The Best Homemade Cheddar Popcorn
There's no need to buy store-bought cheddar cheese popcorn, it's so easy to make at home! All you need is 3 ingredients and a few spare minutes. The popcorn lasts for a while, so you can store it for snacking throughout the week! I also love serving it at casual parties, game nights, or holidays with my friends and family.
Ingredients
- 10 cups air-popped popcorn (70 grams)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (60 grams)
- 1/3 cup white cheddar cheese powder, more to taste - see notes (40 grams)
- Kosher salt, to taste if needed
Equipment
- Air popper optional
- large mixing bowl
Instructions
- Add the popcorn to a large mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the popcorn while tossing it constantly to make sure it gets evenly-coated.
- Keep tossing the popcorn, and sprinkle the white cheddar cheese powder on top. Stir well to make sure the popcorn gets completely coated in cheese powder. Taste and add more cheddar powder or salt if needed.
- Bake the popcorn - optional: If you plan on storing the popcorn for later, I recommend baking the popcorn to dry it out a little. This helps keep it from getting soggy once you store it. Spread the popcorn evenly on a large sheet pan. Bake it at 200°F (93°C) for 30 minutes, tossing the popcorn every 10 minutes, until it's completely dry. Keep a close eye to make sure the cheese powder doesn't burn! Let it cool completely before storing it in an airtight container or zipper bag.
Notes
Make sure you’re using plain popcorn with no added salt or seasonings. I use air-popped popcorn, but if you don’t have an air popper, you can make it on the stove. Or, use plain microwaved popcorn. About 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels will yield 10 cups.
Feel free to use coconut oil (or another neutral oil) in place of the butter. Use refined oil, or your popcorn will taste like coconut!
If you want to make this recipe with grocery store staples, I have a little hack! You can swap the cheddar cheese powder with a packet of cheese powder from boxed mac and cheese. Feel free to use either white or yellow cheddar cheese powder, and save the pasta for another time.
Different brands of cheese powder have different salt levels. Taste the popcorn before adding more salt!
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 88kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.3g, Protein: 1.6g, Fat: 5.5g, Saturated Fat: 3.4g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 143mg, Potassium: 67mg, Fiber: 1.2g, Sugar: 1.7g, Calcium: 20mg, Iron: 0.8mg
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