My Churro Style Caramel Corn Recipe makes the perfect sweet treat for any occasion! Simple to prepare with butter and brown sugar….a real cinnamon sugar crowd pleaser!
If you love popcorn recipes like we do, try our Popcorn Rice Crispy Treats recipe too!
Churro Style Caramel Corn Recipe
This easy caramel corn recipe is a party favorite for so many occasions! From Holidays to Game Day Parties, this recipe is a must for snacking on. It takes just minutes to prepare and so fun to enjoy with family and friends.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This caramel corn recipe makes the perfect gift for family and friends.
- It has a churro/cinnamon sugar addition that is fabulous.
- It’s not only delicious, but easy to make at home!
Be sure to try my Churro White Chocolate Chip Cookies too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.
What You’ll Need
This buttery cinnamon caramel corn could not be more simple to prepare. Here are the ingredients you need to get started. See bottom of post’s recipe card for full instructions.
- Popped Popcorn, I used Orville Redenbacher Naturals Simply Salted bags
- Salted Butter– salted butter brings a little more flavor to the recipe, I generally use it in most of my baking needs.
- Dark Brown Sugar– You’ll find light and dark brown sugar varieties when shopping for brown sugar. The dark brown sugar has more molasses and is darker in color than the light brown sugar.
- Baking Soda– Baking soda is a staple for many baking recipes. Find it in the baking section of the grocery store.
- Pure Vanilla Extract– When shopping for vanilla, always choose pure vanilla. It brings the most pure vanilla flavor to your recipes.
- Ground Cinnamon– Find ground cinnamon in the baking section of the grocery store. It’s a spice that works great in many recipes.
How To Make The Best Caramel Corn
Pop Popcorn. Pop popcorn according to package directions, remove all unpopped kernels and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Melt Butter. Place 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until melted.
Add Brown Sugar. Pour in brown sugar, stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil. Once it starts to boil, stop stirring and let boil for 4 minutes.
Add Baking Soda, Vanilla and Cinnamon. Remove from heat and add baking soda, vanilla and ground cinnamon stirring continuously for another minute.
Pour Hot Caramel Over Popcorn. Pour over popped popcorn and stir to coat all pieces. Transfer to a large baking sheet to cool. Serve room temperature in a large serving bowl or individual bags.
Tips How To Make Successful Caramel Corn
- Remove Kernels. First things first, once your popcorn is popped, carefully check to make sure you’ve removed ALL un popped kernels. You don’t want anyone biting into those.
- Check Heat. Make sure your heat is not too high when melting butter and brown sugar. Should me a nice low-medium heat.
- Vanilla Causes Loud Bubbling. When you add the vanilla, the mixture will bubble loudly for a second, don’t worry, keep stirring and it calms down.
- Work Quickly When Pouring Caramel. When you pour the hot caramel into the popped popcorn, work gently but quickly to coat the kernels. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool then you can either package it up for gift giving or enjoy in a large serving bowl.
Let caramel corn cool on baking sheet until set up and room temperature.
How To Serve
Serve caramel corn in a large serving bowl or in individual bags or bowls. It’s the perfect snack for any occasion, especially Holidays and Game Day Eats!
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not freeze caramel corn.
Try My Other Disney Style Recipes!
Churro Style Caramel Corn
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- Microwave
- large saucepan
- mixing spoon
- baking sheet to cool popcorn
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 3.29 ounce bag microwave popcorn or 9 cups popped popcorn
- 2 sticks salted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Pop popcorn according to package directions, remove all unpopped kernels and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Place 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until melted. Add brown sugar, stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil. Once it starts to boil, stop stirring and let boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda, vanilla and ground cinnamon stirring continuously for another minute. Pour over popped popcorn and stir to coat all pieces. Transfer to a large baking sheet to cool. Serve room temperature in a large serving bowl or individual bags.
Welcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! 
Hi I made this but found that the pop corn becomes stale once the caramel dries on it. How can I stop that please ?
Hi Maryam, the consistency of the popcorn will be soft, not crunchy with the caramel. It’s meant to be that way.
I Prefer to put my baking sheet of popcorn in the oven *set at 275 or 300 )and bake for 15 minutes stirring, then another 15 minutes and maybe a third time! Baking makes popcorn crispy and adds to the flavor of the caramel and doesn’t become stale like if you are not putting in the oven at all! But adding that cinnamon sounds wonderful! Thanks for all your copycat recipes!
Think adding peanuts to this would be good? YUM!
Yes, I think that would be an amazing addition!
Hi there! I am having the exact same issue as the lady above, I even read your comment to make sure I was doing it correctly. Do you happen to use a candy thermometer? Im Trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong. Yours looks amazing but the way mine is turning out is not.
No, I don’t use a thermometer for this recipe. Make sure your heat isn’t too high, bring caramel to a boil nice a slow. Hope that helps.
I made this twice and both times the butter and sugar never really combined. I ended up with oily popcorn and clumps of sugar. What did I do wrong?
Hi Tiffany, make sure your heat is at medium-low and you have to constantly be stirring the mixture while it’s getting hot. I find that when I’m stirring quick the entire time, I’ve never had any problems with the butter and sugar combining.