Honey Caramel Corn Recipe | The Prairie Homestead (2024)

I’ve made this honey caramel corn more times than I can count.

Need a potluck dish? Make this.

Need a dessert you can quickly throw together? Make this.

Need something to take to a fall party? Make this.

Just DON’T make this if you’re home alone… Because it’s reaaaaaaly hard not to mow down the whole bowl. Oh, you’ll think you have enough willpower… But the sticky brown kernels will beckon you, “Just one more handful, no one will know…”

And then the bowl will be empty.

Not that I have personal experience here… All theoretical, of course.

But yes, this is absolutely one of my autumn go-to recipes. While it’s still a dessert and not something you’d want to make everyday, I love that this version uses honey and unrefined sweeteners, rather than corn syrup.

You’re welcome.

(This post contains affiliate links)

Honey Caramel Corn Recipe

• 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (where to purchase)
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey (this is the honey I use)
• 1/2 cup sucanat OR brown sugar (where to purchase)
• Pinch sea salt (I love this one)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (how to make your own vanilla extract)

Pop the popcorn and place it in a large bowl. We use a stovetop popper like this to pop our popcorn– it works like a charm.

I always grab a bigger bowl than I think I’ll need, as it makes the mixing/tossing easier.

I also grab this is the honey I use(affiliate), cause well it’s amazing.

In a medium saucepan, melt your honey, butter, sucanant, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook/stir for around 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. It will foam up a bit, but that’s OK. Simply stir it back down.

Working quickly, pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn. At first, it’ll look like you don’t have enough sauce, but it’ll work out– promise.

Using a wooden spoon, mix and stir the sauce into the popcorn. You’ll want to move in a timely manner here, as the sauce will begin to thicken/harden and we want to make sure we have full popcorn coverage before that happens.

Once the caramel sauce and popcorn is full incorporated, you have two choices:

1. Set it aside for a bit, then eat it whenever you want
2. Bake it

While most caramel corn recipes call for you to bake it before serving, but I usually don’t because:

a) It takes more time

b) The caramel corn is completely yummy and completely edible without the baking period, and it’s really not too much stickier.

c) I always burn it when I try to bake it. A-hem.

So yeah, if you want to bake it, simply spread the caramel corn on several baking sheets, and bake in a 250 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, checking and stirring frequently. Otherwise, you can follow in my lazy footsteps and skip that step.

Kitchen Notes:

• I’ve used both butter and coconut oil in this recipe with fantastic results. You can use either the refined coconut oil (no coconut taste) or the unrefined version (tastes like coconuts). Either is delish.
• Sometimes I mix 4-5 drops of cinnamon or cassia essential oil into the caramel sauce when add in the vanilla for a spicy kick.

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Other Fall-Inspired Homestead Recipes:

• Homemade Caramel Sauce
• Homemade Chai Tea Concentrate
• Apple Puff Pancake Recipe
• How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
• Butternut Squash Alfredo Sauce