Recipes and Cooking Snacks How to Make Popcorn on the Stove Perfectly Every Time Be the first to rate & review! When you know how to make popcorn on the stove simply from popcorn kernels and oil, you’ll always choose stovetop popcorn over bagged microwave popcorn. By Katlyn Moncada Katlyn Moncada Instagram Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience in digital media, photography, and video production. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on December 13, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Maryna Iaroshenko / Getty Images Total Time: 10 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 10 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts It’ll take a little bit longer, but the stovetop method eliminates the need for food additives and puts you in charge. Start popping to create popcorn recipes—classic buttered or truly gourmet popcorn loaded with seasoning and popcorn toppings. Maybe all you know is the convenience of microwave popcorn. It certainly has its time and place, but the classic stovetop popcorn method allows for complete customization and requires minimal ingredients and tools. All you need to make homemade stovetop popcorn is popcorn kernels, oil, and a saucepan with a lid. Stovetop Popcorn Math: ½ cup popcorn kernels will make about 10 cups of popped popcorn. Ingredients 1/2 cup popcorn 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp butter, melted Directions In a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 to 3 popcorn kernels to the oil. When the test kernels pop, you're ready to add the rest of your kernels. Test Kitchen Tip Use an oil that can withstand high temperatures without smoking or breaking down, such as canola oil or peanut oil. Do not use olive oil or butter. When the test kernels indicate the oil is ready, add the rest of your popcorn kernels all at once. Give the pan a shake so all the kernels get coated with oil. Once you've added all your popcorn kernels and coated in oil: Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally and partially lifting the lid to let steam escape.When the popping slows, remove the pan from the heat and transfer the popcorn to a serving bowl. Add salt and butter, seasoning blends, and/or candy toppers to your popcorn as desired. Popcorn Recipes Use your stove top popcorn to make one of these delicious recipes: Curried Popcorn Toss Italian Popcorn S'mores Popcorn Balls Zesty Popcorn Mix Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 96 Calories 11g Fat 1g Carbs 0g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 95.7 % Daily Value * Total Fat 10.5g 14% Saturated Fat 0.8g 4% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 7.5mg 0% Total Carbohydrate 0.5g 0% Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0% Total Sugars 0g Protein 0.1g Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 0mg 0% Calcium 0.2mg 0% Iron 0mg 0% Potassium 2.4mg 0% Fatty acids, total trans 0.4g Vitamin D 0IU Alanine 0g Arginine 0g Ash 0g Aspartic acid 0g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 0.1mg Copper, Cu 0mg Cystine 0g Energy 400.3kJ Fluoride, F 0mcg Folate, total 0.1mcg Glutamic acid 0g Glycine 0g Histidine 0g Isoleucine 0g Leucine 0g Lysine 0g Methionine 0g Magnesium, Mg 0.9mg Manganese, Mn 0mg Niacin 0mg Phosphorus, P 2.5mg Pantothenic acid 0mg Phenylalanine 0g Phytosterols 25.5mg Proline 0g Retinol 0.1mcg Selenium, Se 0mcg Serine 0g Starch 0.4g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1mg Tryptophan 0g Tyrosine 0g Valine 0g Vitamin A, IU 2.2IU Vitamin A, RAE 0.2mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 20.2mcg Water 0g Zinc, Zn 0mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.