How to Make Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Homemade Microwave Popcorn is super simple to make and is a great snack when you’re craving something a little salty and a little crunchy. Movie night this weekend, anyone?

About This Recipe

The convenience of store-bought microwave popcorn is undeniable, but it just doesn’t taste as good as homemade.

Did you know you can make your own microwave popcorn bags? I didn’t until just recently when a friend taught me this trick.

With this easy method, you can enjoy the buttery goodness of microwaveable popcorn without the artificial flavors!

Ingredients You’ll Need

For this homemade popcorn recipe, all you need is:

• small brown paper bag (i.e. a brown paper lunch sack)
• popcorn kernels
• 1/3 measuring cup
• tape
• microwave
• toppings of choice

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make your own bag of microwave popcorn, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

How to Make Popcorn in the Microwave

Wondering how to pop popcorn in a paper bag? Here’s how:

1. Add 1/3 of a cup of unpopped popcorn kernels to a brown paper lunch bag. You can opt to make less popcorn if you’d like a small batch, but don’t add more than 1/3 cup at a time to the bag.
2. Fold the top inch of the bag down 2-3 times and secure the top of the bag with a small piece of tape. This will keep popcorn from popping all over your microwave.
3. If your microwave has a “popcorn” button, place the bagged popcorn in the center of the microwave oven, folded side up. Close the door. Press the “popcorn” button and let cook until there are 5 seconds in between pops.
4. If your microwave does not have a “popcorn” button, place the bagged popcorn in the microwave, folded side up. Close the door. Cook on full power until there are 5 seconds in between pops.
5. Remove the bag from the microwave. Pour the contents in a bowl and drizzle with melted butter or whatever you prefer to flavor with!

The above is simply a quick summary of how to make popcorn in the microwave. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

Katie’s Tip: To make buttered popcorn, don’t pour the butter on the popcorn at the top of the bowl. Instead, add your popped popcorn to the serving bowl in 4 increments. Then, drizzle each section with a small amount of butter and season with sea salt. Then, repeat with the remaining popcorn 3 more times. After that, gently stir the popcorn.

Recipe FAQs

Got questions about making popcorn in the microwave? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

How Long Do You Microwave Popcorn?

The exact timing will depend on your microwave wattage, so it is best to hang out by the microwave and play it by ear.

You’ll know your popcorn is done microwaving is when there are 5 seconds in between pops. This will take anywhere from 1 – 3 minutes. After that, you’ll know the exact time your specific microwave takes.

Do I have to tape the bag shut?

I have made my own popcorn in the microwave without the tape because I wanted to test that process out too.

Sometimes stray popcorn does make its way out of the bag, depending on how full the bag is and how tightly the bag is folded down. It works without the tape, but the tape secures the bag well.

When should you add the seasonings?

For best results, add butter, salt, or any other seasonings after the popping process.

Why? It ends up making a big mess and doesn’t actually get evenly distributed on the popped popcorn when you add those things to the un-popped kernels for the microwaving process.

My Go-To Popcorn Toppings

Try kicking things up a notch by using fresh rosemary and browned butter for a Browned Butter Rosemary Popcorn or add dried fruits, nuts and seeds for a fun Popcorn Trail Mix.

Nutritional Yeast, a topping I like to add to my Easy “Cheesy” Kale Chips, is also a delicious addition. I like the combo of nutritional yeast + rosemary + a bit of freshly grated parmesan.

For a quick “cheater” caramel popcorn, I like to drizzle some of this Caramel Sauce on my popcorn. That’s only quick if you already have the caramel sauce made, but when I do it tastes yummy!

Powdered parmesan is also a great popcorn topping!

How to Store Leftover Popcorn

If you accidentally make too much popcorn, I recommend storing the leftovers in a sealed zip-top bag in the freezer. Popcorn becomes stale very quickly, and storing it in the freezer keeps it fresh.

You can actually eat the popcorn straight from the freezer (it doesn’t get hard at all). But if you don’t like cold popcorn, let it rest on your counter for 10 minutes before digging in.

More Easy Snacks:

These Berry Frozen Yogurt Bites are nice to have on hand during the summertime. They’re just sweet enough and can be enjoyed as a snack or light dessert.

If you’re craving salt, make a batch of 5-Minute Guacamole and scoop it up with crackers or tortilla chips. Addicting!

For a sweeter movie snack, you can’t go wrong with this Strawberry Mango Salsa. I like to pair it with homemade cinnamon sugar chips, but you can buy them store-bought as well.

These Sweet and Spicy Rosemary Bar Nuts stay fresh for a while and are a great healthier snack option to keep on hand.

Kids love these Pumpkin Chai Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. I like making granola bars at home, because I can more easily control how much sugar is in them.