Rediscover the simple method for stovetop popcorn cooked in a skillet with healthy fat just like Grandma used to make. No special appliance is necessary!
Popcorn is a healthy treat that delights both young and old!
However, since the kernels are usually not soaked or fermented, be sure not to eat it too often!
Why Organic Popcorn is a Must
If homemade popcorn is something you enjoy frequently, I recommend buying sprouted popcorn (such as this brand). It is a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it as it is easier to digest.
At the very least, insist on organic loose popcorn, as conventional brands will likely be GMO and contain glyphosate residue (GMOs are highly sprayed with Roundup). This chemical herbicide is highly disruptive to the immune system and carcinogenic as well.
If you are fortunate to have heirloom popcorn available in your area, you will be delighted to notice that the softer, smaller kernels don’t get stuck in your teeth once popped!
Avoid All Microwave Brands
In addition to insisting on organic popcorn, it is important to avoid microwave versions.
This is because the packaging is toxic and the unnatural cooking method is denaturing to the molecules of the corn itself as it heats from the inside out (instead of outside in).
I am old enough to remember the time before microwaves became popular and the “microwave version” of commercial popcorn came in a throwaway aluminum pan with the kernels inside foil for popping on the stovetop!
Stovetop Making a Comeback!
Interestingly, as more people reject microwaves due to their denaturing of the food, Jiffy Pop stovetop popcorn is making a comeback (now unfortunately owned by globalist ConAgra Foods).
Sadly, the ingredients are TOTALLY different (and not in a good way) than when I was a kid. Not to mention the toxic packaging (which is most of the $8 cost as there are only 2 tablespoons of popcorn in each throwaway skillet!)
The truth is that the healthiest way to make popcorn IS on the stovetop! But, this does not involve buying a one-use, throwaway brand from the supermarket.
All you need is a large, stainless steel skillet to make popcorn. Source a healthy fat and highly mineralized sea salt and you are ready to go!
Lately, I’ve been using pastured ghee. By using this healthy fat, popcorn becomes a good source of the elusive MK4 form of Vitamin K2.
It is so easy to pop popcorn this way and it reduces the number of appliances that need to be stored in kitchen cabinets.
The DIY stovetop method also avoids aluminum pans and foil from “GMO Jiffy” with its fake butter flavoring, GMO corn and citric acid, toxic synthetic preservatives (TBHQ – tert-Butylhydroquinone), and even fake color!
Many years ago, I filmed a healthy snacks video for the Weston A. Price Foundation. The stovetop popcorn snippet is part of the recipe below.
I continue to make it exactly the same today!
Bonus! If you enjoy this stovetop popcorn method, try this popped sorghum recipe too, which is India’s traditional version.
Caramel Popcorn Variation
For the holidays, you might wish to use organic mushroom popcorn (pops up big and round) and drizzle with homemade butterscotch (spread the cooled popcorn on cookie sheets to do this).
This fun variation makes a delicious gift of healthy caramel popcorn for friends and family!
Easy Stovetop Popcorn
Simple method for stovetop popcorn cooked in a skillet with healthy fat just like Grandma used to make. No special appliance is necessary!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp expeller pressed coconut oil or ghee
- 1/4 cup organic popcorn preferably sprouted
- 2 Tbsp butter optional
- sea salt to taste
- nutritional yeast optional
Instructions
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Add coconut oil and popcorn to a heavy skillet on medium-high heat.
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Cover with a glass lid and warm on medium heat shaking a few times until popping begins (about 3-5 minutes).
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Once popping begins, lower the heat to medium-low and continue occasional gentle shaking of the pan while on the heat until popping dies down.
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Place popcorn in a large bowl and drizzle on melted butter. Sprinkle on sea salt to taste or optional nutritional yeast if desired.
Recipe Video
Thank you for the recipe! I’m curious about the Baja Gold salt that you linked to in the article. I read recently that salt should be less than 50 ppb of lead, but according to the company’s third party testing listed on the website the salt is 219 ppb. Would love to know your opinion. Should I be concerned? I have a 5lb. bag I’ve been using for cooking & making sole water. Thank you!
I think the level you read about was 50 parts per MILLION (not billion) and was the allowed level for soil, not salt. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/leadtoxicity/safety_standards.html
All sea salts contain tiny amounts of lead and it is in parts per BILLION (not million) which is a miniscule fraction of the amount allowed in soil.
Healthy ancestral peoples all consumed natural sea salts without issue, indicating that the body easily handles all the trace minerals in sea salt.
When you make the sole water, the ppm of lead for drinking water is far below EPA levels of 15 ppb even with the added sea salt.
The same brand of sprouted popcorn in the link can be found at Vitacost for $7.99 rather than the ridiculous and exorbitant price of $13.99 on Amazon.
Thanks for sharing!
I remember as a child that it was my job to sit in front of the fire with our long handled popcorn popper and keep it shaking so the kernels wouldn’t burn. It was a long and tiresome job, or seemed so with the radiant heat on my face; but how we loved the popcorn.
I haven’t made popcorn in decades but am looking forward to making your recipe, Sarah.
Will mushroom popcorn & the rest of the types you mentioned work well in an air popper?
I don’t know for sure as I don’t have an air popper. I can say my mushroom popcorn looks exactly the same as regular popcorn, so it should work.
Unsure why you are not recommending tiny but mighty popcorn anymore?
It’s also a great brand! I don’t list every single brand that is good just the “best” one of know of at the time of writing. When I first started suggesting tiny but mighty, there was no sprouted popcorn, but there is now. I feel sprouted popcorn is likely the better choice.