Enjoy homemade microwave popcorn with just a few easy steps! Using one of two simple methods, you can enjoy perfectly popped, fluffy, popcorn at home whenever the craving strikes.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn in black bowl.

Whether craving a savory, salty snack or gearing up for a movie night at home, homemade popcorn is one of my go-to healthy snacks.

Why You Will Love Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Quality Control. Store-bought packets of microwave popcorn are often high in sodium and fat and sometimes have questionable added ingredients. But this recipe for homemade microwave popcorn is made with just popcorn kernels, salt, and a tiny bit of oil. Nothing questionable here!
Ridiculously Easy to Make. While making homemade popcorn on the stove is fairly simple, using the microwave to make freshly popped popcorn is even easier. And faster!
Cheap. Homemade Microwave Popcorn is a fraction of the price of store-bought microwave popcorn.
Healthy Snack. Popcorn itself is actually quite good for you. It is a whole grain, loaded with fiber, and low in calories, yet it satisfies the craving for a salty snack.

What You Need to Make Microwave Popcorn

Ingredients for making microwave popcorn at home on counter. Heat safe bowl, brown lunch bags, popcorn salt, cooking spray, oil, and popcorn kernels.

Popcorn Kernels: Use yellow or white popcorn kernels to make popcorn. I will say in all of my recipe experiments, Orville Redenbacher's brand of popcorn kernels pop better than generic and have been well worth the extra cost.
Oil/Cooking Spray: To help season the popcorn and help the salt adhere to the popcorn, you want to spray the popcorn kernels with an avocado oil cooking spray or drizzle them lightly with olive oil, avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or canola oil. If you are looking to enjoy buttered popcorn, add melted butter to the popcorn after it has popped. The butter tends to burn in the microwave before the kernels can fully pop.
Salt: If you intend to enjoy homemade popcorn often, I recommend keeping popcorn salt on hand. Popcorn salt has finer grains, so it sticks to the nooks and crannies of the popcorn itself better than table salt. By all means, use table salt (iodized) salt if that is what you have on hand.
Seasonings: There are endless options for seasoning homemade microwave popcorn. You can keep it classic and drizzle with melted butter or flavor with the seasoning blends I share below. Personally, a bit of salt is all I find homemade microwave popcorn to need.
Equipment: To make popcorn in the microwave, you need to use either a covered heat-safe bowl or brown paper lunch bags.
- Mircrowave-Safe Bowl: For the bowl, you can opt to use a silicone or glass bowl designed for making popcorn in the microwave. If you don't have either of those bowls, use a heat-safe 7-cup bowl and a heat-safe plate that is large enough to cover your bowl. Just be sure they are heat-safe to ensure the bowl and/or plate don't crack from the heat in the microwave.
- Brown Paper Bag: Disposable brown lunch bags make the perfect vessel for popping popcorn in the microwave. Do not try to reuse the paper bag unless you opted to NOT add oil.

Seasoning Options for Homemade Popcorn

The options for flavoring microwave popcorn are endless. Follow the recipe as written, then if desired, add additional seasonings using one of the suggestions below.

Movie Theather Style: Drizzle the popped popcorn with 2-4 tablespoons of melted butter.
Italian-Seasoned Popcorn: Sprinkle the microwave-popped popcorn with ½ teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
Sweet & Savory: Add dark chocolate chips and peanuts to the salted popcorn.
Cheesy Popcorn: Omit the added salt and toss the popcorn with 1 tablespoon of macaroni and cheese seasoning or ¼ cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese.
Cinnamon Sugar: Combine 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the popcorn.
Ranch-Flavored Popcorn: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Ranch Seasoning over the popped popcorn.

How to Make Homemade Popcorn in a Microwave

You can opt to use a large microwave-safe bowl or a brown paper lunch bag to make homemade microwave popcorn.

Method 1: Making Microwave Popcorn Using a Paper Bag

Making homemade microwave popcorn using a brown paper lunch bag is a simple, mess-free way to enjoy homemade popcorn.

Place up to ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels into the brown paper bag. Spray with cooking spray or drizzle the kernels with oil and add in the salt.
Fold the top of the bag over twice to "seal" and shake to coat the kernels evenly in the salt and oil.
Place the bag on its side and microwave for 2-5 minutes. I suggest setting the cooking time to 6 minutes. Once the popcorn begins to pop, listen closely and stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping.
Remove the popcorn bag carefully from the microwave and carefully open it, keeping in mind that steam will escape the bag when opened.

Brown bag folded over with popcorn kernels inside and oil to the side.

Method 2: Making Microwave Popcorn Using a Bowl

If you don't have brown lunch bags on hand or want to cut back on waste, use a large heat-safe bowl with a lid. While you can purchase a bowl designed for popping popcorn in the microwave, you can also use a heat-safe bowl fitted with a plate as a lid. Just keep in mind that the bowl MUST be heat-safe, otherwise it can crack and it will be very hot when removing it from the microwave.

Pour up to ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels into a large heat-safe bowl or bowl designed for popping popcorn in the microwave. Spray with cooking spray or drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Stir to evenly coat the popcorn kernels with the salt and oil.
Cover the bowl with a large heat-safe plate or the lid that came with the microwave popcorn bowl.
Place the bowl into the microwave and set the cooking time for 6 minutes. Once the popcorn begins to pop, listen closely and stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping. You will likely not need more than 4 minutes of cooking time.
Use pot holders to carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and then use caution to remove the lid or plate from the bowl.

popcorn kernels in glass bowl with plate on top ready for microwave.

∗ important tips to remember ∗

Use caution! Use oven mitts to remove your bowl or bag from the microwave. And keep in mind that steam will be released from either the bag or bowl when opened.
Don't try popping more than ⅓ cup of kernels at a time, as this can result in an excess of unpopped kernels.
DO NOT USE PYREX BOWLS! They can not stand the heat!
Use oil. While you technically don't need to add oil or spray the kernels with a cooking spray, I highly recommend doing so. A small amount of oil will help to flavor the popcorn and help the salt adhere to the popcorn.
I have found it is best to season with salt before microwaving the popcorn. However, it is best to add alternative or additional seasonings AFTER microwaving the popcorn, as things like ranch seasoning or parmesan cheese can burn when microwaved.
Listen carefully when popping. Once the popcorn kernels begin to pop, keep a close eye (or ear) on the microwave. Stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping.
Timing is based on the wattage of your microwave. The time it takes your popcorn to pop will be dependent on how powerful your microwave is. I find most microwaves need between 2-4 minutes to pop ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels in the microwave.
Not all kernels will pop. That's okay. Simply discard those kernels. Don't try to continue cooking to get them to pop, as that will cause the popcorn to burn.

How to Serve Homemade Popcorn

Homemade Popcorn is best enjoyed immediately after preparing in the microwave when it is warm, fluffy, and crisp. If you do happen to have leftover microwave popcorn, let it cool to room temperature and then store it in an airtight container for up to 24 hours at room temperature. While safe to enjoy well past 24 hours, I find that the popcorn will begin to taste stale and past that point.

More Easy Homemade Snacks

If you enjoyed making microwave popcorn at home, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Using one of two simple methods, you can enjoy perfectly popped, fluffy, popcorn at home whenever the craving strikes.

4.75 from 56 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 2

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 7

Servings:

Calories: 60kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

▢ ⅓ cup popcorn kernels white or yellow
▢ ½ teaspoon oil olive oil, avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or canola oil (or avocado cooking spray)
▢ ½-1 teaspoon popcorn salt or regular table salt

Instructions

Using a Bowl

Add popcorn kernels to the bowl. Spray or drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, and stir to evenly coat the kernels with the salt and oil. Cover the bowl with a heat-safe plate or the lid provided with the microwave popcorn bowl.
Place the bowl into the microwave and set the cooking time for 6 minutes. Once the popcorn begins to pop, listen closely and stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping. You will likely not need more than 4 minutes of cooking time.
Use pot holders to carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and then use caution to remove the lid or plate from the bowl.
Season with additional seasonings and/or melted butter if desired and enjoy immediately.

Using a Brown Bag

Place ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels into the brown paper bag. Spray with cooking spray or drizzle the kernels with oil and add in the salt.
Fold the top of the bag over twice to "seal" and shake to coat the kernels evenly in the salt and oil.
Place the bag on its side and microwave for 2-5 minutes. I suggest setting the cooking time to 6 minutes. Once the popcorn begins to pop, listen closely and stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping.
Remove the popcorn bag carefully from the microwave and carefully open it, keeping in mind that steam will escape the bag when opened.
Season with additional seasonings and/or melted butter if desired and enjoy immediately.

Equipment Needed

Notes

Amount or Kernels: Don't try popping more than ⅓ cup of kernels at a time, as this can result in an excess of unpopped kernels.

Listen carefully when popping. Once the popcorn kernels begin to pop, keep a close eye (or ear) on the microwave. Stop the cooking time when 2 to 3 seconds go by without hearing kernels popping.

Timing is based on the wattage of your microwave. The time it takes your popcorn to pop will be dependent on how powerful your microwave is. I find most microwaves need between 2-4 minutes to pop ⅓ cup of popcorn kernels in the microwave.

Not all kernels will pop. That's okay. Simply discard those kernels. Don't try to continue cooking to get them to pop, as that will cause the popcorn to burn.

Storage: Let leftover popcorn cool to room temperature and then store it in an airtight container for up to 24 hours at room temperature. While safe to enjoy well past 24 hours, I find that the popcorn will begin to taste stale and past that point. It is honestly best enjoyed immediately after preparation.

DO NOT USE PYREX BOWLS! They can not stand the heat!

Nutrition

Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fiber: 1g

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