An easy sweet and salty homemade Kettle Corn recipe plus tips on how to make the best kettle corn without burning the sugar.
Kettle corn is usually considered a fair-time or amusement park treat (who doesn’t love wandering around eating handfuls of the stuff out of a giant $9 bag??), but it’s actually incredibly easy to make at home and just as delicious.
What is Kettle Corn? How is it Different from Popcorn?
The only difference between popcorn and kettle corn is a little bit of sugar. Unlike popcorn, kettle corn is cooked with sugar, which when heated melts and coats the popping kernels making them both sweet and salty.
It makes a perfect movie-night snack or quick and simple dessert.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil: You can use your favorite neutral cooking oil here. Refined coconut oil also makes a fabulous kettle corn oil as it has a clean, light flavor (unrefined will make your popcorn taste like coconut). But I think cheap, easily accessible vegetable or canola oil gives you the most classic fair-time flavor.
- Popcorn kernels: You can find loose kernels of popping corn at the store next to the boxes of the bagged microwave stuff. Any brand should work, but Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn is my go-to.
- Granulated sugar: Classic kettle corn uses white granulated sugar, but if you want a more caramel-y flavor, you can substitute brown sugar to make Brown Sugar Kettle Corn.
- Salt: We’ll use just a bit of salt because good kettle corn should be both sweet and salty.
Equipment
You don’t need any special equipment to make kettle corn, just a pot or large skillet with a long handle and a lid. Make sure your pot is at least 3 quarts (larger if doubling the recipe) and not too heavy. You’re going to be vigorously shaking the pan while the kettle corn cooks so you don’t want something that’s going to be too heavy to easily handle.
How to Make Kettle Corn (Without Burning the Sugar)
- Accept that you are probably going to burn a little sugar at first. I know, I know, I just said we weren’t going to be burning our sugar, but the first time or two you make kettle corn with a new pot/range/type of popcorn, you’re probably going to get a burnt kernel or two until you know how everything handles heat. Just pick them out and move on.
- Set a large bowl or sheet pan on the counter next to your stove so you can immediately pour your finished kettle corn into it. The bottom layer of kettle corn will burn in a hot pan quite quickly, even off the heat. You want to get finished kettle corn out of the pot as quickly as possible once it’s finished popping.
- Start with hot oil. Starting with hot oil means that your sugar will spend less time in the pan while the oil heats up, so it won’t have as long to start burning. To make sure you start with oil that is the right temperature, put three unpopped kernels in with your oil, and once you hear all three pop, it’s time to add the rest of your popcorn!
- Use more pot than you think you need. We already covered this above, but using a large pot gives everything room to move so your sugar isn’t just sitting on the heat, burning. I always use at least a 3-quart pot for 1/4-cup unpopped popcorn.
- Pull homemade kettle corn from heat before your corn stops popping. Standard popcorn wisdom says to pull your popcorn when you have 3 seconds between pops. For kettle corn, you want to pull it at around 1 to 2. As you get to know your pan and stove better, you might be able to extend this time, but it’s best to start here.
A Note About Unpopped Kernels: If you have dental work or are feeding this to kids, it’s best to pour the popped kettle corn onto a baking tray, let it cool for just a minute, and then sift through and pick out any unpopped kernels.
Unlike regular popcorn, the unpopped kernels don’t always just fall to the bottom of the bowl. They can clump in with the popped kettle corn pieces and are easy to bite into if you’re not careful.
FAQ
How to Store Kettle Corn
You probably won’t have leftovers, but if you’d like to make a big batch, kettle corn should stay fresh for up to a week. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Kettle Corn Troubleshooting
If your kettle corn is coming out a little chewy rather than crunchy, it’s probably because your pot has a tightly fitting lid and there was too much steam trapped inside while the popcorn popped.
Next time, crack the lid just slightly while cooking. To do this safely, hold the handle of the pot in your left hand and with your right, use a small kitchen towel wrapped around the lid handle to protect your wrist, and offset the lid (with the crack facing away from you) just enough to let steam escape but keep the popcorn kernels in.
More Easy Desserts
- Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cinnamon Bun Kettle Corn
- Small-batch Brownies
- S’mores Cookie (For Two)
A Note on Yield and Multiple Batches
This recipe makes about 10 cups of kettle corn, which sounds like a lot, but a single person can definitely eat that on their own. If you plan on eating this with someone else and you’re not great at sharing (I’m not 😉 ), double the recipe. As long as your pot is large enough, doubling the recipe won’t change the cooking process in any way.
If you need to make a ton of kettle corn and you’re making multiple batches, be sure to wash the pan and let it cool slightly between each batch. Any remaining sugar in the pan will immediately burn if you try to make a second batch without washing it out.
Easy Kettle Corn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or cooking oil of your choice
- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Set a large bowl on the counter to pour your popped kettle corn into.*
- To a large heavy-bottomed pot (with a lid) add oil and 3 kernels of popcorn. Cover and heat over medium-high heat (medium if your stove runs hot) until you hear all 3 kernels pop.
- Add the rest of your popcorn and shake the pan for a few seconds to coat the kernels. Pour sugar and salt directly over the popcorn. Cover and shake for 3 seconds, rest for 3 seconds, repeat, until popcorn begins to pop steadily.
- Once that starts, shake pan mostly continuously, pausing occasionally to listen for breaks in popping. Once there is about a 2 second break between pops, pull from heat. Transfer popcorn immediately to your bowl.
- Allow to cool for a couple of minutes (sugar will be VERY hot) before eating. Keep an eye out for unpopped kernels as you eat, and enjoy.
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Sounds like quite the fun job, especially with all the free food! I LOVE homemade kettle corn!!! I think I could possibly eat popcorn every single day. Hubby is not a huge fan of popcorn ’cause of the whole ‘getting stuck in your teeth’ thing, but I don’t mind ’cause it tastes soooo good! Pinning this one 🙂 Hope your week is going good, Tracy!
Tracy says
I’m with you on popcorn! And what’s a few extra minutes flossing to my favorite snack. 😉 Thanks for pinning!
ballard says
this was so good
Tracy says
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it!
Matt says
Check out Amish Country Popcorn, its a bit more expensive but well worth it on taste alone, it also has hardly any husk to it. So way less flossing after eating it
Ellianna Wilhelm says
One of the best recipes I’ve ever tried!! And all of the kernels popped surprisingly.
Noelle says
Yum, trying this now with coconut oil. We’re going to stick with regular sugar for this batch, but do you think brown sugar would also work?
Tracy says
Yay! Hope you enjoy it! And yes, you can use brown sugar and it’ll give you more of a caramel flavor.
Anita Russell says
Have made this kind of popcorn since I was a child. At that time we used Crisco (solid) as our oil. Have found that it can take a higher temperature and doesn’t burn the popcorn like regular oil. Know people might not like using this alternative, but it does help in the cooking.
Tracy says
Thanks for the tip, Anita! I’ve never used Crisco before when cooking popcorn. I’ll have to give it a try!
Julie K says
Avocado oil has a very high smoke point and zero flavor. Better than Crisco. Just made some using the avocado oil and it is fabulous
Ryan J says
I just finished making 6 batches of kettle corn trying to perfect my method. Still not perfect but good enough. I found that every time I used coconut oil the kernels cooked too slowly and my sugar burnt. Avocado oil gave me great results and also lifting the lid slightly as well as not putting in the sugar until my kernels sat in oil for about a minute but be careful with that. I mix my salt with the sugar for quick application. The baking sheet method is what I’ve been using. I haven’t used your recipe but I came here to look at methods. Looks like you’ve made as much as I have!
Jan says
Super easy and yummy!!
Tracy says
Yay! Thanks for reporting back!
Merri Ouellette says
This is an amazing recipe! First time was a little too long, second time was fabulous! My husband calls it crack corn! He can’t stop eating it! Thank you!
Tara says
Awesome! First try was a success! So yummy!
Tracy says
Glad you enjoyed it, Tara!!
Stephanie says
I tried this and my whole family loves it! I dont have a big enough pot to make enough for all of us and my 2nd batch burns a little and there are more unpopped kernels… am I doing something wrong or do I just need to wait for my pan to cool all the way down before I start again?
Tracy says
Hi, Stephanie. Glad you all enjoyed it! Unfortunately, waiting a bit for the pot to cool is the best option. And (if you aren’t already) I would wash the pot in between batches, because any caramelized sugar left in there is going to burn really quickly otherwise.
Liz says
This was perfect on the first try, so good. And all your instructions were great … not one piece of burnt popcorn!
Thanks!!
Tracy says
Yay! Success!! Thanks so much for reporting back, Liz. 🙂
Karan says
Great recipe!! I used coconut oil and it didn’t burn! Even on the first try! Thanks for sharing!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Karan!!
Juliana says
I found your homemade kettle corn recipe on Pinterest and I just made two batches of it already!
It is delicious and by following your tips they came out amazing at the very first try!
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Juliana! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Beth says
Hi Tracy,,
Perfect snack for a chilly day today! It tasted really good, and your tips for not burning the sugar were great. But, ours ended up being kind of chewy rather than crisp. Has that happened to you?
Tracy says
Hi, Beth. Yes! I have run into this problem a couple times. It’s usually because too much steam is trapped in the pot while cooking. What I do is crack the lid just a tiny tiny bit while cooking to let the steam escape. Just make sure to wear long sleeves or use a towel to hold the lid to protect your wrists from any hot pops of oil. I’ll add this to the tips section of the post later today.
I’ve also found that the brand of popcorn seems to make a small difference as well. My current go-to is Orville Redenbacher’s. Hope that helps!
Jo says
Spread your fresh popcorn out on a long flat pan..let it cool 5 minutes and it wont be chewy..it will be crispy
Tracy says
This is an excellent tip! Thank you!
Artie K says
Last night, I attempted to make Kettle Corn on my own, and while semi successful, the sugar burnt. I went online after and found this page right away, and read through it.
Today I come back with news. Doing exactly, step by step what is suggested, not only did NOTHING burn, but it came out perfectly the very first try.
Side note, the popcorn on the bottom got a light coating of “just lightly browned caramel”. So Kettle Corn with bonus Caramel corn.
Tracy says
So happy to hear, Artie! And yay for bonus caramel corn! 😉
TK421 says
On the first try, I burned the sugar. I didn’t prep well so I hurried everything and didn’t shake shake shake enough.
Second try and thereafter, everything came out perfectly! I almost wish it didn’t because it’s so friggin delicious and I can’t stop making and eating it! I also laid out the popcorn on parchment paper for cooling instead of directly to a bowl, prevented clumped popcorn balls.
Thanks very much, I have a go-to recipe now, I can’t imagine I’ll ever need another kettle corn recipe.
Tracy says
I had the same problem when I first started making kettle corn. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. 😉 So glad the recipe worked out for you!
Heide says
Yum yum double yum! Thank you so much!!!!!
Tracy says
So happy you enjoyed it, Heide!
Kate says
Hi there! I’m planning to make this to include with movie theater gift cards for Christmas presents. So my 2 questions are: 1. What are your thoughts for making it the night before (or even earlier)? Or is this more of a “eat right when you make it” treat?
2.. any reason I couldn’t 2x/3x/4x the recipe if my pan was big enough?
Thanks!
Tracy says
Hi, Kate. I love that idea! To be honest, I’m not sure how well this would do packaged. It always gets eaten around here immediately. I worry that it might get soggy. You could always try a batch and see how it does overnight? And I have doubled this recipe but never tripled or quadrupled. You definitely could, but I find that the more I cook, the more prone the sugar is to burning because the popcorn pops a little slower, so you might have to experiment a little.
Sorry I couldn’t give you more concrete answers!
Sharon Jensen says
My grandkids make popcorn as usual with butter and salt and put the popcorn in a paper bag. Then they sprinkle sugar over it and shake the bag.. The sugar sticks to the kernals with butter on them. So easy for them to make.
Tracy says
That’s a great kid-friendly tip. Thanks for sharing!
Sandra says
this is the one.I followed the recipe & tips perfectly and i finally didnt burn a batch of kettle corn!! I didnt know it was possible to make kettle corn this good at home 🙂 thank you!
Tracy says
This makes me so happy, Sandra!!
Lisa says
Can this be prepared in a West Bend Stir Crazy corn popper? It stirs while popping. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Tracy says
Hi, Lisa, I’m not familiar with this machine at all, so I can’t say for sure, but I did a quick google, and according to WestBend’s own website, it should work okay. If you try it, please let me know how it works out!
CC says
Popcorn suffered due to reckless abandon. Perhaps it’s because my husband didn’t follow the directions exactly. This is my ode to not following directions.
First, he “guessed” at the oil amount (a bit too much.)
Second, he didn’t coat the popcorn kernels. Then, he dumped the sugar and salt in one area.
He shook the pan only left to right, even after I told him to shake front and back, too. He had the heat too high and I told him to put it on medium. Instead, he turned the heat too low and the popcorn stopped popping so he thought it was done. It wasn’t as about 20% of the popcorn wasn’t popped and some of the sugar wasn’t melted.
Some of the popcorn was coated with sugar, but most wasn’t. It was slightly overcooked. A lot of the sugar wasn’t melted.
I think I need to make special directions for him. Of course he suggested I make it, which might be the real reason for his behavior!
Tracy says
OMG I’m dying laughing. Thank you so much for sharing. I truly feel as if I went on this journey with you!! LOL
Ilona says
Time to make it ourselves. They get lost when they have more than a sentence for instructions. Bless their hearts .
Honestly, on certain things I don’t even leave it to chance. Kettle corn is too precious.
MG says
Solid recipe. I never made popcorn before. Followed your directions exactly (used granulated sugar, popcorn salt, and Amish country red popcorn). Big thanks on the steam thing, popcorn came out super crispy and tasty. I proceeded to eat it all at once and had to come right back to leave a review. Thank you so so much!!
Jaimie says
The recipe was easy to follow and I’m sure if I tried it again it would come out perfect- I used coconut sugar because that’s all we have and it came out pretty burnt. Still edible, and good enough to eat!
Wondering if I should make any adjustments since using coconut sugar?
Thanks so much for posting this <3
Angie says
Thank you for sharing! I made this in my Whirley stovetop popcorn maker and it turned out fabulous. I adjusted my temp to the low side of medium high and not a single kernel burned. Definitely a keeper and will try brown sugar for caramel corn next. The cost effectiveness compared to bagged is well worth making your own.
Anna says
Me and my brother made this and it was delicious, he suggests to put some cinnamon on it before it completely cools and it really takes it up a notch!
Tracy says
So glad you both enjoyed it, Anna!!
Solsmiles says
Definitely after it pops, not with the sugar! It will burn if you do. Ask me how I know 😉
Nolan Tokai says
Made this recipe twice now and wow first time it was good second time was amazing I did 50/50 brown to white sugar and when it was finished cooking I put it in a metal bowl and tossed immediately with salt flakes 10/10
Pauline Miller says
Perfection! I followed directions as posted and Im HOOKED!
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe
Jeannette Lara says
I want to make this so bad! Especially after all the comments, my mouth is watering! What pot/pan did you use? Should it be cast iron or any aluminum pot will work?
Brittnay says
So, as someone who knows someone who owns a kettle corn tent, I want to say this is a solid recipe for people at home.
Only thing I would say is that tents use corn oil. My friend buys mazola in bulk. It gets that buttery taste to pair with the sweet and salty. Hope this helps people!
Tracy says
Thanks for the seal of approval and the oil tip! Using corn oil makes so much sense!!
Kim says
Delicious and simple! I used brown sugar and it tastes like a cross between Kettle and Carmel corn. Will definitely be using thia recipe over and over again. Thank you!
Patrick says
Here are my tips for successful kettle corn cook…I also let the 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels “rest” for a full minute after adding the sugar & salt allowing all the kernels to come to the same temperature before resuming the cooking process.
My next tip involves an on/off approach to cooking the popcorn. Usually 8 to 10 seconds on the heat & 8 to 10 seconds off the heat shaking constantly until popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds between pops. This keeps the sugar from getting too hot keeping it in the sweet spot so to speak.
Cassie P. says
Thanks for your recipe, which I found on the Reddit popcorn group. I doubled the recipe and made it in my Great Northern Popcorn Stovetop 6-1/2 Quart Popper. I used 1/4 cup Kirkland coconut oil, 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s organic popcorn kernels, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and substituted 1/2 tsp Flavacol popcorn seasoning for the salt. The kettle corn was a success! Thanks!
Adam says
It was very easy and not as scary as the instructions sounded, I didn’t even burn any popcorn on my first try!
Angeles says
I read your recipe and followed it to the “T.” It came out perfect! Super delicious and I only burned 3 popcorn kernels. Thank you so much. I’ve been craving kettle corn and this did the trick.
Lisa says
Delicious recipe but even better instructions! I’ve had a recipe I used for years but didn’t want to go through my cookbooks to find it and found this one online. I make regular popcorn on the stove with the hot oil and 3 kernels, but I’d never thought of doing it for kettle corn. Brilliant!
Sara says
Too hard not to burn with all that sugar. Yikes! We ended up wasting more than half of the batch due to burning 🙁
Nancy says
We dont use sugar so made this using monks fruit (a little more keto friendly) and popped with coconut oil. It turned out great and the grandkids loved it!
cuthbert says
ive tried to wing it making kettle corn a few times, and some other on line recipes, but i have never made any that was worth repeating i just made yours and followed the recipe, and it was perfect thank you so much!
Tracy says
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Kamielle Peters says
Perfect recipe! I followed your tips to a tee and my very first two batches worked out perfectly! Crispy, sweet, and a hint of salt! No burns 🙂
Tracy says
Yay! So glad to hear it!!
Connie says
This has become a nightly treat!
Tracy says
Love to hear it, Connie!!
Jill says
DELICIOUS! This recipe is the perfect blend of salty sweet. Thank you!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Jill!!
Ara_woohoo says
Perfection! On the first try and they came out perfect. Thank you so much for this recipe!
PC says
The internet is awash with poorly written articles, including recipes. Not so here. This recipe is thorough, well written, and has great tips and troubleshooting. And the delicious recipe works as described. The positive reviews say it all. Thank you.
Tracy says
Thanks, PC!!
Tika says
I just made a double batch of this for the first time and so tasty!! Only a few burnt pieces and they weren’t really bad because I ate them. Lol
Thanks for sharing
Jessica says
Turned out great, just lightly sweet, and I didn’t even burn it!
Tracy says
Yay! So glad it worked out for you!!
Mom of Four says
When your toddler wants kettle corn for breakfast, this is a good recipe. Will make some tweaks on when to add sugar, and sugar to salt ratio in the future. Follow the directions and remove from heat ASAP after popping. Came out with very few burned pieces. Happy pooping!
Rachel says
So delicious! My family is a huge kettle corn fan and have only gotten it at the fair. Notes were VERY helpful and easy to follow. Had to make three batches in the same afternoon we loved it so much! ❤️ Thank you!
April says
This was absolutely delicious! It tasted just like the kettle corn you get at fairs, and was quick to make. Thanks to the great instructions, we made our batch without any burning. The only issue I had with the recipe was that I only got about 5 cups of kettle corn instead of 10. I will be doubling/tripling the recipe in the future for my husband and I.
Solsmiles says
Such a great recipe! Make sure to take off heat as soon as popping slows. I listened and when I realized is slowed it was already too late for me. Slightly burned on the bottom but totally salvageable. Will take off heat sooner next time! And I placed a metal binder clip on the lip of the pan so the lid was just barely open for the steam to escape and worked perfectly ! Thanks for the recipe!!
Beth says
Read all of the instructions a few times before trying. Absolutely delicious and crunchy. I used coconut oil and cane sugar, as that’s what we have in the house. About to be a weekly staple
Becky says
I used double the popcorn, 1.5 times the sugar and salt. I tried a trick from another recipe where you remove the pot from the heat for 30 seconds when you add the popcorn to bring everything up to temperature together. Then I returned it to the heat and added the sugar and salt. It took me slightly longer than intended to remove the pot from the heat because I had to grab two potholders. I ended up with a few kernals that were slightly carmelized, but not quite burnt. Anyway, it turned out amazing and my 5-year-old and I polished it off quite promptly!
Tracy says
So glad you and the kiddo enjoyed it!!
Shantel says
This recipe is soo good!!!!!! Definitely make sure you read the popping instructions before getting started b/c it goes quickly and the popcorn can taste a bit burned if you’re not paying attention to the shake/rest tips. I made a few tweaks which included using coconut oil, stirring the sugar/salt into the kernels for more even distribution and instead of pouring into a bowl immediately when it’s done, I lined a baking sheet with wax paper, poured the popcorn onto there and worked it with a spoon as it cooled to avoid clumping. Be prepared to eat all of the popcorn in one sitting LOL
Tracy says
So glad it worked out for you, Shantel!!