It is Friday night, movie night, and you are on the hunt for the best oil for making perfect stovetop popcorn! Finding the right oil for homemade stovetop popcorn can be a serious chore. But chances are, you already have the perfect oil to make that movie theater popcorn you are after in your cupboard.
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There is nothing better than the smell of fresh popped homemade popcorn and a good movie, in the comfort of your own home. Without a doubt, coconut oil is hands down, the best popcorn oil. This is not just my personal preference, there is a reason why it is used by most movie theaters world wide! It is the best type of oil to produce fluffy popcorn that tastes amazing!
It is a little-known fact that air-popped popcorn and microwave popcorn are not even close to the perfect popcorn! Scrap the popcorn popper and make this on your stove instead. I promise you will be amazed at how this popcorn taste is so much like a theaters and you will become completely addicted to this method! The best part is, you can have delicious popcorn for a fraction of the price, made in a couple of minutes, on your own stove!
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Why does smoke point matter with oils?
The smoke point of an oil is when it reaches its boiling point. This means that your oil is now breaking down and releasing chemicals as it is starting to burn. When oils are heated beyond their smoke point they can begin releasing free radicals which are unstable atoms that can damage cells. That is why it is so important to pick the proper oil for the type of cooking you are doing.
Coconut oil offers a neutral flavor without a bitter taste like in some oils such as extra virgin olive oil. It also has a higher smoke point of 400 to 450 degrees, which is higher than vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, hazelnut oil, sesame oil, and avocado oil.
Sunflower oil, canola oil, and peanut oil can all be a good choice when popping popcorn because they also have a high smoke point as well, but they do not have the wonderful health benefits of coconut oil. Research has shown that consuming coconut oil can improve levels of HDL (good) cholesterol and it may also reduce LDL, leaving it the healthiest oil to combine with a healthy snack, like fresh popcorn. This is why coconut oil is our favorite cooking oil!
What can I add to popcorn for flavor?
Nutritional yeast is one of the popular choices for those seeking the cheesy flavored stovetop popcorn with the added nutrition of B vitamins. Sprinkle it on top or put the popcorn in a brown paper bag and shake it up!
For a buttery flavor, melted butter should do the trick! Pour it over your freshly popped popcorn for something amazing! Of course, there are other seasonings that are available on amazon that will give you that buttery popcorn flavor unless you are looking for a unique flavor, which they also have several to choose from! Here's a fun variety--Kernel Season's Popcorn Seasoning Mini Jars Variety
Fresh parmesan cheese is a must try! Just grate the cheese fine and sprinkle it on! You can always opt for the dried parmesan. Place the popcorn into a brown paper bag with the dried parmesan cheese sprinkled it on and shake it to perfection.
Drizzle on my homemade caramel sauce for a delicious dessert! Homemade Soft Caramel Recipe (Without Corn Syrup)
What You Will need to Make Better Than Movie Theater Popcorn
11 quart pot with a lid
Large bowl
Ingredients for the Best Movie Theater Popcorn
¼ cup coconut oil (we use organic coconut oil found here)
1 cup popcorn (We like yellow kernels that are non-GMO found here)
Salt (to taste)
Instructions for Better Than Movie Theater Popcorn.
Place the pot on the stove on medium-high heat to high heat (I place it on high but I don't leave it!)
Add the coconut oil immediately to the pot.
Place 3 kernels into the oil in different spots and then cover the pot.
Once the three kernels pop (this is the ideal temperature for the kernels to pop), add the cup of kernels to the oil and cover.
Give the pot a good swirl to level out the rest of the kernels.
Place the pot back on to the burner and allow the kernels to do their thing!
Once the popcorn pops and has slowed popping, a second or two between pops, then it is ready to pour.
Remove from the heat and place the popcorn into a large bowl.
Salt to taste.
At this point you can add in any of the other flavors you want to!
Serve and enjoy!
Learn how to make butter to add to your popcorn with this post: How To Make Easy Homemade Butter From Raw Milk
My Homemade Soft Caramel Recipe (Without Corn Syrup) is the perfect thing drizzled on this popcorn!
More Dessert Recipes
How to Make Easy Homemade S’mores Brownies Recipe
Easy Keto Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
Best (Flourless) Gluten Free Peanut Butter Bars
Simple New York Style Cheesecake Recipe (No Springform Pan)
Best Espresso Keto Ice Cream with Only 4 Ingredients!
The Best Oil For Making Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the pot on the stove on medium-high heat to high heat (I place it on high but I don't leave it!)
- Add the coconut oil immediately to the pot.
- Place 3 kernels into the oil and then cover the pot.
- Once the three kernels pop (this is the ideal temperature for the kernels to pop), then add the cup of kernels to the oil and cover.
- Give the pot a good swirl to level out the rest of the kernels.
- Place the pot back on to the burner and allow the kernels to do their thing!
- Once the popcorn pops and has slowed popping, a second or two between pops, then it is ready to pour.
- Remove from the heat and place the popcorn into a large bowl.
- Salt to taste.
- At this point you can add in any of the other flavors you want to!
- Serve and enjoy!
[…] I personally enjoy this easy homemade caramel recipe on a big bowl of homemade ice cream with melted chocolate! I also have made an amazing apple pie with this as the secret ingredient in it! This recipe is even amazing with sliced apples or drizzled over popcorn! Try it on the best movie theater popcorn recipe found here! The Best Oil For Making Perfect Stovetop Popcorn […]