Easy Stovetop Olive Oil Popcorn

If you are going to make popcorn, then stovetop olive oil popcorn is the way you should go! Once you start making your own, rather than the microwavable bags, you will be hooked! And from there you will want to try different variations.

One of my happy discoveries was using infused extra virgin olive oil to give the popcorn a different flavour, instead of adding chocolate or caramel on top. I particularly liked using the orange and rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil.

I’ve been making stovetop popcorn since young with my mum and as a kid I remember it was one of the most fascinating things to listen to the pop and see the kernels transforming into popcorn (still think so now haha). I recall her using the large red Bessemer casserole and shaking the pot around to allow more space for the popcorn to pop. She would open the vent of the Bessemer lid to allow for the extra steam to escape, which means that the popcorn will end up crispy.

Extra virgin olive oil

I use extra virgin olive oil for all my recipes from frying, grilling or baking. The health benefits of adding extra virgin olive oil in your diet are enormous according to the Olive Wellness Institute. Specifically they say that, “Cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil can help retain – and in some instances increase – the number of nutrients and antioxidants in the cooked food that would otherwise be lost or damaged.”. I have used coconut oil as well to make popcorn, which also has several health benefits too and gives the popcorn a different flavour.

Cooking tips

Steps to follow for the perfectly cooked stovetop olive oil popcorn:
1. Shake it once or twice to allow more space so that the corn kernels can keep cooking
2. Use high heat to help the popcorn pop faster
3. Allow the lid to be open a bit so that steam doesn’t build up and so that the popcorn doesn’t soak up the extra moisture 
4. Salt as soon as they come out when they are hot so that the popcorn as seasoned more efficiently
5. Below I have specific measurements for you to use. But if you don’t measure the ingredients or have a different pot, an easy guide to know how much to of each to add, is to add a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil in the pot and then add enough corn kernels to form a single layer on the bottom.