Low Carb Caramel Popcorn Recipe without Corn Syrup
Don't miss out on crunchy caramel popcorn for movie night when you have my Low Carb Caramel Popcorn Recipe without Corn Syrup! A lot of recipes, including traditional recipes, rely on ingredients like corn syrup and honey to make caramel popcorn, but I will show you how to make it without!
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan to Large Saucepan to make your caramel mixture in. It must be large enough for the mixture to not boil over when you add the baking soda.
- Candy Thermometer to check that you are boiling your caramel mixture long enough to produce a crunchy texture.
- Large Baking Sheet (11x15 jellyroll pan) lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil that has been greased.
- 2 spatulas or large wooden spoons for tossing the popcorn with the caramel.
- Microwave or Air Popper to pop your popcorn.
Ingredients
- 16 cups popped popcorn measured with mesuring cup. Approximately 2/3 cup of raw kernels popped.
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 1 cup keto brown sugar Swerve brand is good.
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp butter flavor extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter or alternative choice.
- Once it is melted, combine butter and the sugar-free brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir until the mixture is smooth and dissolved.
- Now turn the heat up to a medium-high heat to bring to a boil.
- Once it starts boiling, set a timer for 4 minutes and let it boil without stirring. Keep watch over it as it may boil over, if you see it creeping up the sides, turn the heat down to medium.
- When you have reached the 4 minutes, test the temperature to see how hot the sugar mixture has become.
- You are looking for at least 270F which is the hard ball stage to 280F hard crack stage. This temperature will make sure that the caramel will harden as you want versus being soft. If you do not have a thermometer you can go by the time but may or may not reach the stage you need without checking.
- Now that the 4 minutes are up, give it a stir and then add in your extracts and baking soda. Be warned that it will foam up a ton like a volcano! If it grows too much, remove it from the heat and take it to the sink to reduce any mess. This is why I suggested using a large saucepan or large pot so when it did grow from the baking soda you would not have a mess!
- After the bubbling subsides a bit from the addition of the baking soda, slowly pour the hot caramel over your popcorn on the baking sheet. I try to pour it in a thin stream so I cover each piece of popcorn well.
- Immediately start tossing the popcorn with your spatulas or wooden spoons until well coated.
- Once you have tossed the caramel around on the popcorn, put it in your preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir it well then let it sit at room temperature on a cooling rack before eating.
- If it has a softer texture than you are looking for, return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to dry it out a bit.
- Store leftover homemade caramel popcorn in an airtight container once it has cooled completely.
- It can last for up to two weeks technically, but is best enjoyed fresh as it will soften over time.
Notes
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 cup | |
| Servings: 16 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 71 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 7.7g | 10% |
| Saturated Fat 4.8g | 24% |
| Cholesterol 20mg | 7% |
| Sodium 54mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrate 1.8g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.2g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 0g | |
| Protein 0.2g | |
| Vitamin D 5mcg | 26% |
| Calcium 2mg | 0% |
| Iron 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium 6mg | 0% |
Nutrition
Calories: 71kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!