How to Make Perfect Popcorn on the Stove
on Sep 22, 2021, Updated Jun 19, 2025
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Homemade popcorn is so much better tasting and better for you than anything that comes in a bag, and it couldn't be faster or easier to make.
We eat more popcorn than any family I know. We pop it on the stovetop, with just a moderate amount of vegetable oil, until soft and fluffy, and lightly salt it at the end. It takes 5 minutes to make, and it’s pretty healthy. Thank goodness for that, because if you actually saw the amount that my family and I eat, you might catch your breath.
This classic stovetop popcorn recipe is so much better tasting than air-popped popcorn and so much better for you than microwave popcorn. Also, go one step further and make Stovetop Cheddar Cheese Popcorn.
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What's In This Post?
Ingredients
- Oil – Use an oil with a high smoke point, which will prevent the oil (and the popcorn) from having a burnt taste. Coconut oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed or rapeseed oil, or canola oil are good choices.
- Popcorn – Anything from supermarket brand kernels to more artisanal popcorn works here.
- Butter – The optional melted butter at the end is not necessary because the fact that the kernels have been popped in oil already gives them a “buttery” flavor, but sometimes we all need our lilies gilded.
- Salt – I like to use kosher salt. You can also try a flavored salt.
Variations
Start flinging herbs and spices that you like into the popcorn pot. It’s fun, it’s cheap, and it’s usually delicious. You can also toss cheddar cheese into the cooked popcorn.
Aside from this variation, you should feel free to experiment with other spices and seasonings, such as cayenne powder, curry powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and so on. Also, try seasoned salt, like truffle salt or salt infused with herbs.
Seasoned Popcorn
When you add the kernels to hot oil in the pot, think about adding some or all of the following.
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
Then, salt the warm popcorn at the end.
How to Make Popcorn on the Stove
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn.
- Cover the pot. Heat until the popping starts, shaking it every once in a while. Take it off the stove the minute the popping quiets down to almost nothing.
- Add butter and salt. Toss well.
What to Serve With Homemade Popcorn
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Perfect Stovetop Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup popcorn
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional)
- kosher salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn, garlic powder, oregano, and chili powder, and shake it all about. Heat until the popping starts, shake it every once in a while, and take it off the stove right when the popping quiets down to almost nothing.
- Drizzle over the butter, if using, replace the lid and give it a few more shakes to evenly distribute the butter. Sprinkle with salt and the Parmesan, if using, cover, and shake it up again. Pour into a bowl and eat warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips for Making Great Popcorn on the Stove
I like to make popcorn over medium-high heat. Just make sure the heat doesn’t get too high, or the popcorn might scorch.
The steam trapped in the pot by the lid can cause popcorn to become chewy. You can adjust for that by leaving the lid a tad open to the side or removing the lid as soon as the popping slows down. The popped kernels should prevent any just-popping kernels from flying out of the pot. Also, make sure to use a high smoke point oil, like vegetable or canola oil.
You may not have enough oil in the pot, or the heat may be too low. Give the pot a shake every once in a while to make sure all of the kernels have a chance to hit the bottom of the pan.
I prefer popping corn in oil with a higher smoke point and then adding some melted butter at the end (if desired). If you want to use butter, you’re better off with ghee. It’s a clarified butter, and the milk solids have been strained out. Those milk solids are what cause butter to burn at high temperatures.
Most supermarket commercially packaged butter has a high percentage of water, and when it melts, that water can make your popcorn soggy. Using a European-style butter, like Danish Creamery, Vermont Creamery, Plugra, or Kerrygold, can help a bit, as the water content is a bit lower. Also, butter your popcorn right before you serve and eat it!
A large, deep stainless steel pot with a lid is my favorite pan for making popcorn on the stove.
