Vegan Caramel Popcorn
Sweet and a little salty, this caramel corn is sure to become a snack attack go-to!
Servings 10 cups
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp tbsp almond butter (or substitute 2 tbsp coconut butter for nut-free, see note)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional, but amazing, use if you can!)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup popcorn kernels (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the almond butter (or coconut butter, soften in a warm water bath or over heat of preheated oven, if needed), maple syrup, and cinnamon/vanilla, if using. Stir well until fully combined. Pop the popcorn (see note), collecting on the lined baking sheet. Transfer about half of the butter/sweetener mixture to a large bowl. Add about half of
- the popcorn and gently work it through (use a spatula). Add remaining popcorn and remaining sweetener mix, and again work through. Transfer back to the baking sheet, distributing evenly. Place in oven, and bake for 10 minutes, then turn oven off and let popcorn sit in warm oven for another 7-8 minutes. Remove, and enjoy! Makes about 10 cups, serves 3-4 as a snack.
Notes
- Coconut Butter Notes: Since coconut butter is quite hard and dense, the measurement can be a little tricky. I usually roughly measure 2 tbsp (generous) of hard coconut butter, and then soften to mix with the other ingredients. When softened, continued it should measure about 2 tbsp. If not, you might want to add a little more. Anywhere from 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp works well in this recipe. You can soften first for easier measuring, or get a rough idea with it unsoftened. The measure is flexible in this range.
- Vanilla Bean Powder Note: I'm asked often about vanilla bean powder, this is a brand I use/love.
- Popcorn Notes:
- An air popper works best for popping corn without any oil or butter. If you think you’ll like more coating on the popcorn (as I do!) use closer to the 1/3 cup amount. For greater yield, and less coating, use the full 1/2 cup of kernels.
- If you don’t have an air popper, you can still pop corn on the stovetop, but the kernels won’t pop as fully. So, for best results, purchase an air popper (they are inexpensive). For stovetop, here’s the method: Place a large pot (that can be fitted with a lid) on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the kernels (if you want to pop more than this, do so in batches). Do not add water, just add popcorn to the pan dry over this heat, and add the lid. Begin to shake the pot as it heats, shaking at frequent intervals. Within the first minute, the popcorn should begin to pop. As it pops, continue to shake the pot often. When the popcorn slows down, remove pot from heat, and release the lid just slightly to let some steam escape (but keep lid mostly covering pot). Once the popping has fully stopped, remove the lid and transfer popcorn to a bowl or for this recipe, to the prepared baking sheet.
- If you have leftover popcorn, the popcorn gets a little soft after sitting for a day or two. You can gently reheat the popcorn in a low heat oven to become crunchy again