Quick & Easy Homemade Kettle Corn

Quick and easy homemade kettle corn gives you all the flavors of the festival favorite right at home. With only 4 ingredients, sweet and salty snacking satisfaction is a snap to make and enjoy!

Nothing says end of summer and fall quite like kettle corn.

Maybe it’s because it’s at every harvest festival and carnival.

And it’s something we look forward to enjoying each year.

With this easy kettle corn recipe, you won’t have to wait until the next fair or festival to enjoy that sweet, salty flavor.

Make it at home and enjoy authentic fair flavors anytime.

What is so special about kettle corn?

Kettle corn has a sweet, slightly smoky flavor thanks to how it’s prepared.

Unlike popcorn, it’s made in a cast iron kettle or pot.

What’s the difference between popcorn and kettle corn?

Popcorn and kettle corn are similar, but each has a unique flavor.

Kettle corn has a sweeter flavor because it gets tossed with sugar whereas popcorn generally gets topped with butter and salt.

Ingredients

To make this easy kettle corn you’ll need:

• Oil– I like canola oil. If you don’t have any use another light colored neutral oil.
• Sugar– White granulated sugar, it’s the only kind that works here.
• Popcorn– Not the kind in a bag. The kind in a jar that you would pop in a popper or on the stove.
• Salt– To taste

How to Make

To make this easy snack, heat the oil in a large pot on medium high heat until it shimmers.

Then, sprinkle the sugar evenly over the oil and give it a quick stir.

Add the popcorn to the hot oil and cover the pot with a lid.

Slide the pot back and forth over the burner while you hear the kernels popping.

Once you hear the kernels slowing down remove the pot from the heat and sprinkle in a little salt.

Toss well, taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve and enjoy!

Can I make this ahead of time?

You could make it ahead but I find it tastes better fresh.

If you have to make it ahead of time, make it the night before and store it in an airtight container on the counter until ready to serve.

Storing leftovers

Store any leftovers in an air tight bag on the counter for 3 days.

Making Kettle Corn On A Gas Stove

While a gas range can be ideal in some situations, it can make cooking kettle corn harder. This is due to intense heat that cooks quickly and doesn’t always heat a pan up evenly.

Because of this, a gas stove can make cooking kettle corn tricky without burning the sugar- and you don’t want burnt sugar. Cook your kettle corn on the lowest heat setting.

The sugar, or sauce, should never turn brown or caramelize. If it does the heat is too high, and you’ll need to start over. 

Once you’ve got the hang of it though, it will be easy to make perfect kettle corn anytime the mood strikes you!

What Pot Should I Use To Make Kettle Corn?

While you may think you need an overly large pot to make this recipe in, that’s not the case. In fact, it’s actually the opposite.

You want the sugar and oil to be evenly dispersed and able to heat evenly which means you should be using a wide, shallow style pot or pan- preferably a thinner one made of aluminum.

Thicker pots like Dutch ovens and cast iron skillets retain heat, and will continue cooking long after you need it to stop. This residual heat can also cause your sugar to burn.

What’s The Best Oil To Use?

To best replicate the classic fair flavors in your homemade kettle corn, use either canola or vegetable oil. They’re cheap, easy to find, and give the perfect feel of nostalgia.

If you need an alternative, you can use coconut oil. It will lend a hint of coconut to your popcorn though.

Do NOT try subbing butter for oil. Popping corn kernels in butter weighs them down, preventing them from ‘popping’ up and out in the light texture you need for kettle corn.

Butter will also leave your popcorn overly greasy, something you don’t want in this sweeter style of fluffy popcorn.

Tips and Tricks

• It will take several minutes for the popcorn to pop. Be patient!
• Use hot pads or pot holders while you are moving the pot back and forth.
• Make sure you are moving the pot enough to keep the popcorn kernels moving. This will prevent them from burning.
• Work quickly! Kettle corn can burn with no notice, so before you start cooking know what you’re going to do with the finished popcorn as soon as it’s done. I recommend turning it out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Kettle corn isn’t hard, but it can take a couple batches to perfect the technique. Don’t worry if your first batch doesn’t turn out. Try again, and soon you’ll have it down pat!

Other Fair Snacks You’ll Love

Homemade kettle corn is a favorite snack in this house. Make it for your next movie night and enjoy!

Looking for other fair snacks? Try these:

• Soft, Chewy Homemade Caramels
• Homemade Corn Dogs
• Air Fryer Fried Oreos
• Blooming Onion Bites with Dipping Sauce
• Fried Dill Pickle Chips
• Walking Tacos
• Funnel Cake Fries

If you’ve tried this easy HOMEMADE KETTLE CORN, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!

Quick & Easy Homemade Kettle Corn

Quick and easy homemade kettle corn gives you all the flavors of the festival favorite right at home. With only 4 ingredients, sweet and salty snacking satisfaction is a snap to make and enjoy!

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Meaghan @ 4 Sons R Us

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• In a large soup pot, heat the oil on medium high heat until shimmering.
• Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the oil and give it a quick stir. add the popcorn and cover with a lid. Slide the pot back and forth over the burner while you hear the kernels popping. This will take a few minutes and you are going to want to use hot pads so you don’t burn your hands.
• Once you hear the kernels slowing down remove the pot from the heat and sprinkle in a little salt. toss well, taste and add more salt if needed.

Notes

• It will take several minutes for the popcorn to pop. Be patient!
• Use hot pads or pot holders while you are moving the pot back and forth.
• Make sure you are moving the pot enough to keep the popcorn kernels moving. This will prevent them from burning.
• Work quickly! Kettle corn can burn with no notice, so before you start cooking know what you're going to do with the finished popcorn as soon as it's done. I recommend turning it out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Kettle corn isn't hard, but it can take a couple batches to perfect the technique. Don't worry if your first batch doesn't turn out. Try again, and soon you'll have it down pat!

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 56mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Iron: 1mg

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recipe originally posted June 4, 2014