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.
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!!
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!
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!
Heide says
Yum yum double yum! Thank you so much!!!!!
Tracy says
So happy you enjoyed it, Heide!
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!
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! 😉
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!
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!
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!!
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. 🙂
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.
Tara says
Awesome! First try was a success! So yummy!
Tracy says
Glad you enjoyed it, Tara!!
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!
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!
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.
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.