Stovetop Popcorn

Make the perfect Stovetop Popcorn at home with this easy recipe! Recipe with step-by-step photos.

Stovetop Popcorn Recipe

It might seem odd to give a recipe for Stovetop Popcorn when you can easily make a bag of microwave popcorn. But as we don’t own a microwave (a fact which has continually amazed our friends that we have survived raising kids thus far without one), I thought I would share how easy it is to make Stovetop Popcorn.

Cooking Popcorn on Stove

The advantages of making your own popcorn at home is that you can make it healthier. You can use healthier fats, and you can even leave out the salt entirely.

Homemade Popcorn

Homemade popcorn is a must whenever we have a movie night at home, or even when the kids invite their friends over for a play date.

If the kids are eating popcorn, I tend to omit the salt. Of course, they love their popcorn salted, but having seen them demolish a large bowl of plain popcorn without any complaints, they seem to enjoy unsalted popcorn just fine.

What I think makes a difference is serving the popcorn warm. Not only does a batch of freshly-made popcorn make your home smell of a movie theatre (for better or worse), eating warm popcorn which is unsalted is more appetising that eating it cold.

How to Make Stovetop Popcorn

Step 1

Melt the coconut oil into a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat.

Once the coconut oil has melted, add a few popcorn kernels and wait until they pop. This step is to make sure the coconut oil has warmed up to the right temperature.

Step 2

When the first few popcorn kernels have popped, add the remaining kernels, and cover with a lid. I like to use a glass lid so I can see what is happening in the pan, and the kids definitely get a kick out of this too!

After a few minutes, the popcorn should start popping rapidly.

Step 3

If the popcorn starts to reach the top of the pan (which you can see if you are using a glass lid), simply remove the popped popcorn to a large serving bowl. Return the lid to the pan to continue cooking.

Shake the pan from side-to-side a few times to allow any unpopped kernels to fall to the bottom of the pan.

Once the popping reduces to about one per second, this signals that most of the kernels have popped.

Sometimes some of the kernels will not pop, so you can discard these unpopped kernels.

Take the pan off the heat. Sprinkle the popcorn with salt (if using) and toss well before serving.

More Party Recipes

If you are looking for more party recipes, you might also like:

Caramel Slice (Millionaire’s Shortbread)

Easy Chocolate Brownies

Pork & Sage Sausage Rolls

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