This colorful candy popcorn recipe is sweet, crunchy, and simply irresistible! It’s perfect for parties, holidays, or gift-giving, and comes together in minutes with just a few simple ingredients.
I love popcorn, and I enjoy it in just about any variety, sweet or savory. It’s basically the perfect snack!
What I like best about this popcorn is that it can be made in any color. Use the color of your favorite team for game night, color it for any holiday, or just make it in your favorite color. It’s so fun and festive!
I tend to make pastel colors because I don’t like using a lot of food coloring in my cooking. But if you prefer, you can go for bright colors by using gel food coloring.
Unlike traditional caramel popcorn, candied popcorn has a light, crisp candy coating that can be made in almost any color. Make one batch or several different colors for a fun popcorn mix everyone will gobble up!
Why You’ll Love This Candy Popcorn Recipe
- Easy to make: No candy thermometer needed.
- Simple ingredients: Just sugar, water, salt, butter, and vanilla. No corn syrup!
- Colorful and festive: Make red & green popcorn for Christmas, orange for Halloween, or pastel colors for Easter. The possibilities are endless.
- Sweet and crunchy: The candy coating gives every piece a perfectly sweet crunch.
- Great for gifting: Package it in clear bags or jars for an inexpensive homemade treat. So much more affordable than buying gourmet popcorn!
How to make candied popcorn
- POPCORN – Pop the popcorn with an air popper, or in a large pot on the stovetop. Remove all the unpopped kernels. Put the popped corn in a large bowl.
- SUGAR COATING – Bring the sugar, water, salt, butter, and vanilla to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring for about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat and add food coloring as desired.
- COMBINE – Quickly pour the hot syrup over the popcorn, stirring with a spatula until evenly coated.
- COOL – Spread the popcorn on baking sheets lined with silicone, parchment, or wax paper. Let cool until completely set.
- STORE – Place the cooled popcorn in an air-tight container. It will last for a week or more if not exposed to humidity.
Tips for Making the Best Candy Popcorn
- Remove every unpopped kernel. Nothing ruins a bite of popcorn faster than biting into a hard kernel. Use this method for removing popcorn kernels before adding the candy coating.
- Use plain popcorn. Buttered or heavily salted popcorn can change the flavor of the finished treat.
- Don’t overcook the candy mixture. Cooking it too long can result in a coating that becomes overly hard and has a grainy texture.
- Add the food coloring after cooking. This makes it easier to control the shade of your candied popcorn.
- Work quickly. Pour the candy mixture over the popcorn while it is still hot and easy to spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is candied popcorn?
Candied popcorn is popcorn coated in a sweet cooked sugar syrup mixture. Food coloring and flavoring can be added to create colorful popcorn in a variety of colors or flavors.
How do you keep candied popcorn from getting sticky?
The key is to let the candy coating cook properly and allow the finished popcorn to cool completely before storing it. You also need to store it in an airtight container away from humidity.
Can I use microwave popcorn?
You can, but plain popcorn is best. If using microwave popcorn, choose an unbuttered or lightly flavored variety so the added flavors don’t compete with the candy coating.
More sweet snacks:
- Cinnamon Roll Popcorn
- Honey Popcorn Recipe
- Sweet Pumpkin Seeds
- Peanut Butter Popcorn (with peanut butter cups)
- Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
- Sweet Chex Mix Recipe
- Cinnamon Almonds Recipe
Candy Popcorn Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 cups air popped popcorn
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp salted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 drops food coloring (more or less)
Instructions
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper.
- Pop the popcorn kernels with an air popper. Remove any unpopped kernels and place the popcorn in a large bowl.
- Combine the sugar, water, salt, butter, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes, then stir in as much food coloring as desired.
- Quickly drizzle the hot mixture over the popcorn, stirring with a silicone spatula. Stir until all the popcorn is evenly coated.
- Spread the popcorn on the prepared pan and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour or until no longer sticky to the touch.
Notes
- You will need about 6 tablespoons of popcorn kernels to equal 12 cups of popped popcorn.
- For different flavors, use another extract or flavoring oil instead of vanilla.
- Store candy popcorn in an airtight container for several days. (Just make sure it’s completely set first.) Keep it away from humidity to preserve its crunchiness.
Nutrition
Whip up this sweet treat for your next party, baby shower, holiday celebration, or movie night and watch how quickly it disappears!
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