Homemade Sweet and Salty Popcorn: Three Ways

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When I was a kid my dad would make homemade sweet and salty popcorn for movie nights, and it basically made movie nights my favorite thing ever—I loved it. He’d experiment with different recipes and seasonings, and his homemade popcorn was a healthy alternative to store-bought popcorn bags.

Plus it was fun to try different sweet and salty popcorn snacks and see how one popcorn recipe was different than the last.

Back in the day, my dad used to make our homemade popcorn with an air popper (and when I was really little and I’d hear the popcorn machine going off I’d run down the hall yelling, “Pop pop!!”), but these sweet and salty popcorn recipes are super easy to make in the microwave.

You could even incorporate these toppings into a sweet or salty kettle corn recipe made over medium heat in a large pot.

There’s something very nostalgic about curling up on the couch with a blanket and a bowl of homemade popcorn, especially as the fall weather starts to hit. You can make this treat in hardly any time at all and it’s a crowd pleaser for even your gluten free friends.

You can experiment with different flavors, but to get you started here are three delicious options you can use on your easy, homemade popcorn: plain, cheesy pepper, and cinnamon sugar. You don’t need a lot of ingredients.

Another recipe worth checking out would be this recipe for Almond Bark Puffcorn because doesn’t require a ton of ingredients either. And if you’re looking for another salty snack to make at home, check out these pasta chips. You make them in the air fryer and can customize the flavors to whatever you like.

Homemade Sweet and Salty Popcorn: Three Ways

Serving Size: 5 cups

Plain Popcorn

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons popcorn kernels

Coconut oil spray

Sea salt

1 brown paper bag

Steps:

Pour your popcorn kernels into a brown paper bag. Coat kernels with three to four sprays of coconut oil.

Toss in a pinch of salt, and roll the top of the paper bag closed. Shake the bag to distribute all of the coconut oil and sea salt.

Place bag in microwave for around two minutes, until popping slows down.

Carefully open up your bag (caution: hot contents/steam inside!) and pour into a bowl. You can either enjoy your popcorn plain, as-is, or use one of the delicious flavor combos below.

Cheesy (but Dairy Free!) Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 batch of plain popcorn (use above recipe)

3 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 tablespoon olive oil

Fresh cracked pepper

Pinch sea salt

Steps:

Mix together all ingredients with a whisk, and slowly drizzle over popcorn in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands to mix and coat your popcorn evenly.

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 batch plain popcorn (use above recipe)

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

½ teaspoon salt

Steps:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together all ingredients, and then drizzle over popcorn. Use a wooden spoon or clean hands to mix and coat evenly.

Pour popcorn onto an unlined baking sheet and bake for 5 – 8 minutes (make sure it doesn’t brown!), until the sugar mixture dries and is no longer sticky. Let cool.

Bonus:

If you want to make something a little different, try making peanut butter popcorn to get that perfectly balanced sweet and savory popcorn. I also think this hello fresh fry seasoning would be delicious on the popcorn!

Recipe by guest contributor Lindsay Kinder, of Food La La. Photography by Erica Garlieb.

Looking for more easy and delish recipes? Check them out here!

Best Chai Tea: A Homemade Recipe
Pumpkin Bread with Streusel
Easy Coconut Oil Fudge Recipe
Peanut Butter Coconut Balls

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