Salted Caramel Popcorn
My Salted Caramel Popcorn is a delight. It only takes 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to whip up a batch of this sugar-free Trim Healthy Mama friendly treat.
Salted Caramel Popcorn – THM E, Sugar Free, Low Fat
This is a Trim Healthy Mama Energizing or E recipe. That means that it is low in fat and has a moderate amount of healthy carbs. The basis of THM is fuel cycling or splitting up meals into higher fat/low carb and low fat/healthy carb.
For my low carb and keto friends I’m sorry this probably has too many carbs for you. I think my method would also work on pork rinds. Come back and let me know if you try! Or try this Keto Popcorn recipe!
Sweetly candied popcorn is something I cannot have in the house. It is a food without brakes for me and I just grab a bite every once in a while until it’s all gone. No sugar added sweet popcorn is one of the few products I have not seen commercially made.
The last time I made a batch of my cocoa krispies I thought to myself how well the syrup would work on popcorn. I was right! I spent a day last week playing around with different flavors.
I had my readers on Facebook and Instagram vote on which one I should share first. The flavors were salted caramel, cinnamon roll, and chocolate peanut butter. I think you can guess which one won.
My kids love popcorn too so a year or so ago we bought a silicone microwave popcorn popper. It’s great. You just pour in some kernels, put the lid on, and microwave. They can do it themselves. That is a mom win in my book. We stock up on this organic white popcorn.
Make sure to try my Raspberry Lemonade Popcorn next! And if you want another snack for movie night Keto Cinnamon Pretzels are a great choice!
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Salted Caramel Popcorn
Ingredients
- 6 cups air popped popcorn
- 1/3 cup Joy Filled Eats Sweetener (or see alternatives in recipe notes)
- 1 tsp caramel extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- Put the popped popcorn in a large bowl.
- Melt the sweetener in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and add the extracts and salt.
- Pour the caramel syrup over the popcorn. Mix well. Spread on a waxed paper lined baking sheet to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Can you make this sauce, put in a jar in the fridge to use for other things? lt would be nice to try it over other things without having to make it every time. Thanks.
This syrup will solidify in the fridge. But I have other recipes for caramel sauce: https://joyfilledeats.com/sugar-free-caramel-sauce/
Would allulose work as the sweetener?
Allulose does melt so I think so. But I haven’t tested it. LMK if you try!
Hi. Is the carb count per serve? Or for the entire amount?
Per serving.
Thank you, Taryn, for sharing this simple recipe!
I made 2 batches tonight, using O.R. naturals microwave popcorn (it’s what we had).
First batch: I followed your instructions and ingredient list (subbing THM Gentle Sweet & using THM Caramel extract, and a different brand of vanilla).
I took the syrup off the heat before adding the extracts but felt too strong of an alcohol cooling effect in our mouths from the finished product. Also it left me longing for more of a caramelized flavor (the taste of added butter).
But it hardened quite nicely upon airing out.
In the second batch: I added the extracts to the syrup while still over low heat to let the alcohol in the sweetener and in the extracts cook off a bit. I also added some butter extract (1/4-1/2tsp). The flavor was more to our liking and no cooling effect.
Slightly stickier, but still firm (not soggy).
I mixed it together by drizzling the syrup over layers of the popped corn while tossing the bowl. (drizzle, toss, add layer, drizzle, toss, etc.)
Again, thank you! I’m glad to add this to my own holiday treats while the rest of the household keeps eating all the simple carb cookie gifts we receive.
Watkins has sugar listed as second ingredient so this recipe is not sugar free. Do you know a caramel extract that doesn’t use sugar?
They’ve recently changed their recipe. I will update this asap. Trim Healthy Mama makes extracts that are sugar free. I believe Olive Nation also has a sugar-free caramel extract.
I’m gonna try the hobbyland caramel drops first since it comes with a dropper. If it doesn’t work out I will try the olivenation one.
Hobbyland Candy Flavors (Caramel Flavoring, 1 Fl Oz), Caramel Concentrated Flavor Drops https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNYFQJ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Q4t4EbXETPA1Z
So I tired the hobbyland. It comes in a 1oz dropper bottle. Still tweaking to get right ratio. So far Mu method has been 1.5oz kernels 2 tsp coconut oil 1/4 tsp flavacol 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 7 drops of liquid Sucralose and 10 drops of the caramel extract. I’m getting closer but still I suspect 10 drops of this extract is not enough caramel flavor. Your recipe calls for 1 tsp of caramel extract for 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Question is how many super concentrated caramel flavoring equals 1 tsp of extract. Some sites have suggested 1/4 tsp equals 1 tsp of extracts when they are super concentrated. I’ll keep working on it and post any updates.
14 drops of hobbyland caramel flavor did the trick
Thanks for letting me know! I recently bought the Trim Healthy Mama caramel but haven’t tried it in this yet.
Okay, I have a question. I tried it. I had a couple of problems. From the rest of the comments I’ve read, I assume it was “user error.” My first problem was getting it to cover the popcorn evenly. It seemed like the popcorn soaked up the warm syrup so I had patches of soaked, and therefore way too sweet, kernels and patches of completely dry kernels. What is your trick for even coverage? My other issue was that, as the syrup cooled, it went back to a granulated form rather than hardening. This was rather unpleasant. So, there is my confession. Please tell me all your tricks. Thank you!
Did you use gentle sweet? This is essentially a candy recipe and candy recipes do have a learning curve. I just work fast when coating the popcorn. It also helps to drizzle on the syrup. A helper in the kitchen is handy. One person drizzles while the other mixes.
I’ve had some luck spreading the popcorn on a baking sheet and then drizzling the syrup over. You can get things a little more even that way.
I don’t have an airpopper Can I use regular popped popcorn?
Yup!
Allison, you don’t have to stay on plan”every day”. .we have been low carb for 4years and at 80, i have put back on 7#, staying at or below 140. Point is, we treat ourselves). ie..popcorn every Sunday with game.. This week it will be Candied corn…..yum!
Could you use monk fruit for this one?
I think a monk fruit blend (not pure extract) would work but I haven’t tried. Since lakanto is a blend with erythritol it should work.
Delicious recipe! Here’s how I modified it to use Pyure Stevia Blend. Melt the sweetener in the bottom of a large stock pot, use a knife to scrape the side and edges if needed. Turn heat to low and quickly add salt and extracts. Stire well. Turn heat up to low and add popped popcorn and mix. Once mixed, spread on the aluminum fol to coo. Keeping the melted sweetener over the heat prevents a lot of the hardening. Also, omit the caramel and you’ve got a good kettle corn. Thanks!
This was delicious but I would love to see a recipe for caramel popcorn with at least a few tablespoons of butter in it.
You can add butter but that would make it a crossover for Trim Healthy Mama. I wanted to keep this as an E.
I bet you could add a half a teaspoon of butter extract to get that flavor!
Good idea!
How many cups can I eat and stay in an E? I noticed it shows 6 servings, but surely I can have more than 1 cup?! 🙂
Plain air-popped popcorn is 4-5 cups on THM. You can eat the same amount of this and technically still be on plan. I’d suggest sticking to 2-3 cups because eating that much sweetener in anything can cause tummy issues.
So Yummy! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I just made it and it is delicious! I used my own homemade gentle sweet recipe and it worked perfectly. Doesn’t have the brownish color yours does in the pictures, but the flavor is spot on. Finally caramel popcorn is back in my life! Yay!
My caramel extract was dark brown. If you use one with a lighter color it will be lighter. Glad you liked it!
I am using ground Puyre…. and having similar issues as Smita. The minute I put the extracts in, it turns hard. It happens so quickly… that I can’t get it poured on my popcorn. Also… your picture looks like you have so much more than just one batch of the caramel syrup… all of your popcorn is covered. I wanted this to work so badly… but I’m failing. 😔 What am I doing wrong?
I’m sorry but pyure just won’t work in this recipe. You need a different sweetener.