In Cheap Tricks we’ll help you make the most out of everyday supermarket staples. Next up: Three simple ways to make microwave popcorn even better.
This story is part of Junk Food, Redefined, our new collection of snack recommendations, recipes, and perspectives that celebrate an undervalued food group. Read all the stories here.
Microwave popcorn is an excellent food. I’ve spent many a night too exhausted (or too full) to even fathom concocting a whole multistep meal and instead relied on old faithful: that trusty back-of-pantry box of Pop Secret. That being said, there’s always room for improvement, no? When you’re craving something more—spicier, sweeter, cheesier, savory-er—packaged popcorn seasoning (you know, those little plastic shakers sold next to the popcorn in the supermarket) can often fall flat. If you really want to elicit oohs and aahs at your next movie night, you’re trying to zhuzh up some leftover popcorn, or plain butter just isn’t cutting it anymore, follow these three tips to make microwave popcorn even better.
1. Bust out the spice grinder
Rather than just going ham and emptying half your spice cabinet directly into a bowl of popcorn, take the extra step to blend them up (yes, even the already powdered and ground spices) with salt in your spice grinder first. Associate food editor Rachel Gurjar recommends this step as a way to better meld the spices and tweak the flavor to your liking. The finer powder you’re left with post-blitz will also adhere better to your popcorn than the coarser unground stuff.
Tangy Tomato-Chile Popcorn
Tomato powder makes a simple umami-packed seasoning you’ll want to lick off your fingers while you’re snacking.
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Then all you need to do is pour a few tablespoons of your preferred fat over just-popped popcorn—I use melted ghee, butter, refined coconut oil, or olive oil when I’m looking for something neutral, and sesame oil when I want an added layer of flavor—sprinkle your custom spice blend over the top, and give it a toss. The ground spices should stick right to the popcorn, meaning you won’t be left with a pile of grounds and salt at the bottom of your bowl.
Stuck in a salt-and-pepper rut? Give these flavor combos a whirl:
- Lays Tomato Tango vibes (iykyk): Tomato powder + cayenne pepper + garlic powder + salt
- Vegan Nacho Doritos-ish: Nutritional yeast + crush red pepper flakes + salt
- Sour Cream & Onion: dried chives + nutritional yeast + soy milk powder + citric acid + salt + sugar + garlic powder + onion powder + dried dill
2. Lean into the funk
For truly showstopping popcorn, think beyond just sweet and salty and include deep umami flavors. (To be honest, apply this tip to everything you cook and you won’t go wrong.) Nutritional yeast, MSG, miso, Parmesan cheese, dulse granules, mushroom powder, fish sauce, and shrimp paste are all savory powerhouses that will make any bowl of microwave popcorn sing.
Chef Melissa Miranda recommends tossing whole dilis (dried and salted anchovies) into the mix for that complex richness, which she says even pairs well with sweet flavors, like in her Champorado-inspired caramel and chocolate popcorn. (I’m also planning to try it in associate food editor Kendra Vaculin’s agave and sumac rice cake “popcorn” recipe.) However you incorporate a hit of umami, it’s well worth it to transform delicious, albeit one-note, microwave popcorn into a craveable snack you can’t stop reaching for. To each their own, but that’s the whole point of movie night popcorn to me.
Sweet and Salty Rice Cake “Popcorn”
Whether you don't eat corn or just want a change from your usual popcorn routine, these toasty, seasoned rice cakes make for the ultimate snack.
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3. Turn it into a dessert
Who says you need to eat popcorn right out of the bowl? In a nod to another nostalgic favorite—homemade Rice Krispies bars—turn popcorn into a shareable, snackable, portable sweet treat. Melt butter with marshmallows, toss in one bag of prepared popcorn, give it all a good mix, and then press it all into a sheet pan where it’ll be ready to cut into squares after it’s cooled. Food director Chris Morocco suggests adding a grown up complexity to the OG butter-and-marshmallow combo by including bloomed spices, like mustard seeds, chili flakes, and cumin.
Spiced Marshmallow Popcorn Bars
It’s time to bring back the joy of your childhood crispy rice treats—and spice them up while you’re at it.
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If toasty, warm spices in marshmallow aren’t your thing, lean heavy into the sweet, à la these Popcorn Toffee Crunch Bars by Dawn Perry. Popcorn, chocolate, peanuts, crushed graham crackers, and puffed rice cereal make for a candy-bar-inspired treat that’s a certified crowd pleaser and showcases microwave popcorn at its highest, snack-worthiest potential.
