Instant Pot Caramel Popcorn Recipe

Made from scratch using popcorn kernels, this scrumptious and crunchy snack has the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors with a hint of buttery goodness!

What you will read about in this recipe.

• What makes caramel corn so good?
• What you need to make caramel corn in an Instant Pot.
• How to make Caramel Corn Using an Instant Pot
• Tips for making the best homemade caramel corn.
• How to store caramel corn.
• Print the recipe for Instant Pot Caramel Popcorn

What makes caramel corn so good?

Caramel corn is a classic snack that takes basic popcorn up to a nearly addictively level thanks to its perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors in every crunchy bite.

I like how customizable this recipe is when you add other ingredients such as peanuts or drizzle melted chocolate over it. .

Have you tried my Crockpot Chex Mix Recipe?

Made with cereal, pretzels, and nuts, that savory and crunchy snack is perfectly slow cooked to perfection. Both this recipe for caramel corn and that recipe for snack mix are delicious snacks that can be enjoyed on their own or combined together to make something even more delicious.

Whole kernel popping corn is used in making this recipe. You can find whole kernel popping corn here.

What you need to make caramel corn in an Instant Pot.

• Coconut Oil. Adds flavor and acts a medium for popping the corn.
• Popping Corn. Use whole kernel popcorn that is fresh.
• Sugar. Regular granulated white sugar should be used. You will be combining the sugar with water.
• Salt. Regular table salt works fine in this recipe.
• Butter. If you are using salted butter you can omit the salt to reduce the total amount of salt used.
• Milk. Used to make the caramel coating. Whole milk gives the full flavor needed.

How to make Caramel Corn Using an Instant Pot

• Prep Time: 15 minutes. Add setting time.
• Servings: 6 .
• How to Serve: Serve as is in a bowl or combine your caramel corn with nuts (such as honey roasted nuts) for added flavor and crunch.
• Notes: Besides a pressure cooker (Instant Pot), you will need a wooden spoon, saucepan and whisk .

1. Coconut Oil Set your Instant Pot on sauté and add the coconut oil. You can use a wooden spoon if needed to move the melting coconut oil around so that it is evenly spread out.
2. Kernels. Add the kernels to the melted coconut oil and use your wooden spoon to move the kernels around. When the kernels begin to pop you can place the the lid on your pressure cooker. Continue cooking the kernels until you can no longer hear them popping. Then turn off your instant pot and unplug it.
3. Transfer Carefully transfer the popped corn to a large bowl (that can withstand the heat). You can use a spoon to help you weed out an unpopped kernels.
4. Caramel. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat together the sugar with three teaspoons of water. Do not stir the sugar as you want it to melt into the water. Once the sugar turns a golden brown you can whisk in the butter and once that has melted you can slowly whisk in the milk. After you have added the milk to the saucepan, continue to cook the ingredients for another five minutes and then remove it from the heat and allow the caramel to thicken (about three to five minutes).
5. Coat. Once the caramel has thickened you can pour half of it over the popcorn in the bowl and toss the popcorn to coat it with the caramel.
6. Set Let the coated popcorn sit at room temperature for a few minutes and then refrigerate it to fully set (should take about 45 minutes to an hour). Repeat the coating process from the last step with the remaining caramel until the popcorn is fully coated with the caramel. You can then refrigerate the popcorn again to get the caramel to set.

Tips for making the best homemade caramel corn.

While this recipe pops the corn in the Instant Pot, you can use your method of choice to pop your corn. Just make sure that the popcorn is fresh and that you have picked out as many kernels as possible before coating it.

More helpful tips for you.

1. My caramel corn was made with regular white sugar. You can use brown sugar, light brown sugar, or a mixture of sugars depending on the level of caramel you want.
2. To toss the popcorn in the caramel, you can use two large spoons. If the caramel sticks to the spoons try spraying them with a bit of nonstick spray. Make sure that your spoons are clean and dry before spraying them for best results.
3. This popcorn can taste even better when you toss in some peanuts, candies, or small pretzels, Another option is to drizzle melted chocolate over the popcorn after the second caramel coating.

How to store caramel corn.

Once the caramel corn has fully cooled and set, it can be stored in an airtight container. When properly stored, caramel corn should keep for up to a couple of weeks at room temperature.

Here are some more instant pot recipe ideas for you.

• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
• Instant Pot Barbecue Pork Loin
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings (video)
• Instant Pot Garlic Butter Knots
• 3 Ingredient Instant Pot Tomato Sauce