Growing up, anytime I visited my great grandmother, she always served her favorite snack—a big bowl of stovetop popcorn and a glass of iced tea. Now, it's my favorite snack. Sure, it takes a little bit longer, but the stovetop method eliminates the need for food additives and puts you in charge. Once you learn the basic method for cooking popcorn on the stove, you can go classic buttered, load it with seasoning and popcorn toppings, or find a creative popcorn recipe. Maybe all you know is the convenience of microwave popcorn. It certainly has its time and place, but the classic stovetop popcorn method allows for complete customization and requires minimal ingredients and tools. All you need to make homemade stovetop popcorn is popcorn kernels, oil, and a saucepan with a lid.
Stovetop Popcorn Supplies
Here are the things you'll need to gather to start poppin'.
- Pot with Lid: Grab your best large, heavy-bottom pot, at least 4- to 5-quarts in size. You'll need to shake it, so a pot with handles is ideal.
- Popcorn Kernels: Yellow popcorn kernels are the most common variety, but any popping kernels you find at the store will work.
- Cooking Oil: Reach for an oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable, canola, or avocado. Movie theaters often use coconut oil.
- Butter: Technically it's optional, but a little melted butter makes it taste so good.
Popcorn Kernels Yield
Here's some basic stovetop popcorn math: ½ cup popcorn kernels will make about 10 cups of popped popcorn.
Ingredients
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1/2 cup popcorn
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3 tbsp vegetable oil
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1/4 tsp salt
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1 tbsp butter, melted
Directions
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In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 popcorn kernels to the oil. When the test kernels pop, you're ready to add the rest of your kernels.
Use an oil that can withstand high temperatures without smoking or breaking down. Do not use olive oil or butter.
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When the test kernels indicate the oil is ready, add the rest of your popcorn kernels all at once. Give the pan a shake so all the kernels get coated with oil.
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Once you've added all your popcorn kernels and coated in oil:
- Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally and partially lifting the lid to let steam escape.
- When the popping slows, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the popcorn to a serving bowl. Add salt and butter, seasoning blends, and/or candy toppers to your popcorn as desired.
Stovetop Popcorn Toppers and Variations
You can create your own tasty snack with your favorite seasonings and toppers. Butter and salt are classic, but here are some of our favorite stovetop popcorn seasoning combos to inspire your perfect bite.
- BBQ seasoning
- Grated Parmesan, dried basil, dried parsley, and garlic powder
- Dry ranch dressing mix
- Tajín (chile-lime seasoning)
- Buffalo: Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. hot sauce and 1 Tbsp. to melted butter and drizzle over popcorn
- Nutritional yeast
- Cinnamon-sugar
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 96 | Calories |
| 11g | Fat |
| 1g | Carbs |
| 0g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 4 | |
| Calories 95.7 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 10.5g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat 0.8g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 7.5mg | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrate 0.5g | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.1g | 0% |
| Total Sugars 0g | |
| Protein 0.1g | 0% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
| Calcium 0.2mg | 0% |
| Iron 0mg | 0% |
| Potassium 2.4mg | 0% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.4g | |
| Vitamin D 0IU | |
| Alanine 0g | |
| Arginine 0g | |
| Ash 0g | |
| Aspartic acid 0g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0mcg | |
| Choline, total 0.1mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 400.3kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 0mcg | |
| Folate, total 0.1mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0g | |
| Glycine 0g | |
| Histidine 0g | |
| Isoleucine 0g | |
| Leucine 0g | |
| Lysine 0g | |
| Methionine 0g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 0.9mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0mg | |
| Niacin 0mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 2.5mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0g | |
| Phytosterols 25.5mg | |
| Proline 0g | |
| Retinol 0.1mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 0mcg | |
| Serine 0g | |
| Starch 0.4g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0g | |
| Valine 0g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 2.2IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 0.2mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 20.2mcg | |
| Water 0g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
