Skinny Dr. Pepper Caramel Popcorn is creamy and sweet with just a hint of Dr. Pepper. Easy to indulge in, while still keeping track of your calories.
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My family LOVES Dr. Pepper! It is my husband’s cola of choice. Whenever we have family dinner with his siblings and their families it is guaranteed that someone will be drinking Dr. Pepper, if not everyone. I was really excited to try Dr. Pepper TEN because it has the same full-bodied flavor of normal Dr. Pepper, without the guilt.
I think it is so fun to create new recipes (which is why I have a food blog,) so I wanted to try something new using Dr. Pepper TEN. I envisioned a gooey caramel corn, sweet and sticky, that tasted just like Dr. Pepper. Because Dr. Pepper TEN is lighter on calories, I wanted my crazy popcorn creation to be guilt-free too.
Creating a lighter, or “skinny” caramel corn is no easy feat.
It took a LOT of trial and error to get this recipe just right. I made more than a dozen mini batches of caramel corn, perfecting the ratios of Dr. Pepper TEN, marshmallows, and sugar. I even tried reducing the Dr. Pepper TEN by simmering it. It changed the flavor too much and when I used it the popcorn just didn’t have the right kick to it.
I melted the Dr. Pepper TEN with marshmallows to create a sweet, creamy, gooey coating. Without some sugar in the caramel coating it just wouldn’t set up the way that I wanted it too. No matter how hard I tried it would be more like Dr. Pepper gelatin coated popcorn until I added a little sugar. Just a little bit and I was finally able to achieve the sweet, sticky, and gooey caramel coating that I was looking for without it being gelatinous. Even with the tiny bit of sugar, the caramel popcorn is still “skinny” because normally caramel corn uses butter, and I was able to figure out a no-fat equation. That saved tons of calories!
I made my coating in the microwave, just as easy as can be! About half way through microwaving, the coating it is a thin syrup. Keep heating it up, you want it to be nice and thick and gooey!
If you don’t microwave the caramel enough then the coating will be too wet and you’ll have soggy popcorn. Not good eats! See how dark and thick the coating was before I poured it all over my popped popcorn?
All of my hard work paid off, just look at this creamy, sticky caramel corn…
Approved by my Dr. Pepper lovin’ husband too!
Dr. Pepper TEN Caramel Popcorn
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Dr. Pepper TEN Skinny Caramel Popcorn, lighter on calories but not on flavor! Only 198 calories for a hefty 2 cup serving.
Serves: Serves 4 (8 cups popcorn total)
Ingredients
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- ¾ cup Dr. Pepper TEN
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 8 cups popped popcorn
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl combine the mini marshmallows, Dr. Pepper TEN, and sugar. Microwave on high for 5-6 minutes, stirring every minute. The coating is finished when it is thick and a bit gooey. (In this recipe I prefer to err on the side of cooking it too long, instead of not long enough. No one likes soggy popcorn!)
- Pour the coating over your popped popcorn and stir to coat.
- Best if enjoyed while still warm.
Notes
This recipe is for a creamy and sticky caramel corn. If you are looking for more of a crunchy caramel corn just bake the popcorn at 250F for 20 minutes on a parchment or silicone-baking-mat lined baking sheet. Stir it halfway through the cooking time.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2 cups Calories: 198 Fat: 0g
This looks amazing! My dad is a huge fan of Dr. Pepper AND caramel corn. He’ll love it!
This looks perfect for our family movie night! Also, your daughter is adorable! #client
Thanks Kim!
Dr Pepper is my drink 🙂 I hardly ever have it in the house as I’ll drink it all quickly LOL No control with Dr. Pepper. Love this idea!
Thanks Cindy. My hubby is the same way. We don’t buy soda regularly, but when we do, and when it is Dr. Pepper, it is GONE!
What a creative use for making a lighter version of caramel corn!
I followed the directions. My corn is staying sticky and moist. Not at all like Carmel corn. Pls help , we love Dr Pepper. How can I get it to set up like Carmel
Corn?
Hi Anna,
This recipe is for a creamy and sticky caramel corn. If you are looking for more of a crunchy caramel corn just bake the popcorn at 250F for 20 minutes on a parchment or silicone-baking-mat lined baking sheet. Stir it halfway through the cooking time.
Hope that helps 🙂
Did you get that from Good Eats?
No, but I LOVE Good Eats. AB is the BEST!
This particular recipe took more than a dozen test batches for me to get it right! Not adapted from anyone.
Hi,
Does it have to be Dr. Pepper 10? or can it be diet Dr. Pepper or regular Dr. Pepper?
Thanks!
I think that regular Dr. Pepper or Diet Dr. Pepper would probably work just fine in this recipe. The recipe doesn’t rely on the sugar to give the caramel it’s gooey consistency, so I don’t think it would change the recipe. However, I haven’t tried it myselft.
This recipe did not work for me. The first time I tried, the popcorn disintegrated when I added the syrup mixture. The second time, I used half of the syrup and immediately popped it in the oven to bake for 20 minutes, and then it kind-of worked. The flavor was good, but the texture was horrible unless you bake it. Otherwise, it was just a bunch of goo.
Hi Stacey,
I am sorry that you had a hard time getting this recipe to work for you. I made more than 20 versions of this recipe and the version I shared here is the one that turned out the best. If you don’t like gooey and creamy caramel corn (which is one of my personal favorites) I highly recommend baking it, as you did the second time. When you drizzle the syrup over the popcorn, drizzle it very slowly, while stirring it. This will help to prevent the popcorn disintegrating. Making sure to cook the syrup long enough will also make a big difference. If it isn’t cooked long enough, it will have too much liquid in it and will make the popcorn soggy. One of the reasons the syrup is a bit temperamental is because I avoided adding more sugar to the syrup (to keep it “skinny”) If you aren’t worried about that, adding a little more sugar will also help. Hope that helps for next time! -Brianna