Did you know that making Homemade Kettle Corn is super easy? All you need is a microwave for this simple & delicious kettle corn recipe. So good!
Do you love kettle corn? I had only had some maybe a couple of times before my daughter came home from a birthday party raving about how they had some there. She was in love & completely obsessed.
I told her that I actually had a recipe from my mom. It is super easy, no special equipment required. Just a microwave & a paper lunch sack along with a couple ingredients are all you need for this Homemade Kettle Corn.
I was really happy that I remembered tucking this recipe away in an old folder when my mom passed away. She would always send me recipes that she found or created or were shared with her by her friends. I have probably over 1000 recipes in this folder that she had sent me over the years. It took a good long while before I found it – plus about 100 more that I had forgotten about & then wanted to make right away.
What I love about this recipe is that it is so easy. Many of the recipes for kettle corn floating around out there require a whirly-popper. While that is a really cool thing to have & I’m sure it makes kettle corn super easy – I wasn’t willing to buy one just for kettle corn. I already have an air popper we use almost daily, so using my microwave was a much better idea for this.
kettle corn recipe
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Now, just to make sure I was giving you the VERY BEST possible kettle corn recipe, I searched out other microwave kettle corn methods & I feel like I tried them all. None of them produced the results of this recipe from mom.
Most of them showed beautifully popped popcorn, but our results were more like a burnt mess. I kept coming back to this recipe.
I don’t know why I felt like I had to prove this already great recipe. But I also tried a couple of skillet kettle corn recipes too. Those were a colossal failure too. Back to mom’s recipe that I now know is HANDS DOWN – THE BEST KETTLE CORN RECIPE IN THE MICROWAVE.
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is kettle corn?
Basically Kettle Corn is popcorn that is sweetened during the popping process. So if you love that delicious salty/sweet combo in your snacks, kettle corn will have you swooning.
What is the best way to store extra kettle corn?
So, I like to keep my kettle corn in a paper bag instead of an airtight container or plastic bag. I find that it can get a bit soft when it doesn’t have just a little bit of airflow. So the paper bag is great for letting in just enough air to keep the popcorn crisp.
Can I use an air popper for this recipe?
I don’t recommend it. Because the air popper vents need to stay clean, you wouldn’t want to add any sort of coating to the kernels before placing them in the popper. Those kernels also need to stay dry so that they can move around & have the air circulating for them to pop properly in an air popper.
best homemade kettle corn
How much does this make?
This recipe calls for 1/4 cup of un-popped kernels. Once popped, they will fill your paper lunch sack about 3/4 of the way, which is the perfect personal-sized portion if you ask me. I love this recipe because it keeps me from overindulging with portion control.
Can this recipe be doubled?
I don’t recommend it. I am not sure what that would do to the cooking time. If there were double the kernels in the bag, I worry it would take a lot longer to pop them all – which would result in a lot of burning going on to the ones that already popped.
HOW DO YOU MAKE homemade kettle corn?
- Combine the popcorn kernels, oil, sugar & salt in a small bowl & toss to combine.
- Transfer to a paper lunch sack.
- Fold over the top twice to close.
- Place on a large microwave-safe plate to catch the extra moisture.
- Use the popcorn setting on your microwave & cook for 1 min 15 sec up to 2 min 10 sec. (listen for the popping to slow – that is the time to remove the bag. Not when the popping has completely stopped.)
- Carefully remove from the microwave & transfer to a serving bowl to enjoy.
how to make kettle corn at home
Can I use another type of oil?
I have tried this recipe using coconut oil & using just butter. Unfortunately both burned the popcorn. I recommend using the cooking oil as it keeps the popcorn from getting too hot during the cooking process.
Can I add other toppings?
Yes, absolutely. Sometimes I like to melt 1-2 tbsp of butter for added flavor & pour it on after I transfer to the bowl.
To make this recipe you will need…
- popcorn kernels
- granulated sugar
- cooking oil
- salt
Products I love when making Homemade Kettle Corn…
This microwave kettle corn recipe is so simple and delicious – and I’m sure you already have many of these items on hand like I do! OR If you’ve never made kettle corn before, you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love the how easy this is to make. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this little snack.
- popcorn kernels
- granulated sugar
- cooking oil
- table salt
- paper lunch sacks
- microwave
- mixing bowl
- measuring spoons
- serving bowl
This such a delicious snack!
kettle corn recipe
If you love this Homemade Kettle Corn, you’re going to love these other quick & easy snack recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Air Fryer Angel Food Cake Churro Bites
Cinnamon & Sugar Pretzel Bites
More Delicious Popcorn Recipes
making kettle corn
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Homemade Kettle Corn
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
- Combine the popcorn kernels, oil, sugar & salt in a small bowl & toss to combine.
- Transfer to a paper lunch sack.
- Fold over the top twice to close.
- Place on a large microwave-safe plate to catch the extra moisture.
- Use the popcorn setting on your microwave & cook for 1 min 15 sec up to 2 min 10 sec. (listen for the popping to slow - that is the time to remove the bag. Not when the popping has completely stopped.)
- Carefully remove from the microwave & transfer to a serving bowl to enjoy.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Becca says
So GOOD! It turned out perfectly – no more burned pans and black popcorn. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Beverly Little says
Haven’t tried it yet but I will. Love popcorn and especially kettle corn. Live alone so this making a smaller serving is great!
Kim R says
Great popcorn 🍿 thank you for sharing this special recipe from you mom😍
Ashley says
Thank you for this amazing yet simple recipe! Such a cheap and easy snack.
Kathy Earl says
Fast, easy, not too sweet and not messy way to make kettle corn. I doubled the recipe to make two batches at one time. Follow the recipe so you don’t overcook it. My microwave required a little more time than my popcorn setting and I got lots of duds. Very good kettle corn.
Lois Congdon says
I tried using 1 tablespoon of monk sweetener with just 1 teaspoon of avocado oil that monk sweetener is called monk fruit blend with erythritol. The bottom of the bag began to smoke in the microwave so I took it out and it was virtually all popped so I just think I was not watching the time, but I was surprised at how crisp and light the popcorn was and it was just salty and sweet enough. Thanks for the recipe.
Gina Kleinworth says
That’s good to know. I can say that sugar alternatives such as monk fruit and erythritol will definitely perform differently than granulated sugar – so that could have contributed.
Lynda says
This was perfect! I have a silicone microwave popper that makes 1/4 C, and I’ve been looking for a good kettle corn recipe. I had the ingredients, so I put 1 tsp of duck fat, 1Tbsp sugar, and stirred the popcorn in, and popped it in the microwave. I ended up making two bowls for me and the bf!
Lisa Egan says
Do you lay the bag down or stand it up in the microwave?
Gina Kleinworth says
It is really going to depend on how it fits in your specific microwave. Mine was large enough for it to stand up. Yours might be smaller – do what works for your situation.