Healthy Homemade Popcorn Recipe

One of the biggest struggles I hear from the men and women is...snacking.

Snacking too late. Snacking too much. Snacking on the wrong foods. Snacking on too many good foods. Not knowing what to snack on. And so on.

Now, I'm actually all about snacking and consider myself a snacking advocate. Sometimes, I have 2-3 snacks each day in between meals because, frankly, I like food.

So I've recently started making my own popcorn and seasoning it myself so I can control the ingredients and flavors.

One of my favorite snacks is popcorn. I personally prefer it this way because it tastes way better than microwave popcorn (which has a ton of additives you don't really want in your system.)

Plus it's so dang simple! Popcorn + coconut oil + heat = popcorn. Keep reading to learn how to make the best tasting and healthiest popcorn possible.

How To Make Stovetop Popcorn

So enough talking, here's the lowdown on how you can pop your own popcorn!

1. Use a heavy-bottomed pot: I strongly recommend that you use a good quality and thick pan, like a Dutch oven. Why? When making stovetop popcorn you need to make sure that the heat is evenly distributed. Otherwise, you might end end up with burnt corn.
2. Choose the right oil: Use an oil that has a high smoke point, like coconut oil.
3. Cover it with a lid: Guys, I know this seems like common sense, but I've seen a lot of funny popcorn gone wrong videos. So, just a friendly reminder, don't forget to cover it with a lid!
4. Use 3-4 kernels for temperature test: To make sure your pan has the right temperature, add 3-4 kernels first and cover the pan with a lid.  Once they've popped take them out, and pour the remaining kernels into the pan.
5. Tilt the lid slightly: No one wants soggy popcorn. So once the popping stops you need to tilt the lid just ever so slightly so the popcorn doesn't get steamed.
6. Listen closely: Once the popping starts to dwindle down with around 2-3 second lulls in between, that's when you know it's time to take it off the stove. 
7. Get seasoning: After transferring your popcorn into your go-to bowl, add your preferred seasoning. And voila-healthy homemade popcorn!

Do I Need Oil To Make Popcorn? 

Nope! You don't really need oil or butter to make popcorn kernels pop -- we're making delicious air popped popcorn here! You can actually just use water and it will still pop the same way. Adding oil or butter to your popcorn is mainly for flavor and to act as grease to prevent it from burning. 

So if you want to try water, just pour enough to keep the kernels covered but not floating.  If the kernels haven't popped and the water has already evaporated, feel free to add just a tad bit more. 

Which Oil Is The Healthiest For Homemade Popcorn? 

Personally, I would use coconut oil (as y'all already know!) whenever I make my popcorn. Alternatively, you can also opt for avocado oil, olive oil, walnut oil, or sunflower oil.

Just remember that if you're planning to use some other oil, make sure that it has a smoke point that is at par with what's needed to make your popcorn, basically pop. Because burnt popcorn is no fun!

How Do I Make The Salt Stick To The Popcorn? 

If you aren't planning to use any butter, one way to go make sure that your salt doesn't end up at the bottom of the bowl and on your popped popcorn is to use superfine salt.

TIP: You can use a mortar and pestle or run regular salt through your food processor making it more of a fine dust than granules. 

How To Make Low-Calorie Popcorn Vegan

Popcorn in its unflavored form is generally vegan. But when you start adding animal products - found in butter and cheese - it no longer qualifies. So if you want dairy-free popcorn, make it at home with oil instead of butter. 

I've made several different toppings so far, like cinnamon and coconut sugar, cilantro and lime, and this parmesan and sea salt popcorn. Let me tell you. The flavor is super fresh and vibrant -- SO different than your typical microwaveable popcorn.

How To Store Homemade Popcorn

Stovetop popcorn is always best enjoyed fresh! But if you're like our family that tends to make quite a big batch this healthy homemade popcorn recipe (more than we can finish ever!) then you'll need this hack...

Drumroll, please! The best way to store your homemade popcorn is to seal it in an air-tight container then set it aside in your freezer.

This might come as a shock for you ( as it did for me!) but freezing the popcorn will keep it fresh for a longer period.  And some trivia! Popcorn never fully freezes, so you don't have to worry about the texture changing.  Just make sure that you don't refreeze your air popped popcorn once you've taken it out of the freezer because it will affect the texture and taste. And don't freeze unpopped kernels, as it could affect their ability to pop correctly later.

Plus, you can add in whole, clean foods to flavor the popcorn, to make it extra good. Overall, this is a big win for us snackers looking for healthy snacks.

More Healthy Snacks Recipes

If you're craving for more healthy snacks like this healthy popcorn that you can easily whip up, here are some of my favorites that I'm sure you'll enjoy!

• High-protein snacks for weight loss
• Healthy after school snacks 
• Easy homemade baked pita chips