Perfectly Sweet n'Salty Popcorn

popcorn in a glass bowl on a wooden board

5 from 1 vote

Perfectly Sweet n'Salty Popcorn

This Perfectly Sweet n’Salty Popcorn is quick to make with 5 easy ingredients. It’s an absolute classic popcorn recipe, a total crowd pleaser, and is the ideal accompaniment to every movie night.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time10

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British

Servings: people

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil mild and light
100 g popcorn kernels
75 g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Drizzle the olive oil into a large saucepan with a lid. Turn the heat onto a medium heat and wait for the oil to heat.
Turn the heat down to low/medium then place 3-4 popcorn kernels into the saucepan and place the lid on. Listen for all the kernels to have popped. When they have remove with a slotted spoon.
Pour all the rest of the popcorn kernels into the saucepan so they spread out easily in a single layer. Place the lid on and wait for the corn to pop. Give the pan a shake every so often so no popcorn gets stuck or burnt to the bottom.
Listen out for the popping sound in the pan, the sound will start to slow as fewer kernels are left to be popped. When you are waiting for 3 seconds between popping then remove the pan from the heat.
Remove the lid and scoop out the fluffy popped popcorn out of the pan and into a bowl, leaving the unpopped kernels (there are often a small amount). Rest for a moment whilst you prepare the butter.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan with the sugar and salt over a medium heat. After a minute or so the butter will start to sizzle, stir to make sure the sugar and salt have dissolved.
If you are making regular Sweet n’Salty Popcorn remove the butter now and pour over the popcorn and toss well so it’s coated thoroughly.
If you are making Sweet n’Salty Caramel Popcorn then leave the butter to carry on sizzling. After another minute it will start to crackle will begin to turn brown. Once the crackling has slowed and the butter is a nice nutty brown then remove from the heat quickly before it burns.
Pour the butter over the popcorn and toss well so it’s coated thoroughly.
Serve immediately

Video

Notes

Tips for Perfect Popcorn

So that the saucepan has achieved the ideal temperature for popping, test out 3-4 kernels of popcorn first. Once those kernels have popped successfully you know the pan is perfect for popping. Remove your test popcorn and add the rest of the kernels. They should begin popping immediately.
Do shake the pan every so often to avoid any popcorn sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. If the pan is too heavy then crack the lid a little and sneak in a large spoon to give a gentle stir occasionally.
Scoop out the popcorn from the pan with a slotted spoon into a large serving bowl. Remove any slightly burnt ones and avoid the unpopped kernels.
Toss the melted butter over the warm popcorn immediately, stirring well so it’s all well coated.

Make ahead

Homemade popcorn should really be eaten immediately after making. However, the Sweet n’ Salty Caramel version is good for about 24 hours as the caramel protects the popcorn from going stale.

Nutrition