Soft Caramel Popcorn is one of the recipes that I ALWAYS get recipe requests for, and this one has been in our family for years! Its so simple and always turns out deliciously soft! Caramel popcorn is one that I make this for really any time of year, and people always rave. It’s perfect for big crowds because there is plenty to go around. We have made popcorn balls for fundraiser events, to give away as neighbor gifts, or just for big family get togethers and everyone is always happy! I love it because it is super easy and makes plenty to go around!
You don’t need anything out of the ordinary – corn syrup, brown sugar, sweetened condenced milk, butter, and popcorn. To make things easier for me I will ask for two un-used brown paper bags at the grocery store to mix it all up in, and the cashiers usually comment that I must be making caramel corn – YEP!
In my quest for minimalism, I got rid of my popcorn popper when my sister gifted me this awesome microwave popcorn bowl. We eat popcorn ALL THE TIME- just a bit of coconut oil, popcorn kernals and some sea salt. Its delicious! You don’t have to have all the oil, butter, or chemicals that come with the microwaveable popcorn bags and it is so much cheaper popping your very own. You can find your own Nordic Microwave Popcorn Popper HERE .
I pop all the popcorn in my bowl and throw it in the double brown paper bags.
Making the caramel is super simple, just mix on the stovetop and make sure you are able to continually stir so it will not burn.
I just pour a bit of the caramel into the sea of popcorn and stir with a long wooden spoon, or close the bag and give it some shaking. Once it seems mixed, repeat the process until all the caramel is mixed into the popcorn.
All the popcorn is completely covered and incredibly delicious!
Serve in a big bowl so people can eat as they please –
or serve in some little bowls while you watch a movie or chat!
Its so soft and chewy no matter how you serve it, and it stays soft for 3 days, which is the longest we have ever had it last around our house!
What is your favorite way to eat popcorn?
See the Happy!
- 8 quarts popped popcorn This equals 1 1/3 cups of popcorn kernals for my popper, makes 32 cups of popped popcorn.
- 1 cup butter
- 2 1/2 cups brown sugar *firmly packed
- 1 cup corn syrup
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz can
- 2 unused brown grocery bags
- Pop your popcorn and dump it all into a double brown paper bag ( those from grocery store. I always just ask for two extra so they are clean and unused).
- Stir in butter and brown sugar in sauce pan until mixed on medium heat. Add in corn syrup. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk while stirring. Bring to soft boil, stir continually for 5 min while on soft boil.
- Drizzle the caramel into the bag a little at a time. You can either mix it with a long wooden spoon or close the bag it by folding it over, and SHAKE! Continue the process until all the caramel is mixed evenly over the popcorn. Store in an air tight container to keep soft. Enjoy!
Meg, have you ever thought about using sea salt in this?
I’m wondering how it could alter the taste?
Thanks for this recipe.
Hey Beki! I have been making this recipe for years and have never thought of adding sea salt! Salted caramel anything has always been a favorite, but I never thought to try it here. I am sure it would be delicious! I will have to try it, and if you do it before I do let me know. Thanks for stopping by!
Is there anything non-dairy that I could use in place of the sweetened condensed milk & butter? It looks amazing, but I can’t have dairy 🙁
Hello Geoff! I was what I thought was lactose intolerant for a little over a year (it was my gallbladder) but I never did make my caramel corn during that time. I used ghee all the time as a butter substitute, and I just googled “non dairy sweetened condensed milk substitutes” and there were a few recipes that looked like they would do the trick, it just depends what ingredients you would like to use or what you have on hand. The recipes do tell you how much of the substitute you would need for say one can of sweetened condensed milk. If you end up making it with the substitutes please come back and let us know how it all turned out!
Your pictures are gorgeous first of all. Second I’m stuffed on dinner right now but I could totally do with that kind of popcorn right about now.
Thanks Melissa! I agree- this popcorn is one of those things you still want to indulge on, even when your full – its that good!
Look so yummy! I didn’t realize how easy this is to make. My family loves popcorn so we’ll be trying this soon for sure!
It really is such an easy recipe – perfect for a family gathering!
This popcorn looks so yummy! We indulge in popcorn a lot here, so this is a must have for us!
Popcorn is such a yummy treat to have around!
This looks so yummy. I love caramel corn, but the store brands are not that great. I am definitely going to have to make this!
this is a lot easier than I thought it would be. I have to give that a try, as we are all fans of sweet popcorn in this family. Thanks for the recipe. Blessings!
Holy moly I want to leave work right now and make this. My family and I LOVE all kinds of popcorn. But, I don’t have a clue why I haven’t tried to make it at home. This looks fantastic and best of all easy to make. PINNED!
Thrifting Diva
http://www.thriftingdiva.com
Okay, I’m a liiiiittle nervous about how easy this looks to make because this kind of popcorn is my FAVORITE. Putting this on my “to try” list for the holiday season this year! 🙂
It is seriously addicting!