How to Make Popcorn with Butter Instead of Oil

There are many reasons why you might want to cut down on your oil intake, including some types being high in calories and low in nutrients. When it comes to popcorn, oil is a common ingredient to use, as it won’t weigh corn down and make it mushy or dry it out during the cooking process.

If you’re looking for alternative ways to add flavor and cook your popcorn, we’ll uncover if you can replace oil with butter and some methods to follow.

How to Make Popcorn with Butter Instead of Oil

Ditching oil makes sense if you want to cut back on calories and consume healthier foods, but unless you’re considering boiling popcorn, we recommend a replacement to keep the kernels tasty.

Butter makes an excellent popcorn addition because it’s flavorful and has a salty taste. Clarified butter doesn’t contain milk solids, so it won’t produce soggy popcorn.

Clarified butter is butter with the milk solids removed. This creates a yellow fat that you can heat at a high temperature before it turns bad.

Clarified butter makes an excellent alternative to butter because it provides a rich, buttery taste with the perfect consistency. In fact, clarified butter won’t make your popcorn soggy since it doesn’t contain milk solids or water while offering a rich taste.

How Do You Make Popcorn with Butter?

Switching to butter can add a saltier, appetizing taste compared to oil. Here’s how to make tasty popcorn at home using butter instead of oil. You can also switch out the butter for clarified butter.

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Place the butter over a low heat on a stove
2. Once it’s melted, add the kernels, shaking the pan quickly to ensure the butter spreads across each piece
3. The kernels will begin to pop after around one minute
4. Shake the pan every 30 seconds
5. Once the popping stops, pour the popcorn into a bowl
6. Melt the remaining butter in a microwave
7. Pour the butter over the popcorn, and sprinkle with salt
8. Shake the bowl to ensure everything is mixed
9. Enjoy at room temperature

Learn more about using butter in a popcorn machine here.

Popping Popcorn with Butter in the Microwave

Instead of popping corn on the hob, why not use the microwave instead? Here’s a simple method to try using butter instead of oil.

1. Mix clarified butter and salt with kernels
2. Add the kernels to a microwave-safe bag, folding the open end over a few times
3. Place the bag in the microwave until you hear the popping slow down to every two–three seconds (this will probably be around two minutes)
4. Remove from the microwave, and place the popcorn in a bowl
5. Add an additional layer of clarified butter and mix for a richer taste

Check out our full article on butter and microwave popcorn here.

What Is Clarified Butter, and Is It Good with Popcorn?

Clarified butter is butter with the milk solids removed. This creates a yellow fat that you can heat at a high temperature before it turns bad.

Clarified butter makes an excellent alternative to butter because it provides a rich, buttery taste with the perfect consistency. In fact, clarified butter won’t make your popcorn soggy since it doesn’t contain milk solids or water.

In fact, clarified butter is a better alternative than butter because of the heat requirements for popping kernels. Regular butter contains solids and water that might burn before the kernels have time to pop.

How to Make Clarified Butter

The good news is that you can make clarified butter at home, with ease. Here’s how:

1. Add desired butter amount to a pan and melt it on a low heat
2. Continue stirring to prevent any elements from burning and to ensure all of the butter melts
3. As the butter simmers, use a knife to skim off the foam from the top layer
4. When the foam starts forming, remove the pan from the heat
5. Empty the yellow liquid into a jar, and leave behind any solids
6. Use a fine strainer to catch any remaining solids

Can I Use Ghee Instead of Butter?

Ghee, a clarified butter, has a nutty, buttery taste that makes it an excellent option to use with popcorn. After all, ghee is made from butter, so it makes sense to mix this ingredient with corn.

Ghee also has a low moisture content and a high smoke point, making it the ideal combination for a delectable snack. Since ghee is butter without any oil, it won’t soak popcorn like butter does. Instead, your corn won’t go soggy while leaving it with a buttery taste.

Using ghee instead of butter in your popcorn is super easy. Here’s how to achieve the perfect texture and taste with this key ingredient:

1. Drizzle melted ghee on the top layer of the popcorn
2. Use a spoon to distribute the ghee evenly across the corn
3. Season with salt, and mix again to coat everything
4. Drizzle more ghee onto the popcorn
5. Taste and season accordingly

Popcorn With Butter

Consider switching oil for clarified butter. This ingredient adds a rich, buttery flavor and won’t leave your corn soggy like ordinary butter can. Clarified butter creates a fluffy texture without a grainy coating to your corn for a moreish snack.

Sources

https://www.littlehomeinthemaking.com/ghee-popcorn/
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/glossary/clarified-butter-glossary
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-the-most-buttery-movie-style-popcorn-240547
https://www.ehow.com/how_7274293_make-popcorn-butter-instead-oil.html