How Do You Get The Seasoning To Stick To Homemade Popcorn?

Popcorn is one of those moreish snacks that most of us are up for at any time or day of the week, give or take the accompanying movie. It's light, buttery, salty, or sweet, and best of all, it's the perfect (fairly) neutral delivery mechanism for some seriously delicious seasonings and toppings. But if you're anything like me, you've lamented more than once about the tragic way most popcorn seasonings seem to slip and slide right off the kernel, leaving you with nothing but the faintest ghost of a taste and a glimpse at what could have been. Well, I'm here to fix that problem today with all the best tips and tricks to get every nook and cranny of your popcorn saturated in seasoning.

First things first, build a strong base by picking high-quality popcorn. We even did the work of taste-testing different microwavable popcorn brands so you don't have to waste precious minutes that could be spent devouring your flavor-blasted snack. But if it's possible, you should get stovetop popcorn and avoid anything that's already seasoned or salted. Kernels labeled fluffy or butterfly have the most surface area for all your tasty spices to stick to, so go for those.

When I first started seasoning my own popcorn, I made the mistake of thinking that a drier kernel is better. Tragically, I couldn't have been more wrong. You want an even distribution of your butter or oil of choice at the perfect Goldilocks amount: somewhere between dry and too moist. This keeps your seasonings stuck to the kernels without clumping or sliding right back off. It also helps to have popcorn coating to spritz onto your kernels after they've popped. This can be oil, butter, ghee, or even a homemade caramel drizzle. The point is to enhance the stickiness of your popcorn evenly so your seasonings will grab hold and not be shaken back off.

For timing, you want to hit your popcorn with seasonings when it's still warm, leaning slightly toward hot. Too hot, and it'll bunch together. Too cold, and once again, it'll slide right off. Take your popcorn out of the microwave, air fryer, or stovetop pan after it's popped, and let the steam escape. Wait a few seconds, and then use your seasonings. Keep your hand light, and use a popcorn seasoning shaker if you have one. This will help you get that perfectly even coating before you give your seasoned popcorn a last shake to seal the deal. And that's it! You'll have seasoned popcorn that won't go shedding its flavor any time soon.