Homemade Kettle Corn

This homemade kettle corn recipe is so quick and easy to make and tastes so delicious! It is the perfect treat to satisfy those sweet and salty cravings.

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Homemade Kettle Corn

Summertime is finally here. I love this time of year, it is finally warm and I can come out of hibernation. It also means there will be lots of fun carnivals, fairs, and concerts outside.  When I think of all of these places I think of yummy kettle corn.  Kettle corn vendors are always at all of these fun places. The smell is so good, it is so crunchy and sweet.  I just love kettle corn. It tastes so good with a little sweet and salty mixed together. However, it is really not that good for you at all. So I went on a search to find a healthier homemade version I could make a home all year long.

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Healthier Kettle corn

I looked online for some ideas of how to make homemade kettle corn without oil.  However, I didn’t find much and so I decided to come up with my own recipe. This homemade kettle corn recipe is a lot healthier than anything you will find at a carnival. I just got rid of the oil and just added warmed up honey to it.  Of course, this recipe calls for honey which is sugar but it is natural sugar, not that gross processed sugar. If you are vegan you can use maple syrup but it will, of course, have a maple taste. But it works too.

Obviously, this is a treat and isn’t really that healthy of a snack? But when you are having a sweet craving this a healthier alternative to make.  It tastes even better if you grow your own popcorn and use in this recipe. It is so sweet salty and crunchy! However, you will, of course, have to manage some self-control and not eat the whole batch. It will be hard because this tastes so good.

Super Simple and quick homemade Kettle Corn

This recipe is so simple and easy to make and only has 3 ingredients! Which is why I love it so much!! When you want a quick treat this is the best choice. It only takes a few minutes to pop the popcorn and warm up some honey and mix it in and that’s it! Bake it and you have some sweet and salty kettle corn to eat in less than 20 minutes! It will definitely fix those sweet cravings super fast.

Homemade Kettle Corn Recipe

12-14 C. of Popcorn
4-5 Tbs. honey
Salt to taste
Optional: peanuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds

Directions

Pop some popcorn in a hot air popper(it is so much healthier this way). Once the popcorn is popped, shake the popcorn bowl to get the unpopped kernels to fall to the bottom of the bowl. Take the popcorn out of the bowl by handfuls and transfer to another bowl. This way you can then throw away the unpopped kernels.

Once the popcorn is ready all you have left to do is warm up the honey.  I buy my honey from a local farmer and so it is hardened. So I have to melt it down, but it would be a good idea to warm up the honey to make it easier to pour. I just put the 4 tablespoons of the honey in a microwave-safe mug and warm it up so it is nice and thin. Pour the honey over the popcorn in the bowl and mix together. The popcorn should be completely covered with honey. If it seems dry add another tablespoon of honey. If you want it to really be like kettle corn than add a lot more honey so the popcorn is more thoroughly coated.

Baking Instructions

Once the honey is all mixed in, pour the popcorn on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Shake a little bit of salt on the top.  Bake at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Set the timer for 3 to 5 minutes settings because you will need to take it out and stir it so it doesn’t burn. I also like to turn the baking sheet around so it doesn’t get too brown on one side. The popcorn is done when it is lightly browned on top and it will start to smell a little burned. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. It will crisp up as it cools.

Homemade Kettle corn baking tips

If you are impatient and want it to be finished quicker you can turn the heat up to 350 degrees. It will bake a lot faster, but it will also burn really easy too. Which is why I don’t do it this way very often because if you don’t watch it really close then it will burn. So you will have to watch it very closely and set the timer and check it every 3 minutes.

If you want to make it more like Cracker Jacks you can also add peanuts or almonds or any kind of seeds to this. It tastes really good to have some of the yummy nuts that get roasted with the yummy honey on it. However, I also like to have it just simple with just popcorn. So you choose what you would like the best.  I hope you enjoy this simple recipe as much as I do.  Happy Snacking!