How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (2024)

As an Amazon Associate and affiliate with other networks, I may earn a commission from purchases made through links within this post. For more information read my disclosure pagehere.

This homemade Kettle Corn is the BEST homemade Kettle corn recipe you are going to find! I say that as a kettle corn fanatic! This recipe tastes JUST like what you get when you go to a fair. The perfect combination of sweet and salty with this delicious popcorn recipe!

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (1)

Homemade Kettle Corn

My favorite part of fairs is the kettle corn. My husband likes to joke around saying that I’m a blood hound for kettle corn because i can smell it miles away and then I go and find it. I am not leaving the fair grounds until I get a bite (well, a lot more then one) of the awesome flavors.

I LOVE Kettle Corn! Seriously I love it and I have no shame at all with how much I love it!

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (2)

I have tried many of the microwave kettle corns that you can get at the grocery store but nothing tasted like real stuff. Seriously, don’t waste your time or money on them. They are sooo NOT worth even trying to make.

I was having a talk with a family member about kettle corn, which lead to them sharing this amazing homemade kettle corn recipe with me. Which also then lead to the dangerous point that I am at now, where I can have kettle corn in under 15 minutes from the time I start wanting it.

When I tried this recipe I felt like I was back at a fair! Seriously, no other recipe has ever compared to the sweet and salty combo that this recipe gives you!

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (3)

What is Kettle Corn?

As I am going on and on about how amazing kettle corn is, I realized some of you may have never heard of it. Kettle corn is popcorn that has both sugar and salt that combined give it the most amazing flavor. The popcorn is popped either on the stove, or in a popcorn popper with the sugar so the sugar melts all over the popcorn. Once the popcorn is cooked, then you add the salt and you have the most amazing snack ever!

When to Eat Kettle Corn

There is no right or wrong time to eat kettle corn. It is one of my favorite things to snack on!

But I highly suggest if you are making this for movie night, that you make a large bowl for everyone before you start the movie. Otherwise you are going to find yourself missing the movie while making everyone more kettle corn.

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (4)

How to Know when to Add Popcorn Kernels to oil

The easiest way to make sure your oil is hot enough is to add your oil in your pot or popcorn popper and then add a few popcorn kernels. When those kernels pop you’ll know the oil is hot enough to pop all of your popcorn kernels.

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (5)

Ways to Pop Popcorn for Kettle Corn

There are quite a few different ways that you can make the popcorn to make this homemade kettle corn. Use which ever method is easiest for you or the appliance that you have.

On The Stove Popper

When I am making kettle corn, I just use the biggest pot with a lid that I have or my Cuisinart EasyPop Popcorn maker. Whichever one I am in the mood to use. However it is MUCH easier to use a Whirley Pop. This is what my family member uses, and while I should probably get one for myself with how much kettle corn I make.

Use a Whirley Pop

You can make this homemade kettle corn using a popcorn popper, a large pan on the stove or the Whirley Pop, all of them will give you the same amazing kettle corn at the end.If you are using a Whirley Pop, then you will want to make sure once all the kernels are popped, that you give the pot a good shake.

Use a large Pot on the stove

Add the Sugar, coconut oil, and the popcorn kernels into the pot over medium heat.

If you are making this popcorn recipe on the stove with a large pot, there are a few things you must know about making this recipe. First, and MOST IMPORTANT, you MUST stir continuously until all of the kernels are popped.

You will turn your stove to medium high heat and leave it there the whole time you are cooking it. Once you have the popcorn popped you want to remove the pot from the stove and turn it off right away. Once you remove the pot from the stove you want to shake the pot before you add the salt to it.

Use a Popcorn Popper

If you are using a popcorn popper like the Cuisinart EasyPop Popcorn maker, you want to add the popcorn kernels and then add sugar on top of them while they are still unpopped.

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (6)

Kettle Corn Ingredients

Coconut oil.There are different oils you can use to make kettle corn on the stove, however I love using coconut oil because it is a healthy fat and while this is a treat I do want to keep it semi healthy too.

Sugar.Using an artificial sugar is not going to work for this recipe. You want the real deal sugar when making kettle corn at home.

Popcorn kernels.All you need is basic popcorn kernels, however you can use the organic popcorn kernels, the white or yellow popcorn kernels all the same.

Popcorn salt. Or if you don’t have any of that on hand you can use your normal table salt, it will work just fine.

How to Make Homemade Kettle Corn

Add the coconut oil to your popcorn popper, pot.

Place a few popcorn kernels into your popper and when those kernels pop you’ll know the oil is hot enough.

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (7)

Once the oil is hot enough, add the popcorn and then add the sugar on top of the popcorn.

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (8)

Cook your popcorn until all the kernels have popped, or until you have a 1 second gap in hearing kernels pop.

Pour it into your favorite popcorn bowl and sprinkle with popcorn salt and shake it around for a few minutes so it does not stick together.

Snack Recipes

  • Homemade Microwave Popcorn
  • White Chocolate popcorn
  • Pumpkin Spice Caramel Corn
  • Chex snack mix
  • Homemade Pretzels
  • Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
  • How to Make Pumpkin Seeds

Homemade Kettle Corn Recipe

Created by Lauren

3.93 from 76 votes

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

This homemade Kettle Corn is the BEST homemade Kettle corn recipe you are going to find! I say that as a kettle corn fanatic!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the coconut oil to your popcorn popper.

  • Place a few popcorn kernels into your popper and when those kernels pop you’ll know the oil is hot enough.

  • Once the oil is hot enough, Add the popcorn and then add the sugar on top of the popcorn.

  • Cook your kettle corn until all the kernels have popped, or until you have a 1 second gap in hearing kernels pop.

  • Pour it into your favorite popcorn bowl and sprinkle with popcorn salt and shake it around for a few minutes so it does not stick together.

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Iron: 0.6mg

homemade kettle corn, kettle corn

Snack

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (10)

Did you make this?

Make sure to follow MM on Instagram and Pinterest for more creative ideas!

12 Weight Watchers Smartpoints per serving on the Freestyle program.

Join the newsletter

Subscribe to get our latest recipes right in your inbox every time we post a new one!

How to makeHomemade Kettle Corn Recipe Kettle Corn (2024)

FAQs

What gives kettle corn its flavor? ›

Kettle corn is a variety of corn that was initially made in the kettle – people would oil a large iron kettle and cook the corn. Once the popcorn has popped, it is tossed with a sugar and salt mixture to give it a savory taste and distinct texture.

How do you get kettle corn seasoning to stick to popcorn? ›

One surefire way to enhance seasoning stickiness is to make sure your popped corn has some sort of moisture on it - essentially a popcorn coating. You can use a drizzle of melted butter, a spritz of truffle oil, a glaze of caramel or even toss the popcorn in a bit of melted ghee.

What are the ingredients in Pop Secret kettle corn? ›

Ingredients: Whole Grain Popcorn, Palm Oil, Isomalt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Salt, Soy, Lecithin, Sucralose, Rosemary Extract (to preserve freshness), Ascorbic Acid (to preserve freshness). Contains: Soy.

How to keep kettle corn fresh? ›

A fresh bag can actually be put in the freezer and kept for weeks. There is no moisture in the corn - that's what expanded, causing it to pop in the kettle. Just take out a serving and enjoy! You may want to use the previous tip to crisp it up, but it is acceptable, if cold, right from the freezer.

What makes kettle corn so sweet? ›

Kettle corn gets its name from its preferred method of preparation, which is in a cast-iron kettle. Another key difference is kettle corn's use of sugar. Along with oil and salt, sugar is added to the kettle and requires constant stirring to avoid burning the sugar. A little bit more work for a little sweeter treat!

What is the difference between popcorn and kettlecorn? ›

Oil-popped popcorn tends to have a more robust taste due to the oil used during popping, while air-popped popcorn offers a lighter, fluffier texture and a cleaner flavor. Kettle popcorn, being a type of oil-popped popcorn, benefits from the addition of oil in both flavor and texture.

Is kettle corn popcorn a healthy snack? ›

Popcorn in general is a good source of fiber since it's a whole grain. But as kettle corn has sugar added to it, it has more calories than plain popcorn. Don't worry — it's still healthier than other snacks. One serving is around 120 calories.

Why is kettle corn so addictive? ›

One of the reasons people enjoy kettle corn so much is its sweet flavor. The addition of sugar makes kettle popcorn very addictive, so it's no surprise that you can't stop eating it until you've finished the entire bowl.

Is kettle corn just caramel popcorn? ›

Kettle corn is a combination of sweet and salty flavors. It is lighter in flavor and texture than caramel corn as the sugar and salt are mixed in during popping rather than coated.

How do you make kettle corn crispy again? ›

The easiest way to refresh leftover popcorn is to toss it in the oven to warm it up and re-crisp it. Simply spread it out in an even layer on a baking sheet and place it in a 250°F oven for about five minutes, until it's warmed through.

Why do I keep burning my kettle corn? ›

tips for the best kettle corn:

Heat: Keep your stove around medium/ medium-high heat. If you go too high, the sugar will burn and the popcorn will be chewy from popping too fast. Act fast. Get the kettle corn out of the hot pot as fast as you can, right when you hear the popping slow to 1- 2 seconds.

How to tell if kettle corn is bad? ›

Stale popcorn is often a sign that the snack has gone bad, especially if it tastes that way as soon as it's popped. Another way to tell whether popcorn isn't safe to eat is by the smell. If there's a moldy or rancid smell coming from either popped or unpopped popcorn, steer clear.

Why does kettle corn taste so good? ›

Kettle corn is a variety of popcorn that is seasoned and mixed with light colored refined sugar, salt, and oil, giving it a sweet flavor. Back in the day it was made in cast iron kettles, hence the name “kettle” corn. Why is kettle corn sweet? Because there's sugar in there!

What gives corn its taste? ›

As corn kernels dry the sugar in them converts to starch; harvesting the sweet corn at an early stage in maturation allows higher contents of sugars to remain in the grain making the corn sweet.

Why is kettle corn healthy? ›

Popcorn contains nutrients such as folate, niacin, and riboflavin, in addition to B vitamins, iron, and magnesium. These nutrients are known to prevent certain conditions and provide your body with important health improvements and support you need to function efficiently.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Last Updated:

Views: 6081

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dr. Pierre Goyette

Birthday: 1998-01-29

Address: Apt. 611 3357 Yong Plain, West Audra, IL 70053

Phone: +5819954278378

Job: Construction Director

Hobby: Embroidery, Creative writing, Shopping, Driving, Stand-up comedy, Coffee roasting, Scrapbooking

Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.