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Crunchy and sweet, red hot cinnamon popcorn is like caramel corn with a hint of cinnamon! The butter and sugar mellow out the bold cinnamon flavor of red hots, resulting in a buttery, lightly spiced treat. It’s less intense than cinnamon bears but just as addictive. Perfect for fans of caramel corn and red hots!

Angle shot of red hot cinnamon popcorn in a bowl. Angle shot of red hot cinnamon popcorn in a bowl.

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Crunchy and Sweet: Combines caramel corn’s crisp texture with a hint of cinnamon sweetness.
  • Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and straightforward steps make this a fun and quick recipe.
  • Addictive Treat: A unique twist on classic caramel corn that’s hard to stop snacking on!
  • Crowd-Pleaser: Great for parties, movie nights, or gifting during the holidays. After you make this amazing cinnamon popcorn, try our grasshopper popcorn, popcorn balls, and funfetti popcorn!

Bright Red, Flavorful Popcorn

This festive popcorn is so beautiful and makes the perfect addition to any Valentine’s, Galentine’s, or Christmas party. It tastes amazing and is easy to make with minimal ingredients. If you’re a fan of hot tamales, but they can be too spicy, this is the snack for you! It has the perfect amount of cinnamon without overwhelming heat!

Ingredients for Red Hot Cinnamon Popcorn

Overhead shot of labeled ingredients. Overhead shot of labeled ingredients.

How to Make Red Hot Cinnamon Popcorn

When my sweet tooth hits, I love having a poppable snack like cinnamon popcorn! It only takes 10 minutes to prep! Be sure to plan ahead because it takes some time to bake and then cool.

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a large, deep roasting pan or a large oven-safe Dutch oven with pan spray and add your popped popcorn to it. Set aside.
  2. Melt Butter: Add the butter to a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium heat.
  3. Heat Ingredients: Once the butter is melted, add the corn syrup, sugar, salt, and red hots candy to the saucepan.
  4. Stir and Boil: Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the red hots are melted and the mixture is boiling. Stop stirring and let it boil for 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in Baking Soda: Turn off the heat and stir in the baking soda. The red hot mixture can bubble up a bit at this stage. Make sure the pot you use has high sides, and you stir continuously until the bubbling up subsides.
  6. Coat Popcorn: Pour the red hot mixture over the popcorn and stir it as best you can until the popcorn is as evenly coated as you can get it.
  7. Bake, Stir, Cool: Bake the cinnamon popcorn for 1 hour, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes. Once the hour is up, turn out the popcorn onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper and let it cool completely before breaking into pieces and serving.
Overhead shot of popped popcorn in a large pot.Overhead shot of popped popcorn in a large pot.
Overhead shot of butter melting in a pot. Overhead shot of butter melting in a pot.
Overhead shot of sugar, corn syrup, salt and red hots candies added to the melted butter. Overhead shot of sugar, corn syrup, salt and red hots candies added to the melted butter.
Overhead shot of candy and butter mixture simmering in a pot. Overhead shot of candy and butter mixture simmering in a pot.
Overhead shot of the candy and butter mixture in a pot with baking soda added to it. Overhead shot of the candy and butter mixture in a pot with baking soda added to it.
Angle shot of someone pouring the candy and butter mixture over the popcorn. Angle shot of someone pouring the candy and butter mixture over the popcorn.
Overhead shot of the red hot cinnamon sugar ready to go in the oven.Overhead shot of the red hot cinnamon sugar ready to go in the oven.

Tips for Making Red Hot Cinnamon Popcorn

This recipe is super easy, but follow these simple tips for perfect flavor and crunch every time!

  • What kind of popcorn should I use? I prefer to pop my own popcorn using an air popper. But if you would like to use microwave popcorn, you can! I recommend using one without butter and salt, if possible.
  • Be patient coating the popcorn! The red hots mixture doesn’t initially coat the popcorn as evenly as regular caramel corn. But as you continue to cook it in the oven and stir it around, it will all get coated!
  • Just keep stirring! As you stir the popcorn every 15 minutes, it might feel like you are going to crush it. This is okay! It’s not going to crush it into crumbs, but instead, it will help disperse the coating more evenly. Just keep going!
  • What if I don’t have a large oven safe pot? If you don’t have a large oven safe pot, pour the coated popcorn onto a large, greased sheet pan. Add a silicone mat to the bottom if you have one, and bake the popcorn on that instead.

Overhead shot of red hot cinnamon sugar. Overhead shot of red hot cinnamon sugar.

How to Store Cinnamon Popcorn

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Overhead shot of red hot cinnamon popcorn in a bowl. Overhead shot of red hot cinnamon popcorn in a bowl.

More Delicious Snack Recipes

Here are some of my other favorite snack recipes to try—perfect for any craving or occasion! Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet, savory or a little of both, these snacks are sure to hit the spot.

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  • Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a large, deep roasting pan or a large oven-safe Dutch oven with pan spray and add 14 cups air-popped popcorn to it. Set aside.

  • Add ½ cup butter to a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot and heat over medium heat.

  • Once the butter is melted, add 11 ounces red hots or cinnamon imperials, ½ cup corn syrup, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the red hots are melted and the mixture is boiling.

  • Stop stirring and let it boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in ½ teaspoon baking soda. The red hot mixture can bubble up a bit at this stage, so make sure the pot you use has high sides, and you stir continuously until the bubbling up subsides.

  • Pour the red hot mixture over the popcorn and stir it as best you can until the popcorn is as evenly coated as you can get it.

  • Bake the cinnamon popcorn for 1 hour, stirring thoroughly every 15 minutes. Once the hour is up, turn out the popcorn onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper and let it cool completely before breaking into pieces and serving.

Calories: 241kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 183mgPotassium: 38mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 224IUCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.