Caramel Popcorn Recipe
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This healthy caramel popcorn recipe was a gift from heaven….or rather, from Australia. (One and the same???)
One of my Facebook fans, Dani, bless her heart, was kind enough to share this with me, and all of you!!
Everyone needs to thank this woman because this is some seriously good popcorn!!
Though I must admit that after testing this recipe (a few times…. ehem!), I think I need to do another No-Sugar challenge. But first, I gotta finish this bowl of popcorn…
Join me? I promise, it’s a worthwhile splurge. Perfect for a movie night with the family!
More Healthy Popcorn Recipes
CARAMEL POPCORN RECIPE:
Caramel Popcorn Recipe
Movie night just got a little sweeter! This caramel popcorn is perfect for snuggling in and watching a movie!
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Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 132kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup almond butter (or peanut butter if you prefer that flavor)
- ½ cup honey
- 10 cups air-popped popcorn
Instructions
- Read through the steps first. You’ll need to work quickly.
- In a small pot, warm the honey on high heat. Bring it to a boil.
- Let it boil up in the pot about 1 inch and then quickly remove from heat.
- Stir in nut butter with a whisk and whisk until smooth. Should be “pourable”.
- Pour over the popcorn and mix with a spoon. The mixture is hot, so don’t be tempted to mix with your hands. I learned that the hard way (Duh!!).
- Let it all sit and cool. To me, it tastes better cold. But that could just be me.
Notes
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
Nutrition
Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.6mg
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 6/18/11.
Caramel Popcorn is the bomb! Sugar-free is a bonus! Thank you for sharing this wonder. 🙂
Paula – You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
I made this and let it cool but it is still very sticky, not hard. What did I do wrong? Thanks!
Nothing, it’s a sticky pop corn. No way around that because there is no corn syrup in it to harden it. Should be pretty tasty though!
Can’t wait to try this. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Bonnie – You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Hey there! I hope everyone does enjoy this! You can always serve them in little mini muffin paper cups, I just teaspoon them in and the kids smash them!!!
Tiffany this is a great recipe addition to your fabulous “eating clean kids” section. I host frequent after school catch ups and to have this resource here is absolutely fabulous!! Maybe we put our thinking caps on and prep up a “eating clean kids party food menu” ;-)))
Thanks for being such a great experimental chef! XxDani
Dani – I think that is an excellent idea!! I’ve been wanting to do something like that for a while, but just have not gotten to it yet. Sounds like fun! Thanks again for sharing this recipe with me. My husband and munchkin thank you too! 😉
My kids will be so excited when I tell them about this recipe. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you Tiffany & Dani 🙂
Is there an easy way to pop popcorn w/out an air popper?
Tracy – If you have one of those little lunch size brown bags, put 1/4 cup of pop corn in there, close the end and microwave for approximately 3 minutes or until the popping starts to slow down. Just like regular microwave popcorn, but without the added gunk.
My popper broke a month ago 🙁 Time to call the in-laws to borrow theirs!! I don’t think I can pass up making this recipe…right now!!
Irene – See my comment above. All you need is a small brown paper bag!
My kids are eternally grateful! Thanks so much for this. One of my biggest challenges with clean eating is making sure the kids are happy and don’t feel deprived of things that other children are eating. I want them to understand that this is healthy eating and NOT a diet. I want them to learn alongside me and feel confident with their choices. You make this such an easy transition for them and we all appreciate you!
P.S. We don’t own a popcorn popper-I did ours on the stove.
P.S.S. I made about 8 cups of pop corn and mixed the “caramel” into half of it then added the rest and stirred. The caramel cools and hardens quickly, so this helped to balance it out.
Melissa – Fantastic! I’m so happy the kids enjoyed it! And yes, it does cool quickly. Thanks for the mixing tip!
Oh yummeeeee. Our kidlets will love this. I think they would eat popcorn every day if we let them. The nut butter will add some protein too.
Jodi – Yes! It’s a great way to add protein. Hope they enjoy it!
Thanks to both of you!!! I am actually in Jamaica at the moment – having a tough time eating well and my stomach is telling me so – but enjoying the sun and sand. However, when I get home, this will be a recipe I’ll be trying of the weekend.
From Jamaica…….
Stephanie
Stephanie – Wow! Jamaica! Enjoy it!! 🙂
Sigh. I don’t understand why caramel corn is clean but I can’t add a splash of half and half to my coffee and call it clean.
Sarah – Something like that really comes down to a personal choice. You have to remember that most people have coffee daily. That fat content really adds up. But caramel popcorn is a special treat and the fat in the peanut butter is far healthier for you than the saturated fat in dairy.
@Sarah, I still think if you can get real cream from the cow – is that not clean. I will never be totally clean, I like my half and half in my coffee and try to aim for only 1-2 cups a day. Clean is not fat free, it is unprocessed free as my understanding.
Rebecca – That is true. And that’s where the personal choice comes in. But clean eating does involved reducing fat intake. Not completely, but the fat that is consumed is typically healthy fats only.
Just made this and OMG!! It is sooooo good, I think it’s actually better than real caramel popcorn! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Krystle – You’re welcome! I think it’s better than the unclean stuff too. Glad it’s not just me who thinks so! 🙂
Good stuff! The family loved it! I have to admit, I’ve been staying away from sugar, so for me, it was a bit of a shock to me system as far as the sweetness.
Lynn – Yes, it would be!! It’s very sweet stuff. Clean, but sweet!
Oh my heck! This was divine! THANK YOU! I used agave, but it was fantastic.
Mygirlbrenna – Wonderful! I’m so happy you liked it!
Vanessa – Haha!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh this looks amazing!!! I can’t tell you why, because I am usually not a big popcorn eater (probably havent eaten any in a year) but I was CRAVING caramel popcorn today! This is so tempting.
Thecilantropist – Go for it!!! I promise, it’s yummy!
I have never been a popcorn fan until once I had caramel popcorn and its my favorite way to eat the stuff. I have been looking out for a recipe but all had all baking hours and caramel making etc To take a shortcut I met ready toffee or caramel candies and pour them over popcorn- fab! This is what I’m trying next
Kulsum – I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Alfone – I’m not sure that would work here. I think you’d get one big mess. But you can certainly give it a try!
Katherine – I bet you’re right! Glad you enjoyed it!
DRT – Awesome!
Lisa – Different flavor, but same effect. Yes, I’m sure it would be delicious!
Audra – That’s great! I’d love to hear how it turned out. I never microwave honey because I find it looses it’s thickness somehow. But please tell me how it was!
Audra – Definitely! This recipe can be adjusted pretty easily. Glad you liked it!
Sully – Haha!! Glad you like it!
OMG! This was very quick & easy to make and oh…so…tasty!!! Thank you Tiffany for sharing your recipes with us!
KB – My pleasure!
making this for movie night!
delicious! Thank you!
Hope you enjoy it!
It’s so delicious!
Awesome!!! 🙂
Stumbled upon your blog looking for a dairy free popcorn treat. Added cinnamon and we loved it! Next time I will try crunchy popcorn with maybe some chocolate drizzled over the top.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Haha!! Thanks! Glad you like it!
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it!
Haha! Glad you’re enjoying it!
Awww, thanks! Glad you enjoyed it so much!
They would, but it would be sticky!
I came across this recipe trying to find an alternative for hard caramel. I was wondering if this mixture would set hard in the fridge?
No, sorry.
Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!! This is so good! I was thinking of adding peanuts to it , like Cracker Jax!
Oh ya! That would be good!
I’m so thankful I remembered this recipe when I had a craving for something sweet this week! It took no time to put together, and it was very good! It wasn’t exactly the taste I expected, but I did enjoy it very much, and I’m sure I’ll make it again!
I had no idea u could pop corn in the microwave w.just a paper lunch bag! Where does one find unprocessed corn, everything i read says corn is the most processed food we eat. Id love 2 try this recipe!
If you purchase organic kernels, you’re fine. Enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious!
The most important step is to remove the un-popped kernels (I learned the hard way)!
Sarah – Ouch! I hope you’re okay!
Hello, I am looking forward to making this to take camping with me but I wanted to give you a heads up that I ve seen a couple of your pictures on pinterest representing spam/malware. I clicked on one today that almost took me to a malicious sight.
Patricia – Do you have the URL for that pin?
This is a great idea! I’m going to make some right now, right after before hitting the movie theatre. However, I’ve heard that it is not recommended to boil the honey, as it loses its nutritional value. So, I’ll try just to heat it up a little. Also I think adding chia/flax seeds to it is not a bad idea. Thanks for the recipe!
Natasha – Let me know how it turns out!
My updates: It was literally THE BEST popcorn I have ever tried! and knowing that is it healthy made it even better:-)
Few things: For some reason popcorn got wet and sticky, so sticky that you can probably through it to the ceiling and it will stick to it. But it was a bummer that it turned out wet..any ideas why?
I heat the honey with chia seeds and pour it all over the already popped (but still warm) popcorn. Mixed it all together. Where was the mistake?
Natasha – This is a sticky recipe. The honey makes it wet as does the melted peanut butter. You can mix in more popcorn to help with that. Not sure if the chia seeds had any effect or not. Glad you enjoyed it though!
It is SO good! My 11yo and I made it for the rest of the kids, but they’ll be lucky if there is any left when they get home. 🙂
Thanks for the quick, yummy treat!!
Liz – Haha! That’s wonderful! 🙂
Great recipe! Thank you so much. My only questions are: is it supposed to be so sticky? Does it ever firm up? Did I not boil the honey right?
Joanne – It is sticky. There’s just no way around that I’m afraid. But glad you liked it! 😀
Hi Tiffany
thanks for this recipe – my kids love it! so do we ))
Umm – Awesome! 🙂
Definitely tastes better cool. I tried it sprinkled with cocoa, which probably isn’t clean, but was yummy. then I tried it with mesquite powder, which was phenomenal. thanks for sharing. I might have to start eating clean if it always tastes this good.
Allyson – I don’t eat food that doesn’t taste good. 😉
What do you think about putting it in the oven, like most caramel corn recipes? Do you think it would get crispier? I might have to try tomorrow. It is good and sweet, though.
Thanks
Cindy
Cindy – I doubt it would work, but if you try it, let me know!
Ok…so to get rid of the stickiness, I did put it in the oven. Not only did it get rid of how sticky it was, but It crisps up the popcorn. Spread onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in 250 degree oven for 45-55 minutes! Works great!
Cindy – Great to know! Thank you! 😀
I popped 14/4 cup of non GMO popcorn and I only used 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tabs nut butter and some salt when the honey was heating.
Thanks again for the recipe..
Cindy
Cindy – wonderful!!!
1/4 cup–oops!
I think it is better baked for only 40 minutes!
Cindy – Thanks!
Amazing… I just heated the peanet butter and honey in the microwave.. Poured it over half let it sit then added extra… Also added 1 cup if fruit n nut mix for different textures
Kirsty – Sounds really yummy!!!
Oh my !!! This is perfection! So so good. Thank you for sharing!!
Julie – My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Tiffany, I have movie night at church and need to bring a dessert. I was determined to find something that would help me stay on track and that others would enjoy. Just made Caramel Popcorn with almond butter. Yum! Can’t wait to see the feedback I get at movie night!
P. S. I’ve been following you since I found your Sugar Free Challenge about a year ago. Thanks a million for all you do!
Sue – Fantastic! I’m so happy you found something you could use! Let me know how everyone likes it. 🙂
I’m new to this clean eating. Is peanut butter clean? And if so are there certain brands that I should look for? I live in a small town and we don’t have a whole foods or anything like that around.
https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/what-is-clean-peanut-butter/
Just answered my own question from your site!
Sarah – Great! Glad you found your answer! 😀
Crazy Question: This would be a great snack for a beach trip! Any idea on on long you could store this popcorn in tupperware or freezer bags maybe?
Kirbi – You want to eat this as fresh as possible. But if you have to make it ahead of time, I would store it in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge until you go.
Popping the popcorn in a brown lunch bag is a great idea!! I never knew you can do that. I can’t wait to try this.
Purplerocks – Great! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Do you have to use the nut butter? I’m really not a fan of nuts 🙁
Liane – It’s kinda the base of the recipe, so ya. But give my Kettle Corn a try. You might enjoy that more. 🙂
Can u make this ahead of time? If so how long will it keep? (Having a birthday party and would like to make it the night before…Tia!)
Dani – I don’t recommend this one for making ahead. I think a better option would be my kettle corn recipe. https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-kettle-corn/
Thanks for a great recipe and thank Dani for sharing this! My whole family loves it and also my dogs!
John – Fantastic! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 😀
I added a sprinkle of cayenne and a pinch of salt to mine while mixing and it was AMAZING! A nice kick with the sweet.
Astrid – Oh yum!!! That wounds wonderful!
Looking forward to trying this out! Im going to the drive in tonight and im due to get gastric sleeve in less than three months. I already eat very clean but its the wanting to snack when going out thats more my issue so definitely packing this up with me to go!
Camille – I hope you enjoy it! 🙂