Popcorn is literally my favorite food, you guys. Literally. It’s not my favorite movie theater snack, it’s not my favorite treat, it’s my favorite food overall. Once in college I ate popcorn for seven straight meals. That’s over two days of nothing but popcorn. I know that’s ridiculously unhealthy, but I loved it. If I didn’t think it would kill me, I’d still be eating popcorn every single day. I love it so gosh dang much. It’s perfect. My favorite version is movie theater popcorn with a little butter and a ton of salt (I am Salty Linda, after all). But I also love a billion other versions of it. I love popcorn so much that I even started a club called the Popcorn Pals for people whose favorite food is popcorn. We have matching buttons.
Popcorn is so great because it’s warm and crunchy and, if you do it right, salty, and it’s a great comfort food, and it’s supposedly healthy and it’s super versitile. It reminds me of being a happy kid seeing wonderful movies that filled me with hope and awe and excitement. I want to feel like that more often. Not all of these recipes are guaranteed to make you feel that way, but I’m pretty sure at least three or four of them will work for everyone. If not, you can just go to your local movie theater, they’ll let you buy the popcorn without actually seeing a movie.
1. Apple Pie Popcorn
2. Popcorn with Brown Butter and Parmesan
3. Caramel Corn
4. Perfect Popcorn
5. Cookies and Cream Popcorn Balls
6. Popcorn and Greek Yogurt Parfait
7. Pumpkin Popcorn
8. Marshmallow Popcorn Bars
9. Popcorn with Old Bay and Black Pepper
10. Churro Popcorn
11. Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Party Mix
12. Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn
13. Chile Lime Popcorn Mix
14. Sweet and Spicy Curried Popcorn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQWEjZxNgQQ
15. Selena Gomez Style with Tabasco and Pickle Juice
16. Kettle Corn
17. Peanut Butter & Jelly Popcorn
18. Vegan Cheese Popcorn
19. Sriracha Popcorn
I have a popcorn snack nearly every damn day so this is very relevant to my interests (so many new ones to try!)
I personally like a little butter on mine and then salt, pepper, and paprika! Or when I want to switch things up some onion powder and garlic powder
i put black pepper on everything and have never tried it on popcorn. Gonna try this.
yesssssss wow i’ve never heard of some of these and they look so good! pickle juice and hot sauce sounds right up my alley.
I would be a pin-wearking member of the Popcorn Pals club. I have taught many of my friends how to make stove-top popcorn and make it for myself many times per week. I make stove-top version (vegan) with veggie oil and tons o salt; doubters who think butter is essential are usually convinced when they try it.
I also learned that you can make your own microwave popcorn just using plain brown paper lunch bags, oil and salt. This was a revelation for microwave-only spaces like dorms where you still want to avoid the preservatives and price of store-bought microwave popcorn.
Finally, even though the vegan cheese popcorn recipe above is probs really similar, I want to add my recipe of vegan curry popcorn which is where you pop your popcorn, add curry powder first and then nutritional yeast powder. Curry first because it smells a lot better than hot yeast heheheh. Don’t forget lots of salt. Mmm.
^This is going to change everything for me.
thank you for your important work, mey.
Mey I wanna find somebody who loves me as much as you love popcorn.
As soon as I discovered the deliciousness of popping corn in a cast iron skillet on the stove, I’ve never been able to eat it any other way. Popped in olive oil, and a bit of salt after is my preferred flavor. No more microwaved for me!
Has anyone tried popping it in coconut oil and then adding toasted coconut? Also VERY delicious!
I hadn’t thought about popping it in coconut oil, which I own! It has a lower smoke point than olive and vegetable oil, so I’m afraid I’d burn it.
Hm which one to choose or I need to go and get more popcorn :) I love how this series includes foods I like even though I’m aspie with taste sensitivity issues so that’s first time I’ve come across this :)
I am ready to pop these look so good.
Under “I spend a lot of time thinking about…” my okc profile literally says: – Popcorn.
Just to give you an idea of how much I appreciate this article. ^^
Ideal Content. popcorn is my life.
If I had the patience to do anything more with my popcorn than douse it in Tapatio, I’d probably try a few of these. Maybe one day.
I’ve always wanted to make my own healthier version of badia (sazon) and create some sazon popcorn lol
pickle juice and tabasco sauce popcorn sounds like something a pregnant woman would crave. Or someone really drunk without a care in the world.
Don’t knock it til you try it… pickled jalapeños, pickles, and vinegar based hot sauces are all great with popcorn! It’s the salty / sour / spicy combo ?
This post caused a chain reaction in my brain so I’ve had Christina Aguilera’s “What a Girl Wants” stuck in my head since reading it this morning.
While in college I got Presto Hot Air Poplight machine™ for my birthday. I have a condition where I can’t feel hunger. My boyfriend found me sitting at home covered in popcorn and butter grease, happy and too feeble to move. He threw my popcorn machine in the street and told me to eat real food. “POPCORN IS REAL FOOD” I yelled, “I DEMAND YOU STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY QUEER FEMALE BODY”. An hour later I fainted.
That day I learned popcorn seven meals straight is unhealthy.
That vegan one looks complicated. I think every vegan knows all you really need on your popcorn is nooch & salt!
listen, I’ve not really previously been a fan of popcorn but I love Mey(‘s articles) so much I’m reconsidering
This is missing the Smitten Kitchen popcorn cookies, and that is a tragedy.
I love popcorn, too. I also am always looking for new and different popcorn recipes. These are fantastic. Thank you for sharing these.
I love popcorn! Try making some with olive or coconut oil drizzled instead of butter, nutritional yeast, and zatter / zattar / zahtar seasoning (found in middle eastern grocers). It’s my absolute fave and I can easily eat two giant bowls in a row of it. Also the whirlipop is my favorite invention.
Sorry but I gotta “pop” in again as I remembered some other popcorn protips and popcorn is life. If you’re popping on the stove (which you should be! a whirlipop or similar popcorn pot is super easy and makes amazing popcorn in 3 minutes) you can switch up the oils you pop in for fun flavors. My personal fave is to put a teaspoon or so of hot chili oil in with the oil I’m popping in. Makes for an amazing spicy popcorn. Just be careful not to breathe in the fresh steam from the pot as it will be like a very mild mace to the face…