Perfect for a movie night or gifting by the bag, this homemade kettle corn will cure all your sweet and salty food cravings. Plus, you can make this festival favorite in less than 10 minutes!

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Homemade Kettle Corn! Perfect for a movie night or gifting by the bag, this homemade kettle corn will cure all your sweet and salty food cravings. Plus, you can make this festival favorite in less than 10 minutes! | HomemadeHooplah.com

About Homemade Kettle Corn

We all have classic treats that make us nostalgic, and kettle corn is one of mine.

I first had it in my late teens, and every time I see (or smell!) it cooking it takes me back to that freer, simpler time of life.

But that’s not the only reason why I hunt down this treat. Memory lane is nice and all, but it pales in comparison to the tastiness of this sweet and salty popcorn. It’s become one of my favorite snack foods when lounging around the house, especially once I figured out how easy it was to make.

Becuase, you guys, a whole batch of kettle corn could be yours in 10 minutes or less.

It’s hard not to make a batch when it’s that easy!

A simple recipe for homemade kettle corn popcorn.

What is kettle corn?

In short, kettle corn is popcorn that’s been sweetened with sugar while cooking. Once made, it’s typically seasoned with a touch of salt. This gives it a sweet and salty taste.

Where is kettle corn from?

I was first introduced to kettle corn during a Highlanders festival at college. I always assumed this meant it had a Scottish background, but come to find out, that’s not the case at all. It actually first appeared in Pennsylvania from Dutch settlers in the 18th century.

Flash forward a few hundred years and kettle corn has become an American staple at festivals and fairs, regardless of origin or occasion.

How to make kettle corn on a stovetop.

What kind of pan to use for stovetop popcorn

This recipe hinges on being cooked on the stovetop, and in order to do that, you need the “right” pan. I know this because I’ve tried using the “wrong” pan in the past and it was a total disaster.

You can always shell out the money for a special popcorn popper, but in almost all cases, that’s not necessary. In fact, I’ll bet you probably already have a perfect pan for popping popcorn hidden in the back of your pantry.

So, what pan should you use? Look for something that fits these requirements:

  • A wide, shallow pan, like a high-sided skillet. I haven’t had as much success with deep pots like stockpots and saucepans.
  • The thinner (and in some ways, the cheaper) the pan, the better. Don’t be like me and whip out your deluxe Dutch oven. When cooking stovetop popcorn, and especially kettle corn, you want something that will transfer heat fast and be easy to lift.
  • A pan with a glass lid would be ideal so you can watch the progress of the popcorn and the color of the sugar.

How long does kettle corn last?

In most cases, homemade kettle corn should last for up to two to three weeks when stored in an airtight container.

You can also store it “fair style” in a plastic bag, but this can limit the freshness to one week. You can never be 100% sure that there isn’t a hole in the bag, no matter how small, and that can impact the shelf life. So if longevity is your goal, store it in a hard plastic container (or something similar) with a sealable lid.

Sweet and salty kettle corn recipe.

More great snack recipes

Notes & tips for kettle corn popcorn

  • I mentioned this before, but I can’t stress it enough – make sure you’re using a good pot for popping popcorn. See the notes above for my tips.
  • If you don’t already have one, you’ll need an extra large bowl to transfer the cooked kettle popcorn to.

How to make kettle popcorn

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – Using a pot suitable for stovetop popcorn (see notes above), warm up some vegetable oil. Add popcorn and sugar, give it a quick toss to coat, and then cover the pot with a glass lid.

Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Add vegetable oil. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Add popcorn kernels. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Add sugar. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Add stir well. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Add stir well. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 1 - Cover.

Step 2 – Listen for the popcorn to pop. Once you hear the first one, set a timer for three to four minutes. The key to kettle corn is continuously lifting the pot from the heat source, giving it a few good shakes, and then placing it back in the heat for five to ten seconds. You’ll repeat this shaking step for the full three to four minutes while the popcorn pops. Use the glass lid to keep an eye on the popcorn (making sure that the sugar doesn’t burn.) When the popping starts to slow, remove the pot from heat. Don’t worry if not all the kernels pop; it’s more important to make sure you don’t overcook the sugar.

Homemade Kettle Corn Step 2 - Let popcorn cook. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 2 - Let popcorn cook. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 2 - Let popcorn cook.

Step 3 – Quickly transfer the cooked kettle corn to a large bowl. Don’t let the popcorn sit in the pot it cooked in; the sugar will burn, so move quickly. Season the popcorn with salt and then stir to coat.

Homemade Kettle Corn Step 3 - Transfer popcorn to a fresh bowl. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 3 - Season with salt. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 3 - Stir well. Homemade Kettle Corn Step 3 - Stir well.

Step 4 – If needed, remove any of the unpopped kernels while the popcorn is still warm. If you wait, they’ll end up sticking to the popped popcorn.

Homemade Kettle Corn Step 3 - Scoop out unpopped kernels.

Step 5 – Either enjoy immediately or allow to cool before eating. Both ways are delicious!

Kettle popcorn made on the stovetop.

Recipe Details

Homemade Kettle Corn! Perfect for a movie night or gifting by the bag, this homemade kettle corn will cure all your sweet and salty food cravings. Plus, you can make this festival favorite in less than 10 minutes! | HomemadeHooplah.com
4.58 from 21 votes

Homemade Kettle Corn

10 minutes cook
172 kcal
Yields: 6 servings
Perfect for a movie night or gifting by the bag, this homemade kettle corn will cure all your sweet and salty food cravings. Plus, you can make this festival favorite in less than 10 minutes!

Ingredients 

Instructions

  • In a wide, shallow, and thin-edged skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. While oil heats, set a 13 quart mixing bowl nearby.
  • Add popcorn and sugar to skillet with oil, then use a spatula to quickly stir ingredients together. Cover pot with a glass lid.
  • Listen for the first kernel of popcorn to pop. Once it has, begin a timer for 3-4 minutes. Lift the skillet up from the heat source and (while also holding the lid in place) give the skillet a few shakes, ideally until you hear the sugar sizzle inside. Return the skillet to the heat source for 5-10 seconds, then repeat the shake. Continue this for the full 3-4 minutes or until the popping begins to slow down. While you work, keep an eye on the color of the sugar; a golden color is okay, but a deep, dark brown means that it's burning. It's okay if all the kernels don't pop; it's more important to cook the popcorn properly and not burn the sugar than get every kernel to cooperate.
  • Quickly remove the skillet from heat and pour the finished popcorn into the large mixing bowl. Do not let the popcorn sit in the skillet; the sugar will burn and ruin the popcorn. Once transferred, you can remove any unpopped kernels with a spoon.
  • Season kettle corn with salt, then use a spatula to gently toss and distribute.
  • Finished kettle corn can be served immediately or eaten once cooled.

Notes

Recipe from PBS.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Iron: 0.4mg

I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I'm not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.

Author: Chrisy

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Recipe Rating




15 comments

    • Deborah Seitz-Sisler
    • 5 stars

    I haven’t tried the Kettle Corn recipe yet but I am so excited, because I have looked many times for this recipe and it seems PERFECT!! YUMMY 😋 😋 I will let You know after we munch down on it 😋, how Great it is ~WOOT WOOT

    • Vicki Wilson
    • 5 stars

    Yum! Since I was making it for just me I cut the recipe in half. I’m old and grew up making stove top popcorn with constant shaking of the skillet so that’s how I approached this recipe. It took no time at all, very few unpopped kernels and absolutely no burning. The final result was a lightly sweetened, crunchy popcorn treat. Delish!

    • Shannon
    • 5 stars

    Came out amazing! I did this recipe yesterday without the oil tip which is probably why a lot didn’t pop. I tried again today with the three kernels and it came out much better! Delicious!

    • friendly mom
    • 5 stars

    i made kettle corn using thus recipe and it’s the best kettle corn i’ve ever had. i only go for 3 minutes and they are perfect very light and crunchy

    • Kimi

    I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. You’ve got some typos tho. You say “I mentioned this before, but I can’t stress it enough – make sure you’re using a good pop for popping popcorn. See the notes above for my tips.” and you use pop, instead of pot. somewhere else. You also write to set the timer of, instead of for in instructions # 3. “Listen for the first kernel of popcorn to pop. Once it has, begin a timer of 3-4”

    • Thank you for catching all of these! I’ve fixed them 😀

    • Roxi
    • 1 star

    All I got was burnt kernels. I followed the recipe exactly. What a letdown. 🙁

      • Bonobo
      • 5 stars

      Clearly you did not. I’ve barely cooked before and mine turned out fine

    • Reece

    Could brown sugar be used in this recipe?

    • Candice
    • 5 stars

    This recipe was perfect!!

    One tip to others… the oil temp is important!

    Put 3 kernels in the oil while you heat it. Once all 3 pop, you’ll know the oil is ready. Be sure to remove those 3 popped kernels before adding the rest of the kernels and sugar.

    And it’s important that you heat the oil slowly. I heated the oil over a medium heat. Then once I got the kernels and sugar mixed in, I increased the temp to medium high.

    • Pat

    Can you use microwave popcorn instead and after popped add the sugar?

    • Lynn
    • 5 stars

    This recipe and the instructions were absolutely Perfect! I’ve tried making kettle corn several times before in my big saucepan thinking the taller sides would work better but the sugar always burned before the popcorn could finish popping.

    This time I used a stainless steel frying pan that i never use for anything (because i use cast iron) and used the method of on heat 10 seconds, off to shake…repeat. it came out perfect!! Thank you!!

    • Rilynn
    • 5 stars

    This recipe was detailed enough that it made it hard for me to mess up 😉 thank you! It was absolutely delicious!

    • Jessica brayboy
    • 5 stars

    Amazing! Thanks for sharing.
    Perfect sweetness and texture

    • Lee Ann
    • 5 stars

    Loved it! I poured popcorn onto aluminum foil covered counter top to salt and break apart clumps. It’s divine!