Homemade Movie Theater Popcorn

Best part of going to a movie? It’s movie theater popcorn!  But no need to go to theater to enjoy the best popcorn, make the buttery, salty, crunchy popcorn right at home in 10 minutes and popcorn stays fresh and crisp for days!

You Need This Best Movie Theater Popcorn Made At Home

1. We live for popcorn! The first thing that we invariably pickup at theaters is a big tub of movie theater popcorn! Even a shitty movie can lead to a good experience with a tub of popcorn.
2. Given a chance my kids would eat popcorn for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner! Don’t you too feel the same sometimes? Yes we all need popcorn in our life!
3. If you never tried making movie theater style popcorn at home, you got to try it now. Forget those microwave packets, make it from scratch. It’s so much better as it’s fresh, just enough salt for your taste and crunchy!
4. You’ll need only 4 ingredients to make movie style popcorn that stays crunchy for days!
5. It takes less than 10 minutes to get a big batch (enough for 4) of homemade popcorn ready.
6. Buttery salty popcorn is definitely the most favorite, but hey you can totally customize the flavors (check this 4 ways to flavor instant pot popcorn).
7. Must have for sleepover party and home movie night!
8. Making stovetop popcorn at home is more affordable than microwavable popcorn bags. A tub of homemade movie theater popcorn will cost you approximately 30cents.
9. No more soggy popcorn. With a secret ingredient your homemade popcorn stays fresh and crisp for days.
10. Ok I guess I have sold enough and you are convinced to get started! Get a large pot, and get popping!

What Will You Need To Make Homestyle Movie Theater Popcorn?

Only 4 ingredients are needed to make the best popcorn. Here’s what you’ll need –

• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• ½ cup popcorn kernels
• ½ cup clarified butter (or ghee) – you’ll need 1 stick butter to make clarified butter
• Salt to taste

Coconut Oil – use MUST use coconut oil to make best homemade popcorn. You can’t use butter cause butter burns at high smoking point, popcorn pops at high smoking point. Using oil which can heat up to high smoking point without getting burnt is important.

Note – popcorn popped in regular butter will turn soggy very fast as butter has water content in it.

Popcorn Kernels – It’s important to use good quality popcorn kernels. Regular corn doesn’t pop. You need to corn kernels or also called as popcorn kernels.

Ghee – Clarified Butter – the secret ingredient to keeping movie theater popcorn crunchy for days is using ghee on it after it’s popped. Note ghee is clarified butter. Since butter as it is had water content in it and when melted and poured over popcorn will tend to turn popcorn soggy as it sits. You can easily make clarified butter in microwave with 1 stick butter. If you like to know how to make it on stove top (the authentic way) click this homemade ghee post.

Salt – use super fine salt so it sticks to the popcorn. Use a mortar-pestle or salt grinder to make fine salt.

Additions & Substitutions

Noticed a slight yellow color on your favorite movie theater popcorn? Well you can get that result even at home. To make yellowish movie popcorn just like what you get in theaters, you’ll need –

• Turmeric powder
• Saffron powder (not the actual saffron powder, use imitated saffron color powder)

Dissolve ¼ teaspoon saffron powder and 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder in 1/8 teaspoon water. Add it to coconut oil and continue the process of popping.

How To Make Clarified Butter (ghee)?

Before you start making popcorn you need to have ghee ready. Ghee is clarified butter. Butter has a lot of water content in it, if used directly on popcorn it will tend to make popcorn soggy.

I love ghee and my family has a teaspoon of ghee almost every day in some form or other in their meal. Ghee is easy to make at home. I make it the traditional way just like my mom makes it by collecting cream from milk

To know how ghee is make traditionally, check this homemade ghee post.

Don’t want to follow the long tedious traditional ways of making ghee? Here’s a short cut method – using microwave!

Shortcut Method of Making Ghee in Microwave

1. Take a stick of butter in a measuring cup.
2. Microwave at high for 3 to 4 minutes. Butter will melt first and then start cooking.
3. Continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes more until you see butter foams up. You should be able to see foam on top and clarified butter and milk solids below in three distinct layers.
4. If you do not see foam separating on top, continue to cook in microwave for couple of more minutes.
5. Remove measuring cups from microwave, using spoon scoop off the foam from top. Please be careful while handling butter, the cup will be HOT!
6. Scoop all foam and discard it.
7. Using a fine sieve, filter clarified butter from milk solids.
8. Use clarified butter in the recipe.
9. You can store clarified butter at room temperature. It will keep for many weeks on the counter. You can refrigerate it.
10. Note – ghee will thicken and turn solid as it cools. That’s normal!

How To Make Movie Theater Popcorn?

Choosing The Pot-

Choose a large pot that has a lid. I like to use pot with glass lid, helps me peek in when lid is closed. Also keep in mind you want to use pot that is not too heavy. Cast iron pot isn’t idle for making popcorn, as you have to frequently shake the pot to prevent popcorn from burning.

Ghee or Clarified Butter-

Before you start popping, have clarified butter (note above section on how to make clarified butter at home) melted and ready.

Popcorn Salt-

You should also have popcorn salt ready near you.

Popcorn salt is nothing but regular salt with super fine texture. Take kosher salt and grind it in salt grinder or mortar-pestle until fine. Keep it next to use to sprinkle on popcorn soon as it’s ready.

Make Popcorn-

Keep large pot on stove and heat it. I wait until pot is hot enough before I add coconut oil.

Add coconut oil and swirl it around to coat the pop with oil all over.

Once coconut oil is hot, add popcorn kernels into it.

Swirl it around again to coat all kernels in coconut oil.

Note – popcorn kernels should be in single layer so all kernels gets heated evenly and pop. Highly advisable to make popcorn in smaller batches.

If you add too much popcorn kernels into the pot making them sit one on top of another, the kernels on the bottom will receive good heat and has more chance to pop, while the popcorn kernels sitting on top of bottom layer of popcorn will not be heated enough and might not pop.

Wait until one or two popcorn begins to pop.

Cover pot with lid, slightly ajar to release steam.

Note – I used glass lid pot with a small hole in it which helps to release steam. If you have lid with hole in it, cover it fully. If the lid does not have a hole or if you are using pressure cooker, place the lid in a way with a small gap to release steam.

Shake briefly every 30 seconds or so to prevent burning.

When all kernels have popped, you’ll hear popping slow down.

Turn off heat and remove pan from the heat.  Let popcorn sit for a minute or two so the popping stops completely.

While popcorn is still hot, sprinkle salt (to taste) and pour melted warm clarified butter or ghee.

Toss or shake well to evenly coat popcorn in salt and ghee.

Serve movie theater popcorn immediately.

Or let it cool completely and then store in air tight container.

Frequently Asked Questions

I Don’t Have Clarified Butter (ghee)! Can I Use Butter?

Using regular melted butter will tend to turn movie theater popcorn soggy. Butter has water content in it which will result in soggy popcorn.

If you want crunchy, crispy homemade popcorn that stays crunchy for days, please use clarified butter.

Making clarified butter isn’t hard. Please check section “how to make clarified butter (ghee)?” to know how to make it easily at home in few simple steps.

Why Didn’t My Popcorn Pop?

It really depends on the variety of kernels you used. Use the variety that is used for making popcorn not other variety like that used for making corn meal.

The other reason why popcorn kernels didn’t pop is you probably used cheap quality kernels. Please make sure to use premium brand of popcorn kernels.

Can I Use Butter Instead of Coconut Oil for Making Movie Theater Popcorn?

Butter has low smoking point and it will burn fast. Popcorn kernels will pop at high heat. Highly recommend you use coconut oil and not butter to make movie theater popcorn. No substitutions please!

I Don’t Like Coconut Oil! What Other Oil Can I Use?

Coconut oi is definitely the best to use.

If you can’t use coconut oil, you can try substituting with other oil that has high smoking point like canola oil. Please don’t use olive oil.

Note – I haven’t tested with canola oil. In case you do try it with canola oil, do come back and leave your feedback on how it went.

My Popcorn Didn’t Stay Crispy? What Did I Do Wrong?

If you followed the recipe as it is I guarantee you will have popcorn that stays crispy for days. I have tested in my kitchen twice, on third day popcorn was still crunchy.

Here are some of the reasons that I can guess why popcorn turned soggy –

• You used butter instead of coconut oil while popping.
• You substituted clarified butter or ghee with regular melted butter to pour on popped corn. Like mentioned butter has water content in it which will turn popcorn soggy.
• If storing popcorn, ensure to cool it completely before transferring it to air tight container.
• While making popcorn, use lid that has a hole or keep lid slightly ajar to help release steam. If steam is trapped inside the pop, it will tend to turn popcorn soggy.

My Popcorn Is Burnt!

You have to frequently shake the pot while it’s popping for brief period of time. Else popcorn will burn at the bottom. Shake briefly every 30 seconds to prevent burning.

Do not load up the pot, do small batches of popcorn at a time. If popcorn kernels don’t cover the bottom of the pop in single layer, you will end up with burnt popcorn.

If you want to double up the recipe, do it in multiple batches.

What Other Flavors Can I Add To Movie Theater Popcorn?

We love plain buttery salted popcorn.  But there are so many other flavors that you can try.

Instead of salt, you can add

• seasoning salt,
• Cajun seasoning,
• bbq seasoning,
• chili powder and salt,
• Grated parmesan too.

Tips to Make Movie Theater Popcorn

1. Combination of coconut oil to pop kernels and clarified butter or ghee pour on popcorn once ready is what will give you movie theater popcorn that stays crunchy for days. Do not alter this step.
2. Use corn kernels used for making popcorn.
3. Shake pot briefly every 30 seconds to prevent burning.
4. Do not load up the pot, do small batches of popcorn at a time. You want to have kernels cover the bottom of the pot in single layer.
5. If storing popcorn, ensure to cool completely before transferring to air tight containers.

MORE MOVIE TIME SNACKS:

Sweet Spicy Chex Mix

Baked Potato Wedges

Cauliflower Popcorn

Cinnamon Sugar Prezels

Cream Cheese Dip

White Queso Dip

Creamy Avocado Dip

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