This sinfully delightful gluten-free, dairy free treat makes Cracker Jack look like a real loser. Vegan caramel popcorn is easy and fast to make, and people love to receive it as a gift.
Looking for a healthier twist on your favorite sweet treat? You can substitute the sugar in this vegan caramel corn recipe with an equal amount of delicious and unrefined coconut sugar! Your taste buds and body will thank you for this less processed desserty snack option.
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Only 7 ingredients!
- The corn itself: 10 cups plain unsalted popcorn (this can be made from ½ cup popcorn kernals). You can use a popcorn popper, or follow the stovetop method I detail below. Note on popcorn types: If you're a "popcorn
-obsessed maniaclover", you might know that there are two types of popcorn kernels: "butterfly flakes" and "mushroom flakes". Dont worry, neither variety contains butterflies or mushrooms... Butterfly flakes are the normal movie variety popcorn which have "wings" that stick out when popped, which give them a tender mouthfeel. "Mushroom flakes" are mostly spherical when popped, with a chewier texture. Mushroom kernels are also harder, making them the corn of choice for commercial kettle corn and caramel corn druids who live in a corn castle or whatever... - Vegan butter. Or you can substitute coconut oil if you want a less processed variation.
- Maple syrup- I like grade B for almost everything, but grade A can also work. It just has a less interesting maple flavor in my opinion.
- Sugar - I opt for "evaporated cane juice" as it has a more mineral rich complex flavor, and is less processed than refined white sugar. Regular sugar will totally work, or you can use coconut sugar and this whole sweet treat becomes completely refined sugar free!
- Salt- use any kind you like. My general preference is kosher salt, or pink salt
- Vanilla extract. Don't cheap out here and use artificial garbage. Get the real stuff. It's just a small amount in the recipe, but it makes a big difference in the flavor. You can also swap out the vanilla for hazelnut extract or rum extract for a different, and also lovely flavor.
- Baking soda- this makes the caramel creamy and aerated by creating little carbon dioxide bubbles from the interaction with the acids that are present within the sweeteners. This helps the caramel adhere to the popped corn without making it soggy and deflated.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Popping the popcorn
You can totally skip this if you use already popped popcorn. Just make sure you use absolutely plain popcorn if you are not going to pop it from scratch. Salted or flavored popcorn will throw off the final result.
Place 2 tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil, along with ½ cup of un-popped popcorn kernels into a dutch oven or thick-bottomed pot. Cover the pot with a lid that doesn’t allow for steam to escape. Put a medium-high flame under the pot.
USE YOUR EARS
(I am going to resist making a dad joke hear about ears of corn...) After a few minutes, the popping should start to subside. When you hear the pops happening only maybe once a second or so, it’s time to remove the popcorn from the pot. Remember- the pot is still super hot, and will continue to cook (burn) the popcorn, so get it outta there into a mixing bowl. ½ cup of kernels should pop into about 10 cups of popcorn depending on the exact variety of popcorn kernels you use.
EASY Vegan Caramel
Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over a high flame. You can substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter if you want a more natural product, or if you avoid vegan butter for any reason.
Once the butter is melted, whisk in the maple syrup and sugar (or coconut sugar). Whisk occasionally for about 2 minutes just until the caramel starts to bubble and the sugar has completely dissolved. If you want to spice things up- this is where you can add some of your favorites- a pinch of ground cardamom, some dried ginger, a spoonful of tahini, or maybe even a tiny splash of rum and nutmeg like I do around Christmas. Have fun tweaking it to your taste.
Make the caramel creamy
Once the caramel sauce starts to bubble, stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda. Continue to cook, over medium heat, rapidly stirring with the whisk for about 30 seconds. The baking soda will make the caramel bubble up rapidly and get more creamy and aerated in appearance.
Important note for vegan caramel sauce making:
This might be the most important part of this recipe- be careful not to overcook the caramel. Remember this will cook a little more in the oven, so if the caramel is very dark, the end result will have a burnt sugar taste. If the caramel accidentally cooks too long, dump it and start over rather than ruin the recipe. It’s not an expensive huge waste, don’t be hard on yourself if you need to ditch it.
Mix up that corn!
Immediately pour the hot caramel into the popped corn, and stir it about with a rubber spatula to evenly coat all the popcorn. If you want to add any nuts, this is when you can toss in about a cup of your favies- peanuts, pecans, chopped almonds, or macadamia nuts. Be creative. This is when you can make cracker jacks look super cheap and unclassy. Oh wait- cracker jacks are already not that classy, but whatevs…
Roast the caramel corn to make it crispy
Spread the caramel corn out evenly in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking pan. Place it in the oven at 225 degrees for 25 minutes.
Remove the popcorn from the oven, and this is the hard part- ALLOW IT TO COOL for at least 5 minutes without eating it all and scalding your face off. Break it up a bit by hand and transfer it to a serving bowl. Caramel corn, especially spiced and seasoned versions make a lovely stocking stuffer, and you can bag some up in creative, cute ways to gift it to people.
Substitutions
I already mentioned some of these things- but I am reiterating them here because they are important!
- Popcorn - instead of popping your own, you can use already popped corn. Just make sure it is completely plain (no salt or flavorings).
- Sugar - use coconut sugar instead of regular granulated sugar to make these completely free or refined sugar.
- Brown sugar- using brown sugar in place of regular sugar provides more molasses flavor that you might dig if you like Cracker Jacks style caramel corn.
- Butter - You don't need to make this with vegan butter. you can use coconut oil or even olive oil in place of it in the caramel, and it will work great!
Variations
This is such an easy recipe to tweak in any ways your twisted mind desires. Here are a few ideas that I have done, and you will love.
- Rum eggnog caramel corn - Substitute rum extract in place of the vanilla, add an additional tablespoon of spiced rum, and ½ teaspoon nutmeg to the caramel when you add the salt and baking powder.
- Mildly middle eastern - add a tablespoon of tahini, and a teaspoon of rosewater to the caramel along with ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom and ¼ teaspoon of cured sumac to the caramel. Add chopped unsalted pistachios to the popcorn before you pour the caramel sauce over it all and then bake acording to the recipe's instruction.
- Nuts and spices - add chopped pecans, peanuts, almonds, or macadamias before the popcorn goes into the oven. I like to also add a dash of dried ginger and ground cloves at this point.
Equipment
One of the best things about this recipe is that it hardly requires any special gear. Just a thick-bottomed pot or dutch oven for popping the corn, a trusty whisk, a rubber spatula, a baking pan with parchment paper and an oven is all you need!
Storage
Once cool, this vegan caramel popcorn can last for up to three weeks, which is nice to know if you plan on gifting the caramel popcorn. Just wait for it to cool and dry and you can pack it into mason jars or cute little paper bags. But if you are not giving it away, you KNOW this is not going to last more than a half hour before it gets devoured.
Top tip to avoid bitter-tasting vegan caramel corn:
Watch out for the caramel! Overcook it and your dish will taste like burnt regrets. Remember, if you mess it up, don't be too hard on yourself - just dump it and start over. It's not like you're wasting gold or anything.
FAQ
When you let caramel popcorn sit for too long, or pack it up into a jar before it cools completely, the moisture from the caramel seeps into the corn and turns it from crunchy to chewy. This process takes time, so if you're going to eat it right away, you don't need to worry about drying it out further.
Well, well, well, look who's got some grainy caramel on their hands! This nonsense occurs when pesky sugar crystals are formed. If you transfer the caramel corn when it's still hot into a cold bowl, it loses all its moisture and transforms into a grainy mess. But fear not, my sweet-toothed friend! This is an easy fix, and with a few simple precautions, you'll never have to deal with this caramel catastrophe again. If it happens warm it back up in the oven briefly to melt the sugar crystals, and then let the popcorn cook fully before you transfer it into a NOT COLD bowl.
💣 Other Bangers
Looking to make any other vegan desserts? Try these:
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Vegan caramel popcorn (can also be made refined sugar free!)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
The easiest 7 ingredient caramel popcorn that just happens to be gluten-free, dairy free, and completely vegan.
Ingredients
10 cups plain freshly popped popcorn (½ cup of popcorn kernels)
1 ¼ cups pecan pieces
¼ cup vegan butter
⅓ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup sugar (I usually opt for evaporated cane juice)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Popping the popcorn on the stovetop
You can totally skip this if you use already popped popcorn or have a popcorn maker. Just make sure you use absolutely plain popcorn if you are not going to pop it from scratch. Salted or flavored popcorn will throw off the final result.
Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil, along with ½ cup of un-popped popcorn kernels into a dutch oven or thick-bottomed pot. Cover the pot with a lid that doesn’t allow for steam to escape. Put a medium-high flame under the pot.
USE YOUR EARS
After a few minutes, the popping should start to subside. When you hear the pops happening only maybe once a second or so, it’s time to remove the popcorn from the pot. Remember- the pot is still super hot, and will continue to cook (burn) the popcorn, so get it outta there into a mixing bowl. ½ cup of kernels should pop into about 10 cups of popcorn depending on the exact variety of popcorn kernels you use.
Make the caramel
Melt the vegan butter in a saucepan over a high flame. You can substitute coconut oil for the vegan butter if you want a more natural product, or if you avoid vegan butter for any reason.
Once the butter is melted, whisk in the maple syrup and sugar (or coconut sugar). Whisk occasionally for about 2 minutes just until the caramel starts to bubble and the sugar has completely dissolved. If you want to spice things up- this is where you can add some of your favorites- a pinch of ground cardamom, some dried ginger, a spoonful of tahini, or maybe even a tiny splash of rum and nutmeg like I do around Christmas. Have fun tweaking it to your taste.
Once the caramel starts to bubble, stir in the vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder. Continue to cook, rapidly stirring with the whisk for about 30 seconds. The baking powder will make the caramel bubble up rapidly and get more creamy and aerated in appearance.
Mix up that corn!
Immediately pour the hot caramel into the popped corn, and stir it about with a rubber spatula to evenly coat all the popcorn. If you want to add any nuts, this is when you can toss in about a cup of your favies- peanuts, pecans, chopped almonds, or macadamia nuts. Be creative. This is when you can make Cracker Jacks look super cheap and unclassy. Oh wait- Cracker Jacks are already not that classy, but whatevs…
Roast the caramel corn to make it crispy
Spread the caramel corn out evenly in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking pan. Place it in the oven at 225 degrees for 25 minutes.
Remove the popcorn from the oven, and this is the hard part- ALLOW IT TO COOL for at least 5 minutes without eating it all and scalding your face off. Break it up a bit by hand and transfer it to a serving bowl.
Notes
Note for popcorn popping:
If your pot isn’t very thick, you may have to shake it a few times while the kernels pop to prevent burning. In the thick cast iron dutch oven I like to use, I never have to touch it until it’s time to take it off the stove. I for real would be lost and sad without my favey pot in my arsenal…
Note for caramel making:
This might be the most important part of this recipe- be careful not to overcook the caramel. Remember this will cook a little more in the oven, so if the caramel is very dark, the end result will have a burnt sugar taste. If the caramel accidentally cooks too long, dump it and start over rather than ruin the recipe. It’s not an expensive huge waste, don’t be hard on yourself if you need to ditch it.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: desserts, snacks
Keywords: vegan caramel popcorn, vegan caramel corn
Heather
Thank you Adam this was a great recipe, the popcorn lasted about 2 hours so now everyone wants me to make more. It was very easy recipe to follow and the results were amazing ! I would give 10 stars for this recipe as its easy and fast to get delicious caramel popcorn.
★★★★★
Adam Sobel
So happy to hear everyone loved it! Try playing around with adding some spices or nuts next time. This is always an easy, crowd-pleasing treat at my house