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Vegan Caramel Popcorn

Name: Easy Vegan Caramel Popcorn (Sweet And Salty!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 8 cups popcorn (salted gives best end result); ¾ cup vegan caramel (see note); ½ teaspoon baking soda (to add to caramel (see note)); ½ - ¾ cup chopped nuts (optional but give a yummy crunch (salted nuts add extra flavor))

By Sophia DeSantis, Reviewed by Anjali Shah on October 10, 2024

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Dig into my irresistible vegan caramel popcorn that will keep you coming back for more! With the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavor, this crunchy popcorn makes for the best dessert or indulgent snack. Plus, it is naturally gluten-free and only requires 15 minutes of prep time!

Black bowl overflowing with vegan caramel popcorn sitting on a yellow and white checkered towel.

We are a popcorn-loving family! Ok, maybe it’s a little more than loving… I make popcorn recipes basically every week. So when I created this caramel version and left it on the counter, let’s just say it didn’t last more than a few minutes!

Airy popcorn coated in caramel sauce?! What more could you ask for? Oh, you want it plant based? Done!

Table of Contents hide

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Vegan Caramel Popcorn

💭 Expert Tips

📖 Variations

🍽 Serving Suggestions

🫙 Storage Instructions

❓Recipe FAQs

🍮 More Vegan Dessert Recipes!

📋 Recipe Card

Sure, caramel popcorn isn’t exactly a healthy food due to the higher amount of fat and calories. However, eating what makes you happy is an important part of mental health, just make sure your diet consists of more than just caramel popcorn. (As appealing as that may be!)

If you love caramel treats as much as I do, be sure to check out my salted caramel cheesecake and my caramel nice cream which are both delicious easy desserts packed with caramel flavor!

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

While this caramel popcorn recipe without butter might seem daunting to make at home, it is surprisingly easy! I really wanted this to be a fun dessert that anyone could make, regardless of their baking experience. Even my kids join in the fun – they love breaking apart the caramel corn after it cools!

I also appreciate that this recipe uses a minimal ingredient list, making it more straightforward and affordable. I can even make extra caramel sauce to use on other treats throughout the week (like my healthy apple nachos)!

I really love other popcorn recipes like my jalapeño popcorn and my colorful unicorn popcorn, but to be honest this might be my favorite! The saltiness of the popcorn combines with the sweet coating of caramel for the tastiest bite every single time.

And, I have to mention, the texture is like nothing else. You get that classic light and airy texture of the popcorn, taken to the next level with a crunchy caramel glaze. It is an easy snack for any time of day, and also works great for movie night, but I personally munch on this rich popcorn as a light dessert often!

🥘 Ingredients

I keep my vegan caramel popcorn recipe super simple, using only a few ingredients. Here’s what you need for the most amazing flavor:

Popcorn: Your favorite popcorn will work for my vegan caramel corn recipe, but I do recommend choosing a salted popcorn for the best flavor. And, make sure you pick a vegan one if needed. You can pop your popcorn in an air fryer, in an air popper, use vegan microwaved popcorn, or even make my Instant Pot popcorn to use in this recipe. If you’re making the popcorn from scratch, you’ll need 1/2 cup popcorn kernels.

Vegan Caramel: Ooey gooey caramel is the star of the show here! You can make your own vegan caramel sauce or use store bought – either works. I use this recipe which requires dates, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, coconut cream and arrowroot starch.

Baking Soda: Baking soda reacts with the ingredients in the caramel to create little bubbles (think baking soda and vinegar reaction but with a lower intensity). These bubbles create a more airy consistency, making it easier for me to spread the sauce over the popcorn.

Nuts: While you can leave the nuts out if preferred, I really love the additional texture and flavor they bring to this dairy free caramel popcorn.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Vegan Caramel Popcorn

The hardest part about making my vegan sweet popcorn recipe is resisting the urge to eat it all throughout the process! To become a master of making homemade caramel popcorn, follow my step by step instructions below. Here is how to make caramel popcorn without butter:

Preheat Oven: First, I preheat my oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit / 120 degrees Celsius.

Make The Caramel: Now, I make a vegan caramel sauce on the stove top according to the recipe, and I stir it to thicken for just about 5 minutes over medium heat. Once thickened, I remove the sauce from heat and add in the baking soda with vanilla and salt.

vegan caramel sauce bubbling in pot with a silver whisk

Coat Popcorn: Once the caramel is ready, I add my popcorn to a large bowl and pour the caramel and nuts (if using) over the popcorn. I mix around to coat every piece!

vegan caramel sauce poured on top of popcorn in a bowl

Bake Caramel Corn: Then, I spread my popcorn mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake for an hour. I mix it around every 15 minutes.

vegan caramel popcorn spread out onto a baking sheet

Cool: Once done, I remove the caramel popcorn from the oven and allow it to cool.

Serve: After it cools, I break it apart into popcorn pieces and serve!

Someone's hand reaching for a piece of vegan caramel popcorn in a bowl.

💭 Expert Tips

My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to bake the popcorn immediately after coating with caramel to avoid a soggy texture.

I always bake the popcorn as soon as the popcorn is mixed with the sauce. If the popcorn sits with the hot caramel coated on it for too long, the moisture will seep into the pieces and make it mushy.

To avoid it from getting too soft and soggy, I quickly coat everything by mixing well and then spread out onto my parchment paper lined baking sheet. I place it in the oven right away so the popcorn gets a nice crisp coating while staying crunchy!

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

Do Not Overcook Caramel: I only cook the caramel on the shorter side, for about 5 minutes, so that it doesn’t become too thick.
Spread Evenly: I spread it as evenly as possible on the baking sheet so that I don’t end up with clumps too big to break apart.
Avoid Sticking: Don’t forget the parchment paper! I use this to keep everything from sticking.
Don’t Forget To Mix: During the baking process, I carefully mix everything around every 15 minutes so that it cooks evenly and gets that perfect crunch.
Give It Time To Cool: I suggest that you let the popcorn cool before breaking up. Otherwise it will just stick together and be super messy.

📖 Variations

I make my caramel popcorn with no butter or dairy to accommodate more dietary needs, and there are plenty of add-ins and variations that keep it totally vegan-friendly:

Other Mix Ins: I love adding extra flavor and texture to this recipe. Get creative and try something each time, like pecans, walnuts, peanuts, vegan chocolate chips, dried fruit, and crushed pretzels.

More Flavors: When I want an easy way to switch things up I just add in an additional flavor with spices like cinnamon or pumpkin spice seasoning.

Chocolate Drizzle: Once the popcorn has cooked and cooled completely, I love adding a drizzle of melted chocolate or white chocolate over top! I let the chocolate cool and harden before breaking apart the caramel corn.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

Vegan caramel popcorn without butter is perfect for snacking on by itself, but I love to serve it alongside other sweet treats or refreshing fruit recipes to balance the sweetness. Here are my top pairings:

With Fruit: Since this recipe is already pretty sweet, I love to enjoy it with a side of fresh fruit like sliced strawberries or even my breakfast fruit salad.

With Other Sweets: I sometimes use this vegan caramel popcorn as a topping on sweet treats like my vegan matcha ice cream or chocolate tofu ice cream.

🫙 Storage Instructions

Room Temperature: I seal leftover popcorn in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy it quickly, as the popcorn will start to get a little stale over time.

❓Recipe FAQs

WHY IS MY CARAMEL POPCORN SOGGY?

If the caramel has not cooked enough it will not harden properly which can result in soggy popcorn. Also, as I mentioned earlier, try baking the popcorn as soon as it is mixed with the sauce for the crispiest texture.

HOW DO I GET CRISPY CARAMEL CORN?

My secret for getting the very best texture is baking the caramel coated popcorn at a low temperature and then letting it cool completely. This will result in perfectly crispy popcorn.

HOW DO I AVOID MAKING A MESS WHEN BREAKING APART THE CARAMEL CORN?

I know it can be tempting to pull that tray out of the oven and immediately start breaking apart the pieces! However, I find it best to let the popcorn cool down first to give the caramel enough time to fully harden. As it cools, the caramel coating will dry and become less sticky to the touch. You will be able to easily break it apart into individual popcorn pieces at this point!

🍮 More Vegan Dessert Recipes!

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