This Buttery Garlic Parmesan Popcorn is so quick and easy to make at home, plus you can customize the flavors you add to suit your tastes! Garlic-infused butter and parmesan smells and tastes incredible on this light and airy homemade popcorn.
Why you should make this popcorn at home
- Making popcorn in a large pot takes only minutes to pop
- Create your own movie theater popcorn flavors at home
- You can add more or less butter based on your preference (and it’s real butter!)
- You can control the amount of salt for a healthier snack option
- The popcorn is light and airy
What kind of butter should I use?
- Some homemade popcorn recipes will recommend ghee or clarified butter
- I prefer the ease of using regular unsalted butter since I always have it on hand, but you can use ghee or clarified butter if you wish
- If you’re vegan, you can use plant-based butter as a substitute
- The butter will be added over the popcorn once it’s fully popped
Ingredients for this recipe
- Popping Corn Kernels
- Freshly grated Parmesan (or substitute with Nutritional Yeast which is so tasty)
- Unsalted Butter (use salted butter if you like extra salty popcorn)
- A clove of fresh garlic (or sub with garlic powder)
- Smoked paprika for a “bacon” smoky flavor
- Neutral cooking oil (grapeseed, avocado, canola, etc)
- Salt
Making the garlic butter
Simply melt the butter over medium heat so as not to burn the butter. Grate the garlic with a microplane as shown below or finely mince. Gently simmer the garlic until just fragrant, then remove from the heat and set aside.
How to pop popcorn on the stove
Use a large stock pot to allow for plenty of room for the popcorn to pop. Add a neutral cooking oil and pop kernels over medium-high heat or according to package directions. Cover with a lid to allow the popcorn to steam and keep it from popping all over the counter and into your eyeballs!
Remove from heat as soon as most of the kernels have popped top to prevent popcorn from burning. Pour into a separate large bowl to stop the cooking process.
Pour popcorn in another bowl to stop the cooking process and prevent burning. Pour melted garlic butter immediately over the freshly popped popcorn and stir to coat.
Sprinkle grated parmesan, salt, and smoked paprika (or flavors of choice) and stir to coat evenly.
Obviously, serve the popcorn immediately to enjoy the popcorn at its peak freshness!
Other types of butter for this recipe
Some people prefer to use ghee or clarified butter for a smoother butter finish, but I typically don’t have those on-hand so I opt for regular butter.
Recipes to serve with popcorn on Bessie Bakes
Bon Appetit Ya’ll,
Leslie O.
Buttery Garlic Parmesan Popcorn
Equipment
- 1 Large pot with a lid for popping the popcorn
- 1 Large Bowl for mixing the popcorn seasonings and butter
- 1 small saucepan for melting the garlic butter
- 1 small bowl to cool the butter down in
Ingredients
Garlic Butter
- 1 clove garlic finely minced, or ¼ tsp garlic powder (see recipe instructions for this step)
- 4 TBSP butter unsalted
What you need to pop the Popcorn
- 2 TBSP neutral oil like canola, avocado, or grapeseed oil
- ½ cup plain corn kernels
Seasonings for the popcorn
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika optional
- ¼-½ cup parmesan add to taste
Instructions
- Shred the ¼-½ cup parmesan. Set aside.
For the Garlic Butter
- Finely mince the garlic clove with a microplane, a garlic press, or a knife.
- Heat a small saucepan over medium heat so as not to burn the butter or garlic.
- Add the 4 TBSP butter to sauce pan and melt.
- Once the butter is melted, add the garlic clove and gently simmer in butter until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in a small bowl to stop the cooking process. If you are using garlic powder in place of of fresh garlic, add the garlic powder to the seasoning mix instead of adding it with the butter.
Popping the popcorn
- In a large deep pot, add 2 TSBP oil and the ½ cup of corn kernels over medium-high heat. Cover with a lid and shake the pot occasionally to evenly disperse the kernels in the heat and oil. This should take only a few minutes so don't walk away.Once most of the kernels are popped, remove from heat and add to a large bowl to prevent popcorn from burning.
Seasoning the popcorn
- Pour the garlic butter over the popcorn and toss to coat immediately.
- Season with ¼ tsp salt (or salt to taste), ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional), and add the ¼-½ cup shredded parmesan and toss to coat evenly.If using garlic powder in place of fresh garlic, add it to the bowl at this point.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Optional Seasonings for the Popcorn
- Nutritional Yeast can be used as a vegan replacement for parmesan. Sprinkle it in to taste.
- Red pepper flakes can be added for a little extra heat.
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