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+ servings
Homemade kettle corn in a white bowl.
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Easy Kettle Corn

A delicious sweet and salty easy kettle corn recipe plus tips on how to make kettle corn without burning the sugar.
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Servings 1
Calories 450kcal
Author Tracy

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

*If you have dental work or are feeding this to kids, it’s best to first 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcal