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I remember when I was a kid, the grocery sold a microwaveable caramel popcorn. My sister and I used to devour it. And I mean d.e.v.o.u.r it! The other night, I was out grocery shopping and all of a sudden, I got an insatiable craving for it. Out of nowhere. I mean it has been years since I even thought about that stuff. And to my absolute horror, I discovered that they no longer sell it!! I went to three places and never found it. I’ve looked it up and saw that there are still a few that are being sold, but that didn’t help me in my moment of need. I went that night wickedly disappointed and decided to do something about it the next day. So here is my solution. A homemade recipe for Salted Caramel Popcorn.

Who knew that homemade caramel popcorn was so easy to make? I certainly didn’t. And can I just share a tidbit with you? Homemade caramel has been kind of my kryptonite in the past. So I needed to make a homemade caramel that was soft, easy, and impossible to burn. And this caramel checks those boxes. ✔️✔️

Also… with this recipe, I give you the option of Salted Caramel Popcorn TWO WAYS. Yes, you read that correctly. Two ways. As if one delicious way wasn’t enough… The first way is a fresh, soft salted caramel popcorn. The popcorn served this way has fresh, warm and sticky caramel. The popcorn becomes slightly less crisp because of the fresh caramel, but it is still oh so divine. The second way is crunchy salted caramel popcorn. It takes a little time in the oven, but it is worth the wait!

Let me show you how I made this Salted Caramel Popcorn 👇🏻

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Cooking in a pot on the stove or using an air popper, pop 1/2 cup of plain white popcorn kernels. Spread the popcorn out onto a baking sheet and set aside.

In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, add 6 tbsp of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar, and 1/3 cup light karo syrup. Stir until it is smooth. Bring to a boil and stir constantly, cooking it for 1 minute.

Add 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk. Stir. Let it boil for 2 minutes, while stirring constantly.

After it has boiled for 2 minutes, add 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of Kosher salt. Stir. Boil for one more minute, stirring frequently. Do not overcook or your caramel will burn and become clumpy.

Pour the caramel over your popcorn, using as much or as little as you like.

Now you have a choice. You can serve (and eat) the popcorn as is right now. It will be sticky and soft and divine. The popcorn will lose a little bit of it’s crunch, but it’s totally delish.

Or you can bake the popcorn for a crunchy salted caramel popcorn. Personally, I did both. I chowed down on half of the popcorn while I put the other half in the oven for later.

If you’d like to make the crunchy salted caramel popcorn, check out the instructions below.

For Crunchy Salted Caramel Popcorn:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour your popcorn onto the baking sheet, spreading it out as much as you can. You’re going to bake the popcorn for 60 minutes, stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes. The popcorn will be easier to separate as it cooks. After the hour is up, let it cool on the baking sheet before serving.

The Crunchy Salted Caramel Popcorn may be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. The Soft Salted Caramel Popcorn should be eaten when warm and fresh. And there you have it, folks. Salted Caramel Popcorn two totally delicious ways!

Enjoy!!

These are the recommended products that I used to make this delicious recipe! These are not only products that I use, but products that I love.

Have you tried this recipe? Thinking about it? I’d love to hear from you! Please leave me your thoughts below in the comment section.