Furikake Caramel. Credit: Kiki Aranita

Auntie Cheryl Ariola’s Furikake Caramel Recipe

Name: Auntie Cheryl Ariola’s Furikake Caramel Recipe
Prep time: 600 s
Cook time: 3600 s
Total time: 4200 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: Light corn syrup: 1/2 cup; Neutral oil: 1/2 cup; Melted butter: 1 cup; Granulated sugar: 1/2 cup; Soy sauce: 2 tbsp; Nori komi furikake: 2 oz; Pretzels popcorn arare or rice crackers : as needed

06 Jun 2025

Kiki Aranita

Writer

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Difficulty

Easy

Total Time

1H 10MIN

Cuisine

Japanese

Ingredients

Light corn syrup: 1/2 cup

Neutral oil: 1/2 cup

Melted butter: 1 cup

Granulated sugar: 1/2 cup

Soy sauce: 2 tbsp

Nori komi furikake: 2 oz

Pretzels, popcorn, arare, or rice crackers : as needed

This sweet-savory caramel glaze, infused with soy sauce and topped with furikake, brings umami richness to popcorn, pretzels, and rice crackers—perfect for snacking with crunch and character.

How to make Furikake Caramel

01.

Prepare to Make Furikake Caramel

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper and spread out the pretzels or popcorn in a single layer.
In a saucepan, heat the corn syrup, oil, melted butter, sugar, and soy sauce over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved and the mixture is smooth.
Pour the hot caramel mixture over the pretzels or popcorn. Toss immediately to coat evenly.
Sprinkle the nori komi furikake evenly over the mixture while it's still warm and sticky.
Bake for 1 hour, tossing the mixture every 15 minutes to ensure even coating and crisping.
Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers.

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06 Jun 2025

The Expert

Kiki Aranita is chef and owner of Poi Dog in Philadelphia, a restaurant and catering company that closed its Rittenhouse location in July 2020, but served Hawaii’s local food to Philadelphians for seven years and has since been reinvented as a retail sauce company. She has contributed food writing and narratives to Edible Philly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Food and Wine (for which she was nominated for a James Beard Award), Roads and Kingdoms and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, as well as recipes to Munchies Vice and many other publications and platforms. She has created content and recipe-driven videos for companies such as Philadelphia Magazine, Sakara Life and Vitamix. Follow her recipe work, food writing and pop-up cheffing at @kikiaranita on Instagram.