Cinnamon Popcorn

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This cinnamon popcorn recipe is something you MUST try. It came about after my kids tried store-bought caramel popcorn and thought it was just the bee's knees, so I decided to create a healthier homemade, corn-syrup-free version.

two hands holding a bowl of caramel coloured popcorn above a baking tray covered in popcorn
mmmm how good does this caramel cinnamon popcorn look!

Why This Recipe Works

  • Absolutely delicious!
  • Easy and quick to make
  • Plant based vegan snack

The ingredients you will need

You will of course need popcorn. In addition to this, you will need the ingredients o make a vegan caramel sauce.

  • Coconut oil
  • Maple syrup (you can use honey but this is not vegan)
  • Nut butter (I typically use peanut butter as it's the most economical, but its also delicious with almond butter or cashew butter)
a bowl of cinnamon popcorn with the ingredients for the recipe maple syrup, coconut oil, cinnamon and nut butter
The ingredients! (as you can see I get mine from Countdown)

I am an ambassador for Countdown supermarket, they support my blog by providing ingredients for recipe creation and testing. I used macro organic coconut oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon their range in this recipe.


How to make cinnamon popcorn

Popping the Popcorn!

I am a stovetop girl, this is how I pop my popcorn.

Step one: I heat oil in a pot. I add a few popcorn kernels to the oil while it's heating. These are my guide for when the oil is at the right temperature.

3 popcorn kernels in the bottom of a saucepan with coconut oil
These are my indicators! when they pop I know the oil is at the right temperature to pop popcorn

Step two: When they pop, I add the rest of my popcorn kernels, turn the heat down low and listen to the popping party! Once all the popcorn is popped transfer the popped corn to a large mixing bowl.

Give the saucepan a quick wipe out with a paper towel as you can use the same pot for making the cinnamon caramel sauce.

A large saucepan half full of popped popcorn
My stove top popcorn!

Making the Vegan Caramel Sauce

The quick vegan caramel sauce I use in this cinnamon popcorn recipe could be used for all sorts of other things. I call it vegan, as at the moment vegan is a 'hot' term. But for my parents of allergy kids it also means this is a way to make a dairy-free and egg-free caramel sauce, it's gluten-free too!

Step one: Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup together, you can do this on the stovetop. Wait for it to begin to bubble and caramelize.

Step two: Whisk in the nut butter and voila you will have a caramel sauce. I usually also add a little vanilla extract at the end as well, You can also add a little salt for a vegan salted caramel sauce. Of course, for my cinnamon popcorn, I added a good dose of cinnamon to the caramel!

carmel sauce being whisked in a sauce pan
This sauce is actually delicious on fruit or ice cream!

Finishing the cinnamon popcorn

Step one: Return the popped popcorn to the saucepan with the caramel, stir to coat the popcorn

Popcorn with caramel sauce mixed through in a large saucepan

You can stop here... but you will get a slightly better end product if you do the next couple of steps

Step two: Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Spread the cinnamon caramel-coated popcorn evenly over the baking paper

caramel covered popcorn spread out on a baking paper lined baking tray

Step three: Bake at 150 degrees celsius for around 10 minutes stirring halfway through, this crisps up the popcorn, but isn't entirely necessary

You can add a little salt to the finished popcorn if you like the sweet and salty type thing!


FAQs

Is Popcorn safe for toddlers and kids?

Popcorn is considered a chocking risk, unpopped kernels are hard and small foods, while popped popcorn is a 'compressible food' this means that the food can be squashed into the shape of a child’s throat and get stuck there. The New Zealand Ministry of Health Recommends popcorn should not be given to children under 3 years of age, I've also seen recommendations of not for children under 4 and 5 on other guidelines.

Why is my caramel popcorn soggy?

If your caramel popcorn is soggy and sticky it means the caramel was not cooked for long enough. baking the caramel corn in a single layer in a cool oven can fix this problem.

Cinnamon popcorn served in small white paper cups decorated with golden spots.

Top Tips

Here is how you can make and serve this cinnamon popcorn!

On my website I share lots of recipes for toddlers and kids, and even babies. Popcorn is considered a choking risk.

I, therefore, don't serve popcorn at playdates or parties for pre-school children, It's also a food I wouldn't give to a young child to snack on when we are on the move like in a pram or car.

Choking risk also increases when kids are walking around or playing while eating, so for younger children, popcorn is probably a better snack to have up at the table when they are sitting upright and not distracted.

You could always microwave your popcorn kernels in a paper bag, you can find instructions to do this right here How to make microwave popcorn in a brown paper bag

Other recipes that might tickle your fancy

A bowl of cinnamon popcorn sitting in front of a baking tray of cinnamon popcorn.

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two hands holding a bowl of caramel coloured popcorn above a baking tray covered in popcorn

Cinnamon Popcorn

Delicious homemade cinnamon popcorn, this vegan caramel popcorn recipe is so moreish and a healthier caramel corn
Print Pin Rate
Course: Snacks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cinnamon popcorn, healthy caramel corn, vegan popcorn, vegan caramel corn, maple popcorn, vegan caramel popcorn
Servings: 10 cups
Calories: 120kcal

RATE THIS RECIPE

4.67 from 24 votes

Ingredients

Popcorn

  • 3 tablespoon coconut oil
  • ½ Cup popcorn kernels

Cinnamon Caramel Topping

  • 2 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

  • First, we will pop the popcorn, I do this on the stovetop, but you could choose to pop your popcorn in the microwave or buy popped popcorn
  • Heat the first measure of coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat
  • Add a couple of kernels into the oil, when these pop the oil is hot, add the rest of the kernels. Put the lid on and reduce the temperature to low.
  • Listen to the pops, when they slow down and there are large gaps between pops remove from heat
  • Pour the popped corn into a large bowl
  • Give the saucepan a quick clean out I use a paper towel to do this
  • Return the saucepan to a medium heat
  • Add the second measure of coconut oil and the maple syrup, heat unit l melted and they combine easily when whisked
  • Turn off the heat, whisk in the peanut butter until you get a smooth caramel
  • Whisk in the cinnamon and the vanilla
  • Return the popped popcorn to the saucepan with the caramel, stir to coat the popcorn
    Popcorn with caramel sauce mixed through in a large saucepan
  • You can stop here... but you will get a slightly better end product if you do the next couple of steps
  • Line a baking sheet with baking paper
  • Spread the cinnamon caramel-coated corn evenly over the baking paper
    caramel covered popcorn spread out on a baking paper lined baking tray
  • Bake at 150 degrees celsius for around 10 minutes stirring halfway through, this crisps up the popcorn, but isn't entirely necessary
  • You can add a little salt to the finished popcorn if you like the sweet and salty type thing!

Video

Notes

  • ½  a cup of popcorn kernels will yield approximately 10 cups of popcorn
  • You can make the caramel with honey but it will not be vegan
  • You can sub the peanut butter for any nut butter

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 15mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg


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