Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
Learn how to make perfectly popped popcorn in under 10 minutes! You'll never go back to microwave popcorn after you make this recipe. It's healthy, too!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 8, 2024
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.
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!
Watch How to Make Popcorn
Cooking Oil Options
- 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.
Recommended Popcorn Seasonings
- 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.
- Lemon popcorn: Finely grate some lemon zest (one small lemon’s worth or less) over your batch of popcorn. This goes well with finely grated black pepper and Parmesan, too!
- Nutritional yeast: This is a healthy vegan alternative that offers butter flavor. Here’s how my friend Ali makes “nooch” popcorn.
- Melted butter: It’s hard to beat melted butter. Even just one to two tablespoons offer a lot of flavor.
Is popcorn healthy?
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.
Why make stovetop popcorn?
It’s super delicious and chemical-free. Granted, you could also make air-popped popcorn and it would be free of all the bad stuff, too, but it’s flavorless and dull. Snacks should taste good! Stovetop popcorn tastes way better with as little as one tablespoon of oil for eight servings.
If you want to drizzle butter to your stovetop popcorn (so tasty), go right ahead. Even one tablespoon of butter on those eight servings of popcorn adds a lot of real butter flavor. Do you know how much saturated fat is in a medium movie theater popcorn? An entire stick of butter’s worth.
Best Stovetop Popcorn
Learn how to make perfectly popped popcorn in under 10 minutes! You’ll never go back to microwave popcorn after you make this recipe. Recipe yields about 10 cups (about 4 servings).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or coconut oil
- ½ cup popcorn kernels, divided
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the oil and 2 popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and wait for the kernels to pop, which might take a few minutes. In the meantime, place a large serving bowl near the stove so it’s ready when you need it.
- Once the kernels pop, turn off the burner, remove the pot from the heat and pour in the remaining popcorn kernels. Cover the pot again, and give the pot a little shimmy to distribute the kernels evenly. Let the pot rest for 60 seconds to make sure the oil doesn’t get too hot before the kernels are ready to pop.
- Turn the heat back up to medium, put the pot back onto the burner and continue cooking the popcorn, carefully shimmying the pot occasionally to cook the kernels evenly. Once the kernels start popping, tip the lid just a touch to allow steam to escape (see photo).
- Continue cooking until the popping sound slows to about one pop per every few seconds. (If the popcorn tries to overflow the pot, just tip the upper portion of popcorn into your bowl and return it to the heat.)
- Remove the lid and dump the popcorn into your serving bowl. Sprinkle the popcorn with a couple pinches of salt, to taste, and any other topping you would like. Toss the popcorn and serve immediately, for best flavor and texture. The popcorn will taste good for several hours, though.
Notes
Where to buy popcorn kernels: Look for them near the microwave popcorn. I like to buy organic, which I find at Trader Joe’s or health stores.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
A word on safety
I burned some carpet in my house while making stovetop popcorn at age 10, and learned a valuable lesson to never leave hot oil on the stove unattended.
The risk here is entirely minimal. Don’t leave the kitchen, and remove the pot from the heat if you see any whiffs of smoke (which is unlikely). If the oil starts smoking at all, you’ll want to let start over. Let the oil cool before adding water to the pot to clean it.
If smoke ever starts billowing out of an oiled pot, whatever you do, do NOT remove the lid or add water. Turn off the stove, don’t touch or move the pot, and if it’s a small amount of oil (like for making popcorn), let it burn out on its own.
Here’s more information about grease fires. Teach your kids!
Brilliant!!! I’m going to make some today!!! I miss popcorn since I stopped eating the microwaved stuff. Thanks for the reminder of how we used to do it!!! :)
You’re welcome, Jenni! It’s the best. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for the recipe. I have a question. What happens if I don’t add any oil or just spray the pan (worth of 1 tsp)? Will my popcorns burn?
Thanks
This is great and I can’t wait to follow your recipe! My sister and I have been making this since we were in grade school too, but instead of a carpet being burned, we burned cement! Not sure (to this day) what we did wrong, but there was a puff of fire, so I took the darn pot and threw it outside into the snow where it then left a big burn mark on the patio. Now, in my early 30s, I still can’t ever seem to get the texture/taste right so thank you thank you for sharing your go-to! Making it TONIGHT.
That sounds like quite the story! I have one of my own… Can be dangerous if you burn it! Be careful. What did you think, Heather?!
It was GREAT. Followed to a t, used extra virgin olive oil (but non-organic kernals), and it was perfectly.
We got rid of our microwave when we bought our house six years ago thinking we’d replace it and just never did. Making popcorn on the stove is one of the best things we started doing when that happened! That and reheating pizza in the oven. WAY better than the microwave. We do a little garlic powder, lots of pepper, and a touch of salt and butter. Yum.
To think we can’t live without a microwave, but we can! Yes, using the oven to reheat is usually much better. Thanks for sharing, Lis.
I, too, love making popcorn on the stove and found that cooking it a wok works really well. Heat get distributed evenly and it rarely overflows. Have you tried it? I’ve never used extra virgin olive oil and can’t wait to try it. Thanks!
Let me know what you think, Sean!
popcorn is a favorite snack in our house – plus its one of the few things the boy is really good at making! I’ll definitely be trying out some of your topping recommendations.
Such a great snack, Aimee! Let me know what you think when you give it a try.
I love the little tips in this one! I’ve been making stovetop popcorn for years – always just winging it – and it generally works out ok but I had a few disappointments in a row recently and couldn’t bear another so-so bowl. The perfection achieved by this method will give me a lifetime of stovetop popcorn confidence! Thank you
If you are going for the movie theatre taste, I prefer Ghee (clarified butter) over traditional butter. There’s less moisture in it and full butter flavor to preserve the crispness of your popcorn. Truffle oil is also one of my favorite popcorn toppings!
Interesting! Thanks for sharing, Marissa.
We do this too! I haven’t made microwave popcorn in years. This is so much better and easy.
Wonderful!
I love the little tips in this one! I’ve been making stovetop popcorn for years – always just winging it – and it generally works out ok but I had a few disappointments in a row recently and couldn’t bear another so-so bowl. The perfection achieved by this method will give me a lifetime of stovetop popcorn confidence! Thank you
Great post! I had forgotten that is how we used to make it way back when. I like your tip of getting a couple kernels to pop to indicate the oil is at right temp for the rest. I don’t know why but in College in the early eighties we used to sprinkle tamari or soy sauce on our popcorn, with or without brewers yeast. We’d put the popcorn in a paper bag, sprinkle in the tamari and brewers yeast and shake like mad to lightly partially coat it. It was yummy in a different way, even if a dab a better still tastes best to me. My boyfriend back then (now husband of 35 years) liked tossing parmesan and pepper on his popcorn.
Thank you, Mary! I’m glad it’s helpful. Thanks for sharing your variation.
This post came with perfect timing…I’v recently started making microwave popcorn as a snack and went to buy more at the store but discovered that every brand of microwave popcorn has palm oil, which I avoid at all costs.
Now I know how I can continue to have my popcorn treat without all the bad additives! Thanks.
I love perfect timing! Thank you, Kate for sharing. I appreciate the review.
One of the most useful posts EVER! My stovetop popcorn is always a bit burnt. Thanks!
I’m glad you think so, Amy! Thank you for sharing.
OMG! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Only made a half portion because I knew I’d devour it all. And I did!
Ha, I’m glad you devoured it!
I love to add a little Tajin Classico seasoning – it’s a chili-lime dry seasoning, and adds a lot of flavor to popcorn.
Great!
YESSS! Popcorn is one of my absolute favorites
Thank you, Gaby!
Popcorn’s are my all time favorite time stellar snack. The process of making is simple and the tasty is awesome as ever.
The best snack!
This is exactly how I make it and it comes out perfect every time. It’s easy and tasty.
Thanks for the review, Deborah!
I never used to care for movie theater popcorn, but since I tried out a vegan stove top popcorn, I’m hooked! I can’t get enough of nooch popcorn. I even found a delicious seasoning blend to use as toppings to make a savory, rich popcorn! It needs some kind of oil to bind seasonings to the cooked popcorn, but even one tsp makes a solid difference. I use a blend of garlic and onion powder, nutritional yeast, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, plus a totally optional touch of sea salt. It’s bomb, way more addicting than boring old movie theater popcorn!
I like the blend of spices. Tasty!
I finally tried this last night and was amazed how well it worked! I halved the recipe. It really does not take much oil at all to pop the corn but tastes so much better than my usual hot air popcorn. And i did not ruin my pan doing it!!! What a concept! Thanks for finally teaching me how to do this correctly!
I have a stovetop popcorn pot with a hand crank. It make sure the best popcorn and because the crank stirs the bottom of the pot, it keeps the popcorn from burning. My two biggest tips would be to buy good popcorn. I always buy my popcorn from one specific vendor at my farmers market and always a hull-less baby rice variety. I also use popcorn salt, as it is superfine and sticks to the popcorn well. One could probably make their own by grinding sea salt super fine.
Thanks for sharing, Kristin!
How is it that I’m in retirement age and just now learning to make popcorn on the stove correctly!? Mind blown! Here’s my question, and I saw one poster said she only made 1/2 of the recipe. Do you reduce the oil then too? I’m thinking 1/3 cup of kernels is enough for us two old folks! ;) Thanks for this recipe!!! Love it!!
Never too late, right! If you reduce the recipe, then cut down the oil too. Hope this helps.
I guess I’ll have to find out – this afternoon! ;) Thanks much!!
We eat lots of popcorn at our home (it is our go to travel food) and have never used Coconut Oil until last night. Delicious change. The flavor was on the sweet side without adding sugar. Thank you for this great idea!
You’re welcome! I love hearing your experience, Mary Jo.
I haven’t had a microwave and years. Popcorn is my favorite snack. I like to make my own kettle stovetop popcorn or ‘cheesy’ popcorn with nutritional yeast.
It’s a wonderful snack! Thanks for sharing and for your review.
LOVE this popcorn. Cannot get enough of it. Thank you for getting me away from microwave air popping. Way more flavor in this recipe.
I’m glad to have converted you, Carol-Ann!
Thank you for your response KATE. You are doing a great job for people who do not eat meat…and the animals.
How does this work on a flat top stove? I’m worried about scratches from ‘shimmying’ the pot!
I have the same question! I was making it on a gas cooktop with an aluminum pan that transferred the heat great, but now have a smooth electric top.
You can always lift the pan with pot holders and shimmy off the stove, if you are concerned. Hope this helps!
Thanks – I will try it!
I have a glass stovetop and gently shimmy the pot on the stovetop with no issues. You might make sure that the bottom of your pots are perfectly smooth, though.
Thanks Molly! Good to know:)
This recipe is perfect. I make it often. My new favourite topping is nutritional yeast. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Debbie!
I wanted a midnight snack and decided to google popping corn on the stove and this came up and I’m glad it did! Thanks for the technique! I’ve never thought to use olive oil. It gives the pop corn SO much better flavor than vegetable oil. I can’t wait to try this using coconut oil!!
I’m glad it did too, Richard! If you would want to leave a star review since you liked it so much, that would be great.
So delicious and easy!!
Thank you, Maria!
Just made this with Olive Oil and cajun seasoning! So yummy!
Thank you, Lauren!
Kat, this stovetop popcorn recipe is to die for – got the kernels from Whole Foods and been making it everyday as a mid afternoon snack with a drizzle of butter to give it a bit more taste. Thank you for always providing healthier and tasty options to the table!
It is so good! I’m glad you agree, Claire. Thanks for the review.
OK-I just did this. I only have one pot with a heavy bottom and it isn’t very big so I guessed and used 1T olive oil and 2 Ts certified non GMO popcorn. Followed your directions and OMG I just enjoyed best popcorn I have eaten in my 86 years!
Wonderful, Connie! Thanks for your review.
I used this recipe to make stove top popcorn for the first time and it came out perfect! Every kernel popped and nothing burnt. Decided to season with sea salt, pepper, and tumeric. Amazing! Thank you Kate :)
You’re welcome, Kelsey! Thank you for your review!
I too make popcorn the same way. But it comes out different each time and some of the kernels would be left out and wouldn’t pop ever. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
You’re welcome!
What about using butter during the popping process?
That’s ok just make sure you add plenty in it though
You really need an oil to get hot enough to help the kernels to pop. Butter will start to burn or evaporate. Thanks for the question!
So when would be the appropriate time to add butter, if following your recipe? I did make some following your recipe and it came out great. I just had to melt butter and put it over the finished product but I wondered if there was a way to integrate it into the process.
This is by far the best stove top popcorn recipe I’ve ever tried. Thanks so much for posting it for all to see!!
Hooray! Thank you, Giordano.
This was the perfect recipe! My DH usually is the popcorn guy around here on movie night, but was traveling. Me and my daughter knew we could find a good recipe and do this ourselves. We used coconut oil and they declaired this popcorn was better than dad’s! Thanks for the full proof recipe!
That’s great! You’re very welcome, Michelle.
Thank you! I probably would have been lost without this recipe! It’s my first time making non-microwaved popcorn and I’ve already messed up the popcorn maker! Ahh! So big thank you!
You’re so welcome! It is really the best.
Thank you so much for this! I’ve recently become a stay-at-home mom, and I’ve been trying to find small ways to save money, including snacks! I tried multiple different ways to make my popcorn kernels on the stove, never having done it before, reading tons of online tips, and they all burned. I FINALLY found this page, and my kiddos are now happily snacking on a big bowl of it now.
That seems exciting, Terri! I bet your kiddos are really excited. Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you feel the blog will be a good resource.
I’ve been making sweet & salty popcorn on the stovetop for years but my husband asked for movie theater style popcorn tonight. I pulled up your popcorn recipe and then drizzled about two tablespoons of ghee over the top with a pinch of kosher salt. It tastes just like the theater but without the toxic chemicals (and the huge price tag!). Thank you!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing, Meghan.
Thank you Kate! We had some popcorn in the pantry so I tried your stovetop recipe and it turned out perfectly. Thank you!!
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing, Randy.
I’ve been making popcorn on the stove for years and have converted so many friends to it once they get a taste of the “house mix” on movie nights. I use olive oil, and typically top the popcorn with Morton’s natures seasonings (the dark blue cap), no butter needed it’s so savory. If I need a little extra spicy bite I add about a tsp of hot chili oil to the olive oil at the start. You can also find different varieties of corn kernels; I personally prefer the taste of red corn to yellow, though it’s a smaller kernel. You can find these via google (Amish Country brand is good).
Thank you for sharing! Glad to hear you have been doing it for so long, Beth. I appreciate your review!
What brand of pot do you like to use? Another blogger says to use one with thin high sides…like a Cuisinart stainless steel. What do you suggest?
Thanks! I’ve cooked many recipes from your blog
Great question, Tricia! Check out my shop page: https://sooka.info/healthy-kitchen-essentials/#cookware%3C/a%3E. This is what I use in my kitchen.
Another good topping is truffle oil and fresh rosemary cooked in a pan and then drizzled over the popcorn, yum! You can also add some Parmesan if you wish, but it tastes amazing without too!
That does sound delicious, Kristin! Thanks for sharing.
Oh my goodness!! Thank you so much for posting this recipe and detailed instructions. It worked just like you said. Venting the lid was a hotly debated technique THAT TOTALLY WORKED! I was on your side ;) I’ve always been too intimidated to make stovetop popcorn myself so thanks again!
You’re very welcome! I do love popcorn so thought it was time to share. Thanks for the review, Lela!
Finally! For the first time ever in making stovetop popcorn, I didn’t burn it! I finally decided to Google the recipe (in secret cause I thought I should know how to make something so simple), found your recipe and voila! Finally finally made the perfect popcorn. Thank you!!! I opted for coconut oil and nutritional yeast. Swoon. My 2 yr old is loving it.
Hooray for not burning it! I’m so happy to hear this recipe helped you. Thanks for commenting, Sarah!
Wow! I just made this and it’s the best stovetop popcorn I think I’ve ever made! It came out perfect! It’s the first time I’ve done this with my kids. We always make microwave popcorn. They loved it! I put salt and melted butter and it was better than movie popcorn and nothing artificial! My kids said we should make this a family tradition and then started chanting, “Movie night! Movie night!” It was a big hit! Thank you so much for sharing it!
I’m glad you made this and loved it, Billie! Thanks for sharing how much your family enjoyed it. I appreciate the review!
HI Kate, what fun to stroll down “memory lane”! Thanks
I have lived in central Mexico for 35 years and adore the food but the popcorn, not so much…
I tried some your way today and it was DEEEVINE and had an added bonus, my parrots just love it and I know it is fine for them to eat, of course I took theirs out before adding seasoning or butter. It’s always a challenge to find snacks that they enjoy eating, they loved the funny shapes!
Again, thanks
Thanks for trying it, Cindy! I love that you fed it to your parrots. How fun!
Just made popcorn on the stove following your recipe. After the kernels popped, I took the pot off the heat, added a small amount of butter and two pinches of kosher salt, and mixed it all together. The popcorn cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. So easy. Thanks!
I’m glad it worked perfectly for you, Anthony! I appreciate the review.
Super helpful! Came out perfectly which has never happened for me before! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad it came out perfectly, Pilar! Thanks so much for your review.
There are way to many harmful ingredients in microwave and air popped is so bland! I googled stove top popcorn and found this. It’s an excellent recipe and turned out great! Thanks
I’ve made this several times now
It always comes out perfect. The olive oil & pepper are yummy!
Love it! Thank you, Liz. I appreciate your feedback.
Oh my! I only recently introduced my six-year old son to popcorn, and it’s definitely on his favourites list. I decided against buying a popcorn maker, and I ended up here instead. I never imagined honey and butter *together* on popcorn! Immediately my mind went to maple syrup and popcorn… I think popcorn is going to be made a lot more often around our house. Thanks for sharing such a great post!
I’m glad you tried this recipe! What a fun snack for your kiddo. Thanks so much for your review, Nicole!
This was my first time making stovetop popcorn and it turned out perfect! Thank you.
1/2 cup kernels makes about 10 cups popped corn.
You’re welcome, Eliza!
Terrible. All burned and it took forever. Half the kernels weren’t popped. Popcorn can’t be cooked this slowly.
I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed Mike! It shouldn’t take that long. Did you allow 2 pieces to pop before adding the rest? That will ensure your oil is hot enough to start.