How to Make Stovetop Popcorn

Popped popcorn in a white shallow bowl on a white marble surface next to a red and white plaid dish cloth

How to Make Stovetop Popcorn

This simple stovetop popcorn recipe makes a quick snack in just 5 minutes that's better for your health than microwave popcorn. You can change up the flavors with different toppings or seasonings!

Course Appetizer, Snacks

Cuisine American

Keyword popcorn, stovetop popcorn

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 4

Total Time 5

Servings people

Calories 137kcal

Author Hannah Healy

Cost $1

Equipment

5 Quart Pot

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp oil (refined coconut oil, avocado oil or ghee)
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1-2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

For this size of popcorn you'll need a medium sized pot (around 5 quart size) with a fitting lid to leave enough room for the popcorn. Start by putting about 1-2 tablespoons of refined coconut oil, ghee or avocado oil in the pot. Melt it over medium to medium-high heat.
Add 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels to the pot, stir the kernels around a little bit to cover them with the oil and cover the pot with the lid.
It will take a couple minutes for it to heat up and start popping the kernels. Once they start popping you'll hear it. Holding the lid firmly on the pot rock the pot back and forth to help bring any unpopped kernels to the bottom of the pot. Once the popping begins to subside and the time between popping sounds begins to get longer, turn off the heat and let sit for about 15 seconds to wait for any straggling popping kernels.
Remove from the heat and remove the lid. At this point you can add more oil if you want or leave it as is. Melted ghee is a great choice because it's healthy and tastes just like movie theater butter. If you add it drizzle it over the popcorn in the pot, then quickly return the lid and shake it to evenly distribute, then add sea salt over it and shake again to distribute.
Pour your finished popcorn into a bowl and enjoy!

Notes

I like to use refined coconut oil for this recipe because it doesn't have any coconut flavor which is great for savory popcorn. If you want to make a sweeter popcorn like kettle corn then regular coconut oil might be a nice touch. Avocado oil or ghee are also great oil options.
If you double this recipe or increase it for more servings, make sure you also adjust the pot size and make it a bigger pot. You'll need enough room to accommodate the popped popcorn. You also want to make sure there is just one layer of kernels on the bottom of the pot (no overlapping or stacked kernels).
You'll also want to use more oil if you are increasing the recipe size.

Nutrition