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Thank you Katie for getting me going on Kettle Corn! She linked to this Kettle Corn recipe, but I’ve adapted it, of course…
Read here about the many benefits of getting more coconut into our diets, where to buy coconut oil, and where to find the popper…
Kettle Corn
- Add 1/4 c. coconut oil to your stove-top popcorn popper.
- Now put in 3 kernels of popcorn and when those kernels pop you’ll know it’s hot enough – add 1/2 c. organic popcorn…
- Immediately toss 1 T. – 1/4 c. sugar on top – I used the 1/4 c. that the recipe called for, and then too late I saw that the amount of sugar in this recipe can even be cut to 1 T. and according to Katie it’s still really good! (I used organic sugar – might try palm sugar next.)
- Stir continuously until all kernels are popped. (Only takes a minute.)
- Toss into a deep bowl (so you have room to move it around good), sprinkle with sea salt, and shake it around some for a few minutes so it doesn’t all stick together.
That’s it! It’s much easier than caramel corn, and has much less sugar too, but is just as good…maybe better because of the tasty salty/sweet blend of flavors.
Part of Tasty Tuesday, Works for Me Wednesdays, Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, and the Holiday Food Fest with Fall Desserts!
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{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Eileen 10.26.09 at 9:43 am
Sounds wonderful! Even thought the directions are simple, I am confused about one point: How do I stir the kernels until popped without having them pop all over the kitchen? Or did you mean stir them, put the lid on, and shake? Sorry to be so slow…
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CHEESESLAVE 10.26.09 at 10:07 am
This looks fabulous. I’m going to try making it for my family. Seth will not eat coconut oil on the spoon or in coffee or anything else — but he will gladly eat popcorn made with coconut oil.
I’m surprised you used refined sugar! Why not use maple syrup? I googled it and “maple kettle corn” is very popular.
You know what else I think would be divine? Muscovado. This is my new favorite sugar. Remember how much you loved the palm sugar when you were here? Muscavado is like a brown sugar version of palm sugar. It tastes EXACTLY like brown sugar — except it’s even more rich and flavorful. And it’s darker in color than brown sugar.
Here’s a recipe for kettle corn that uses refined brown sugar and vegetable oil (yuck). You could use muscovado more coconut oil or butter instead of the veg oil.
Look at all the minerals muscovado has:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscovado
I have been using it to sweeten our oatmeal and it’s so yummy. You’d never know it wasn’t regular brown sugar.
Now that I write this, I think I’m going to try sweetening my coffee with a little muscovado instead of stevia — see if I like it.
And yes, I’m having my cup of coffee right now. It’s 7 am here in LA. Kate is snuggled up next to me. Wish you were here, Kel! Can’t wait to see you next month! :-*
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CHEESESLAVE 10.26.09 at 10:07 am
OOPS I forgot to paste the link w/ the recipe I referred to:
http://www.aliciakachmar.com/blog/life/homemade-kettle-corn-cheap-and-easy/
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CHEESESLAVE 10.26.09 at 10:09 am
BTW I don’t use a popper for my popcorn. I just use a stainless steel stockpot with a lid. Works great!
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emily 10.26.09 at 10:46 am
i also just have an All-Clad stainless pot, with a lid, so how would i stir it without getting popcorn popped at me? anyways, im gonna try it, with maple sugar or sucanat, and im going to add cashews!yummy! thanks for the idea Kelly!
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Noelle 10.26.09 at 10:48 am
I’m glad Cheeseslave mentioned the stainless steel pot. I made stovetop popcorn for the first time last night and it was yummy…and EASY. Now to try kettle corn today! And I have a package of Muscovado in my pantry right now!
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CHEESESLAVE 10.26.09 at 10:55 am
Eileen -
You don’t have to stir the popcorn while it’s popping. Just put the lid on your pot, let it pop, and when the popping slows down, remove from the heat. If you wait until ALL of the kernels are popped, your popcorn will get too dark.
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Soli 10.26.09 at 10:59 am
Anne Marie, where did you find the muscovado? Is there a store in your area that sells it or did you have to go online? And how was it in your coffee?
I am definitely going to have to try this recipe. Started eating popcorn again recently and I still like to have sweets, so this may be a good way to get in the coconut oil.
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CHEESESLAVE 10.26.09 at 12:06 pm
It was good in the coffee! But I still prefer stevia because I can make it more sweet and don’t have to use as much.
I got it at Surfas Restaurant Supply/Gourmet Foods in Culver City (LA).
They sell online here:
http://www.culinarydistrict.com/Search?search=muscovado
Wilderness Family Naturals sells it too:
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/product/natural-sweeteners-granulated-sweeteners/MUSC1.php
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Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship 10.26.09 at 1:30 pm
Glad to see it adapted for “real food”! Great Halloween treat!
Thanks for the link – it was Sarah from Sarah’s Musings who gave me the idea though.
Katie
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CELLULITE ANALYST 10.26.09 at 1:35 pm
I started making stove top popcorn with a stainless steel pot of out necessity when I studied abroad in Tunisia. Move night just isn’t movie night without popcorn. My roommate and I had it down to an art form. If you shake the pot just right, you can get every kernel. I have to admit, though, I’m not a fan of kettle corn. My savory tooth beats out my sweet tooth every time. Lots of butter does the trick for me! Or maybe with a bit of seal salt and freshly grated hard cheese. Sweet popcorn is popular in the UK, though. It’s pretty much the standard at the movie theater unless you ask otherwise.
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KitchenKop 10.26.09 at 1:40 pm
Hey fellow popcorn lovers!
With regular popcorn you may not need to stir it as much, but with this I think you might really need that popper pictured above so the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom…? And with regular popcorn it doesn’t leave as many kernels as I used to have at the bottom when using a big pot – doesn’t get too dark, either.
Ann Marie, I used the organic sugar first to make sure it worked, and I actually think I want to try maple sugar next! I want to try Muscovado, too! (It sounds like I may have a new love…) I think maple syrup would stick to the bottom…maybe not.
Kelly
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Tami 10.26.09 at 2:51 pm
Oh my! I just made this with the maple syrup in the stainless steel stock pot. Haven’t tried to clean the pan yet but the popcorn turned out great! My hubby won’t do coconut oil either but he will devour it this way. The best thing is that we had gotten popcorn from our CSA, and even dried some ourselves from the garden but I hadn’t used it yet. Thanks to all who contributed!!!
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Betsy 10.26.09 at 7:52 pm
Uh oh! I’m not sure I needed to see this recipe, lol. I do love popcorn!
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Debbie 10.26.09 at 9:06 pm
I just found some moths and larvae in my organic popcorn
(stored in a rubbermaid container) Is this just the cost of doing business with organic produce? Should I return or toss?
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KitchenKop 10.26.09 at 10:44 pm
Debbie that is so sad! I’ve never had anything like that – has anyone else???
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Dori 10.27.09 at 4:16 am
I had a major moth outbreak last spring, i had to toss everything not in glass screw top containers. Even though everything was in closed containers, only the mason type jars were not affected (I also tossed the non-mason containers!) I’m convinced the little monsters wedged themselves under the lids during the winter, because there were jars I hadn’t been in in months that they were in! ewe! The buyer at my coop advised me you can avoid this -if the larve came with the grain- by putting stuff in the freezer for 3-4 days.
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Kimber 10.27.09 at 2:34 pm
I’m eager to try this recipe. I have four boys that can devour popcorn faster than I can make it!
I don’t have a crank-top popper either, so I’m curious to hear how those braver than I am fare using a regular pan.
Thanks!!
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Shannon 10.27.09 at 4:28 pm
i make popcorn all the time for the kiddos as a snack in lieu of just about everything else….chips, crackers etc. which I try not to have around because they tempt me and I’m doing NO GRAIN right now. They like it with maple syrup, sprinkle of salt, and cinnamon. yummy!
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Barbara 10.27.09 at 6:52 pm
Dori, I’m sorry to say the moth eggs come in on the grain pretty regularly. They don’t have to be able to get under the lid. I’ve heard that a few days in the freezer will take care of them. We’ve had some infestations in the past, and I hate to throw away the food! The freezer strategy seems to work. We’ve also used those sticky traps for any that might be in the cupboard itself.
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Brenda 10.27.09 at 8:49 pm
Does the coconut oil change the taste? What are the advantages of coconut oil? I like the maple syrup idea, would you add that while its cooking?
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Kyle 10.27.09 at 9:54 pm
I have to try this, how yummy! Except I don’t have a special stove popper. I’ll figure it out though.
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KitchenKop 10.27.09 at 10:40 pm
Brenda, the coconut oil is a bit noticeable, but I love how it makes it taste! Benefits are listed in the post I linked to above.
Tried it tonight with only 1 T. of sugar and Katie was right, it still tastes SO good!
Kelly
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Brandi 10.28.09 at 9:24 am
I also make my own popcorn but have never used coconut oil to make it. I do use coconut oil for all of my baking and even for my skin. I love that stuff!! I have been wanting to write a WFMW on coconut oil but just haven’t yet. Thanks for the tip!
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Liz@HoosierHomemade 11.05.09 at 7:59 am
Yum! That looks great! My family would love it! Thanks for joining in the fun at the Holiday Food Fest!
~Liz
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Ann Marie 11.05.09 at 8:21 am
My husband LOVES kettle corn!!!
Thank you for sharing all the links for variations too!
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Kim, The Food Allergy Coach 11.05.09 at 8:58 am
Great idea! I’m just getting into coconut oil.
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Ann Marie @ CHEESESLAVE 11.05.09 at 9:14 am
Kelly – I tried this with honey & maple syrup. It was so delicious! I used about 1/4 cup total (combo of both).
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Jenn 11.05.09 at 8:28 pm
Oooh what a creative idea, I love it! mmmm kettle corn….
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Brian 11.08.09 at 12:54 pm
I love kettle corn, we get it every year at the local pumpkin patch. I’ve never thought to make it at home. Thanks
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Kyle 11.20.09 at 12:27 am
Some people were like me and didn’t have a popper, so I decided to give this a try without a popcorn popper. I thought it would be worth the possible risk of having to scrape burnt sugar off the bottom and good news, I didn’t have to.
I basically did what Kelly did, except I shook it, instead of stirring it. I’ll summarize what I did: I put the coconut oil in and heated with a kernal or two and waited for the kernels to pop, like you suggested. I like that idea. The kernals tend to be willful, so watch out.
When it was heated, I put the rest of the popcorn in. At first I was afraid that it might all pop at once, but it didn’t. So after I put the popcorn in, I put one tablespoon of sucanat on top. Sucanat isn’t very exepensive, so that’s why I used it.
Then I put the lid on and shook it around for most of the rest of the time. I think shaking helps to not burn the sugar and the popped corn. If you shake it around then you can pop almost every single kernal, which is nice.
Anyways, it turned out pretty well. The sucanat melted into a sticky brown goo. I hate to describe it that way, since it sounds gross, but it was good. I think I’ll try it with a different kind of sugar next though. The kind you made looks better than mine.
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