Who doesn't love snacking on popcorn? A surprisingly healthy and addicting snack, popcorn is much better for you than chips, or any other kind of convenience snack available. The best part of all this? Making Instant Pot popcorn is probably the easiest 'from scratch snack' you'll ever make at home, and you can make as much, (or as little) as you want.
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Most folks may not know it, but homemade popcorn is a surprisingly cheap snack to make. It's even cheaper than buying those microwave popcorn bags, (which are horrible for your health by the way) and you can flavour the popcorn however you like!
In the recipe below, I'll walk you through making your own popcorn in an Instant Pot, and six popular seasonings to keep things interesting!
This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read myaffiliate disclosure.
What's The Best Oil To Use When Making Popcorn At Home?
Especially when made at home, popcorn can be a healthy snack for you, (or your kids).....if you don't slather it in butter of course.
That being said you do need to use some type of oil or fat to 'cook' the popcorn kernels in. The oil ensures that the kernels are all heated evenly and start to pop at roughly the same time. Without some kind of oil, the corn kernels would burn before popping.
While many people advocate for using olive oil because of its higher level of monounsaturated fat(the good fat) it, unfortunately, has a relatively low smoking point. This means it will burn much faster than other oils.
Butter has an even lower smoking point and I do not recommend using it to pop popcorn.It's better to drizzle melted butter over the popped corn as flavoring after the corn is cooked to prevent burnt tasting bits.
Update: DO NOT USE VEGETABLE OIL SUCH AS CORN OR OLIVE OIL AS THEY HAVE LOW SMOKE POINTS AND WILL BURN EASIER.
So Which Oil Is Best For Making Instant Pot popcorn?
I personally prefer and recommend using extra virgin coconut oil. While it does have more saturated fats per gram than other oils, it is still a healthier option than corn or peanut oil which are highly processed.
Extra virgin coconut oil also has a very high smoke point ensuring that it won't burn, and as a bonus all the kernels will pop much more evenly! Melissa and Danielle did extensive testing to find out which oil produces the best results, and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil took first place!
If you have a hard time finding coconut oil locally, I have found Amazon to be a reliable and cheap place to order it!
Instant Pot Popcorn Recipe
To follow these instructions you will obviously need an Instant Pot. If you don't already have one, I suggest you get on the band wagon! The Instant Pot is great for making recipes which would normally take over an hour to cook. Things like Instant Pot Onion Soup, or Chicken Stock are just a few of the things you can make in it!
Ingredients
Before getting started make sure you have:
- ½ cup Dry Popcorn Kernels
- 2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Special Equipment
- A large pot lid, large enough to cover the Instant Pot, or the official Instant Pot Glass Lid
- An Oven Mit or dry towel
- A large mixing bowl
- An Instant Pot
You can purchase an official Instant Pot Glass Lid (Affiliate Link) to make this recipe, but is not really necessary. The official lid is tempered, dishwasher and oven safe, and is available in various sizes to fit different Instant Pot models.
That said, I don't have one, and used a run of the mill glass lid I already had in the cupboard.
Instructions
1.Start by plugging in the Instant Pot and pressing 'saute'. Turn up the temperature by pressing 'adjust' until the red light moves to the 'more' sign. Press 'saute' again to start the program. The display should now read 'ON' and the Instant Pot will start heating up. Once it is ready to go, the display will say 'HOT'. This can take between two and four minutes depending on the size of your Instant Pot.
Once it is pre-heated, add the extra virgin coconut oil to the pot and let it melt completely.
Add the ½ cup of popcorn kernels to the Instant Pot and using a wooden spoon stir the kernels around to evenly coat them in the oil.
The popcorn won't start popping right away, and you have about two minutes before anything will start to happen. In this time, give the kernels a few more stirs, (you will hear them sizzling) and make sure they are evenly spread out over the bottom of the pot.
2. Cover the Instant Pot with a large tight-fitting lid, (glass is ideal so you can see when the popcorn stops popping). It can be any large lid you have, as long as it covers the Instant Pot completely.
Now for the fun part! You'll see the popcorn start popping! At first it will start fairly slowly, but the speed at which the kernels pop will pick up until most of the kernels have been cooked.
3. When the popping starts to slow down and you can count 15 seconds in between pops, pick up the pot by the handles and give it a little shake. This will let any un-popped kernels drop to the bottom and increase the chance of not having any uncooked kernels in the pot.
Remove the lid, and using an oven mit or dry towel, remove the Instant Pot insert and pour the freshly popped popcorn into the mixing bowl.
Be careful doing this, the steel insert is hot( though the lid will not be), and you may burn yourself if you're not careful.
Troubleshooting
Having problems with burnt kernels? Let's figure it out together! Leave a comment below with what went wrong and I'll leave some tips for you! In the mean time here are some reasons your popcorn may not be popping:
- Oils such as canola, peanut, corn, or olive oil may all be used but they have varying smoke points and may heat differently. This results in less evenly popped corn, or burnt kernels. If you find the kernels to burn without popping, try the recipe on a lower heat setting.
Another reason the kernels may not be popping could be that the popcorn kernels are dried out and old.
- Popcorn pops because the moisture trapped inside heats up creating pressure. When the pressure becomes to much for the hard skin....POP....the kernels pop. Old kernels or ones which have been stored to long and have dried out will not pop. Avoid buying kernels in bulk as they may not have been stored in airtight conditions resulting in moisture loss. Also check the expiry date, and choose the 'freshest' kernels at the store.
Update: I reached out directly to Instant Pot Support for advice on having kernels burn before popping as I simply can not replicate this issue in my IP-Lux 80 I thought it may be a heating issue. Their response:
It could be recommended that readers soak their kernels for a short time (10 minutes or so), patting them very dry and then cooking them per your recipe.Our Instant Pot sauté function reaches temperatures of 180 to 190°F on Less, 190 to 200°F on Normal, and 200 to 210°F on the More heat setting. These temperatures all have a tolerance of +/- 5 degrees which may be having an impact for your readers. -Instant Pot Support
Instant Pot Official Support Team
Popular Popcorn Seasonings
Once the popcorn is finished popping, you can season your homemade Instant Pot popcorn. Don't be afraid to get creative and try new spice mixes!
Old Fashioned Butter
Classic butter flavored popcorn is my personal favorite, so I have to mention it! I love loading mine with freshly melted butter, and while it may turn a somewhat healthy snack into an 'un-healthy snack', there's nothing better while watching a movie with friends or family!
You can even make brown butter popcorn by letting the butter brown in a pot on the stove and then tossing it with freshly popped corn!
Cheddar Popcorn
Who would have thought mixing cheese and popcorn would be so delicious!? Well it is, and you can find a super cheesy recipe over at Peppers & Pennies! Grated cheddar is a good choice, but using Parmesan and a little truffle oil works wonders as well!
Caramel Corn
We've all seen caramel corn for sale at fairs, the movie theater and other events. Did you know you can easily make your own at home? Simply pop the corn as in the recipe above and then follow these instructions for making caramel sauce, and mixing the two! Caramel corn is a wonderful treat during the holidays and makes a great edible gift!
Cinnamon Popcorn
Mix ¼ cup icing sugar and ½ tablespoon of cinnamon, then sprinkle the mixture over the hot freshly popped corn. Toss immediately to evenly coat the popcorn. YUM!
Garlic & Herb
While not as common, this flavor combo is awesome and a great savory twist on traditional Popcorn. Mix 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of your favorite herb. Sprinkle and toss over the popped corn then toss. The smell alone will get your taste buds going!
Whats your favorite flavor?? Comment & Rate the Recipe below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire . For more from scratch recipes follow me onInstagram&Pinterest
Recipe
Instant Pot Popcorn + 6 Popular Flavorings
Chef Markus Mueller
Make popcorn in your Instant Pot at home. Fast, easy and best of all cheap! A fun and (somewhat) healthy snack to make on the fly!
4.48 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe
Prep Time 4 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Total Time 9 minutes mins
Course Snack Food
Cuisine Canadian
Servings 4 portions
Calories 887.9 kcal
Equipment
An Instant Pot
Tight Fitting Glass Instant Pot Lid or Other Lid
Oven Mits
Ingredients
Popcorn Ingredients
- ½ cup popcorn kernals
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil
Instructions
Instant Pot Popcorn Instructions
Turn on the Instant pot and press 'saute'. Hit 'adjust' to turn up the heat to 'more'. Let the pot pre-heat until the display reads 'HOT'
Add 2 tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil to the pot and let it melt.
Add half a cup of popcorn kernels and stir them around with a wooden spoon. Stir and evenly spread the kernels over the bottom of the Instant pot for about a minute. You will hear them start to sizzle.
Place a glass lid over the Instant Pot. An official Instant Pot Lid is available though not required. Any Large lid will do.
Let the popcorn pop for about 5 minutes. When the popping slows to one pop every 15 seconds, shake the pot and let any uncooked kernels pop. Remove the lid and using an oven mit or dry towel, pour the freshly popped popcorn into a serving bowl.
Season the Instant Pot popcorn with melted butter or your favorite seasoning blend. (See the post for 6 popular flavor combinations!)
Video
Notes
Trouble Shooting:
- Oils such as canola, peanut, corn, or olive oil may all be used as well, but they have varying smoke points and may heat differently, resulting in less evenly popped corn, or burnt kernels.
Another reason the kernels may not be popping popping is that :
- your instant pot heats higher then mine (try doing this on a lower temperature setting)
- you have old popcorn kernels.
Popcorn pops because the moisture trapped inside heats, and when the pressure becomes to much, POP, the kernel pops. Old kernels or ones which have been stored to long and have dried out will not pop.
Nutrition
Calories: 887.9kcal
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Keyword can you cook popcorn in a pressure cooker?, how do you cook popcorn in the instant pot?
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This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated if a purchase is made through the links provided. For more information please read myaffiliate disclosure.
