Seriously good Vegan Chocolate Caramel Popcorn! Drenched in rich, salted caramel, baked until perfectly crisp & then finished with lashings of chocolate. It's totally & utterly delicious, the crispiest crunchiest popcorn you'll ever eat, and vegan/dairy-free!
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FEATURED COMMENT:
"The best vegan popcorn recipe! I've made it numerous times and LOVE it!!! Great to munch on or great to give as a gift! It's a winner!" - Michelle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Seriously good Vegan Chocolate Caramel Popcorn - That's what's poppin' here today! And it's extra crispity-crisp and crunchy thanks to my special trick!
First we pop, then we drench in my healthy caramel sauce, then we bake to crisp it up. Yes - bake! It makes a HUGE difference. You honestly won't believe how crispy it gets. Copious drizzles of melted chocolate come next to really seal the deal.
It's honestly the most delicious vegan popcorn you'll ever eat. Perfect for snacking on, serving up at parties, or taking to the movies! It stays perfectly crunchy for days too, so you can easily make it in advance.
Mel x
P.S. Love pumpkin? Switch the caramel part of this recipe for my pumpkin caramel sauce. It's so good with the chocolate!
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Popcorn kernels - Unpopped corn kernels. Any corn kernel variety will work here.
- Chocolate - Use your favourite dairy-free chocolate chips or a bar. You can use milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate. I prefer semi-sweet or dark for this recipe because the caramel is very sweet, and it balances nicely.
- Sugar - This needs to be either coconut sugar or dark brown sugar. Other sugar varieties won't give enough flavour.
- Nut/seed butter - My preference when making this recipe is to use tahini. I love the bittersweet flavour it gives and the contrast with the sweet caramel. Almond butter is also really delicious, as is peanut butter if you don't mind a very peanut-forward flavour. Any smooth, natural nut or seed butter will technically work, though.
- Vegan butter or coconut oil - Either works well, although vegan butter makes a slightly richer caramel. If you use coconut oil and don't want coconut flavour, be sure to use refined coconut oil.
- Salt - This should be good-quality sea salt, or kosher salt if you are in the U.S.A. Salt you would use for finishing, and definitely not table salt. I love Maldon salt for purposes such as this.
Popcorn Already Popped?
If you've got some already popped stale popcorn that you want to revive or a bag of plain popcorn that needs some improvement, you can make the caramel part of this recipe, coat the popcorn, bake then drizzle in chocolate as per my recipe. There is enough caramel to coat approximately 10 cups of popcorn. If you have less, simply scale the recipe down or store any leftover caramel in the fridge. It's great for serving with apple slices, pancakes and waffles, ice cream, etc!
Recipe FAQs
No. That's a myth. All you need is heat, and a dry pan will do the job just fine. With all the flavour going on in this popcorn after popping, you don't need to add extra oil or butter.
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
Author:Ingredients
For the popcorn
- 75g (⅓ cup) popcorn kernels
For the caramel
- ½ packed cup (100 grams) coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons smooth nut or seed butter , I love to use tahini!
- ¼ heaping teaspoon fine sea salt
For the chocolate drizzle
- heaping ½ cup (90g grams) dairy-free chocolate chips , or the same amount from a bar
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm a large heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, over medium heat until very hot. Pour in the popcorn kernels and put the lid on tightly. Move them around frequently by gently moving the pan. They will start popping after about 30 seconds.
- Keep watching/listening until the popping stops, then remove from the heat but keep the lid on for now just in case a rogue kernel decides to surprise you!
- Preheat oven to 300 °F (150*C) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and warm over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and it is just starting to bubble.
- Remove from the heat and add the vegan butter/coconut oil, nut/seed butter, and sea salt. Stir really well until it is smooth. It is normal to see some pale flecks throughout. If your nut butter is stiff and doesn't combine well, put the pan back over low heat for a minute or two to soften it then it should come together much easier.
- Remove the lid from the popcorn kernels and pour over the caramel. Be careful as it will be very hot. Stir to coat.
- Pour onto the lined baking tray and spread out into a thin layer. Put in the oven and bake for around 15 minutes until very crunchy and golden.
- Melt the chocolate chips over simmering water, or gently in a microwave, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the popcorn.
- Allow the chocolate to set. You can leave it at room temperature, or pop the tray inthe fridge or freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Once the chocolate is set and hard, break the popcorn into pieces and transfer to a sealed container.
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Lacey says
Wow this definitely hit the spot for a lighter sweet! I added extra tahini for bite and used 85% chocolate pieces for a darker take. Superb!
Michelle says
The best vegan popcorn recipe! I've made it numerous times and LOVE it!!! Great to munch on or great to give as a gift! It's a winner!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Michelle. I'm really pleased you're enjoying it!
Kelly says
Took this to a work party today and everyone RAVED about it! So delicious and deceptively healthy! I ran out of coconut sugar mid-recipe so I added maple sugar and organic cane sugar to make up the difference and it turned out a bit lighter in color but still tasted wonderful. Thanks for such a great recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Kelly! I'm glad it was a hit. Thanks so muhc for stopping by to leave a comment. I really appreciate it!
Brigitte says
I just finished baking the popcorn , I replaced the tahini by crunchy natural peanut butter , it’s not your sugary caramel flavored popcorn a healthier version . It came out super crunchy and fresh I was amazed by the texture . I like to eat healthy and this is very good recipe . The coconut palm sugar is not too sweet but if you like sweet you probably would like organic brown sugar or a substitute . Next time I will add 2 more table spoon crunchy peanut butter. I never looked for making my own sweet popcorn , I bought skinny popcorn and my husband didn’t like it so I transformed it with this recipe.
Michelle Mather says
I've made this numerous times and had a hankering for it today, so luckily was able to find it again! Yay! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you are enjoying it Michelle!
Kelly says
This tasted AMAZING!! My caramel wasn't as brown as yours though....any guesses why? I left in in the oven for almost 20 minutes. Maybe I should've left the caramel on the stove longer? Thanks for all the great recipes!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Kelly! The colour could be something as simple as my tahini or coconut sugar being a bit darker than yours. Different brands are all a little different. You don't need to cook the caramel longer. You could always leave the popcorn in the oven a tiny bit longer to make it darker but keep a careful eye because it goes from ok to burnt very quickly. Thank you for stopping by to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
Ellie says
Amazing!
Netta says
I made this today for the first time with brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and it was delicious, of course I don't know how it compares though! Thank you for the recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
You are welcome Netta. I am so glad it worked out for you :0)
Randy says
Great! Another use for my tahini.
A Virtual Vegan says
It's so good in this caramel!