Old Fashioned Caramel Popcorn Balls Recipe

Learn how to make popcorn balls the traditional way with homemade caramel. Fun and easy to make, these delicious, sweet, and crunchy balls of popcorn make a perfect snack or gift for the holiday season. A new Halloween tradition the whole family will enjoy.

A pile of Popcorn Balls on an orange plate.

Introduction

Popcorn balls are an American classic. They started in the mid-1800s and probably peaked in the 1950s when I was trick or treating.

We all have certain things associated with certain holidays. Well, for me, Halloween means a popcorn ball from Martha Cackler. I grew up in a town of 25 people, so Halloween had 4 or 5 stops, and that was it. Mrs. Cackler made the popcorn balls... I loved them so.

image of Betty Crocker's Cookbook 1972 — Betty Crocker's 1972 Cookbook

I had done popcorn balls many times in my younger years, but it had been decades. I knew the taste and method I wanted, so first, off to the authority, Betty herself, and her classic 1972 cookbook. It appeared right (PS it was), but I always look around.

So I went in search of other popcorn ball recipes. But there appeared to be multiple variations and ratios. Very confusing.

So what were the variations, you may ask? Some used marshmallows... not classic to me. There were some variations in the syrup, but the biggest difference was in the amount of popcorn related to the amount of syrup, up to 100% variation.

It took me three trial runs to get this right. The first time I'm sure I misread the candy thermometer. The second, I added some Paula Deen into Betty. Not good. Way too much popcorn to syrup ratio. And I think it is the first Paula Deen recipe I found without butter... really.

The third and successful run stuck very close to the book, and I added a little vanilla. And it is the absolute right recipe. I have expanded and added more details to help get it right.

QUIZ: Can you find the picture with the sleeping dog in this post?

My Rating

Ok, maybe a four, but the memories kick it up a notch to a high five for me.

🍿The Popcorn

You can use an air popper, microwave, or any other way to get your popcorn, but it needs to be fresh and shifted well for un=popped kernels.

This is the old-fashioned stovetop method for popping corn. It seems right for this recipe. It is more specific than is probably needed, but that is to keep the number of unpopped kernels to a minimum.

It is very important to check the popcorn carefully for un-popped kernels. You may be preventing a dental injury.

Caramel

Caramel is basically melted sugar that has broken down some to form a different structure that is sweet and nutty with a brown color. Other ingredients are added to affect to final results.

The temperature used to make caramel will affect the texture and color which is important for the potential use.

While similar to the browning call the Maillard reaction and the results are frequently similar, caramelization is entirely based on changing carbohydrates while the Maillard reaction involves the amino acids of proteins.

👨‍🍳Additives

These are "plain" popcorn balls. You can add about 1 cup of extras like nuts or candy. But please remember your audience may have allergies and do not hand out homemade or unsealed treats to strangers on Halloween.

Want some color? Add a few drops of food coloring.

✔️Safety Tips

This recipe requires a candy thermometer. Do not try it without one.

Please be very, very careful, and if you don't feel safe, don't do it. You are responsible for not getting burnt here, and I can't help you. Do not let children do this.

This is HOT, so be careful!!!! You need to form the balls by hand while still hot. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes before touching.

Coat your hands and a one-cup measuring bowl with some butter or some PAM before starting to prevent sticking.

Be next to cool water if you need to stop.

Work very quickly to form the balls and don't compact too much—you want it lightly stuck together, not a rock.

Storage

Best consumed in 24 hours but still good for 3-4 days wrapped airtight at room temperature.

I do not recommend freezing popcorn balls.

📖Sweet Treat Recipes

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

Spicy Candied Bacon

Homemade Candied Nuts

Chocolate Pretzel Buttons

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start by popping the corn.

Place ¼ cup oil over medium-high heat with three kernels of corn. As soon as the corn pops, remove from heat, add ½ cup of un-popped corn and cover with a lid. Allow to set for 20-30 seconds for the kernels to come up close to popping temperature. Place back over medium-high heat and pop the corn shaking the pan occasionally.

You need 8 cups of popped corn. Spend little time getting rid of un-popped kernels. The easiest way is to shake the container and moving the top layer to another pan.

Prep a large pan and a wooden spoon or rubber spatula with PAM and transfer popcorn to the pan. This is the point to add nuts or candy if desired—about 1 cup and mix in well.

adding corn syrup to pan with other ingredients

In a non-stick pan, add ¾ cup white sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark), ½ cup light Karo corn syrup, ½ cup water, one teaspoon white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt.

boiling caramel in pan with candy thermometer

Place over medium-high heat with a candy thermometer and cook to 260°, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add ¾ cup butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla and place back over low heat until butter melted.

Now for the hot part. Slowly pour the hot syrup over the popcorn while mixing with the PAM coated spoon.

Continue to stir for a few minutes until cooled some. Spray your hands with PAM or coat with butter. Be VERY CAREFUL since you can get burnt so test very carefully before proceeding and only proceed if you feel safe. Keep the cold water running in the sink.

Form the popcorn into balls of about 1 cup each by scooping with a measuring cup with a heavy coat of PAM. Place on wax paper or cooking mat to shape. Work quickly and use more PAM as needed - about every two balls. So scoop, dump, shape, cold water on hands if needed, a spray of PAM if needed (cup and hands), then repeat QUICKLY until done. DO NOT OVER-COMPRESS AND MOVE QUICKLY.

Allow to finish cooling. You can wrap with plastic wrap, and they should keep 3-4 days.

📖Full Recipe

pile of Popcorn Balls on an orange plate

Old Fashioned Popcorn Balls Recipe

Learn how to make popcorn balls the traditional way with real caramel you make yourself. A fun and delicious treat for the holiday season made easy with these simple directions. A new Halloween tradition the whole family will enjoy.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 8

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

▢ 8 cups popped popcorn - about ½ cup un-popped
▢ ¾ cup white sugar
▢ ¾ cup brown sugar
▢ ½ cup light corn syrup
▢ ½ cup water
▢ 1 teaspoon white vinegar
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla
▢ ¾ cup butter

Start by popping the corn.
Place ¼ cup oil over medium-high heat with three kernels of corn. As soon as the corn pops, remove from heat, add ½ cup of un-popped corn and cover with a lid. Allow to set for 20-30 seconds for the kernels to come up close to popping temperature. Place back over medium-high heat and pop the corn shaking the pan occasionally.
You need 8 cups of popped corn. Spend little time getting rid of un-popped kernels. The easiest way is to shake the container and moving the top layer to another pan.
Prep a large pan and a wooden spoon or rubber spatula with PAM, and transfer popcorn to the pan. This is the point to add nuts or candy if desired—about 1 cup and mix in well.
In a non-stick pan, add ¾ cup white sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar (light or dark), ½ cup light Karo corn syrup, ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt.
Place over medium-high heat with a candy thermometer and cook to 260°, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add ¾ cup butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla and place back over low heat until butter melted.
Now for the hot part. Slowly pour the hot syrup over the popcorn while mixing with the PAM coated spoon.
Continue to stir for a few minutes until cooled some. Spray your hands with PAM or butter. Be VERY CAREFUL since you can get burnt so test very carefully before proceeding and only proceed if you feel safe. I kept the cold water running in the sink if needed.
Form the popcorn into balls of about 1 cup each by scooping with a measuring cup with a heavy coat of PAM. Place on wax paper or cooking mat to shape. Work quickly and use more PAM as needed - about every two balls. So scoop, dump, shape, cold water on hands if needed, a spray of PAM if needed (cup and hands), then repeat QUICKLY until done. DO NOT OVER-COMPRESS AND MOVE QUICKLY.
Allow to finish cooling. You can wrap with plastic wrap, and they should keep 3-4 days.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

Pro Tips

This recipe requires a candy thermometer. Do not try it without one.
Get the popcorn any way you want. The stovetop method is simple and works well. The popcorn needs to be fresh.
It is very important to check the popcorn carefully for un-popped kernels. You may be preventing a dental injury.
A few drops of food coloring will add some color.
This is HOT, so be careful!!!! You need to form the balls by hand while still hot. Please be very, very careful, and if you don't feel safe, don't do it. Let the mixture cool a few minutes before starting to form the balls. Coat your hands with butter or PAM. Be next to cool water. Move quickly. Do not over-compress.
I suggest using a metal measuring cup as a scoop. Be sure to use PAM liberally.
You are responsible for not getting burnt here, and I can't help you.
Do not let children do this.
It took me a couple of runs to get this down, so don't get discouraged the first time if it didn't work too well.
Storage: Best consumed in 24 hours but still good for 3-4 days wrapped airtight at room temperature. And no, it is not a thing to freeze.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Appetizer

Cuisine : American

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Editor's Note: Originally Published October 28, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.