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!
Made popcorn tonight using your method! We mixed sriracha and honey into melted butter and drizzled it on top. Game-changer!
OMG YES. I need to do that.
I love that you posted this…as this is the only way we do popcorn in our house. I actually have a Whirley Pop because my husband knew how much I hated cleaned the oil out perfectly from our glass-lidded pots. The Whirley Pop is kinda silly, but my 5 year old LOVES popcorn. We are quite similar in how we eat our popcorn: we do butter, salt, pepper and parmesan on our popcorn. We all have our variations, though. My husband prefers no cheese usually. I prefer half butter, half truffle oil. YUM YUM.
Ha! I actually hate cleaning the oil out of the glass lid, too! Maybe I should look into a whirly pop just for fun. ;)
The whirly pop is pretty cheap (my husband bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond and used a coupon, of course!).
You can wipe it clean if you use it regularly, and we do!
I love my Whirly Pop! I use coconut oil, because my popper came with a kit of pre-portioned popcorn, oil & salt; and they use coconut oil in the packs. I just buy those now. lol As for toppings, butter and salt is all I really ever do!
Laughing. My daughter totally amazed her post-college aged friends when she made stove top popcorn. They had no idea….
Sure glad I taught her well! :~)
Great tutorial! I make a ton of stove-top popcorn- it hits all the perfect snack points- crunchy, salty, satisfying, customizable, and like you said- super inexpensive! It’s dangerous to have in the house, but I make stove top caramel corn every once in a while which is also easy to make salty, spicy, and sweet. I can eat way too much of it if I’m not careful!
We make our popcorn in a wok which is the best thing ever. The popped kernels tend to go to the outside and it keeps them from burning, while the uncooked kernels stay near the heat.
Favorite topping is Slap Ya Mama seasoning. Mmm spiciness.
It’s funny to read this now. I made the stovetop popcorn this morning to take to work today, and after I had already seasoned it, I saw the can of Slap Ya Mama and thought that I should try that next time.
I totally agree about the whole texture thing. I love making stovetop kettlecorn. 1 Tbsp of coconut oil, 1 tbsp of sugar,2 tbsp corn kernels. After the oil is heated, I add the kernels and sugar. I shake vigorously so the sugar doesn’t burn. After the popcorn is popped, I sprinkle a pinch of salt. The coconut flavor definitely tricks my brain into thinking the corn is sweeter than it actually is and it adds a nice fragrance.
I make popcorn a couple times a week. Growing up we had an electric popper that you turned a handle to keep the kernels from burning in one place. When the heating element burned out we modified it for stovetop use. For the last 20 years I have used an air popper or a screen box fireplace popper. Since you posted this I have gone back to stove top experimenting with different pans. I expected a cast iron sauce pan to work best but I found a wok with a dome top lid worked better than a saucepan. I usually top it with salt and butter. Sometimes I add different herbs or spices. Popcorn over a campfire is still best. It makes its own seasonings – burnt kernels.
A sprinkle of salt and a sprinkle of calorie free sweetener make a tasty kettle corn flavor. The sweetener distributes better then granulated sugar. Powdered sugar works in a pinch, as well.
I used to make stovetop all the time. Then Alton Brown taught me how to make it in the microwave. One paper lunch bag + a third of a cup of popcorn kernals. Fold bag and stick in microwave for about 2 minutues and 45 seconds. No pans or oil needed, though drizzle olive oil and spinkle salf on mine when it is done.
This was the way Mom used to make popcorn for us after school. Mom sometimes sprinkled ours with butter, salt and a little confectioner’s sugar. .
I’m the oldest of 7 so I learned to make it on the stovetop. My favourite way to make it now is in a popper that has an inverted bowl lid and a stirrer that rotates on the surface.
It also doesn’t need oil and it is so much quieter than the hot air popper.
Depending on my mood I like butter, salt & pepper, grated parmesan, or smoked paprika with rosemary.
I love popcorn. There used to be a place near us that did nacho flavoured popcorn. I make my own “Macho Nacho” with garlic powder, paprika, chilli powder, a little cumin, and salt and pepper. For the cheese I use Parmesan dust or nutritional yeast. So good. If I had a spice grinder I would freeze cheddar and grind it up.
Hahaha, I love that “macho nacho”! :)
I really like your video for fool proof popcorn. Thank you.
Stove top popcorn is the best! I have fond memories of making it as a kid with one of those stove top popcorn machine things, which really were just a pan with a special thing you put on top that you’d use to stir the popcorn. It was just so neat to feel like you actually had some control over the popcorn popping process!
I LOVE using coconut oil to make stovetop popcorn. It gives it a tad of a sweet flavor but not like kettle corn.
I sometimes add a couple tablespoons of sugar when I add in the rest of the kernels and make some kettle corn. It has the most amazing crisp sweet shell. I wouldn’t add the sugar any earlier than when you add the whole bunch of kernels, though! (Burnt sugar is only great when it’s a marshmallow, imo)
I like to top my popcorn with ranch seasoning and dill.