Bacon Caramel Popcorn

Bacon caramel popcorn

The Spruce / Elizabeth LaBau

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Total: 75 mins
Servings: 7 servings

Bacon adds a whole new layer of flavor to traditional caramel corn in this recipe for bacon caramel popcorn! Chunks of crispy, salty bacon are mixed with caramel corn and toasted pecans, and then everything is baked together until you have sweet, crunchy clusters. If you want to go crazy, you can drizzle the whole thing with chocolate when you're finished.

If you are looking for something to do with the excess bacon fat you'll have leftover, try this recipe for bacon caramels!

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray

  • 6 slices bacon

  • 5 cups plain popped popcorn

  • 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar

  • 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/3 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat your oven to 250 F/121 C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

  2. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy, then drain off the fat and let it cool. Once cool, coarsely chop the bacon into half-inch pieces.

  3. Place the bacon, popcorn, and chopped pecans into a large bowl and toss them together.

  4. In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup and stir them together over medium heat. Once the sugar and butter have melted, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer.

  5. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches 238 F/114 C on the candy thermometer, which should only take 3 to 4 minutes.

  6. Once at the proper temperature, remove the pan from the heat, add the baking soda, and stir vigorously. The sugar mixture will foam up, so be careful during this step.

  7. Pour the foamy sugar over the popcorn mixture in the bowl and quickly stir everything together, making sure the popcorn, nuts, and bacon are coated with caramel.

  8. Spread the popcorn out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake it for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to distribute the caramel.

  9. Once it is golden brown and crunchy, take the popcorn out of the oven and allow it to cool completely. Store bacon caramel popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
237 Calories
16g Fat
22g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 7
Amount per serving
Calories 237
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 27mg 9%
Sodium 314mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 102mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)