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Learn how to make the best, buttery and crunchy homemade popcorn at home with this easy stove top popcorn recipe. Super quick and easy to make, fun and perfect for those days, when you are stuck with the kids at home. Make it for a healthy snack of movie night. Crunchy, tasty, salty and inexpensive. Add your favorite toppings.

Some of you, my age or a little bit older may recall the days when no microwave was present.we used to pop popcorn on the stove top.

It was a fun activity and popcorn tasted so much better! No weird buttery smell from the microwave, but instead, warm, nutty and delicious popcorn, that was gone in no time.

Stove top popcorn is easy and takes 5-10 minutes to make with just a couple of ingredients – oil and corn kernels.

I haven’t used a microwave in years (just a personal choice), but even when I had one, I always used to pop my popcorn in a pot on the stove. No air popped popcorn and no need to purchase a popcorn maker.

How to make stove top popcorn?

The most important part when making popcorn on the stove top – make as many kernels pop as possible, without burning many.

The three main ingredients in this recipe are – corn kernels, oil and salt. You need a pan (pot) with a lid and stove top burner.

The Oil:

Here is a list of oils, you can use to make popcorn at home:

Extra virgin olive oil
A mix of extra virgin olive oil and butter (I don’t recommend using only butter)
Avocado oil
Grape seed oil
Canola oil
Coconut oil
Any vegetable oil

Tips:

Choose a good quality heavy bottomed pan with a lid. Make sure it is completely dry.
Decide on what kind of oil you are using from the list below. Butter in combination with vegetable or olive oil can be used.
Make sure the stove top burner and the pot are around the same size, so the pot heats properly.
Don’t go too high with the temperature of the stove top – medium is fine, otherwise the popcorn may burn easily.
Don’t cover the pot completely with the lid, so the steam created doesn’t go back to the popped popcorn.
If the popcorn fills the pot, but there are still some un popped kernels, you may take some of the popped popcorn out and continue popping the rest.

Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or oil from the list above ) in a heavy bottomed 3-quart pot with a lid.

Heat for 2 minutes on medium heat and add 2 kernels of corn, then close with the lid. Wait till the kernels pop, this means the oil is ready. Take the popped popcorn out and evenly distribute the remaining 1/3 cup of kernels.

Close with the lid, leaving a slight opening.

Keep popping, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the kernels have popped.

Season with salt.

What is the best pot to use when making homemade popcorn on the stove top?

You may be wondering what pot to use for homemade popcorn?

Well the answer is – thick bottomed pot with a lid, that will heat all kernels evenly, so they pop relatively around the same time. Also make sure that the popcorn kernels are not cramped inside the pot, the larger the surface, the more evenly they will be spread and will be heated evenly.

Cast iron pots, especially enameled Dutch ovens work well, because they provide an even heat, but they can be quite heavy,

Make sure the size of the bottom of the pot is close to the size of the stove top burner.

Stove top popcorn toppings?

Drizzle with melted butter
Top with grated cheese
Nutritional yeast
Caramel
Seasonings like paprika, cayenne or curry
Drizzle melted chocolate or dust with sweetened cocoa powder

More corn recipes:

How to grill corn on the cob
This Dairy Free Soft Caramel Popcorn from Allergy Awesomeness is chewy, gooey, easy to make and delicious. Perfect for people with food allergies.
Perfect boiled corn on the cob
Easy baked corn on the cob

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