERFECTLY! Both batches tasted delicious, but second batch was much prettier. This recipe is a winner in my book.
Thanks for the shout out Wendy! And great tip for mixing everything together in a large Tupperware (lidded) bowl. 🙂
Hello Ladies/ Gents!
I would recomend this for anyone that is interested in making a DYNOMITE gift or party snack. I recomend making sure you stir and heat about 10 minutes at a time (I use convection). I stirred and left in the oven for 40 minutes, Rotating the pans and making sure the popcorn was stirred each time to dry out. All I can say is it turned out beautifull! I also added my own mix nut assortment and added a little bit of aleppo pepper to add a kick which was awsome. Just make sure you mix and flip the caramel corn thoroughly each time to dry out the corn and caramel, Convection oven or not just pay attention and it will turn out wonderful! Lisa
Glad it was a hit Lisa. And thanks for sharing your tips. I agree, it’s a pretty decadent delicious treat!
Just checking, is the recipe really 1 Tablespoon of baking soda? That seems like an awful lot.
Hi Marylou, Yes, that is the correct amount. The baking soda helps create a light, crunchy texture and a golden color.
is there your recipe for the banana bread after the popcorn recipe? can’t find it. thank you.
So sorry – forgot to put the link in! Here’s the link for super moist banana bread.
Made a double batch was so good
Glad you liked it Diane! Thanks for commenting.
Recipe turned out perfectly!! Used vegan butter and made it 100% vegan it was delicious followed the recipe to a T thanks so much !!
So great to hear Melissa! And I’m thrilled that it worked so well with 100% vegan butter. Thanks for leaving a comment.
You never listed the temperature of the oven for the caramel popcorn?
This recipe sounds great,
Just wanted to know the oven temperature.
Hi Diane. The first instruction in the recipe says “Preheat oven to 250F/121C”. Perhaps it was easy to miss. I think you’re going to like the caramel popcorn!
Looks so good!
??