Caramel Corn is quintessential fall food and this recipe is quick, easy, and can be made in the microwave! No candy thermometers or complicated instructions, just warm, buttery caramel coated bites. Now there are generally 2 schools when it comes to caramel corn: those who like it warm and soft, and those who like it crisp and crunchy. This recipe is awesome because 1. It tastes amazing, 2. It’s suuuper easy, and 3. You can make it gooey or crunchy. You can even form it into popcorn balls. Pretty much anyone and everyone who eats this asks for the recipe!
How do you make caramel corn in the microwave?
You’ll want a large, microwave save bowl. I use a large glass mixing bowl. Use a bowl that’s larger than your ingredients to leave room for the mixture boiling and growing in volume as it cooks. You’ll combine brown sugar, butter, and a little corn syrup in the bowl and microwave just until everything melts together and is stirred smooth.
TIP: Cut your butter into small pieces so it melts quicker.
After it’s melted and smooth, then you’ll cook it for a couple minutes to dissolve the sugar. It will look like caramel after you pull it out (because it is caramel!)
The magic happens when you add the vanilla (watch it sizzle!) and the baking soda. Stir in the baking soda and you’ll see the caramel actually grow and become lighter in caramel and almost….fluffy.
What’s the easiest way to mix caramel corn?
At this point, your popcorn should be in a large bowl. The largest bowl you can find. Use one that is way bigger than you think you’ll need, it just makes it SO much easier to stir. I use a ridiculously large bowl like this one for my caramel corn, and also rice krispy treats. It’s one of my most favorite kitchen tools!
You’ll also want to make sure you carefully remove ALL unpopped kernels from the bowl so you don’t break a tooth.
Mix it up well with a big spoon. The longer it sits out, the firmer it will get, but it won’t ever get crunchy-hard unless you bake it.
How do I make crunchy caramel corn?
If you’d like to turn your soft caramel corn into crunchy caramel corn, all you need to do is bake it! Just spread it all out on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.
For a variation try this reader favorite: Cinnamon Bun Popcorn
Easy Caramel Corn
Ingredients
- 12 cups popped popcorn about 1/2 C kernels
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Karo syrup light or dark is fine
- 1/8 teaspoon salt if you are using salted microwave popcorn then omit salt here
- 1/2 cup real butter 1 stick
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Pop popcorn and set aside. Place brown sugar, Karo syrup, salt, and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. That should be enough to melt the butter at least half way. Stir it all to combine. No microwave on high for 2 minutes. Take it out and stir. Microwave for 2 more minutes.
- While the caramel is cooking, put the popcorn in a big bowl. Use one that is way bigger than you think you'll need. Also, remove any un-popped kernels. When the caramel is done cooking, take out of microwave and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well and then pour over popcorn and stir up popcorn immediately to coat.
- Eat warm straight out of the bowl, or spread out onto waxed paper or foil and let cool to room temperature (for soft, gooey popcorn).
- For crunchy caramel corn: spread out on a cookie sheet (you might need 2) and bake at 300 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Pull out a piece and pop it in the fridge to let it cool quickly to test crunchiness!
Questions & Reviews
I love your Cinnamon Bun Popcorn, but tonight I felt like some ooey gooey caramel popcorn. I love that I could visit your site, do a quick search and find this. I’m so excited to make it, it looks so easy and super delicious! Thanks so much!!
This turned out great…thank you for sharing your recipe.
Canadian here…..how much is a stick of butter….1/2 cup? Or???
1/2 cup 🙂
I have made a similar recipe for almost 30 yrs. With my recipe you increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon and no vanilla. Instead of putting in the oven my recipe you put the popped popcorn in a large brown paper grocery bag. After butter, sugar mixture if cooked pour over popcorn. Shake bag to coat popcorn. Place the bag in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on power level 7. Remove bag and shake. Return to microwave to another 1 1/2 minutes on power level 7. Remove bag and shake. Pour onto a cookie sheet to cool.
Love your recipes. Such good soulful food! I made this last weekend but had to make some local country changes. I mentioned it on my blog here: http://www.citywrigglers.co.nz/?p=2849 Please keep up the good work! Genevieve
OMGOSH! This caramel corn is so amazingly good!
Mmmmmmm. So delicious, and I even bumped it up to the next level of amazingness by drizzling semi-sweet and white chocolate over the whole batch while it was on the cookie sheet. Yummy!!
I tried this recipe and it was so easy and delicious!
I made this and put it in baggies with cute labels to hand out as favors at my boys’ first b-day party over the weekend. AMAZING!!! It tasted wonderful and was a huge hit. Everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. And it was an inexpensive, easy and unique party favor that kids and adults all like! Thank you Sara and Kate!!!
Don’t know if anyone else mentioned this, but I’m not a fan of corn syrup, so I substituted molasses in my caramel corn and oh.my.goodness what a fabulous treat! My family and I thought we’d reached a new level of nirvana!
save yourselves….. DONT put the salt in
If you really want gooey popcorn, use a candy thermometer. I did this because it was easy but all microwaves are different and I must have a powerful one because within minutes mine was hard and crunchy, which I don’t like. Use a thermometer so you can control it. I was so craving caramel popcorn and this disappointed me.
I tried it with honey instead of corn syrup and it is sooo delicious! gooey…. 😛
I for one love caramel it was so gooooooooood I love makeing it for the the faimly so cthank you sooooo much:]
This is the same recipe we’ve been using in my family forever with one change… we always put cinnamon in it too! Delicious!
I’ve been making this exact recipe with my grandma ever since I was a child (mind you, I’m only 25). But it is incredible and always takes me back to my “younger days”. We’ve always eaten it gooey and I love licking the caramel off my fingers but I may have to try baking it so I can keep it for future snack-fests. Love your site ladies!!!
My aunt used to make caramel corn and put it in pretty tins as a Christmas gift every year, but she’d use food coloring to make half of it green and half of it red. I may have to try that with this recipe; this is making me very nostalgic!
I have “light corn syrup-karo” is that ok to use?
I also don’t see any expiration date on the syrup and don’t know how long its been in my pantry. Think it expires?
That’s exactly what you want! And seriously, I think it might last forever, lol.
WOw !! great recipe ! tastes so yummy and super easy to make !
I like it gooey!! We made this for our Halloween party. It’s AMAZING. In fact out whole party was brought to us care of Our Best Bites!! We used your method of microwave pop corn in a brown paper bag, and made the carmel corn. I also combined your fun Black Light Beverage using tonic water and dry ice for a fun effect. In fact I used several of your recipies to make dinner for our goulish group. Don’t worry . . . your getting ALL the credit. I love your site. Thanks so much for all of the fun and EASY ideas you put out here for us to mimmic. 🙂
This caramel corn is the best!!! We always make 2 batches. One to eat and one to share. Love your website. I read it all the time.
A friend recently sent me a photo of your Oreo Turkeys as she knows I have grandkids and love to make things with them around the holidays. Well today I have visited your website for the first time and have to tell you girls, I am in love already! We typically do seasona cut out cookies and ice them, but so many more options here. Have already shared your website with the room full of women and work with and will be spreading it to all my email friends. See you again, real soon, I’m sure.
HI there, I just fpund your recipe for the caramel popcorn. I received this recipeabout 20 years ago from a Tupperware lady. The only difference was that instead of baking it you put the popped popcorn in a double brown paper bag, pour the cooked caramel syrup over the popped corn & shake the bag. Microwave for 1 minute, take out & shake. Microwave for another 1 minute, take out & shake. Then repeat, only microwaving 30 seconds at a time (for 2 times). Split open bag (very carefully) & let cool. I use an air popcprn popper & can make a a batch start to finish in about 15 minutes. Try it & let me know just how great this recipe is! We love it!
Oh YUM! We make this every year for Halloween, and again for Christmas gifts, but we make them into popcorn balls. Just make sure you get your hands really cold and buttery before forming the balls 🙂
I just made this for the first time; I should have made a double batch I am not sure there is going to be any left for our drive-in movie this evening. Thank you for such a great recipe.
We make this recipe all the time. I add 1tsp. Cinnamon with the vanilla and baking soda mixture. Also, I spray a brown grocery bag with Cooking spray, add the popcorn then the mixture. Fold the top over and shake. It eliminates burned fingers if your bowl is too small when stirring. I nuke it in the microwave for 1 minute and then shake. It is a perfect mixture of crunch and soft.
so yummy! my kids loved it! thank you!
Awesome, easy, delicious recipe! I’ll never use another recipe again.
I, along with everyone else here, has also made this too many times to count. It has been requested that I bring it to game nights and such even. As a child I loved vanilla popcorn. So, I tweaked your recipe to make my own vanilla popcorn the same way, and it turned out just as delicious. Check it out here: http://readit-and-eat.blogspot.com/2011/02/vanilla-popcorn.html Thank you SO SO SO much for this recipe!!!