Easy Vegan Caramel Popcorn
That’s it! 2020 has come to an end and we’re (hopefully) going to have a better year ahead of us. Although many holiday cookies still remain to be eaten, it seemed appropriate to make some easy vegan caramel popcorn. Or caramel corn if you prefer. Since eating cookies while slouched in front of the TV doesn’t quite yield the same satisfaction as shoving handfuls of popcorn into your mouth.
How else are we to replicate the movie theatre experience at home during these interminable lockdowns?
This vegan caramel popcorn has the satisfying crunch of the regular stuff with the added addictiveness of a lightly salted caramel coating. Let’s just say the entire batch can easily be eaten in one sitting. Not that I’ve done that.
How to make some bomb vegan caramel popcorn
After endless testing and an ungodly amount of vegan caramel popcorn made and consumed, here we are. It went from grainy, to too sweet and everything in between. This recipe contains no corn syrup or butter. Instead it’s made with maple syrup and coconut oil.
It all starts with the popcorn. You can pop it using your preferred method whether it be in a pot, the microwave or a machine. I use plain kernels and simply place them in a paper bag, tape it shut and microwave on the popcorn setting.
Then to make the caramel, just heat up all the ingredients except the baking soda and vanilla. Once it comes to a full boil, mix in the last 2 ingredients, stir in the popcorn and bake on a lined baking sheet. Everything is explained in more detail in the recipe instructions, but that’s the gyst of it!
Some tips and tricks
1.I haven’t tried making this with bagged popcorn as most of them contain some sort of dairy ingredient anyways, but if you happen to find a dairy-free one I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
2.Make sure to remove any remaining kernels once you’ve popped your popcorn. We don’t want anyone breaking a tooth.
3.To make everything go as smoothly as possible, have your tools ready and everything measured out. You don’t want to be weighing stuff halfway through the process while your caramel is boiling away.
4.Adding anything that isn’t warm to a caramel will make it seize and harden faster. That’s why it’s important to keep the popcorn warm while you make the caramel. It will make it easier to coat all the popcorn evenly.
5.The baking soda aerates the caramel therefore giving it a lighter texture. It makes it much more enjoyable to eat rather than having a hard tooth-cracking caramel shell around the popcorn. So don’t leave it out!
6.Baking the final product helps to set the caramel, otherwise the popcorn would be chewy and sticky rather than crispy. The longer you bake it, the crunchier and darker it will be so it’s up to you and your taste.
7.Adding nuts is a great way to up this recipe. You can just eyeball it by taking out a small handful of popcorn and replacing it with an equal amount of nuts. Peanuts, pecans, cashews and almonds are good options!
Storing
The popcorn can be kept for about 5 days (approximately, it’s never stayed around that long) in a sealed container, but it will lose its crunch with time and turn more crumbly than crunchy. It’s best consumed within the first or second day.
If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!
Easy Vegan Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 40 g popcorn kernels
- 100 g brown sugar
- 40 g maple syrup, or agave or golden syrup
- 25 g refined coconut oil
- 10 g plant based milk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or paste
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Pop the kernels using your preferred method (microwave, stovetop or machine). Spread them out on the baking sheet, making sure to remove any unpopped kernels, and place in the oven. Then turn your oven on to 90°C/195°F.
- In a large pot, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, milk and salt and place over medium heat.
- Bring to a full boil (not just the edges) gently stirring occasionally with a silicone spatula to avoid it catching.
- Once it’s boiling, turn off the heat but leave it on the burner. Take out the sheet of popcorn from the oven, raise the temperature to 150°C/300°F and keep the sheet near the stovetop.
- Stir the vanilla into the caramel then stir in the baking soda. It will foam up and lighten, that’s normal.
- Add the popcorn and gently stir until everything is fully coated.
- Spread out onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (or more if you want it darker) stirring once halfway through.
- Let the popcorn cool completely on the tray before eating or storing in an airtight container.
Notes
- *Disclaimer: I have a tiny not-so-great oven, so your bake time may vary from mine.
- I strongly suggest making recipes by weight, if you make them by cups I can’t guarantee that you’ll get the same results.
- If adding nuts, add them at the same time as the popcorn into the caramel.
- As always with any caramel recipe, be careful not to burn yourself!
Great recipe!
Thank you! Glad you liked it 🙂
Hi! I found you through Little Jo Berry’s insta, and glad I did :D. I just tried this right now – I didn’t have brown sugar so used cane sugar with a little added molasses, and half way through realized my vanilla bottle is empty, so used some almond extract instead, cause why not! I also doubled on the popcorn, mainly cause my first batch of popcorn didn’t pop as well, and I had to get rid of some of the kernels, so I popped another batch but didn’t want to waste the first batch, so just added the whole lot to the caramel. It’s in the oven right now, but smells and looks good! Thanks – next I want to try your flan recipe. I really didn’t want to buy agar to make flan, so am glad I found yours!
Hi Kita! First off, love Little Jo Berry’s. And your comment just made my day, thank you so much for taking the time to write it! I love how you adapted the recipe to make it work cause honestly it sounds delicious with almond extract too. Missing something always seems to happen while baking so hope it comes out tasting as delicious as it smells! And as for the popcorn I always pop more than I need anyways since there’s always some that never pop, plus it’s just more popcorn in the end so it’s a win win really!
If you get around to trying the flan let me know how it goes! Send me a picture on Instagram I would love to see it 🙂