Not-Too-Sweet Wok-Popped Coconut Kettle Corn

By Martha Rose Shulman

Not-Too-Sweet Wok-Popped Coconut Kettle Corn
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 5 minutes
Rating
4(179)
Comments
Read comments

I’m usually not a big fan of sweet kettle corn, but I wanted to make a moderately sweet version because some people love it and it is nice to be able to offer a sweet snack for the holidays. I realized after testing this recipe that I do like kettle corn if it isn’t too sweet. The trick to not burning the sugar when you make kettle corn is to add the sugar off the heat at the end of popping. The wok will be hot enough to caramelize it.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 12 cups popcorn
  • 2tablespoons coconut oil
  • 6tablespoons popcorn
  • 2tablespoons raw brown sugar
  • Kosher salt to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

163 calories; 14 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 56 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the coconut oil in a 14-inch lidded wok over medium heat. When the coconut oil melts add a few kernels of popcorn and cover. When you hear a kernel pop, quickly lift the lid and pour in all of the popcorn. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook, shaking the wok constantly, until you no longer hear the kernels popping against the lid. Turn off the heat, uncover and add the sugar and salt. Cover again and shake the wok vigorously for 30 seconds to a minute. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl, and if there is any caramelized sugar on the bottom of the wok scrape it out. Stir or toss the popcorn to distribute the caramelized bits throughout, and serve.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: This is good for a few hours but it will probably disappear more quickly than that.

Ratings

4 out of 5
179 user ratings
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Comments

Martha Rose Shulman

The wok is great for popcorn because of the size and shape. It's also a great way to season a wok. But a regular pot also works.

Andy

I made it in a 3.5 qt Dutch Oven/saucepan (using clarified butter) and the same method worked! I used 3 Tbsp of brown sugar and felt it was just sweet enough, and 1 tsp of salt was plenty.

marge

I used my all-purpose big pot and it worked really well. Great easy recipe, yummy light popcorn. Thanks, Martha!

Sarah

Tasty and easy! Next time I would cook it for slightly longer ager adding the sugar, to get it a bit more caramelized

Karen L

Made this in a large saute pan instead of a wok. Used 1/2 tbls coconut oil and 1 1/2 tbls olive oil and finished with the sugar and salt. Tasted great, would have been better with the full amount of olive oil but we are trying to reduce saturated fat.

upperWestSider

Made this in one of those super cheap and thin steel pots with a glass lid and it worked extremely well. The key is really to let the popcorn sit, covered, for about a minute after shaking it with raw brown sugar and a little salt. This will become a go to recipe!

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