These caramel popcorn balls are made in the microwave in just 15 minutes! Covered in sweet, gooey caramel and perfectly chewy and crunchy.
I love the rich, golden flavor of caramel and how decadent it tastes in desserts! Favorites include microwave caramel candies, caramel apple dip and homemade toffee.
Table of Contents
Easy Caramel Popcorn Balls
These caramel popcorn balls are adapted from my microwave caramel popcorn recipe and taste SO delicious! They’re covered in a sweet, gooey caramel sauce and are perfectly chewy and crunchy like my favorite caramel candy but with a crunch from popcorn!
The best thing about them is that they are SO simple to make and will take only about 15 minutes from start to finish. You don’t even need to turn on the stove and pull out the candy thermometer. Easy peasy!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Made in the microwave in 15 minutes. No stove or oven is required to make these popcorn balls! Only the microwave is used.
- Kid and adult approved. These caramel popcorn balls are a fun treat for ALL ages – everyone always loves them!
- Perfect for parties. I love to serve these caramel balls at fall parties or for an easy Halloween dessert with some M&Ms or candy corn mixed in.
Recipe Ingredients
A simple caramel made in the microwave is poured over popcorn to create the ultimate popcorn ball any time of year. It is ooey gooey, soft, and sweet!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Popcorn: I use Skinny Pop, but any type of popcorn will do including stovetop popcorn. The salty nuttiness of popcorn pairs perfectly with the sweet caramel.
- Butter: I like to use unsalted butter when the popcorn is already salted. The butter helps create the creaminess of the caramel.
- Brown sugar: The richness of brown sugar adds so much depth to the caramel and gives it a beautiful color.
- Corn syrup: Not only does this add an extra layer of sweetness, but it also helps to stabilize the caramel.
- Vanilla: I love the flavor vanilla adds and how it balances the sweetness and saltiness of these popcorn balls.
- Baking soda: The reason we add baking soda to the caramel is not just for the fun foam that happens, but because it reacts with the brown sugar and corn syrup, creating tiny carbon dioxide air bubbles. This leads to a softer texture in caramel.
Other Add-Ins:
These popcorn balls taste delicious as-is but feel free to add in extras if desired. You could even drizzle the tops with melted chocolate or use food coloring to dye the popcorn balls fun colors. Such a fun way to make these treats a little more festive around the holidays!
- Chopped nuts
- M&M’s
- Chocolate chips
- Mini marshmallows
- Candy corn
- Festive sprinkles
How to Make Caramel Popcorn Balls
- Make popcorn. Prepare popcorn and place in a large metal bowl.
- Cook caramel in the microwave. Add butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook syrup mixture for one minute. Stir and cook for two additional minutes for chewy popcorn balls. If you like crunchy popcorn balls, cook an extra minute.
- Add in vanilla and baking soda. Remove the caramel mixture from the microwave and stir in vanilla and baking soda.
- Coat popcorn with caramel and form it into balls. Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until well coated. Allow cooling slightly. Grease hands with butter (or wax paper or gloves) and shape the popcorn into 2-inch balls.
TIP: To test if your caramel has reached a soft ball, grab a cup of ice water. Then dip a spoon in the caramel and then dip it into the ice water. It should form a soft ball (chewy caramel). If it’s still stringy, cook an additional minute.
Love popcorn recipes? Try Snickers popcorn, white cheddar popcorn or this simple popcorn seasoning recipe next!
More Easy Popcorn Recipes
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Caramel Popcorn Balls
Video
Ingredients
- 10-12 cups popped popcorn , I used Skinny Pop
- ½ cup unsalted butter , cut into pieces
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
Optional mix-in's: Chopped nuts, M&M's, Candy corn, Sprinkles
Instructions
- Prep. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper on the counter or on a baking sheet. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl.
- Make caramel. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave 1/2 cup butter, 1 cup light brown sugar, and 1/4 cup corn syrup 1 minute. Stir and cook 2 additional minutes for chewy popcorn balls. If you like crunchy popcorn balls, cook 1 minute more. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
- Coat popcorn. Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until well coated. Let cool slightly.
- Make into popcorn balls. Grease hands with butter (or use wax paper or gloves) and shape the popcorn into 2-inch balls. Wrap each ball with plastic wrap or store in a zip-top bag or an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- For a fun twist, mix in M&M’s, candy corn, sprinkles, and/or nuts.
- Use food coloring to dye the popcorn balls a festive color for the holidays.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
You may have too much popcorn and not enough caramel. I always start with 10 cups of popcorn and add more if it seems there isn’t enough. You also want to be sure to really squeeze the balls together to make sure they are sticking.
This is the opposite issue of the one above. This typically happens when you have too much caramel and not enough popcorn. As I mentioned, I start with 10 cups of popcorn and add more if it looks like there is too much caramel sauce.
To keep them fresh, you can either wrap them individually with plastic wrap or store them in a zip-top bag or airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Desserts, Halloween, Kid-Friendly, Mini, No-Bake, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Made these for our kids’ church group for snack and they loved them! There were zero leftover because many wanted more than one lol. Will make these again!
Glad to hear the popcorn balls were a hit! :)
this is such a great and quick snack idea or even gift idea! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!
This recipe is really amazing! Thanks a bunch for this very tasty popcorn balls recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
You are so welcome, Allyssa. Glad you loved it. Thanks for the recommendation!
So easy and so delicious! My kids loved these!
Glad your kids like these, Molly. This can be a fun treat and the kids can get involved in making it! Thanks for sharing.
What a great quick and easy treat! The possibilities are endless with all the candy add ins and I can see us making these for lots of holiday parties with the kids.
Dana, this is definitely a versatile recipe. It is also a great way to get the kids involved! Thanks for sharing.
Just made these for the grandkids Halloween bags. They are so easy and taste fantastic! Thanks so much for popcorn balls that taste like the “old fashioned” ones that are so easy to make!
You are so welcome, Lisa! Happy to hear they were a big hit :)
What is the pinch of salt used for/when is it added? Thanks!
I like to add the pinch of salt to give it that sweet and salty flavor. Sprinkle it on top after coating the popcorn with the caramel sauce.
These are amazing and SO easy!! I tried to half the recipe since I’m the only one who will eat them and sauce came out crunchy. 2nd batch…made caramel as stated and halfed the popcorn. Mmmmmmm thank you for this easy recipe!!
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks for the comment and review, Tami!
Easy, quick and delicious! Great recipe.
Excellent recipe! So very easy! And fun to make. May husband and I did it together to make large popcorn balls for the grand children for Christmas. We decided this should be a new Christmas tradition! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I used disposable latex gloves when I shaped the balls, and greased them with butter to shape. Super easy! Thank you Lord for good food and great recipes! Merry Christmas 2020!
Ah, love to hear that! So fun making memories :)
Extremely great! I cooked it the extra minute for the harder caramel version. They had a semi hard time sticking but I think I didn’t work fast enough. Otherwise very easy and enjoyable.
We loved these! SO easy!
What a great afternoon snack! Quick, easy and delicious too!
So easy and so perfect for a snack! I am sure that my kid will love it!
Looks great! Perfect for a fall Sunday afternoon treat. Thank you for sharing.
These would not last long at our house!! Such an amazing treat!!
I’ve been looking for a caramel corn recipe – this looks like a winner!
Hope you enjoy! :)
Yum! Perfect for this time of year and quick is good.