I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but making your own popcorn at home is not only way cheaper but so much better for you than buying that crapity crap in a bag that’s filled with all sorts of fake butter and chemicals.
The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird is our chief popcorn maker and she has been using this recipe for as long as I can remember. Perfect for Friday Night at The Movies or any other day of the week.
Ingredients
1/4 cup good popcorn kernals
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Paper lunch bag
Stapler
Directions
Measure popcorn and toss it into the bottom of a plain brown paper bag. Add salt and olive oil and give it a good shake. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the corners closed.
Place the paper bag in the microwave and microwave on high for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, or until there are a few seconds between pops.
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.
Anne F. says
Do you have to use oil or is it just to make the salt stick to the kernels?
I usually air-pop mine to make it fat free.
Pam says
Oh yeah, I dusted off my air popper a long time ago when the oil and whatever else from the microwave popcorn started coating my tongue and making my mouth feel gross. Love the air popped stuff!
Ashley says
You can make it without oil, but the salt doesn’t stick as well 🙂
Pam says
I’m not willing to experiment with my microwave, but I heard a long time ago that metal may go in a microwave provided there isn’t an irregular surface that might arc – like a tinfoil antenna or something. Provided the staples are curved down right against the bag it’s probably all right. The photos look like it all came out okay.
Ais'Lynn says
Most teas bags have staples and I’ve never had an issue with heating them in the micro
Christine says
We do this too! Since you are into gardening – have you ever grown your own popcorn? We tried a few years back with not much luck – wondering if anyone has had luck with it.
Mavis says
I tried and it didn’t work out so well. 🙁
Teckla says
My Mom used to grow popcorn every year. I remember helping rub the kernels from the cob and getting it ready to remove the chaff and store. It worked great and we loved it. I no longer remember what variety she planted, and it may no longer be available as that was late 50’s, early 60’s! lol! I’m sure there are new varieties available. I’d go for it!
Teckla says
Oh, by the way, I forgot to say we lived in Oakridge, OR at the time, up near the Willamette Pass on Hwy 58. The climate wouldn’t have been too different from yours. Mom also occasionally, let the kernels sit an hour or so (sometimes on the porch) before using so they would draw moisture and pop better.
pat Lewis says
I bought (at Target) for about $8. a microwaveable bowl with a lid that’s designed for making microwave popcorn! It works great, I don’t need to buy paper bags and according to the directions, the bowl can be used for other things! It actually gave us less “old maids” than the microwave kind!
Amanda says
The staples make me nervous! That said, I’ve done this by folding it down a bunch of times in a pinch. As for at home, I’ve got a bowl made for air-popped microwave popcorn. Yum!
Sarah says
I do this minus the staples & with just plain popcorn. I “spritz” my popcorn VERY lightly with water and sprinkle with Nutritional Yeast to make it cheesy when I pull it from the microwave 🙂
Lynn says
We’ve never used oil either. Just “air popped” in the bag {with no staples either — just fold over} in the microwave allows us to put whatever toppings {or not} on our popcorn afterwards. Since doing our own bagged popcorn in the microwave–we have SAVED SO much. We feel it’s healthier too. My husband who was recently diagnosed with diabetics has since discovered that a bowl of popcorn at night before he goes to bed will give him GREAT blood sugar readings in the morning when he wakes up. Win win situations here. We will never go back to store bought microwave popcorn again.
Trina says
teabags have staples on them and my dad makes his tea in the microwave with the tea bags in the cup so staples can go in the microwave
debbie says
I do this often and use tape to hold the bag closed or nothing at all and just fold over the end of the bag a couple times. No need for staples at all – for those who are worried.
Teresa says
Try it with the coconut oil sometime, smells very tropical and is a very healthy oil, taste is slight but nice coconut flavor.
Sandra Sanders says
Use expeller-pressed coconut oil for cooking if you don’t care for the coconutty flavor. We use non-GMO popcorn(there is an Amish brand available) and pop ours in a stainless steel pot on the stove. (Did you know microwaves alter your food’s makeup and reduce its nutritional punch?) After emptying the pot, we melt raw butter and pour it over the popcorn, then sprinkle with Celtic sea salt. The nutrients in this wonderful snack are amazing!! Coconut oil actually helps with weight loss by providing the body with readily burnable fuel, so it doesn’t get stored as fat. Raw butter from grass-fed cows is slammed full of nutrients. LOVE me some popcorn!
Connie says
I like the idea of coconut oil. I’ll have to give that a try.
Shelley van Erp says
FYI the popcorn pops fine but I have ruined several microwaves until realizing the bags can contain bits of metal too.
Jennifer says
The movie theater I used to work at pops their popcorn in coconut oil, you can’t taste it and it is healthier!
David says
Great idea ! I never heard of it but I will certainly be trying it. I’m a popcorn fanatic.
Thank you so much.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Do the staples not spark? OMG it would for sure in mine. I have little dishes with a teeny tiny tiny tiny bit of gold on them and wasn’t thinking (they were handed down to me from a few generations- I love them) and tried to melt butter in one and OMG I thought I was going to die. But my cousin makes it sans the paper bag in just a normal dish with I think a glass top- so I think maybe a Pyrex type dish. I’ll have to ask her.
KK