This whisky-sriracha caramel corn offers an explosion of flavor! The whisky delivers a subtle kiss of smoke on contact, while the sriracha rounds everything out with a gentle slap of spice at the end. This makes a perfect gift for a sriracha lover or just for yourself.
The inspiration behind this recipe
Several weeks ago, I went to Fomu in Allston and tried their salted caramel ice cream. Even though I was stuffed from dinner (a vegan po’ boy and unnecessary but delicious hush puppies) earlier at Root around the corner, I consumed the extra large ice cream and instantly became obsessed with salted caramel. In the following weeks, when I would see prepared salted caramel in grocery stores, I’d snatch it up to read the ingredients, knowing full well it wouldn’t be vegan, yet still hoping that it somehow it would be. But, no.
And then I thought: how hard could veganizing caramel be? Earth Balance can easily stand in for butter, but could cashew cream stand in for dairy cream? Why, yes!
Adding whisky and sriracha to vegan caramel
I made my first batch with all of the ingredients listed below, except the whisky and sriracha, and it tasted amazing: rich and buttery, without being sticky or too sweet. But I wanted to introduce these two things into my second batch just to see what would happen. The whisky delivered a subtle kiss of smoke on contact, while the sriracha rounded everything out with a gentle slap of spice at the end. The flavor was addictive without being too aggressive, making this a unique snack that’s perfect to gift to another or keep all for yourself.
For more sriracha recipes, check these out!
Easy Whiskey-Sriracha Caramel Sauce
Vegan Chicken and Waffles with Sriracha-Maple Syrup
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Whisky-Sriracha Caramel Corn
- Total Time: 1 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 2/3 cup caramel sauce
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This whisky-sriracha caramel corn is sweet and spicy. This vegan caramel is rich and creamy, and perfect for drizzling over popcorn for a pop of flavor that’s addictive after the first bite!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 TB whisky
- 1 TB sriracha
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup Earth Balance
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 16 cups fresh-popped unsalted and unflavored popcorn
- 1/3 cup peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 225 °F.
- Drain the soaked cashews, rinse, then blend with the 1/4 cup water until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the whisky, sriracha, salt and baking soda together. Set aside.
- Melt the vegan butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar and whisk continuously for about 3 minutes, taking care not to let it burn—and watch out for any sugar sputters!
- Remove from the heat. Add the whisky, sriracha, salt and baking soda mixture to it. It will bubble and steam vigorously.
- Once settled, add the cashew cream to the saucepan and stir until combined. Allow it to slightly cool.
- Place the popcorn into a large prep bowl. Drizzle about half of the caramel over the top, then gently stir with a wooden spoon to coat. Throw the peanuts over the top, then drizzle the remaining caramel over top and gently stir again.
- Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 1 hour, gently stirring it around after 30 minutes and scraping the bottom to prevent burning.
- Remove from the oven and let it rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then gently separate it by gently scraping the bottom of the sheet with a metal spatula. Allow it to cool and set a bit more on the baking sheet for about 15 minutes, then transfer it to an airtight container or serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hours
Keywords: vegan caramel corn, vegan caramel, vegan caramel recipe, whisky-sriracha caramel corn
Amanda says
This sounds so good! I'm a sriracha addict and I love that you added it to (vegan!) caramel corn. Also, Fomu…incredible. I need to go back there, and try Root as well!
erinwyso says
Thank you Amanda! I can't believe I just found out about Fomu only a short time ago, and Root is such a gem!
LittleMonsterx14 says
holy moly, this looks incredible!!
Abby Bean says
I love sriracha too, and am a new fan of whiskey. Kind of like how you've been feeling about salted caramel, I feel about whiskey. Your timing couldn't be better.
Jillian says
Wow! This looks amazing! Just wondering if it really is 16 cups of popcorn or if that's an error. Would love to make this for the weekend!
erinwyso says
Thanks Jillian. I used 16 cups here, and it's lightly coated, but you can always start with half that and coat more as desired. I hope you enjoy!
Christine (The Raw Project) says
This looks and sounds wonderful! Hubby is a Sriracha addict and would love this, thanks!
christine says
oh this looks divine – just right to make and take to friends for Christmas:) If any survives the tasting process, that is!
Biz says
Um, I would like to have a slap of spice in my face with this!! It's funny, my blog readers really know that I like spicy shit – I got this emailed to me several times this week! Love it!
Anonymous says
what are the cashews soaked in overnight?
erinwyso says
They are soaked in water — I updated the ingredient list to reflect that!
rachel mackneer says
Coconut cream works well in vegan caramel too – if you have an allergy to cashews. you can also make (and in some areas buy) condensed soy milk. This is also an excellent option.
mishka says
This is in the oven right now. I love the combo of a smoky whiskey, sriracha and caramel together! I had some soy creamer that I had to use up, so guessed at the final cream quantity – I think I guessed too much. The caramel was very thin so I ended up putting it back on the burner for another 10 minutes or so to thicken and reduce. Could also be that my creamer was thinner than the cashew cream would have been. The flavours are so good together – I can't wait for it to come out of the oven!
erinwyso says
I hope you enjoyed, mishka!
Marcel says
Is this degree fahrenheit? Mine just burned to death. lol 😀
erinwyso says
yes, it's in fahrenheit –sorry yours got burned! I've updated the instructions to be more clear.
Marcel says
No problem 🙂 Next badge wont burn. I still have some that are eatable and they are awesome! Thank you.
Anonymous says
LOL. Sorry, but LOL 🙂
Just made a 2 batches of this. Quite tasty, thanks. Pro-tip: allow the caramel mix to cool for a few minutes before coating the popcorn. You get a much better consistency.
erinwyso says
So happy you liked! Thanks for the tip, will try that next batch!
Jodiana says
Hi Erin. My husband is allergic to cashews. What would be a good substitute for them in this? I’m new to this vegan style of cooking. I know he would be addicted to this if I make it for him.
erinwyso says
Jodiana,
I’ve only made this wish cashews. Maybe you can try a vegan creamer? If you try it with good results, I’d love to know!