This white chocolate drizzled cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn is a PERFECT holiday treat. Enjoy it for a holiday movie night or package it up for friends & neighbors!

Bowl of cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn drizzled with white chocolate

This Easy Holiday Popcorn Was Made For Sharing!

This cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn is a gourmet treat that feels SO fun and festive, but is surprisingly easy to make. It’s a great alternative to Christmas Cookies or candy for sharing with friends & neighbors, and makes a perfect holiday movie night snack!

🥣 EASE: Simple ingredients & step-by-step instructions make this easy holiday caramel corn a dream to make.

🍿 FLAVORS: Crispy caramel corn, with notes of vanilla and cinnamon, along with toasted pecans and creamy white chocolate. Every bite is DELICIOUS!

⏲️ TOP TIPS: Set timers for boiling and stirring! Boiling for just 5 minutes and stirring the popcorn every 15 minutes while it bakes will give you the best texture!

Happy baking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

This holiday popcorn recipe is a festive spin on our best caramel popcorn recipe, so if you’ve already tried that, you’ll notice some familiar ingredients. Let’s take a look:

ingredients for cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn

Popcorn. Plain popped popcorn (or lightly salted if you must) provides the perfect base for caramel popcorn. (Don’t know how to pop popcorn? Check out the tips below!)
Butter. I usually use salted butter for caramel popcorn for the best flavor, but unsalted butter also works.
Corn Syrup. Regular light corn syrup (like Karo syrup brand) helps prevent sugar crystals from forming and gives your caramel corn its glossy, crispy shine. No substitutes allowed here!
Brown Sugar. Light brown sugar adds that toffee-like caramel flavor. So good here! (Feel free to use dark brown sugar if you want a stronger molasses flavor!)
Salt. A bit of salt elevates and enhances the flavors of the caramel, cinnamon, and white chocolate.
Baking Soda. I know it sounds strange, but it helps give this cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn its delicious texture!
Cinnamon. One of our secret ingredients for amazing flavor. Adding a little bit of cinnamon complements the toasted pecans beautifully. It’s almost like adding cinnamon candied pecans!
Vanilla. Some vanilla extract is a MUST for the caramel sauce! It adds a lovely note of flavor you won’t want to miss, that brings perfect balance to the caramel and cinnamon flavor.
Raw Pecans. Since we’ll toast them in the oven, you’ll want to start with RAW pecans. Feel free to use mixed nuts or almonds here instead, if you like, just make sure they’re raw and not toasted or roasted!
White Chocolate or Vanilla Candy Melts. A little drizzle of melted white chocolate is the perfect finish! I like using vanilla candy melts (like Ghirardelli white chocolate melts) since they’re easier to work with.

The Best Ways To Pop Popcorn For Caramel Corn

If you’ve never popped popcorn before, it’s really easy and there are SO many ways to do it. Here are a few to choose from:

Use Loose Kernels In Brown Paper Bags. It’s easy to make chemical-free/oil-free popcorn in your microwave! Add a few tablespoons of popcorn kernels to a plain brown paper bag & follow these directions. Easy!
Use Store-Bought Microwave Popcorn. You can use salted or plain microwave popcorn to make caramel corn! Just don’t use buttered or flavored popcorn as it won’t work well. SkinnyPop (no chemicals!) and this Simply Salted popcorn are two great options. (Or, use (chemical-free!) Quinn just sea salt or this one from Quinn Popcorn & skip the butter packet.) You’ll need a little less than 2 bags for this recipe. If you use salted popcorn, you may prefer to reduce the salt in the caramel, using 1/4 teaspoon instead of 1/2 teaspoon.
Use An Air Popper. If you’ve got room to store one, this air popper is a classic with more than 13,000 reviews!
Make It On The Stove. Go classic and make stovetop popcorn in a large pot.
Use Your Instant Pot. Try making popcorn in the Instant Pot!

How To Make Cinnamon Pecan Caramel Popcorn, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

making cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn, step by step

Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with spray oil or a little butter.
Start By Popping Your Popcorn. If you haven’t already, pop the popcorn before you begin. Measure 12 cups (3 quarts) of popped popcorn and place in your a very large bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. (If you have extra popcorn, keep it close by in case you want to add it in later.)
Then Start The Caramel Sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Melt over medium heat, stirring regularly until the caramel comes to a boil. (Try not to rush this by cranking the heat up, as dissolving the sugar completely gives you the best texture.)
Boil The Caramel Sauce 5 Minutes. Watch the clock and boil the caramel sauce 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove From Heat & Finish. After 5 minutes, quickly remove the caramel sauce from the heat and whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and baking soda. (This will make the caramel sauce bubble and foam.)

Quickly Pour Caramel Over The Popcorn. Pour the caramel sauce mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat. I recommend pouring about half of the caramel sauce over the popcorn, then stirring and adding the pecans and the rest of the caramel sauce to any “dry” spots as needed. This makes it a bit easier to coat it evenly. Stir until the popcorn and pecans are pretty evenly coated. The popcorn will not look full-coverage/completely covered in caramel at this point. (There will still be some white spots visible at this point. This will resolve in the oven.)
Spread The Popcorn Out On Your Prepared Pan. Transfer the cinnamon caramel popcorn mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread out fairly evenly. (Don’t worry about a few clumps here and there!)
Bake The Popcorn. Place the pan of popcorn in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove the popcorn from the oven and stir. (The caramel will be more melty and fluid, so the pieces will get more evenly coated with caramel). Return to the oven and bake 15 minute more. Repeat this process two more times, until you’ve baked the caramel popcorn for 60 minutes total.
Spread The Caramel Corn Out Onto Parchment Paper or a FRESH parchment lined baking sheet to cool completely to room temperature. Do NOT leave the popcorn on the original baking sheet or it will stick! Wait until the caramel corn is completely cool before drizzling with white chocolate.
Drizzle With Chocolate. Add white chocolate melts to a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the white chocolate is melted and glossy. Drizzle over the cooled caramel pecan popcorn and let the white chocolate set.
Cool, Serve & Store. Let the white chocolate set completely, then break the popcorn into clusters and transfer to an airtight container or bags.

Cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn drizzled with white chocolate

a red holiday container of cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Cinnamon Pecan Caramel Corn

Pack It Up For Gifting! A cookie tin with a tight fitting lid, or small cellophane bags tied with a cute ribbon are my favorite ways to share this pecan cinnamon caramel corn. It’s SUCH a fun treat to share!

Can I Make Caramel Popcorn Without Corn Syrup? Corn syrup helps prevent crystallization of the caramel sauce and gives caramel corn its signature glossy sheen and delicate crunch. If you’re nervous, I’d first recommend using this Organic Corn Syrup I find at Sprouts (made without pesticides), but if you MUST use something else, glucose syrup or Lyle’s golden syrup (invert sugar syrup) are the only other substitutes I recommend.

How Long Does Caramel Corn Last? Once it’s baked and cooled, this cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn will keep in an airtight container for at LEAST a month! (Note: if you live in a humid climate, it will not stay as crispy)

Feel Free To Use Other Nuts! For variety, feel free to swap out the pecans for raw almonds or raw mixed nuts. (You don’t want to use roasted or toasted nuts, or they’ll burn in the oven!)

More Easy Holiday Treats To Try

Gluten-Free Christmas Chex Mix

Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Zebra Popcorn

Gluten-Free Rolo Pretzel Bites

🌟 Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our holiday cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Tap to Leave a Review

Cinnamon Pecan Caramel Popcorn With White Chocolate

5 from 1 vote

Author: Emily Dixon, Sweets & Thank You

This white chocolate drizzled cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn is a PERFECT holiday treat for a holiday movie night or sharing with friends!

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1 20

Total Time: 1 40

Print Pin Rate

Servings: cups popcorn

Ingredients

10-12 cups popped popcorn (use 10 cups for more heavily coated popcorn)
2 cups raw pecans
½ cup butter (113 grams/1 stick)
½ cup corn syrup light corn syrup
1 cup packed brown sugar (200 grams)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 ounces White Chocolate Melts or Vanilla Candy Melts

Instructions

Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. Preheat oven to 250 degrees and lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with spray oil or a little butter.
Start By Popping Your Popcorn. If you haven't already, pop the popcorn before you begin. Measure 12 cups (3 quarts) of popped popcorn and place in your a very large bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. (If you have extra popcorn, keep it close by in case you want to add it in later.)
Then Start The Caramel Sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Melt over medium heat, stirring regularly until the caramel comes to a boil. (Try not to rush this by cranking the heat up, as dissolving the sugar completely gives you the best texture.)
Boil The Caramel Sauce 5 Minutes. Watch the clock and boil the caramel sauce 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove From Heat & Finish. After 5 minutes, quickly remove the caramel sauce from the heat and whisk in vanilla, cinnamon, and baking soda. (This will make the caramel sauce bubble and foam.)
Quickly Pour Caramel Over The Popcorn. Pour the caramel sauce mixture over the popcorn and stir to coat. I recommend pouring about half of the caramel sauce over the popcorn, then stirring and adding the pecans and the rest of the caramel sauce to any "dry" spots as needed. This makes it a bit easier to coat it evenly. Stir until the popcorn and pecans are pretty evenly coated. The popcorn will not look full-coverage/completely covered in caramel at this point. (There will still be some white spots visible at this point. This will resolve in the oven.)
Spread The Popcorn Out On Your Prepared Pan. Transfer the cinnamon caramel popcorn mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread out fairly evenly. (Don't worry about a few clumps here and there!)
Bake The Popcorn. Place the pan of popcorn in the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, remove the popcorn from the oven and stir. (The caramel will be more melty and fluid, so the pieces will get more evenly coated with caramel). Return to the oven and bake 15 minute more. Repeat this process two more times, until you've baked the caramel popcorn for 60 minutes total.
Spread The Caramel Corn Out Onto Parchment Paper or a FRESH parchment lined baking sheet to cool completely to room temperature. Do NOT leave the popcorn on the original baking sheet or it will stick! Wait until the caramel corn is completely cool before drizzling with white chocolate.
Drizzle With Chocolate. Add white chocolate melts to a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on low power in 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval until the white chocolate is melted and glossy. Drizzle over the cooled caramel pecan popcorn and let the white chocolate set.
Cool, Serve & Store. Let the white chocolate set completely, then break the popcorn into clusters and transfer to an airtight container or bags.

Notes

Pack It Up For Gifting! A cookie tin with a tight fitting lid, or small cellophane bags tied with a cute ribbon are my favorite ways to share this pecan cinnamon caramel corn. It’s SUCH a fun treat to share!
Can I Make Caramel Popcorn Without Corn Syrup? Corn syrup helps prevent crystallization of the caramel sauce and gives caramel corn its signature glossy sheen and delicate crunch. If you’re nervous, I’d first recommend using this Organic Corn Syrup I find at Sprouts (made without pesticides), but if you MUST use something else, glucose syrup or Lyle’s golden syrup (invert sugar syrup) are the only other substitutes I recommend.
How Long Does Caramel Corn Last? Once it’s baked and cooled, this cinnamon pecan caramel popcorn will keep in an airtight container for at LEAST a month! (Note: if you live in a humid climate, it will not stay as crispy)