Whenever you want a sweet and salty snack, this homemade Cinnamon Popcorn is the perfect treat to make for your next party, snow day, game night, or night in. This deliciously coated popcorn will be an instant winner!
Once you try this, I expect that this cinnamon popcorn recipe will become a family favorite and will be added to your holiday traditions and handed down to your children and grandchildren. It's that good.
Why This Recipe?
Make this fun recipe with your kids for a family activity with a built-in reward. It gets your kids in the kitchen measuring and learning. Everyone wins when the result is a tasty snack.
Try our healthy substitutions for a guilt-free treat.
Serve this handy finger food at every holiday party or snacking event. It will be the one thing no one wants to stop eating. It also great for school snacks. It is a great snack for movie night
Use Cinnamon Popcorn as a filler in your next jarcuterie as the perfect sweet and salty addition.
This easy recipe also makes a fun party treat idea or a cute gift bag treat!
How to Make Cinnamon Popcorn
Making this recipe isn't hard at all. You don't have to cook the sauce on the stovetop first and then mess with pouring hot liquid over the popcorn. All you need to do is mix up the wet and dry ingredients, fold them together, coat the popcorn, and bake it all. An occasional stir is all that is needed to make sure your popcorn coating doesn't burn.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Set oven to 300F.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together the wet ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pour the wet over the dry and gently fold everything together using a spatula. Make sure every piece of the mix is coated.
- Evenly spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, removing it from the oven and gently stirring EVERY 8 – 10 minutes (this is an important step).
- Once it is golden, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes to harden and crisp.
- As it cools, you can sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over it for a sweet & salty treat!
Equipment Needed to Make Cinnamon Popcorn
- large bowl
- Parchment paper. Without parchment paper, the baking popcorn mixture will stick to your sheet pans, so parchment is a necessity.
- Baking Sheet
- Air Popper Popcorn Machine. If you don't have or want a machine, just make sure to get plain microwave popcorn.
Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Popcorn
Dry Ingredients
Popcorn. Either air-popped popcorn or nonbuttered microwave popcorn.
Raw Nuts. You'll want a mix, I used walnuts & pecans.
Coconut Flakes. Unsweetened.
Wet Ingredients
Maple Syrup. For flavor and sweetness.
Coconut Oil. To help everything coat evenly.
Cinnamon. For flavor.
Brown Sugar. Balances the maple syrup flavor.
Timesaving Tips
Oil Substitutions are avocado or olive oil.
Maple syrup substitutions are raw melted honey or agave.
For a healthier version substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar.
Store leftovers in an airtight container.
FAQ for Cinnamon Popcorn
Why can't I use buttered popcorn?
While you might be able to use buttered popcorn in a pinch, it may not hold the cinnamon coating as well. Butter also affects the flavor. Plain popcorn is really a better choice as the foundation for this delicious candy coating.
I have pancake syrup and not maple syrup. Will that work?
No, pancake syrup is not a good substitute for maple syrup in this situation.
What kinds of nuts can I use?
While I used a mix of pecans and walnuts, you can use your favorite mixture. Cashews, peanuts, or almonds would all work perfectly well. Instead of nuts, you can even add pretzels.
Similar Recipes to Enjoy
Candied Homemade Popcorn Recipe
Halloween Party Favor Idea Popcorn Box
Don't forget to bookmark this recipe.
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Popcorn
Equipment
- Parchment lined baking sheet Air popper popcorn machine
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 6 cups air-popped corn or non-buttered microwave popcorn
- 1 ½ cups mixed raw nuts I used walnuts & pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Wet Ingredients
- ⅔ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Set oven to 300F.
- Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix together the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the wet over the dry and gently fold everything together using a spatula. Make sure every piece of the mix is coated.
- Evenly spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with parchment paper
- Bake in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes, removing it from the oven and gently stirring EVERY 8 – 10 minutes (this is an important step).
- Once it is golden, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 – 20 minutes to harden and crisp.
- As it cools, you can sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the hot popcorn for a sweet & salty treat!
Notes
Nutrition
We hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe idea. If you are not yet subscribing to my CELEBRATE THE SEASON newsletter, you can subscribe to the newsletter here. I share a few things that I don’t share here and I email you only once a week. I know how valuable your time is and respect that tremendously!
If you try this recipe or any other recipe on Organized Island, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Want to streamline your weekly meals? Check out my Beginner's Guide to Meal Planning book on Amazon.
Tamara
What a wonderful fall treat, while watching Ted Lasso!