Home · Recipes · Recipes · Side Dishes Homemade Microwave Popcorn Author: Maryanne CabreraPublished: Jan 19, 2017Updated: Feb 8, 2022 View Recipe8 ReviewsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy. Homemade microwave popcorn is quick, easy, and super customizable! All you need is a paper bag, popcorn kernels, and a microwave. Craving something crunchy to snack on? Want something more nutritious than potato chips or salted pretzels? Microwave popcorn is the answer! Hot, freshly popped popcorn is a great healthy snack. It’s easy to customize to your liking. Want something simple? Just add a little butter and salt. Looking for something more adventurous? Toss in ranch powder or curry powder! Microwave Popcorn Growing up, I consumed tons and tons of that packaged, plastic wrapped super buttery microwave popcorn. Obviously, this was before anyone mentioned anything about all the chemicals found in microwave popcorn. It was the good ol’ 80s and 90s when bigger was better and easiest was best. My eyes were opened sometime in middle school when a science teacher showed us how to make stove top popcorn. The following year, another teacher showed us how to make popcorn in a brown paper bag. My. mind. was. blown. And then best part of homemade popcorn- you can flavor it with whatever you want! Super Simple Paper Bag Popcorn microwavepaper bagpopcorn kernels Beyond a working microwave, all you need is a brown paper bag (the one I’m using is 4 x 5 x 10.5 inches, use this size or larger). No special tools or fancy equipment is necessary. Popcorn kernels are widely available at supermarkets. They come in all sorts of varieties: organic, yellow popcorn, white popcorn, rainbow popcorn. You can pop your popcorn and enjoy as is, OR you can flavor it to your heart’s content. Popcorn Flavor Mix-Ins: Melted buttermelted coconut oilsea saltcurry powderranch powdermac and cheese powderfurikake The possibilities are endless. You could also go the sweet route and flavor the popcorn with cinnamon sugar. Place kernels in paper bag. Fold over top of bag to seal. Place bag upright in microwave. Cook depending on your microwave wattage. See notes for details.Allow popcorn bag to cool slightly before opening. The steam will be very hot! Open bag and drizzle in melted butter.Shake bag to distribute butter.Season with salt.Season with additional flavors. Shake bag to distribute. Whether you want to cozy up with a book or catch up on movies, a bowl of homemade microwave popcorn is a few minutes away! What to do with excess popcorn? Here are some ideas: peanut butter chocolate cake with caramel popcorn, peppermint bark caramel popcorn, or movie night ice cream! Homemade Microwave Popcorn No ratings yet Do-it-yourself microwave popcorn is quick, easy, and super customizable! All you need is a paper bag, popcorn kernels, and a microwave. Yield: about 4 cups cooked popcorn Prep Time: 5 minutes minutesCook Time: 3 minutes minutesTotal Time: 8 minutes minutes Servings: 2 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Ingredients▢ ¼ cup popcorn kernels▢ 2 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter*▢ kosher salt, to taste▢ 1-3 teaspoons flavoring of choice, adjust according to tasteFlavor Mix-Ins Options:▢ ranch powder▢ curry powder▢ mac and cheese powder▢ salt and black pepper▢ grated Parmesan cheese Instructions Place popcorn kernels in brown paper bag*. Fold over ½-inch top of bag over twice to seal. Place bag upright in microwave.Depending on the wattage of your microwave, cook popcorn for 90 seconds to 3 minutes. Cook until there are 2 second gaps between pops. (NOTE: For reference, I have an 1100 W microwave and it took 90 seconds for my popcorn bag). *Allow popcorn bag to cool for 30 seconds before opening. Some kernels may continue to pop after removal from microwave.Unfold paper bag. Drizzle 1 to 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Shake bag to distribute butter. Add a pinch of salt to season. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of desired flavor powder. Shake bag to distribute flavorings. Pour popcorn into serving bowl and enjoy immediately. Notes You can also use olive oil or melted coconut oil in place of butter. The dimensions of the brown paper bag I used are ( L x W x H): 4 x 5 x 10.5 inches. Use this size or larger. Cook popcorn until there are 2 second gaps between pops. Some kernels will not pop. Do not cook until there are no longer any popping sounds. At this point, the popcorn will likely be burned. It is better to err on the side of caution and end up with less popcorn. All images and text ©The Little Epicurean NutritionCalories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg Author: Maryanne Cabrera Course: Appetizer, SnackCuisine: American Did you make this recipe?Show us on Instagram! Tag @littleepicurean and hashtag #littleepicurean.
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says: January 20, 2017 I LOVE that you can enjoy popcorn without all of the chemicals! Think of all of the flavors you can add! Reply
Fernando @ Eating With Your Hands says: January 21, 2017 You know popcorn is hand food so I can’t be mad at that! Totally agree on movie popcorn, it’s just the worst and I hate myself the few times I succumb to it haha. Don’t know if you know the brand “Proper Corn”, but that is seriously good. We just bought a box of it for our movie nights at home. Reply
Maryanne Cabrera says: January 30, 2017 I just checked out “Proper Corn” and it looks tasty! I’m definitely going to look for it :)
Cookin Canuck says: January 21, 2017 This is how I make microwave popcorn too, which is always a fun project to do with my kids. Love your mix-in ideas! Reply
Laura | PetiteAllergyTreats says: January 21, 2017 I love homemade popcorn but not the mess! This would be a perfect healthy snack! Reply
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen says: January 22, 2017 I am so excited to try this for our next family movie night! I love fresh popcorn but don’t like using those microwave bags; too much junk in them. My kids will be so excited for this!! Reply