Crispy Chocolate Popcorn Recipe (2024)

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With a handful of simple ingredients, you can turn plain popcorn into a crisp and crunchy chocolate candy.

Stella Parks

Editor Emeritus

Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.

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Updated October 13, 2023

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Why It Works

Adding baking soda to the caramel syrup causes it to foam, creating a honeycomb structure that lightens the candied shell of the popcorn and makes it extra crunchy.
During the cooking process, the butter browns along the way, adding a nutty vibe; for a vegan variation, try aromatic cocoa butter instead.
The candy syrup dilutes dark chocolate, producing a mellow cocoa flavor.

If there's one thing my friends know about my eating habits, it's that I'm a popcorn fiend. Buttered or plain, salted or sweet, popcorn is the snack I most often whip up for myself.

Lately I've been grooving on this chocolate variation, with a mellow flavor and crunch reminiscent of Cocoa Puffs. It's not much fuss to prepare, and chances are all the ingredients are in your pantry already. It's a simple combination of water, golden syrup, butter, and sugar boiled up to 340°F (171°C) to get some light caramelization.

Mix in a handful of dark chocolate with a heat-resistant spatula, then add a little baking soda and salt. The sodium bicarbonate will cause the candy syrup to foam—aerating it and making the dense candy more delicate by creating a honeycomb structure—at which point it's poured over a bowl of popcorn.

Gently fold until the popcorn is well coated, then spread it out on a lightly greased baking sheet, and pull into clusters with a pair of metal forks. Be careful at this stage, the popcorn will be much hotter than it looks!

Since the candy will rapidly begin to harden (particularly in winter months), work as quickly as you can to pull the clusters apart. It's not that you have to race, only that if you should focus on the job at hand rather than pause to put the dirty pot in the sink. Resist the urge to taste the popcorn, as it won't crisp until fully cool, leaving your teeth coated in mercilessly sticky chocolate candy. Soon enough, your patience will be rewarded with some wonderfully crunchy, chocolatey popcorn.

Since the ingredients are so simple, it's important that everything is top-notch—especially the popcorn itself. Normally, it takes about two ounces of kernels to get seven cups of popcorn, but when the corn is old the yield can be as low as five cups. That's because the stale kernels won't expand as fully as they should when popped, creating small, dense pieces that don't taste as light and crisp as they should. So it's worth replacing that bag of popcorn kernels that's been collecting dust on the shelf with a fresh package.

Another way to upgrade this recipe is to pop the kernels in raw (undeodorized) cocoa butter to build in a deeper chocolate aroma. Raw cocoa butter can also be used to replace the butter in the candy for a vegan variation.

As for the chocolate, reach for something flavorful and dark, at least 72% so it will pack a real punch. I designed the recipe to use three ounces of chocolate since that's how most "fancy" bars are sold in supermarkets—look for brands like Endangered Species, Green & Blacks, or Divine.

In my restaurant days, I'd use this popcorn as a garnish for creamy vanilla desserts likewhipped Greek yogurtandpanna cotta, but these days I find its crunch and mellow chocolate flavor perfect for simply snacking out of hand.

September 2017

Recipe Details

Crispy Chocolate Popcorn Recipe

Prep5 mins

Ingredients

2 ounces unsalted butter(about 4 tablespoons; 55g) or 1 1/2 ounces raw cocoa butter (shy 1/4 cup; 40g), plus more for greasing
1 3/4 ounces freshly popped popcorn (about 7 cups once popped; 50g)
3 ounces water (about 1/3 cup; 85g)
4 ouncesgolden syrup or light corn syrup (about 1/3 cup; 110g)
9 ounces sugar (about 1 1/4 cups; 255g)
3 ounces 72% dark chocolate, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup; 85g)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use about half as much by volume or the same weight

Directions

Lightly grease a large bowl, and add freshly popped popcorn. You should have about 7 cups; if significantly less, this may be a sign the popcorn is dense and stale and that a newer batch of kernels is in order.
In a 3-quart stainless steel saucier, combine water, golden or corn syrup, butter or cocoa butter, and sugar over medium heat. Stir with a fork until bubbling hot, about 4 minutes. Increase to medium-high, clip on a digital thermometer and cook without stirring until the syrup is 340°F (171°C), about 10 minutes. If the process is taking too long, simply increase the heat.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a rimmed half sheet pan, and prepare the remaining ingredients so they’re ready to add at a moment’s notice. When the syrup comes to temperature, remove from heat, stir in chocolate with a heat-resistant spatula, followed by the baking soda and salt. When the mixture is foamy, pour over the popcorn and fold until the pieces are thoroughly coated.
Scrape onto the prepared baking sheet, pulling the chunks of popcorn into bite-sized clusters with a pair of metal forks. Cool until the soft candy shell is hard and crisp, about 45 minutes, then transfer to an airtight container. It’s best to store the popcorn as soon as it's cooled, as excessive exposure to air may cause it to soften from humidity. Store up to 2 weeks at room temperature, or 1 month in the fridge.

Special Equipment

3-quart stainless steel saucier, digital thermometer with clip, heat resistant spatula, half sheet pan

Notes

To make 7 cups of popcorn, start with 2 ounces of kernels, popped according to whatever method you prefer. Try Daniel's microwave method, or make it like Kenji and grab a Whirley Pop.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
311	Calories
11g	Fat
53g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	311
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g	15%
Saturated Fat 6g	30%
Cholesterol 16mg	5%
Sodium 232mg	10%
Total Carbohydrate 53g	19%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 48g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 12mg	1%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 79mg	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.)

FAQs

How to make popcorn very crispy? ›

Tip. As the popcorn pops, try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper and less tough). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat: Remove the lid and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

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How to make popcorn step by step? ›

How to Make Popcorn on the Stove

Step 1: Heat the Oil. Pour 3 tablespoons oil into a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot with a lid. ...
Step 2: Add Test Kernels, then the Remaining Kernels. ...
Step 3: Cook the Kernels, Shaking Every So Often. ...
Step 4: Top the Popcorn with Seasonings and Butter If You'd Like.

Feb 28, 2023

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How to make air-popped popcorn crispy? ›

Add a small amount of oil: While air-popped popcorn is typically made without oil, adding a small amount of oil (such as coconut or avocado oil) to the popcorn kernels before popping can help to add a bit of crispiness and flavor.

How to make the fluffiest popcorn? ›

A good lid is important when making popcorn, but there's a bit of a strategy here. For the best results, and lowest number of un-popped kernels leave the lid open just a hairline amount. It allows any steam or moisture to get out as well, resulting in fluffy kernels.

Which is better air or oil popped popcorn? ›

It should be noted that among popcorn aficionados, there is a sharp divide over hot air vs. oil. Hot-air-popped corn is healthier, but because it's drier, it's tempting to pour a lot of butter on it. Popping in oil gives the corn a little taste and cuts down on the dryness but can leave the popcorn soggy.

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Can popcorn be crisped? ›

Resist the urge to toss out that bag of stale popcorn. If you're looking to breathe new life into the snack, spread it on a baking sheet and heat in the oven at 250°F for about five minutes. It should be as good as new!

Why put an egg in popcorn? ›

It's not recommended to place an egg in the pan while making popcorn. Popcorn is typically made by heating kernels in oil or air until they pop. The lady might have added the egg to intrigue the audience and have them stick towards the end of the video.

Does soaking popcorn make it pop better? ›

There isn't enough moisture in unpopped kernels to create the pressure, so they fail to burst and open. To make your popcorn pop better, try soaking the kernels in a bowl of water for 10 minutes and then draining them. Then, pop the kernels as usual.

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How to make soggy popcorn crispy without oven? ›

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How do you coat popcorn without making it soggy? ›

Movie theaters use butter-flavored oil, which has a lower water content than butter so it makes popcorn less soggy. Real clarified butter has the same effect. To make it, melt 2 sticks butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Let sit for a few minutes; the butter will separate into 3 layers.

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How do you make popcorn not soggy? ›

Clarified butter or ghee, a type of clarified butter, is the best bet for coating your kernels. Regular butter contains water and milk solids, which lead to a soggy snack. The water and milk solids are removed from clarified butter and ghee.

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What causes soggy popcorn? ›

08/9You use too much oil

Now that we've talked about which oil to use we also need to take care of the fact that too much oil can also ruin your popcorn. Kernels that have too much of oil slathered around them are difficult to pop and they end up being soggy.

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