Our old fashioned Honey Caramel Corn Recipe is light, buttery and delicious! This snack is great for gatherings or an anytime treat.
When I was a little girl, one of the treats my Grandma Catherine would buy me was CrackerJacks™ caramel corn. I had a collection of all the little toys they put inside the boxes, from mini-holographic photos to magnifying spyglasses. I enjoyed that sweet, crispy buttery caramel corn, but haven’t purchased it in years because they use ingredients that we try to avoid, like genetically modified soy and corn.
My friend, Shannon, mentioned that her family always made a delicious honey caramel corn recipe for the holiday season. She messaged me a copy of a handwritten list of ingredients, saying that she remembered they used a thermometer but didn’t remember cooking details. A little online digging revealed a recipe that sounded similar, so I married the two together and came up with a recipe that reminds me of grandma and the way things used to taste.
Honey Caramel Corn Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar or sucanat
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade extract is great if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 quarts popped popcorn
Directions
Melt butter in large saucepan or cast iron skillet; stir in sugar, honey and salt.
Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; boil without stirring about three minutes to 265°F (130°C – hard ball stage). Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract and soda. When you add the soda, the color will get lighter and the mixture will get more bubbly.
Place popcorn in large oven-safe bowl; slowly pour syrup over popcorn while stirring.
Turn onto greased or reusable parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake at 250°F (120°C) for 45 minutes; stir every 15 minutes. Cool. Break into serving-sized pieces. Store in airtight container. Makes four quarts (eight servings of two cups each). You can make a bigger batch of honey caramel popcorn and pile it up in a Dutch oven for an attractive, rustic centerpiece on the serving table.
PrintHoney Caramel Corn
Old fashioned honey caramel corn is light and crispy, buttery and not too sweet.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop cooking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar or sucanat
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 quarts popped popcorn
Instructions
- Melt butter in large saucepan or cast iron skillet; stir in sugar, honey and salt.
- Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium; boil without stirring about three minutes to 265°F (130°C – hard ball stage).
- Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract and soda.
- Place popcorn in large oven-safe bowl; slowly pour syrup over popcorn while stirring.
- Turn onto greased or reusable parchment paper covered 15-1/4×10-1/4×1/4-inch baking pan.
- Bake at 250°F (120°C) for 45 minutes; stir every 15 minutes.
- Cool. Break into serving-sized pieces. Store in airtight container. Makes four quarts (eight servings of two cups each).
Keywords: old fashioned, caramel corn, honey caramel corn
Don’t forget to check out more of our made from scratch recipes, such as:
Chocolate Chestnut Brownies – Gluten Free and Honey Sweetened
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars – Sweetened with Honey
P.S. – I’d love to hear your stories about family favorite recipes or recipes you remember from childhood. Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Originally posted in 2014, updated in 2018.
L Gartin says
thanks for the great bread recipes. when i was too smart by 1/2 at college, i had roommates that made bread with beer, but I was too dumb to pay attention. Any thoughts?
Laurie Neverman says
Was it a yeast bread or a quick bread? The top search result is at Food.com, and it’s a quick bread beer bread.
Danielle says
We are huge fans of Caramel popcorn, this is a wonderful little twist to the recipe we will be trying!!
Thank you for having a “free” entry for the honey giveaway, as I am not a subscriber to Facebook. I really appreciate the opportunity! Thank you again!!
Laurie Neverman says
Danielle – there should be a free entry on the cast iron, too. It’s been a crazy week and I missed that it wasn’t there. Checking with Melissa to get it added, and it should be up later today.
William Dotson says
Thanks for letting me enter your contest. My favorite recipe is ckili slow cooked in cast iron.
Mable Friedman says
This looks like an amazingly yummy recipe! Thanks for posting it!
Jackie Isler says
My favorite recipe, especially this time of year, is plain old chili!
Mary Lynn says
I love cooking with cast iron.
Ray White says
This recipe sounds delicious.
Teresa Raulerson says
Looks like a good recipe, also excellent made with local molassas that gives magnesium and other trace minerals.
Laurie Neverman says
Yum!
Tracy Smith says
I can’t wait to try the popcorn recipe! I think that would make fantastic Christmas presents for friends!
Diana Smith says
This Honey Caramel corn looks yummy. Just getting back into beekeeping after a bear destroyed 11 colonies last year!!!!
Laurie Neverman says
Oh no! I hope you can rebuild your hives.
Audrey says
I love cooking apples in my cast iron!
Betsy @ BPhotoArt says
My favorite cast iron recipe might be cornbread!
Christy says
My favorite recipe is for yeast rolls. My mom taught me how to make them as she made them for family gatherings. Though it took me years to “perfect” the making of them, I always enjoy (along with many others) the fruits of my labor.
Kim says
Thank you for the great recipe; can’t wai to try it. 🙂
Dawn Rearick says
Thanks for the yummy caramel corn recipe. My family loved it!!
Dana says
My new favorite recipe is for Mexican style rice, it so simple and doesn’t come from a package. But I really want to start working on making homemade breads.
Rhonda Mott says
I don’t really have a favorite recipe. I like to cook vegetables a lot but I don’t use a recipe when I cook them, I just use whatever I have on hand.
rocky says
My favorite recipe is for Buttermilk Biscuits!
Christy Spurlock says
I love making my peach cobbler in my LODGE dutch oven over an open fire.
Tammy Lehnigk says
love caramel popcorn, thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sue D says
Thanks for the caramel corn recipe. My favorite recipe in my cast iron skillet is fried potatoes.
Judi R says
Thank you for the recipe for the caramel corn! It looks wonderful!
judy maharrey says
ZachI love the cornbread reciepe! I lo e good cornbread.
Melissa Woolard says
My aunt used to make the best caramel corn I’d ever tasted. I haven’t had it since I was a little kid. This recipe looks fantastic! I can’t wait to give it a try. 🙂
marybeth welch says
I can’t wait to try the carmel corn…it sounds like the “crunchy” kind I like so much (not the soft one that isn’t as yummy!).
I, too am glad for the ‘free’ entry as I am not a Facebook person (maybe someday).
Thanks for all the great info you send out!
Laurie Neverman says
Just make sure you keep it airtight after baking, or eat soon after prep, as it will soften if left out.
No more facebook entries after November 3rd, although I will still have pinterest follows as entries. It’s just a tool for me as a blogger to reach out to people. I do always try to include a free entry, because I realize not everyone is on social media.
V. Stoen says
This sound like my kind of recipe . Love that the recipe does not have corn syrup and also that one can use coconut oil rather than butter ! I will definitely be trying this recipe for the holidays. Thank you for sharing !
mickie says
My favorite recipe is Milwaulke slow cooked roast. Delicious and melts in your mouth.
angela says
What a wonderful giveaway, thank you for the opportunity!
Connie Sychowski says
I loved CrackerJack as a kid. Excited to try this recipe and start a new tradition for the holidays!
adrienne @ whole new mom says
A beef curry we make for company all the time. Thanks!
sally says
Love your contests!
Edith says
We love caramel corn and we love honey. This recipe looks amazing! Thanks.
Jean Whitaker says
Can’t pick a favorite recipe as they all become fav’s as I use them—today a soup – tomorrow a cake—who knows what next??
love to try to win–maybe this will be my lucky entry–lol
Martha Murrell says
Thanks once again for a fabulous recipe, and a chance to win great prizes….appreciate your dedication!
Mary Jo says
Going to try this honey carmel corn today. Thanks for posting.
Ruth says
I love skillet cornbread.
Karen says
My favorite recipe happens to be any one associated with a holiday. I love cooking for my family when they gather at my home for a holiday!
Kimberly says
Thanks for doing the giveaway! The honey caramel corn recipe looks delicious.
Kimberly
Julie Pruett says
With Halloween coming up I started thinking about popcorn balls…. this caramel corn recipe sounds perfect for this season….
desert says
My favorite recipe is “Hungarian Gulash” and I wish these sites would STOP using facebook, I am not on facebook, can’t post there and want nothing to do with them…they are phishers!
Sonya Burge says
My two favorite oven baked cast iron recipes are for sweet corn bread and my mom’s amazing tamale pie.
Jennifer says
Can’t wait to try the Honey Caramel Corn recipe!
Katherine says
Potato Moussaka from the Global Table Adventure blog: http://globaltableadventure.com/2013/01/18/recipe-potato-musaka/
Anne F says
Thanks for the Cast Iron Giveaway. I can see it now, Honey Caramel Popcorn balls in the Christmas stockings.
My favorite recipe (this week anyway) is anything with green tomatoes. OneHundredDollarsAMonth has a canning recipe for Green Tomato Curry Sauce that is yummy, yummy, yummy. Here’s a link:
http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/canning-101-green-tomato-curry-sauce/
~Anne
carol e says
Caramel Corn is super delicious, my favorite recipe.
Ashley Pease says
My grandma made THE BEST raisin pie. I haven’t received the “secret” ingredients yet. My mom says she’ll pass it along when she is called to Heaven. In the mean time, heaven here on earth with raisin pie and my Mama!
CarolMilender says
Thanks so much. I live your magazine!
VAl says
Every year for Halloween my mother would make popcorn balls to give out to trick-o-treaters. We would make the popcorn into balls and wrap them with clear plastic wrap and tie the ends with curling ribbon. You can’t hand them out to the public but they are great for a party! My mother used a recipe with corn syrup from I think the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.
Susan Fullerton says
I really enjoy there tips and hints!
Laura says
Yeah just saw caramel corn at costco didn’t buy, said I was going to make some!
Valerie P says
Nothing I like more than regular buttered popcorn is Caramel Popcorn. I hope I win. I love Cast Iron.
Sue Mosier says
I am eager to try your honey caramel corn. It looks delicious!
Scott says
During this time of year my favorite recipe that my wife makes is her Pumpkin Crisp desert casserole. It’s the best ever!
Gwen F. says
Have tried (successfully) many of your recipes. Thanks for sharing the Honey Caramel popcorn recipe. Will make some for my family when we’re housebound due to cold wintry weather (like today). Again, thanks for sharing and for the giveaways!
Deitra says
I remember the Cracker Jack and like you, haven’t had it in years simply because it doesn’t taste anywhere like it used to. And, because I’m really trying to eat better, I –who don’t like to cook anyway– am trying to juice more often than not and so far I haven’t really made a juice I didn’t like. But, my favorites are proving to be those that include beets, cucumber and celery.
smilingwoman says
My mom used to make the BEST caramel popcorn balls to hand out at Halloween… It was a big deal and meant bringing out the biggest ceramic salad bowl for tossing the syrup with the popcorn. Her recipe is long gone as is she, but I still like caramel popcorn, and I’ll be trying this recipe for sure! Thanks!
Kelly C says
Now I’m hungry! That caramel corn looks yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Samantha Gilliam says
Love some caramel popcorn!
Terri Hughes says
Caramel popcorn. Thanks for the giveaway!
Laurie Neverman says
Which thing isn’t working?
Jeanna says
The recipe looks great, thank you! And, nothing beats cast iron 🙂
Carol says
Thank you too, I also do not have a Facebook account. (or pinterest, or twitter, or any social media…too scary for me!!)
I also belong to all the blogs listed, just don’t “Facebook” about them, but do share links to them with others.
There still is no non-Facebook entry for the Cast Iron giveaway.
I really love all the recipes posted here. It has been quite awhile since I had even plain popcorn. I did have a caramel popcorn recipe once, but have misplaced it, so this is great!
Thanks for all the work you do!!
Laurie Neverman says
On the cast iron giveaway, very bottom of the list, “Leave a blog post comment sharing your favorite recipe”.
For some reason, popcorn seems like more of a fall/winter treat in my head, maybe because of snuggling up by the fire or under a blanket for movie night.
Patricia Havens says
I love these giveaways , my favorite recipe in cast iron is sweet cornbread no better cornbread ever made than in a cast iron skillet makes my mouth water just thinking about it
Angela says
Thank you for the recipe! I like that you make it with honey. I think I’ll try it with maple syrup too. My favorite recipe is homemade chicken soup with homemade chicken stock and lots of veggies.
Dave says
I love reading all of the tips and recipes on you site.
Thank you.
Rachel says
I can’t wait to try this! My mom made caramel corn as a treat occasionally throughout the winter months when I was growing up. This brings back a lot of happy memories.
Sara says
Holy moly, I can’t wait to make this popcorn with my kids! And I own just own cast iron grill pan. I could really use this set! Great giveaway.
Marlene says
My favorite recipe is cornbread and it must be cooked in a cast iron frying pan
Olivia says
I love cornbread cooked in a cast iron skillet.
Dorothy McDonald says
Delish!!!!
Ann says
This is a great giveaway! This time of year chili with cornbread is my go to recipe.
Veronica C says
My favorite recipe is my baked potato soup recipe with fresh honey wheat bread mmmm mmmm!
Geneva Hall says
I love cooking cornbread in my cast Iron it makes it taste so good
Cassie says
Ok, lets try posting this from the computer seeing as how my phone wouldn’t let me leave a comment: I have a batch of honey caramel corn in the oven as I type. My question is my candy thermometer says that 320F is hard crack and 260F is Hard ball, which one should we use? (I went by temp and took mine to hard ball)
Laurie Neverman says
265F is the correct temp.
Cathy says
My boy loves popcorn and I prefer to make my own rather than buying it from the shop. This is the perfect recipe. Something simple but hmmm… so tasty. Just wondering, other than honey caramel, do you intend to offer other caramel recipe?
Laurie Neverman says
There’s currently a caramel-cream apple dip recipe.
Rachael says
I just made 2 batches of this. One with coconut oil and the other with a vegan butter (I’m dairy intolerant) and both with coconut sugar since I don’t do refined sugars. Both came out great! The one with the oil is more mild with a hint of coconut, while the other is a stronger flavor. This was a great recipe!
Laurie Neverman says
Thank you for sharing your experience, Rachael, and I’m glad the recipe worked well for you.