Description
This is our favorite recipe for stovetop popcorn, especially when it’s tossed with nutritional yeast. Easy method that doesn’t require unique equipment. The perfect homemade snack.
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon popcorn salt (see notes for how to make popcorn salt)
- 3 tablespoons Ghee (see notes)
- 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
- Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see notes)
Instructions
- Prepare the nutritional yeast (if using): Note: if you don’t already have popcorn salt, see notes below on how to make your own. Add the nutritional yeast to a mortar and pestle, and grind it up so that the larger flakes turn into a finer powder. OR you could push the nutritional yeast through a fine mesh strainer. This helps the nutritional yeast to really tick to the popcorn.
- Prepare your tin foil lid: THIS step has been the key to making the BEST stovetop popcorn I have ever made. It allows the steam to escape so you don’t end up with soggy popcorn. Grab an 8 quart stew pot and place foil around the top as the lid, so that it is tightly fit. Use a sharp knife to pierce a good amount of slits on the top of the foil (see photo in post). Gently remove the foil lid and set aside.
- Melt the Ghee: Heat the pot over medium heat. Add the ghee along with 1/2 teaspoon of the prepared popcorn salt. Allow the ghee to melt.
- Pop the popcorn: Once the ghee has melted add the popcorn kernels, give the pan a good swirl so that the kernels are in an even layer. Carefully place the foil lid onto the pot, using oven mitts, if it’s hot, so that the foil is secure. Give it a minute or two and the popcorn will begin popping. Every 2 minutes give the pot a real good shake, being sure to use oven mitts if the pan is hot. Allow the popcorn to continue popping until you hear the popping slow down with about 8 seconds in between each pop. TIP: do not walk away from the popcorn, stay with it the entire time, otherwise it will burn. Remove the pot from the heat and keep the lid on for a few minutes, a few more kernels will pop from the residual heat.
- Finish: Carefully remove the foil lid from the pot and pour the popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Add the nutritional yeast and toss to coat.
- Serve: serve the popcorn immediately. It’s so delicious while it’s still hot, but also very good once room temperature.
Notes
Make popcorn salt: Note: make popcorn salt before proceeding with the rest of the recipe above. There is no need to buy popcorn salt, all it is is salt that has been ground up into a fine powder. However, the fine salt is helpful for even distribution of the salt when making popcorn. All you do to make popcorn salt is to place 2 to 3 tablespoons of kosher salt (or sea salt) in a spice grinder (AKA a coffee grinder designated for spice grinding), and grind up the salt until it reaches a fine powder consistency. We won’t need all of this popcorn salt for one serving. I suggest storing the extra popcorn salt in a labeled jar so that it’s ready to go the next time you make popcorn. NOTE: if you don’t have a spice grinder then in that case I would recommend buying popcorn salt.
Ghee: Ghee is clarified butter, meaning that it is butter that has been cooked down slowly to remove the water from butter. For this reason it has a more intense buttery flavor then regular butter, and is better for cooking with high heat – which is why it’s ideal for making popcorn. You get that buttery flavor, just by cooking the popcorn kernels in it. If you don’t have ghee, or want to make this recipe vegan/dairy free sub it with a high cooking oil such as avocado oil, or coconut oil.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast. It has a nice nutty, some say cheese like, flavor that is often used in vegan cooking to add a cheese flavor to non-dairy products. It’s absolutely delicious on popcorn, it’s become our favorite way to eat popcorn. It’s optional to make this popcorn, but I highly recommend giving it a try. You can buy it online, or in the health food section at most grocery stores.
Want a more buttery flavor? If you want even more of a buttery flavor you can melt 2 teaspoons of ghee and sprinkle it on top of the popcorn once it’s cooked. However, if using nutritional yeast you won’t taste much of the ghee, I would only recommend adding extra ghee on top if you are not using the nutritional yeast.
Method adapted from the one and only Alton Brown (especially the foil lid method).
