How to Best Season Your Popcorn

Popcorn is such a versatile snack. It can be anything from a salty snack for movie night to a sweet and decadent dessert. You can make your popcorn a simple, healthy snack or you can pile on the popcorn seasonings, adding tons of flavor and excitement.

While the popcorn kernels are always the same, you can completely change your bowl of popcorn with the toppings. The best popcorn seasonings will give your favorite snack a whole new life and can transform a regular bowl of popcorn into something really incredible.

Let’s dive into the world of popcorn toppings and learn about the best way to season popcorn.

How to Get Popcorn Seasonings to Stick

Most popcorn seasonings are dry and powdery. If you sprinkle a dry seasoning over a bowl of dry popcorn, all of the seasoning is just going to fall to the bottom of the bowl. This won’t be tasty at all. 

To help the seasonings stick to the popped popcorn, it is a good idea to drizzle some melted butter, olive oil, or melted coconut oil over the popcorn before you season it. Greasing the popcorn will make the seasonings stick to every kernel, giving you all the flavor you are looking for without any waste.

There is a trick to adding oil to the bowl of popcorn. Rather than pour the oil on, you can spray it instead. Spraying a light mist of oil will coat the popcorn evenly. It also lets you use less oil, keeping your popcorn healthy and delicious.

It is best to season homemade popcorn like air-popped popcorn or stovetop popcorn. You can season microwave popcorn as well, just be sure it doesn’t already have butter or seasoning in the bag. Too much oil or too many spices may not taste so great.

Also, seasonings may not stick as well to popcorn that already had artificial flavorings added to the unpopped kernels. Stick to seasoning a small bowl of homemade popcorn with a spritz of oil and some dry seasonings and you will have great success. 

9 Homemade Seasoning Recipes to Try

There are so many different seasoning combinations that go well with popcorn. Sure, movie theater butter and salt is always a classic. But, it is time to venture out and try new, exciting seasonings. We have quite a few you may love.

Making your own popcorn seasonings is surprisingly easy. Most seasonings can be put together in seconds, giving you the intense, delicious flavor you are looking for in your popcorn bowl. All of these seasoning recipes work for about 5 cups of popped popcorn. You can adjust the amount of butter or oil to suit your personal tastes. Homemade popcorn seasonings are totally flexible. 

Savory Popcorn Recipes

1. Garlic Parmesan

Garlic parmesan is a great seasoning for those who want popcorn that is both refined and luxurious while also being fun. Use freshly grated parmesan cheese or powdered parmesan. Both types of cheese will work wonderfully. 

Here is what you need to make garlic parmesan popcorn:

• Garlic powder
• A pinch of salt
• Black pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese

2. Ranch 

Ranch seasoning is delicious on so many things. Why not add the tasty flavor of ranch to popcorn? You can make your own, classic ranch-flavored popcorn by using these dry seasonings:

• Dried dill
• Dried chives
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

3. Cheesy (and Dairy-Free) Popcorn

You can make amazing, cheese-flavored popcorn without any dairy. It is also super easy to do, requiring just one ingredient: nutritional yeast.

Nutritional yeast is a type of inactive yeast that has a strong, nutty, and cheesy flavor. It is sold as a powder or as flakes. Nutritional yeast is loved by anyone who wants to skip dairy but still enjoy the taste of cheese. It also has lots of health benefits which means that adding it to your bowl of popcorn will make your favorite healthy snack even more beneficial. 

4. Barbecue

Barbecue-flavored popcorn sounds almost too good to be true. Adding the rich, smoky taste of BBQ to popcorn is pretty easy to do. Spritz your popcorn with some butter or oil and then add:

• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Brown sugar
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt

5. Chili Lime

Chili lime popcorn has a spicy and tangy taste. It is irresistible and you are sure to want to eat handful after handful of this unique popcorn. Here is what you need to make chili lime-seasoned popcorn at home:

• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Lime juice

Sweet Popcorn Recipes

6. Cinnamon

Cinnamon makes popcorn taste like a salty, sweet dessert. It is an especially great popcorn flavor to enjoy in the fall when warm flavors, like cinnamon, are quite popular. 

Cinnamon is also known to have lots of health benefits and an anti-inflammatory effect. Cinnamon was once a rare and high prices spice but now, you can find cinnamon in any grocery store and even on Amazon. Here is what to add to your popcorn to make a sweet, cinnamon snack:

• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Salt

7. PB and Honey

Adding sticky peanut butter and sweet honey to popcorn is one of the easiest ways to make a perfect dessert. The ingredients may be a little tough to work with but the end result is well worth it. A little trick is to heat the peanut butter and honey in the microwave for a few seconds before drizzling it over the popcorn. The warm PB and honey will coat the popped popcorn perfectly. 

Mix all of these ingredients together in a small bowl then toss in some popcorn:

• Peanut butter
• Honey
• Vanilla extract

8. Just Desserts

Want to make popcorn that is packed with sweet and salty flavors? Make a trail mix, dessert-style popcorn mix. While this combination may not be the healthiest, it will definitely be amazing.

Mix your popped popcorn with:

• Pretzels
• Licorice pieces
• M&Ms
• A pinch of salt

9. Chocolate Caramel

You can’t go wrong with the classic mix of chocolate, caramel, and popcorn. With this popcorn flavor combination, you never have to choose between caramel popcorn and chocolate popcorn again.

Drizzle melted chocolate and melted caramel over a bowl of popped popcorn, tossing the popcorn as you drizzle to coat every piece evenly. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and then enjoy. 

Get More Snacking Inspiration with Popsmith 

A big bowl of popcorn is always a tasty snack. However, adding seasonings, spices, and toppings to popcorn makes it so much better.

We love creating new and exciting popcorn-themed snacks. We are always posting new recipes and articles so be sure to check back for the latest themes in the popcorn world. We're your main source for snack inspiration and popcorn education. We will see you soon and happy snacking.