A not-so-shocking truth: The best popcorn doesn’t come from a bag. As strange as it may seem, popping your own popcorn requires only the most basic of cooking skills – and we’re not talking about a microwave. The benefits of homemade popcorn are huge – it’s easy and ridiculously cheap to make.
Whether it’s for the movies, the Oscars, a Netflix binge, or a healthy snack, it’s time to make popcorn. Here are four basic tips and an easy recipe to get you started.
Get your dutch oven
Your main tool will be a dutch oven or a heavy pot. Grab a bottle of olive oil or good old vegetable oil. Add 3 tablespoons to the pan (this is enough to pop 1/2 cup of kernels or to make about 8 cups of popped corn). It sounds like a lot of oil, but without it, steam will not build up in the pan, and without the steam, the corn will not pop. The oil also covers the popped kernels and gives the spices something to stick to.
Turn up the heat
Place the pan over medium heat and pour in 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. These can be any variety – red, white, yellow, organic – it doesn’t matter. Stir them with a spoon or spatula to coat them in oil and continue stirring until they begin to sizzle. Put a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to halfway between medium and medium high.
Listen up
You have to listen to what’s going on in that pot. Do not leave the room or make a phone call for the next few minutes. It doesn’t take long and soon it will pop. When it first starts, it’s so exciting. Lots of popping and exploding. Then it will slow down a bit after a minute or two. Now it’s time to pick up the pan and – while keeping the lid closed – shake it well up and down. This prevents the dreaded layer of unpopped kernels on the bottom. Let the pop continue, but if you see wisps of smoke escaping from under the lid, immediately lower the heat to medium. When the popping subsides to a short burst every few seconds, turn off the heat. Place the lid at an angle so that a little steam can escape. After a minute of steam release, pour the popcorn onto a rimmed baking sheet, or your largest, widest bowl. You’re ready to dress that ‘corn.
Dress It Up
Immediately drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil over the popcorn. You want to do this while the corn is still warm so it coats the popcorn. Toss thoroughly, aiming to coat all the popped kernels with oil.
Finally, let’s talk about toppings. There are so many ways to add oomph to your popcorn. You can add spice mixes (like the cheesy and spicy flavor mix below, which tastes like healthy Doritos). Olive oil or any other liquid oil plays well with spices and helps keep them stuck to your kernels.
Try adding simple salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese, togarashi – really – the sky’s the limit.
Whatever you do, don’t forget a little bit of sea salt and a big bowl to enjoy it out of.
Active time: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes
Cheese-free cheesy + spicy popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 cups (88 g) popcorn (from 1/2 cup (110 g) kernels)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) olive oil
Directions
Finely grind the nutritional yeast, ground red pepper and salt in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle.
Arrange popcorn on rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil; throw for coating. Sprinkle with some of the nutritional yeast mixture and toss well, adding more of the mixture to taste.
Note: If you choose to make this spice mix, you’ll want to do it BEFORE you pop the corn so it’s ready to apply and stick to freshly popped and oiled kernels!
Serves: 4 | Serving size: 2 cups
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 224; Total fat: 15g; Saturated fat: 2g; Monounsaturated fat: 10g; Polyunsaturated fat: 2g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 587 mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Dietary fiber: 3g; Sugar: 0g; Protein: 4g
Originally published February 10, 2019; Updated February 2026
The post Homemade Popcorn Is a Life Skill appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.