how much oil do i need to pop popcorn

Little-known fact: I am a stovetop popcorn connoisseur. I’ve been making popcorn on the stove since my parents taught me in elementary school. Stovetop popcorn is infinitely better than microwave popcorn or air-popped popcorn. If you haven’t made it yet, you’ve been missing out!

I’m on a mission to make sure everyone knows how to make popcorn from scratch. Today, I’m sharing all of my popcorn-making tips so you can make perfect stovetop popcorn at home, too. All you need are popcorn kernels, a good pot with a lid, oil and salt. You can do it!

Of all the salty, crunchy, savory snacks out there, stovetop popcorn is one of the tastiest and cheapest snacks. I love that I can make it in under 10 minutes if I’m craving a snack, and easily adjust the amounts to yield a single serving or popcorn for a party.

The 10-minute buffer period is actually great, since it means I can’t reach into the pantry and mindlessly snack on popcorn. That’s why I don’t keep tortilla chips on hand—I eat them too fast.

1. It takes about 10 minutes from start to finish to make a big batch of irresistible popcorn, no special equipment required. …
2. Pour 3 tablespoons oil into a 3- to 4-quart heavy pot with a lid. …
3. Add 3 kernels to the pot and put on the lid.

Watch How to Make Popcorn

• Extra-virgin olive oil: You can absolutely make popcorn with olive oil, as long as you cook it over medium heat. Olive oil is my favorite oil to use and it’s the healthiest option.
• Coconut oil: Movie theaters cook popcorn in coconut oil and it is delicious. Opt for unrefined (virgin) coconut oil, which is more redeeming than the highly refined version used at theaters.
• Canola oil and other vegetable oils: I avoid canola oil since it’s usually highly processed. Avocado oil, grapeseed oil and safflower oil are good neutral options.

• Black pepper and good olive oil: This variation is so good that it made it into my cookbook.
• Cinnamon honey butter: This popcorn is a little sticky, but irresistible. Whisk 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• Spice it up: Sprinkle with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes or white pepper.
• Nutritional yeast: This is a healthy vegan alternative that offers butter flavor. Here’s how my friend Ali makes “nooch” popcorn.
• Melted butter!

In the crunchy, salty snacks category, popcorn is definitely one of the healthier options. That is, if you make popcorn on the stove with a reasonable amount of high-quality oil and don’t douse it in butter or caramel afterward.

I make popcorn with extra-virgin olive oil and organic popcorn kernels, so I’d say my popcorn is as healthy as popcorn gets. Popcorn is a whole grain, and it offers some redeeming fiber. You can enjoy a big serving (2.5 cups) of popcorn for the same amount of calories as a handful of tortilla chips.

Movie theater popcorn and flavored microwave popcorn are another story. They’re typically made with highly refined oils and coated in artificial “butter flavor” chemicals and preservatives.

Even if you’re buying unflavored microwave popcorn, the bags themselves pose health concerns. They’re typically coated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is the same toxic substance that coats Teflon pans. PFOA’s stick around in the human body for long periods of time, and the EPA states that PFOA’s at sufficient levels can cause a host of health problems, including cancer.

How to Make Stovetop Popcorn

• Use a good, heavy-bottomed pot. Cheap pots don’t distribute heat evenly, and you can end up with hot spots that burn the popcorn.
• Don’t crank the heat up too high. It’s too easy to burn oil at temperature higher than medium heat, and if you catch even a whiff of smoke coming from the pot, your popcorn is going to taste burnt.
• Start with two popcorn kernels to gauge the temperature. Once those pop, your oil is hot enough. Add the remaining kernels and remove the pot from the heat for 1 minute. This primes the popcorn to pop without burning the oil.
• Tip the lid ever-so-slightly while the popcorn is popping. That way, the popcorn doesn’t steam itself in the pot and lose crispness. (See photo above.)
• If the popcorn starts overflowing the pot: Simply remove the lid and tip the excess popcorn into a bowl. Return the lid and return the popcorn to the heat until popping slows.
• Season with salt carefully. You can always add more, but you can’t take away too much.

Scroll down for my recipe!

How to Make Popcorn on the Stove (without burning it)

FAQ

How much oil should I use in a popcorn machine?

How much oil do you need to make popcorn?

The exact quantity of oil needed to make popcorn will vary depending on how much popcorn you want to pop. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil to pop half a cup of kernels. Use this ratio to figure out how much oil you need. You also want to consider the amount of oil you actually like on your popcorn.

How many carbs are in popcorn?

One cup of air-popped popcorn has 6 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of net carb. Plain popcorn (without butter or sugar), is low in calories and low in glycemic index, so it can be a good snack for diabetics or for someone trying to lose wight.

Do you need oil to cook popcorn?

The short answer is yes, you do need oil. The oil helps distribute the heat evenly across the bottom of your pot or dutch oven, which helps all the kernels to pop at the same time. If you skip the oil, some of the kernels will probably burn, and the result will be popcorn that’s blackened and bitter.

What kind of oil do you use for popcorn?

For this recipe, we typically use canola or vegetable oil, since both have high smoke points. But for a more authentic movie theater flavor, you should use coconut oil. You only need 2 tablespoons of oil per half cup of kernels, so this popcorn won’t taste greasy!