Popcorn is a delicious treat. It can be made into a much more healthy snack if you make it yourself from scratch. Read on to find out how to do make popcorn on the cob on the stove – quick and easy!
Ingredients
- Corn Kernels
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Optional: Vegan Butter or other toppings
Why You’ll Love It
Making your own popcorn is quick and easy. It lets you decide how much oil, butter, salt (and other ingredients often hidden in store bought food) you use. This means you can easily turn popcorn into a delicious and healthy snack! No more guilty feelings about eating popcorn on your movie night!
I often receive whole popcorn ears through my CSA (Siena Farms). One way of making popcorn out of this, is by sticking the whole ear into a paper bag and cooking it in the microwave. I, however, try to avoid this kind of single use product, so I don’t have lunch sized paper bags at home. Instead, I cook mine on the stove. This is a zero-waste way to make popcorn! By using the stove to make your popcorn, this is also accessible for people who don’t have a microwave!
How to Prepare
If you have the whole ear of popcorn, then start by removing the kernels. This is A LOT EASIER than it might seem at first. All you have to do is remove one of the kernels at the end of the ear to get the process going. I use my thumb and get my nail in between the first and second kernel to pop the first one off. Then move your way down the ear, one row at a time. It gets easier and easier, the more kernels you have removed. I like to do this while standing over a large bowl. Some kernels will inevitably go flying, but standing over the large bowl will heighten your chances of catching the flying corn!
Once your corn is ready, place a large pot on the stove. I sometimes use a cast iron for this too, it just takes a bit longer.
Add a fair amount of olive oil to the bottom of your pot. Heat at medium high and place ONE corn kernel in the pot. Cover the pot with a lid.
Wait by the stove – you want to be ready to hear that first kernel pop. Once it does, add more corn into the pot, just enough to almost completely cover the bottom of the pot with corn.
Cover the pot again and wait. You should soon hear the corn popping. Once it slows down, give the pot a good shake and see if this causes any more corn to pop. If you’d like to add vegan butter to your popcorn, do so now (1-2 tablespoons, depending on how buttery you like your popcorn to be.) Once the popping slows down to every 3 or 4 seconds, it’s time to remove the pot from heat.
Add salt to your liking and give the pot another shake to distribute the salt.
Transfer the warm popcorn to a bowl and enjoy!
How to Serve
Our go-to way to eat popcorn is to give it a generous amount of salt and to eat straight from a large bowl while still warm. But there are many ways to add variety to your homemade popcorn. Try adding different flavors, such as garlic powder, chili powder, and cinnamon sugar. Alternately, you could add in toppings, like chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, marshmallows, and pretzels. Try using a sauce like this vegan dulce de leche, or a vegan chocolate sauce.
How to Store
Your homemade popcorn is best eaten fresh and warm! But it does last quite well if stored in an airtight container. It’s best if you consume it within 3-5 days. I do NOT recommend freezing any leftovers. If you find yourself with leftovers and don’t feel like eating just popcorn, try making it into a trail mix. You can mix your popcorn with other snacks, such as nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, to create a trail mix. This too should be stored in an air-tight container.
Q&A
Is Popcorn Healthy?
Depending on how you make your popcorn, it can be a rather healthy snack. Corn itself is a highly nutritious grain that offers numerous health benefits. It is a good source of carbohydrates, providing energy to your body. Corn is also low in calories and high in fiber, which helps your digestion. Finally, corn is rich in various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, thiamine, folate, and potassium, which are essential for maintaining good health. Just leave the sweet toppings and sauces off of your homemade stove top popcorn to make it more healthy.
Can my kid help me make this?
I have not yet involved my two-year-old in this. But if your child is a little bit older, they should be able to help you remove the corn kernels from the ear of corn. Just be warned, it will likely go everywhere! But it’s a learning experience, or at least that’s what I tell myself whenever my daughter’s involvement in meal prep causes a mess. Messes can be cleaned up, valuable life skills need to be learned! (Which, incidentally, include cleaning up a mess!) My two-year-old does, however, enjoy standing by the stove and watching the popcorn come to life through the see-through pot lid.
Stove Top Popcorn On The Cob
Follow this simple way of making popcorn on the stove from your popcorn on the cob. It's delicious, healthy, and quick!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Corn Kernels
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt
- Optional: Vegan Butter or other toppings
Instructions
- If you have the whole ear of popcorn, then start by removing the kernels. All you have to do is remove one of the kernels at the end of the ear to get the process going. I use my thumb and get my nail in between the first and second kernel to pop the first one off. Then move your way down the ear, one row at a time. Do this while standing over a large bowl.
- Once your corn is ready, place a large pot on the stove.
- Add a fair amount of olive oil (about 3 tbsp) to the bottom of your pot. Heat at medium high and place ONE corn kernel in the pot. Cover the pot with a lid.
- Wait by the stove - you want to be ready to hear that first kernel pop. Once it does, add more corn into the pot, just enough to almost completely cover the bottom of the pot with corn.
- Cover the pot again and wait. You should soon hear the corn popping. Once it slows down, give the pot a good shake and see if this causes any more corn to pop. If you'd like to add vegan butter to your popcorn, do so now (1-2 tablespoons, depending on how buttery you like your popcorn to be.)
- Once the popping slows down to every 3 or 4 seconds, it's time to remove the pot from heat.
- Add salt to your liking and give the pot another shake to distribute the salt.
- Transfer the warm popcorn to a bowl and enjoy!
Notes
The amount of popcorn kernels and olive oil is an estimate. Eyeball it for your specific pot, since the amount can vary, depending on how large your pot is. Just have the oil and then the corn almost completely cover the bottom of your pot. You want to be sure that your kernels are in a single layer only.
I sometimes use a cast iron for this. It does, however, extend the time it takes to heat the oil and pop the corn. Just keep that in mind if you are tight on time.
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