Stovetop popcorn is, was, and will always be one of my favorite budget-friendly snacks. It takes only minutes to make, can be flavored with hundreds of different ingredients, both sweet and savory, and it is shelf stable. Really, what more could you want in a snack?? And if you’ve only experienced microwave popcorn, hold onto your seat. Stovetop popcorn is a whole different beast! The kernels are fluffier, have a better texture, and a more intense corn flavor. Once you go stovetop, you’ll never go back.
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What Makes Popcorn Pop?
To understand how to make stovetop popcorn, it can help to understand what makes popcorn pop to begin with. Every dried kernel of corn still contains a small amount of moisture in the center. When that moisture heats up rapidly and turns into steam, pressure builds within the kernel until it eventually pops. To get the best pop you want the hottest oil and the fastest increase in temperature (which is why I don’t add the kernels until the oil is already hot).
What Oil Should You Use to Make Stovetop Popcorn?
Stovetop popcorn is all about the oil. The hot oil is what causes the kernels to pop into a big, fluffy, crunchy cloud and it’s important that you use an oil that can withstand a very high heat. If you use a lower heat oil, you risk the oil reaching its smoke point and then flash point, which will cause the oil to burst into flames (not good). To avoid this, make sure to use a “high heat” oil, or an oil that has a smoke point of 400ºF or higher. Some oils that have a high smoke point include (but are not limited to): vegetable, canola, corn, grapeseed, avocado, safflower, and sunflower oil.
Why is My Popcorn Always Small and Hard?
There are a few things that can cause popcorn to not pop into big fluffy pieces. Here are the most common reasons:
- Old kernels – if your popcorn kernels are very old, they won’t contain as much moisture in the center and therefor won’t pop as big.
- Not enough oil – if you don’t use enough oil, there won’t be enough to heat the kernels quickly and evenly, and you’ll get a lot of half-pops and small pops.
- Adding kernels to cold oil – When kernels heat up slowly with the oil the pop will be less dramatic and the pieces will be smaller.
How to Season Popcorn
My favorite part about popcorn is that you can literally add anything to it. My favorite go-to seasoning is Tony Cachere’s, but I also love plain salt and freshly cracked pepper. A little sprinkle of grated Parmesan is great, as is sriracha, truffle oil, nutritional yeast, or garlic herb seasoning. Oh, and butter. OMG butter.
And if you’re into sweet popcorn, butter, sugar, and cinnamon!
Share your favorite popcorn topping with me (and the rest of us) in the comments below!
How to Make Stovetop Popcorn for One
The recipe below makes about 8 cups, but you can also make a smaller 2-4 cup batch for one person. I usually do 1 Tbsp oil and 2 Tbsp corn kernels, making sure to use a very small sauce pot.
Easy Stovetop Popcorn Recipe
Servings 4 2 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp high heat cooking oil* ($0.04)
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels ($0.19)
- 2 Tbsp butter (optional) ($0.26)
- 1/2 tsp seasoning salt (optional) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Add the oil and one kernel to a large sauce pot. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat onto medium-high. Wait for the test kernel to pop.
- Once the kernel pops, add the rest of the kernels, replace the lid, and give the pot a swirl to coat the kernels in the hot oil. Wait for the kernels to begin to pop. You can swirl again to redistribute the hot oil, if needed.
- Once the kernels begin to pop rapidly, crack the lid a little bit to allow excess steam to escape. Make sure it’s only open a little to keep the pot hot enough to continue popping the corn.
- When the popping slows to about one pop per second, turn off the heat. Wait a few extra seconds for the last few pops, then remove the lid and pour the popcorn into a bowl.
- Let the pot cool for two minutes or so, then add the butter to the still hot pot. Allow the residual heat in the pot to melt the butter, swirling the butter to maximize the contact with the hot pan. Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn bowl, then sprinkle with seasoning salt or your favorite herbs and spices.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Do you love homemade popcorn recipes? Try this fun & easy Popcorn Balls recipe next!
How to Make Stovetop Popcorn – Step by Step Photos
Add 2 Tbsp high heat cooking oil to a medium sauce pot. Examples of high heat cooking oils include (but are not limited to): vegetable, canola, corn, grapeseed, avocado, safflower, and sunflower oil.
Add one “test” kernel to the pot. This kernel will be the indicator for when the oil is hot enough to add the rest of the kernels. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat onto medium-high. Wait for the test kernel to pop.
When the test kernel pops, remove the lid and add ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels. Replace the lid and swirl the pot a bit to coat the kernels in oil.
As the popcorn begins to pop, crack the lid on the pot just slightly to allow excess steam to escape (otherwise it will collect on the lid and drip down onto the popcorn). When the popping slows to about one pop per second, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit a few seconds more until the popping stops all together.
At this point you have a big pot full of fluffy popcorn, but it needs to be seasoned. Pour the popcorn off into a large bowl.
Let the pot cool for about two minutes, then add the butter. The pot should still be plenty hot enough to melt the butter. Swirl the butter to help it melt in the hot pot.
Drizzle the melted butter onto the popcorn.
Then sprinkle seasoning salt or your favorite seasoning blend onto the buttered popcorn.
Dig in!
I am so old…it’s hard to realise that there are a couple of generations out there who have never, ever made stovetop popcorn (or “kettle corn” as they call it now!) It helps if you shake the pan frequently while it’s popping. Just use a hot pad to hold the lid down with one hand, while the other holds the handle of the pan and moves it gently back and forth across the burner.
Youngster here – to me, kettle corn is popcorn with sugar, not stove-top.
You are correct—kettle corn is flavored popcorn, usually sweet but sometimes savory.
I had just looked this up maybe a month ago on YouTube but I still haven’t tried it. This will definitely be a snack for tonight now that I’m reminded of it! I’m really interested in the nutritional yeast everyone keeps mentioning… Does anyone know what aisle it’s in at the market?
If you have access to a Whole Foods, it’s in the bulk aisle or you can find a big canister in the nutritional supplements aisle. I haven’t seen nutritional yeast at my regular grocery store, but you might have luck if they have a well-stocked health foods section.
And yes, it’s amazing on popcorn!
Thank you! The Whole Foods near me is next to impossible to go to because it’s so busy with a teeny tiny parking lot, but maybe I’ll try Sprouts next time I’m by one. I’m so interested in trying it on some popcorn!
I pop corn this way as well but eliminate the oil. Then you don’t have to feel guilty adding a little butter.
When I was a kid my mom would pop popcorn multiple times a week using an Aladdin No Shake Popcorn Popper. It’s the only way I know how to pop popcorn on the stove! I inherited my Grandmother’s Aladdin Popcorn Popper (she barely used it, so it was in great shape), and that’s how I pop popcorn :)
I second the person who said using coconut oil to pop it in-it tastes SO good!
I love topping with melted butter–the same way my dad made it for me when I was a kid. It was always a special treat for dad to make stove top popcorn! I do do the brown bag trick every once in awhile though :)
My family has a tradition of using an “E-Z corn popper” http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-E-Z-Corn-Popper-Popcorn-Metal-Camping-/131659702492 to create our pocorn. We keep some of the moisture in the kettle so that we can get the toppings (little bit of iodized salt) to stick to the popcorn.
Occasionally we’ll warm water melt some butter to add the butter flavor if we’re feeling splurgey.
I just want to make sure I understand — do you actually wait to take the popcorn off the heat until there are a few pops per minute? In the microwave I think it says to take the popcorn out when there are several seconds between pops — if you waited until there were only a few per minute, microwave popcorn would burn (a sad thing). I just want to make sure I don’t burn this!
It’s kind of one of those things that you just get the hang of. It’s going to depend a little bit on your pot (how heavy or thin it is). Just turn off the heat when the popping begins to slow down and it sounds like there aren’t any kernels left to pop. You might burn it a little the first time (although you’ll definitely smell it when it starts to burn) or you might have extra unpopped kernels the first time. After doing it a few times you’ll find that sweet spot. :)
I love the taste of slightly burned popcorn, so purposely leave it in the microwave until there are no popping sounds. I had to stop making it at work, though, since it was soon clear that the odor of burnt popcorn is not pleasing to everyone!
I love popcorn cooked on a stove, it is ever so easy and so delicious. We used to grow pop corn in our field, it really makes a healthy and delicious snack. Love your step by step instructions!
If i’m feeling fancy a tasty combo is parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and rosemary. I use a bullet-type blender to pulse everything together. It’s not QUITE fine enough to coat the popcorn nicely, but it is dang tasty. Maybe if I find ground rosemary I’ll try try that instead. To make teh popcorn, I use a method that turns of the heat for 30 seconds just after adding the rest of the kernels to the hot (coconut) oil. Supposedly this allows the kernels to heat up more evenly without heating too quickly? Once I finally made popcorn without burning it, I just stuck to that method!
My favorvite spice company (Penzeys) sells powdered rosemary, and I love it, so I’m sure other places do was well. https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/rosemary-powdered/c-24/p-792/pd-s
I keep a jar of seasoning in my cupboard for popcorn (and have been known to give it as a gift!):
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sprinkle over the popcorn with a little butter or oil and its delicious (and aside from eating it on its own, as gross as it sounds, you can also sprinkle the popcorn in tomato soup instead of crackers or bread!)
Yum! That spice blend sounds great! I’ve also sprinkled popcorn into soup, but I forgot all about that until you mentioned it! :D
oh yummm! definitely want to try this spice blend. Maybe then I can switch out the unhealthy nacho cheese sauce ;-)
This is how I make it all the time now and it is so good! And so easy! Yum!
Stove top popcorn is awesome. Another good oil to use, if you just happen to have it on hand (it costs a little more) is coconut oil.
This was great, very much what I do, and I ONLY do stove top. For me, nutritional yeast is key, well tossed with a fork after one melted butter application and toss. I wonder about your steam vent step, though I will try it myself but my mother told me opening the lid could introduce a toughness to the batch. Meaning, that moisture you release could be repurposed, maybe?
Hmm, I haven’t experienced any toughness. :) Mine stay nice and fluffy like little clouds.
Stovetop popcorn is my favorite snack! I probably eat it almost weekly. My favorite toppings are butter, salt, and a little bit of garlic powder. Sometimes I add Parmesan too. Nom nom nom.
My favorite stove-top popcorn is made in coconut oil and topped with nutritional yeast. If you haven’t tasted nutritional yeast, it is a nutty, cheesy, flakey substance that you just sprinkle on the popcorn. You can spend big bucks for it online or simply buy it for cheap at your grocery store. Not bread yeast…Nutritional Yeast.