Who doesn’t love popcorn? From grabbing a bucket for movie night to cooking up a quick afternoon bite, popcorn is a convenient, low-calorie snack that’s great any time of day.

Kick up the flavor of your next batch with these DIY popcorn seasoning recipes. And if you have a sweet tooth, we’ve got you covered with a delicious cinnamon sugar popcorn topping. Let’s get poppin’!

Popcorn Nutrition

Popcorn is practically a perfect snack. It’s a whole grain, since kernels are unprocessed grain seeds, and it’s low in calories while packing in both fiber and protein. Here’s a quick rundown of popcorn nutrition.¹

• 1 cup of popcorn contains just over a gram of fiber, plus a gram of protein
• It’s low in both fat & sugar & contains no cholesterol
• There are only 6 grams of carbs & 100 to 150 calories per cup
• Popcorn also provides vitamins & minerals, including folate, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin E & vitamin K

Making your own popcorn at home with organic popcorn kernels is best, so you can skip the preservatives found in many pre-packaged microwave popcorn options. And if you’re watching your intake of fats or oils, try an air popper, which lets you pop your corn using nothing but air.

How to Make Popcorn

To make popcorn you’ll need just a few simple ingredients:

• 1/3 cup organic popcorn kernels (makes 10 cups popped)
• 3 tablespoons certified organic coconut oil
• 1 large saucepan
• Paper bag (for tossing with your seasoning of choice)

Homemade Popcorn Instructions

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat
2. Carefully add 3 or 4 kernels to the oil & cover the pan
3. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn to the pan & cover
4. Shake the pan gently & frequently while keeping it over the heat
5. Once the popping slows to a few seconds between each pop, remove from the heat & pour into a large bowl

Once you’ve made your popcorn, it’s time to give it some flavor with seasoning. Below you’ll find our favorite popcorn seasoning ideas.

DIY Popcorn Seasoning Recipes

When making each of the recipes below, the process is simple. Just combine all the dry ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on high for a few seconds until you have a powdered consistency. Store in a spice jar, baggie or container of your choice.

When you’re ready to use it, just toss warm popcorn into a paper bag, sprinkle some popcorn seasoning in (start with 1-3 tablespoons and adjust to taste) close the bag, shake to distribute, and enjoy! You can also toss your popcorn in some melted coconut oil before adding it to the bag so the seasoning will stick better.

Ranch Popcorn Seasoning Recipe

• 1 tablespoon onion flakes
• 2 teaspoon parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoon basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Ranch seasoning is flavor-packed and made with spices that you probably already have on hand, and they’re healthy too. For example, parsley alone contains a variety of nutrients including potassium, folate and vitamin K. And basil delivers vitamin C, calcium and iron.

Parmesan Rosemary Popcorn Seasoning Recipe

• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated parmesan

Rosemary is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your body from harmful free radicals.

Matcha Sea Salt Popcorn Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Matcha is a finely milled powder of green tea leaves. It’s revered for its potent antioxidant properties.

Spicy Chipotle Popcorn Seasoning

• 1 teaspoon Tabasco^® or jalapeño pepper sauce (add to the oil used for popping)
• 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Chipotle powder contains capsaicin from peppers, which has metabolic-boosting benefits. It’s also what gives pepper its spice!

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Seasoning

• 2 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon is known to support cardiovascular health and metabolic function, plus it tastes delicious and pairs perfectly with brown sugar.

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning

• 2 tablespoon coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder

Curry powder is a blend of many amazing spices, including turmeric, which has many health uses. Read What is Turmeric? to learn more.

Taco Popcorn Seasoning Recipe

• 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

Nutritional yeast is known for its cheese-like flavor. It contains 7 different B vitamins, including vitamin B-12, niacin and folic acid.

Adding healthy seasoning to popcorn takes it from plain to flavorful in no time.  If you enjoyed reading this article, you may also like 6 Healthy Movie Snacks You’ll Love and 4 Delicious, Healthy Baked Donut Recipe Hacks. Don’t forget to subscribe to our Swanson Health Emails to get expert advice and our best promotions delivered straight to your inbox.

 

 

 

 

About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD
Registered Dietitian, Swanson Health Products

Lindsey is a nationally recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for pie. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food.

Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition and, ultimately, led her to Swanson Health.

Sources

¹ Is popcorn a healthy snack? It can be! United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars.usda.gov/plains-area/gfnd/gfhnrc/docs/news-2012/is-popcorn-a-healthy-snack-it-can-be/

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

This article was originally posted in June 2016 and updated in June 2019.