Caramel Corn Recipe with Peanuts

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Most caramel corn recipes leave you with a bowl of bare popcorn and a few sticky clumps. I’ll show you how to make caramel corn with peanuts where every piece gets coated, stays crunchy, and never needs a candy thermometer.

When you need a homemade gift for the neighbors or a big bowl for a holiday movie night, this caramel corn recipe is the one to make.

I make it every Christmas for my mom. She loves peanuts and popcorn, so the peanuts are a custom touch. This is my version of homemade Cracker Jacks, and it’s so good, you won’t miss the prize in the box!

I’ve been making this for 10 years and tweaked it to make sure every piece of popcorn gets covered in caramel. The biggest change was using less popcorn, so there’s more caramel to go around. A short bake spreads it into a thin, even coating, and the caramel stays crunchy without cracking your teeth.

One batch makes about 11 cups. That fills close to a dozen gift bags, and sits nicely on a holiday treat tray next to my chocolate covered graham crackers and a pot of slow cooker hot chocolate.

Why This Caramel Corn Recipe Works

• Better caramel to popcorn ratio. Most recipes call for 5-7 quarts of popcorn per batch of caramel. I use 2 quarts instead. This means every piece of popcorn gets coated, and nothing is left bare in the bottom of the bowl.
• The caramel never needs a candy thermometer. It boils for 2 minutes on a timer, then the baking soda goes in. That foam is what keeps the finished coating crunchy and not hard on your teeth.
• The oven smooths out the caramel corn. At 250°F, the caramel melts again and spreads into a thin, even layer, so any pieces that were missed while stirring get covered as they bake.
• The peanuts go in the bowl with the popcorn before the caramel. That way the caramel popcorn and peanuts cluster together instead of rattling around the bottom of the bowl.
• Never goes stale. The caramel crisps up as it cools into a light, crunchy coating, and it keeps the popcorn fresh for 2 weeks. Make it early, pack it in treat bags with muddy buddies, and Christmas trash mix, and check one thing off your holiday list.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Popped popcorn – You need 8 cups, about 1/3 cup of kernels. If you’re using store bought popcorn, use plain popcorn or sea salted popcorn so the caramel is the only flavor you taste.
• Dry roasted peanuts – 2 cups add salty crunch to balance the sweet caramel. I use regular salted peanuts, but low or no salt is great too if you’re watching sodium.
• Light brown sugar – Packed firmly, it gives the caramel its rich, toasty flavor and won’t break your teeth like a white sugar caramel.
• Unsalted butter – One stick makes the caramel smooth and buttery. Unsalted butter lets you control the salt, since the peanuts are already salty.
• Light corn syrup – Keeps the sugar smooth instead of grainy, so the caramel pours and coats evenly. The corn syrup adds a protective layer that keeps sugar crystals from forming, so you can stir the caramel while it’s boiling. This is great to prevent burning or boil overs.
• Vanilla – Rounds out the caramel flavor.
• Coarse kosher salt – Keeps the caramel from tasting too sweet. If you only have table salt, use 1/4 teaspoon.
• Baking soda – This is why the caramel foams up. Those tiny air bubbles soften the caramel so it’s crunchy but easy to bite.

How to Pop Popcorn on the Stove

Popping your own popcorn on the stove gives you plain, crisp popcorn that’s ready for caramel. You’ll need a heavy bottomed saucepan, 1/4 cup of oil, and 1/3 cup of kernels. That makes 8 cups, the exact amount this recipe calls for.

1. Add the oil and kernels to the pan over high heat and cover it.
2. When 1 or 2 kernels pop, turn the heat down to medium high and crack the lid. The small gap lets steam out, so the popcorn comes out crisp instead of chewy.
3. Give the pan a shake about every 10 seconds to move the kernels around so they don’t burn.
4. When the popping slows to 1 or 2 pops at a time, take it off the heat and pour it into a bowl.
5. Pick out any unpopped kernels and brown bits.

Fresh kernels pop best. Older kernels dry out and leave more unpopped in the pan.

How to Make Caramel Corn

Step 1:

Heat the oven to 250°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment and spray it with cooking spray. Add the popped popcorn and peanuts to a large bowl.

Step 2:

Add the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a medium saucepan with high sides. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it boils.

Step 3:

Once it’s boiling, set a timer and boil for 2 minutes. Stirring to prevent burning.

Step 4:

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. It will bubble up a lot, which is why you want the high sides.

Step 5:

Pour the caramel over the popcorn and peanuts and stir quickly to coat. A few bare pieces are fine. They’ll coat as they bake in the oven.

Step 6:

Spread the caramel corn in a single layer on the sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes, stir, then bake 15 minutes more. The caramel corn will look completely coated, a little glossy, but dry. It will be soft while it’s still warm.

Step 7:

Let it cool at room temperature until it’s dry and crunchy (about 20 minutes). Break it into chunks and store it in an airtight container.

Tips for the Best Caramel Corn

• Use a saucepan with high sides. The caramel bubbles up a lot when the baking soda and vanilla go in.
• Stir fast. The caramel starts to set within a minute, so stir quickly after pouring it over the popcorn to cover as much as possible.
• Don’t worry about missed spots. The caramel melts again in the oven and covers any stragglers. If there are any globs of caramel left in the saucepan, spoon it over bare popcorn before baking.
• Keep it in a single layer. The caramel coats the popcorn evenly and crisps better when nothing is piled up.
• Expect it soft at first. It comes out of the oven soft and sticky, but hardens as it cools.
• Get the bowl ready first. Have the popcorn and peanuts in the bowl before you start the caramel.
• Spray your spatula. A quick coat of cooking spray keeps the caramel from sticking to it.
• Cool it completely before bagging. Warm caramel corn traps steam in the bag and will make it soggy.

Variations and Substitutions

• Plain caramel corn. Leave out the peanuts and just make plain caramel corn.
• Spiced caramel corn. Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg to the sugar and butter mixture.
• Different nuts. Skip the peanuts and stir in glazed nuts after baking, like maple pecans, glazed walnuts, or cashews.
• Salted butter. Use it in place of unsalted butter to make this a sweet and salty popcorn mix.
• Dark brown sugar. Swap it in the same amount for a deeper molasses flavor.
• Chocolate drizzle. Once the caramel corn is cool, drizzle it with melted chocolate and let it set before breaking it apart.

How to Store Caramel Corn

Store homemade caramel corn in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. It stays crunchy the whole time, and I have never had a batch go stale.

Gifting:

When I’m making caramel corn for the holiday gifts, I’ll package it into metal Christmas tins, or cellophane bags with ribbons.

Leftovers:

Any leftover caramel corn can be used for snack mix recipes like Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn, or Apple Cinnamon Chex Mix.

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