Sweet and salty, this homemade Caramel Apple Popcorn makes a deliciously crispy, crunchy snack perfect for movie nights, parties, and when you’re wanting a sweet snack.
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It is hard to resist the sweet classic caramel popcorn recipe but it never hurts to add some extra goodies sometimes, and for this recipe, I added sweet dried apple chips and a few shakes of cinnamon for a caramel corn upgrade. Sweet, crunchy, and delicious, kinda like the good old Cracker Jacks, but better!
Go ahead and grab some; I know you want to!
Caramel Apple Popcorn Ingredients
- Popcorn – use popcorn that pops in big kernels
- Brown sugar – I prefer using light brown sugar for this recipe
- Butter – you can use salted or unsalted butter
- Corn syrup – I used light corn syrup, but dark corn syrup will work too
Here is some important advice when you make this recipe: have a large bowl to put the popped corn in because when you pour on the caramel, you need to stir it to coat the popcorn.
How to make popcorn at home
Do you make your own popcorn or buy it in bags? You can do either for this recipe, but making your own popcorn is easy.
- Put oil in a large pan with a lid and preferably a long handle, like a saucepan.
- Heat the oil over medium heat, then add the popcorn and put the lid on the pan.
- Move the pan back and forth over the flame so the popcorn kernels don’t burn.
- Wait for the popping to begin.
- When you don’t hear any more popping, it’s done. Remove the lid, add some salt, and enjoy!
My secret love affair with caramel corn goes way back. I mean waaaayyyy back when my mother used to make huge batches of sweet, caramel coated popcorn. It was such a treat to eat, and the whole house smelled like caramelly goodness. This is Mom’s recipe with a few tweaks.
If you haven’t made caramel corn, you need to give it a try. Don’t let making caramel scare you away. There is nothing to it. It literally takes 5 minutes.
Homemade caramel for popcorn
Step 1. After the corn pops, transfer it to a large bowl or roasting pan and add the dried apple slices. If you have a lot of unpopped kernels, you can pick them out of the bowl.
Step 2. Melt the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon in a medium-sized saucepan.
Step 3. Once the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture is bubbly, add the baking soda, which will magically cause the caramel to foam a little and change colors. The baking soda keeps the caramel from crystallizing and keeps the caramel-coated popcorn chewy.
Step 4. That really only took 5 minutes to make the caramel sauce. Pour the caramel over the popcorn and apples, then stir well to coat the kernels.
Step 5. Now you have to bake the popcorn for 45 minutes at 250 F. Pour the caramel apple popcorn onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Baking the caramel corn just makes everything crunchier. Just stir it occasionally.
This recipe is easy and delicious, making a perfect treat for a simple snack, and this sweet popcorn even makes a tasty gift. Just fill a plastic bag with the caramel corn and tie it with a big ribbon.
Variations to try
- Instead of the cinnamon, add apple pie spice – this spice adds delicious fall flavors
- If you like apples, just add more dried apples to the recipe
- For the nut lover, pecans or almonds are a great addition to this recipe
- If you like sweet and salty, add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe
FAQ’s
Once you pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and get it all mixed together, you can start eating it, but there is another important step that will make the caramel corn extra crunchy, and that is to bake it at a low, low temperature. Also, by doing this, the popcorn will not go stale so quickly.
This is a really important step in making caramel sauce; it is kind of scientific: baking soda makes the caramel foam up and create tiny bubbles in the sauce, so when it cools, those air bubbles keep the caramel soft. What happens if you leave it out? There is a good chance you will crack a tooth because the caramel coating will become crystallized and hard.
To make the caramel corn crunchy again, just put it on a cookie sheet and bake it for 5 minutes at 250 degrees F.
Put the leftover caramel corn in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag, and it should keep well for a couple of days. This is another reason to bake the popcorn, since it keeps it from going stale as fast.
Make an edible gift
Caramel popcorn is good any time of year, but I love making this crunchy treat as an edible gift.
Here I made a double batch of this recipe and filled pretty Christmas tins with the caramel corn to give to my neighbors.
More popcorn recipes
- If you love popcorn, try this savory Rosemary & Asiago Cheese Popcorn. Just imagine a big bowl of popcorn flavored with olive oil, rosemary, salt, and grated Asiago Cheese. This popcorn is amazing and perfect for an appetizer.
- Did you go to a fair or carnival and get kettle corn? Do you have any leftovers after purchasing a gigantic bag? Try this easy recipe for No-Bake Kettle Corn Bars that have a luscious chocolate topping and a hint of sea salt.
- Bake a batch of our favorite Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Caramel Buttercream and Cracker Jacks. We love to make these cupcakes for baseball game dessert; they are pretty decadent!
- Our favorite holiday snack that takes minutes to make is this easy recipe for Christmas Crunch Popcorn. This popcorn makes a great edible Christmas gift.
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Recipe
Caramel Apple Popcorn with Cinnamon
Ingredients
Popcorn
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup popping corn
- salt to taste
- 4 ounces dried apple chips
Caramel
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Pop Corn
- In a large pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. A large saucepan with a handle works well for this.
- Add the popcorn to the hot oil and place the lid on the pan. Shake the pan gently back and forth over the heat so the popcorn kernels don't burn.
- Keep shaking the pan back and forth once the corn starts popping. Once the corn is done popping turn off the heat, remove the lid and add salt to taste.
- Pour the popcorn in a bowl big enough that you can stir it around when you add the caramel
- Mix in the dried apples.
Caramel
- In a small saucepan add the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and cinnamon. Heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring the mixture. This takes about 5 minutes.
- Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the 1/2 tsp. of baking soda. This will cause the caramel to foam up slightly.
- Immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn and apples. Stir completely to distribute the caramel.
Baking the caramel corn
- Heat the oven to 250° F. Pour the caramel-covered popcorn into a large baking pan or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Or you can just grease the pan. Bake for 45 minutes turning the caramel corn over every 15 minutes.
- When done pour the popcorn into a large bowl and serve.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container or place in ziplock bags for several days.
Notes
A few tips for this recipe
It is best to use dried apple chips, these are the ones that are crispy, the regular dried apples tend to be too chewy. You will need a large enough bowl to stir the popcorn and caramel together, and a large roasting pan, or cookie sheet to bake the caramel corn.Bake the caramel corn
Once you pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn and get it all mixed together, you can start eating it, but there is another important step that will make the caramel corn extra crunchy. Make sure to take the time to bake the caramel-coated popcorn in a low-temperature oven. Also, by doing this the popcorn will not go stale so quickly. Make sure to try this No-Bake Kettle Corn Bars, this easy recipe is always a favorite snack. All images and text © Jere’ Cassidy / One Hot OvenWhy add baking soda
Why add baking soda to a popcorn recipe?. This is actually a really important step in making the caramel sauce, it is kind of scientific and what happens is the baking soda will make the caramel foam up and creates tiny bubbles in the sauce so when the caramel cools those air bubbles with keeping the caramel soft. What happens if you leave it out, there is a good chance you will crack a tooth because the caramel coating will be hard.What can I do with the leftover caramel corn?
Put the leftover caramel corn in a sealed container or a plastic bag and it should keep well for a couple of days. This is another reason to bake the popcorn since it keeps it from going stale faster.Want to change things up in this recipe, try these suggestions
- Instead of the cinnamon, add apple pie spice – this spice adds delicious flavors
- If you like apples, just add more dried apples to the recipe
- For the nut lover, pecans are a great addition to this recipe
- If you like sweet and salty add a teaspoon of salt to the recipe
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Nutrition
This page may contain affiliate links; please see my full disclosure policy for details. First published: Oct. 14, 2018, Last updated: August 20, 2022
About Jere’
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.
This is nearly identical to my Mom’s Christmas Caramel Popcorn. The only differences are that Mom didn’t use dried apples and cinnamon in her recipe. Instead she broke up candy canes in her food processor and mixed them in with the caramel.
That’s a great idea for the candy canes. Thanks for this tip.
Nice idea to use candy canes, I will have to try that.
This was amazing! I love caramel popcorn on its own but the apples really elevated it! I’m definitely making this on my next movie hangout with friends!
You’re so right, I was always afraid of trying to make the caramel. Somehow I believed that it would be way more involved. You make it sounds so easy, I’ll definite give it a try.
I love popcorn & caramel, this recipe combines two of my food loves. Adding apple just is icing on the popcorn for me.
My mom use to make us caramel popcorn when we were little. I love that you’ve added a super delish twist with the dried apples and cinnamon.
What a fantastic recipe! Love the apples added. I cannot wait to make it. I love homemade popcorn
This is dangerously addicting!!
You are so right.
My favorite flavor combination this time of year. Can’t wait to chow down on this caramel apple popcorn.
Enjoy!
Such a great recipe! I love the flavor combo of caramels and apples!
I love the addition of the apple to my favorite snack ever! What a tasty twist!
Caramel corn is one of my all time favorite snacks. My mom use to make it when we were little. I’ve never tried making it, but this recipe seems very do-able.