Low Carb (& Sugar Free!) Caramel Popcorn

This low carb & refined sugar free (!!) caramel popcorn is everything you would expect... and more! Lightly coated with a variation of my keto caramel, it results in a crisp, sweet and salty delight.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Low Carb, Sugar Free

Keyword keto caramel popcorn, low carb caramel popcorn, sugar free caramel popcorn

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 190kcal

Ingredients

For the low carb caramel popcorn

4-5 cups popped popcorn

For the keto caramel

56 g grass-fed butter salted or unsalted*
1/4-1/2 cup allulose or xylitol**
118 ml heavy whipping cream
1/4-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt to taste (I omit if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses optional**
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Metric - US Cups

Instructions

For the low carb caramel popcorn

Get your popcorn ready! You can either buy a bag of (salted!) buttered popcorn or pop your own. One batch of caramel is enough for 4 to 5 cups, depending on how coated you like it. Transfer to a lined baking tray and set aside.

For the keto caramel

See video for how to whip up my keto caramel. The one difference will be that you'll be adding a touch of baking soda at the very end (for easier coating and a candy-like texture).
Add butter to a large dutch oven over medium/low heat and simmer, stirring every so often, until fully browned (about 5 minutes). (My top tip: I like to use salted butter for a salted caramel version!) Add in the sweetener, heavy cream and salt (leave out if using salted butter), stirring until fully combined. Add in the molasses (optional), and stir briefly until just combined.
Simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes (don't stir at all!), taste for seasoning.
Note: if your caramel splits (too high temperature is usually the culprit!), you might still be able to save it. Remove it from the heat, allow the mixture to cool down for about 5 minutes, bring it back on the stovetop over low heat, and gently whisk in a tablespoon of water until it comes back together (should happen almost instantly).

To assemble

Mix in the baking soda into the caramel at the *very* end: it will bubble up rapidly (this is why we're using a larger dutch oven here), and immediately pour it over your prepared popcorn. Rapidly mix it for even coating with a spatula, sprinkle some flaky sea salt (optional, but highly suggested) and set aside to cool completely.

Video

Notes

*I looove salted caramel, and using salted butter adds an incredible depth that you simply don't get by just adding salt. Just be sure to taste for seasoning, as you may not need to add more salt (varies from brand to brand!).

**Please see section on sweeteners for full deets! How much sweetener? Now this is the question. Traditional caramel uses about 1 cup of sugar, but in my opinion 1/3 cup of sweetener for keto palates is more than enough. As allulose is 30% less sweet than sugar (and xylitol), I did 1/2 cup (but you can probably do with just 1/3 cup for a lightly sweetened caramel). With xylitol I tried with 1/4 and 1/3 cup and they both worked great (just depends how sweet you like it, and what you're using it for). Keto sweet buds are all over the place guys, but the neat thing here is that you can adjust to taste!

Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per 1 cup (yup, just 4.5g net carbs!).

Nutrition