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.
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!
This is the only way I make popcorn anymore. So easy, quick and delicious! If you’re using butter just add it to the still warm pan after you’ve moved the popcorn to the bowl. No need to dirty another bowl or pot.
Also, when you’re cracking the lid on the pot just be careful of the steam. I’ve gotten a couple good steam burns on my fingers that way. Now I make sure I’m using a pot holder.
I love stove top popped popcorn too and I feel they are so easy to make and the flavors – well sky is the limit!! Thanks for doing step by step recipe :)
Favorite Toppings:
-Lime zest and chopped cilantro
-2 T. of sugar in the oil makes it kettlecorn, love that salty/sweet
-Cocoa powder and cinnamon and sugar
-Sesame oil and fresh grated ginger
Love to make stovetop popcorn like this with coconut oil. Microwave popcorn bags are toxic so it’s a lot healthier and really cheap. Sometimes I add a light spray of coconut oil after popping and toss with cinnamon or cocoa for a treat with little to no butter, or go for the butter and add more flavor with all sorts of spices and/or parmesan cheese.
I love this tutorial! I’ve always just made microwave popcorn, and it just tastes like artificial butter. Adding real butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon would be lovely.
I make popcorn regularly and my favorite flavoring is a blend of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt. I have Tony Chachere’s (thanks to your roasted chickpea recipe Beth – another great go-to snack) and I don’t know why I’ve never thought to use it on popcorn…I will now. Alton Brown recommended storing popcorn in the freezer, so that’s what I do…in an airtight container, of course.
My god, you make me feel so OLD. That is the way that we always made popcorn. There weren’t EZ Pop pans or microwave ovens when I was a kid. We would have killed (well not literally) for such easy ways to make popcorn. Then came the EZPop pans with the expanding foil tops. They made it so that even us kids could pop our own. The next way I learned to make popcorn was with an air popper. You didn’t need any oil for that route. Then came the microwave popper. Of all of them, I find that using the microwave I am most likely to burn the popcorn.
When I first saw “Stovetop popcorn” I thought, Are you kidding me. This has to be the most basic of cooking. But then I realized, I’m probably one of hte few people who still make stove top popcorn. My parents even have a pan that we called the “popcorn” pan and I hope that it is willed to me. I did buy into the whole microwave popcorn for a while when I was younger, but realized quikcly, there just isn’t anything better than stove top popcorn. My favoriate topping is nacho cheese. Definitely not the healthiest choice, but oh sooooo yummy!
I like to put Crystal hot sauce on mine!
Here in Germany, sweet popcorn is more widely available than salty popcorn. For example, when you go to the movies, you only get sweet popcorn. (There may be exceptions, but none of the cinemas I regularly go to offers salty popcorn.) Imagine how I looked when I went to the movies in the US and they only had salty popcorn…
So, yes, I do prefer sugar on my popcorn.
Salty popcorn is still weird for me, although I do like tortilla chips with salt. Yup, I’m weird.
This brings back child hood memories, my mother always popped popcorn for us on the stove, she knew how to keep 8 hungrey children satisfied.
On another note, I was told that each kernel of popcorn has a drop of water in it, therefore it is best stored in the refridgarator after opening.
thanks for all your great recipes, I enjoy your blogs so much.
For a treat I’ll use bacon fat as the oil to pop the popcorn…it’s wonderful.
Did you use all bacon fat or 1/2 oil? A friend of mine said he tried this, but it smoked the house up.
Ha! I just started regularly making popcorn in the last few months, usually when my husband is working out of town. I always make way too much, so next time I will follow these directions to reel myself in a bit! Thank you – popcorn for one!
I season mine with salt, melted butter, lots of nutritional yeast, and smoked paprika. (Beth – my first-ever purchase of smoked paprika was for one of your recipes and now I put it in/on almost everything, especially quiche and collard greens – no bacon necessary! I love it!)
I love popcorn! once we discovered how to do it on the stove, we have never gone back. It’s so good! We’ve toyed with different oils & toppings.. Coconut Oil is GREAT but also Red Palm Oil (make sure to get a responsibly sourced one from most health food stores). Palm oil gives it a great bright yellow color just like the theaters, with a major boost in vitamin A and E.
Dill, is my favorite topping! SO GOOD.
I am all about the Old Bay seasoning on my popcorn. I also recently found Malt Vinegar Powder online for only a few dollars, and a little sprinkle of that is a great contrast with the Old Bay (or for making Salt and Vinegar popcorn).
You can take the girl out of Maryland but you can’t take Maryland out of the girl!