This yellow, intensely buttery homemade Movie Popcorn stays crisp FOR DAYS! Save a fortune at the movie theatre candy bar – just remember to take a giant bag so you can smuggle in loads of your own homemade butter popcorn….
Homemade Movie Popcorn
Today’s butter popcorn recipe is for everyone who’s blown a fortune at movie theatre candy bars.
In particular, for all fellow Aussies who remember enjoying cheap movie tickets on Tight-Arse-Tuesdays*, only to spend twice as much on popcorn and M&M’s.
I can’t help you on the M&M’s.
But I can help you with the butter popcorn!!!
This butter popcorn is intensely buttery – and it stays crisp for days!
* In Australia, movie tickets are (were??) discounted by most cinemas every Tuesday. We affectionally referred to it as Tight-Arse-Tuesdays. You’d be hard pressed to find an Aussie who isn’t familiar with this term!
How to make butter popcorn without it going soggy
The secret to stay-crispy popcorn that’s really butter is clarified butter, also known as ghee. This is just melted butter that’s simmered until the water in the butter evaporates – because butter is made up of fat, milk solids and water.
Once the water is evaporated, the melted butter is now pure butter fat. This has two benefits for butter popcorn:
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Use to pop the popcorn – because it has a higher smoke point than normal butter. You CANNOT pop popcorn with normal butter, it just burns; and
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Won’t make popcorn soggy when you pour the butter over it. In fact, it stays crispy for days and days and days….
Alternative to making clarified butter: Use store bought ghee. That’s what clarified butter is!
How to make clarified butter
This stuff is also known as liquid gold. The buttery smell is just insane!
And if that isn’t enough, another miracle is that clarified butter can be stored in the pantry for months and months. It’s liquid when warm and a soft butter consistency at room temperature (just microwave to melt).
You’ll find ghee is called for in almost every Indian recipe. Also, use it in place of melted butter in any recipe – clarified butter is just browned butter which is butter on steroids!
How to make Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn
So now you know the secret to stay-crispy butter popcorn, here’s how to make Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn that’s ultra buttery and will stray crisp for days! (I use the same technique in my Lightly Sweet ‘n Salty Popcorn, which adds a slightly sweet touch compared to this Butter Popcorn.)
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Grind salt or blitz in food processor to make it a fine powder – it needs to be fine so it sticks to the popcorn
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Melt clarified butter (ghee) in a pot – do not use normal butter
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For optional movie theatre yellow popcorn colour – add tumeric and saffron powder (see section below for more info)
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Add popcorn kernels, clamp lid on
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30 seconds after popcorn starts popping, shake pot once
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When popping stops, remove from pot and immediately transfer popcorn into large bowl
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Douse liberally with more clarified butter and sprinkle with salt. Do not use normal butter, it will make it soggy!
All natural YELLOW movie theatre popcorn
For a truly authentic Movie Popcorn experience, this recipe includes an option to make your popcorn yellow!
After many many batches of popcorn, I’ve settled on a combination of imitation saffron and tumeric powder as the best way to add an authentic yellow colour to the popcorn. I dissolve it in a touch of water, then swirl it around in the butter before adding the kernels.
Caveat: You will get yellow fingers and tongue, just like when you indulge in Cheetos and Cheezels! There is also the slightest hum of warmth left on your tongue from the spices, barely noticeable. None of my friends noticed it – until I probed them repeatedly!!!
For fellow food nerds interested in how I landed on this: The spices have to be dissolved in a touch of water because they don’t dissolve or seep into fat. This was also the problem with normal yellow food colouring – it doesn’t dissolve in fat. I tried emulsifying it by shaking in a jar with the butter, grinding with salt and sprinkling. I also found that using both spices achieved the colour I was after – tumeric alone makes the popcorn a crazy neon yellow colour, while saffron comes out a cheddar orange colour.
Phew! Who knew I could write so much about popcorn??!!
I will tell you this though. Putting aside the yellow colouring, because that really is optional, Homemade Movie Popcorn is insanely addictive. It’s buttery in a way that just dousing with normal melted butter never will be. It’s lightly and evenly salted in a way that you can’t achieve just by using normal cooking or table salt.
And the best part?
IT STAYS CRISP FOR DAYS. As in – perfectly crispy.
Start thinking about how you’re going to smuggle this into the cinema. Because honestly, it’s almost criminal how expensive movie popcorn is to buy!!! – Nagi x
More Popcorn recipes
Movie Theatre Butter Popcorn
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Homemade Movie Popcorn (Stay-crisp Butter Popcorn)
Ingredients
Movie Popcorn:
- 3 tbsp Popcorn Butter or ghee (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup popcorn kernels
- 2 - 3 tbsp Extra Popcorn Butter or ghee (Note 1)
- 1 tsp Popcorn Salt
Popcorn Salt:
- 1 tbsp salt
Popcorn Butter (clarified butter / ghee):
- 250 g / 2 sticks unsalted butter
Yellow Colouring (optional):
- 1 1/2 tsp warm tap water
- 1/4 tsp saffron powder , imitation (Note 2)
- 1/8 tsp tumeric powder
Instructions
Movie Popcorn:
- Place 3 tbsp Popcorn Butter in a large 10L/10qt lightweight pot over medium heat (medium high if weak stove).
- When the butter is almost melted, pour in Yellow Colouring, if using. Quickly give the pan a shake to disperse the colouring across the base.
- Add kernels, shake quickly to spread across the base, then clamp lid on. The kernels will start popping after a minute or so.
- Shake briefly once after 30 seconds or so. When the popping stops, immediately pour popcorn into a large bowl.
- Melt Extra Popcorn Butter in microwave. Pour over popcorn, sprinkle over salt. Shake and toss well to disperse. Extra fantastic served warm but still irresistible at room temp.
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Popcorn Salt:
- Place in a mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder. OR use about 1/2 cup salt and blitz in food processor.
Popcorn Butter (video helpful):
- Place butter in a silver saucepan over medium low to medium heat.
- Leave to melt, it will start to sputter and spit, then foam.
- When you push the foam aside and you see brown bits on the bottom of the saucepan, remove from heat. Takes about 10 minutes.
- Line a strainer with 2 paper towels, then strain butter through - discard brown bits.
- Pour strained butter into a jar or container. It sets when it cools. Use in liquid or set form. Keeps in the pantry for months (it is now ghee / clarified butter).
Yellow Colouring (optional):
- Mix ingredients in a small bowl until spices dissolve.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Look what I found on my phone from the trip down south to Araluen last weekend! Just rolled out of bed, complete with ugg boots, trackies, bed hair, completely makeup-less, clutching Dozer.
Ooooh…. *light bulb goes off in head*…. I could be talking about any day…..
Nice
Thank you! This is the best popcorn!!! I’m from Hawaii, half Japanese, living in England during lockdown, and missing movie popcorn!! This has done the trick!! Not sure about it staying crisp for a week…nearly polished off the entire amount an hour! It’s so good! Thank you so much for sharing! Keep safe,
I’m making this now for 3.30pm munchies. 30 years ago I met my husband on a Saturday night at a nightclub. He took me to the movies on the next Tight-arse-Tuesday, our 1st date, we’ve been together ever since. We would go to movies every Tuesday even to see movies we weren’t interested in. A great part of life in the 90’s.
Yummo…….. Movie popcorn cups covid snacks for my daughters 30th
Perfect Julie!! N x
Made this several times over the weekend. YUM! I used the popcorn butter to cook the popcorn but didn’t add extra butter at the end, just salt. It was still really delicious and crunchy.
Was craving movie theater popcorn so I found this recipe today and made it for lunch along with a side of blueberries. It is amazing! Exactly what I was looking for.
I can’t comment on whether it will get soggy over time…I’m sure it won’t last long enough for me to know. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
I know the feeling all too well Rikkisha 😂
This recipe was amazing!! Love popcorn so much and I love this popcorn recipe the most!
Another great recipe! We used ghee and it was perfect.
YESSS!!! It’s totally addictive Amy!
I have tried this with unsalted butter and it turn d out great but does the butter have to be unsalted? I only have salted butter and I can’t get any unsalted because of quarantine
super easy way to get yellow popcorn is to use about a tbsp or so of unrefined red palm oil in with the cooking oil. It’s similar to coconut oil with a high smoke point and it’s full of beta carotene (what makes it so red). The popcorn comes out a lovely buttery hue. I usually use it with coconut oil, though, not clarified butter, so not sure how the color would turn out with this recipe. Maybe you could use less to get the same color.
Great tip Greg!
This is the best popcorn I’ve had in years! Next, I’ll try the Carmel corn.
Wahoo! Don’t do the caramel corn – it’s dangerously addictive 😂
For this recipe, there are 2.625 cups of popcorn per serving.
I just finished off a large bowl (maybe 4 cups) of this delicious treat. Soooo Good!!! I didn’t use the “coloring” but WOW!
It’s so addictive isn’t it Tina?!
Great Information! Yes Theater prices are Insane! Will Try out for next date night!😋
I hope you love it Sharon!
There’s a product called “Flavacol” that’s used in the popcorn industry to season popcorn. It contains an ultra fine salt, flavorings and a couple of colorings. It’s made by Gold Medal Industries who supply every imaginable popcorn related product to movie theaters, etc. It does not contain much butter flavor, however. It’s available on Amazon and other on-line sources. I use it to season popcorn I make at home after I spray it with butter flavored non-stick cooking spray.
Flavacol!
Thanks for the popcorn recipe. I really appreciate it
OMG this is amazing, I will save soooo much money on movie popcorn because this is a thousand times better!!!!
Wahooooooo! I’m so glad you love it!
Oh. My. Gosh. This popcorn is awesome! Been trying all kinds of ‘butter’ popcorn recipes, but this is the best! Great thing is we always have homemade ghee!
I’ve tried several of your recipes lately and they haven’t disappointed – thank you so much! Next on my list is the choc Bavarian pie ;0)
P.s. love your dog, his so beautiful 🙂
Oh this popcorn is dangerous – I always eat far too much!!
Am having it now, right now…..Love it. Mad, mad about popcorn. Safe trip and get some rest.
How did I go so long without knowing this recipe! It’s amazing. Just wondering whether if you air pop your kernels and then add ghee will it still taste nice and buttery or is popping in the ghee/butter also essential?
Popping in the butter definitely has more flavour but you could air pop if you prefer – N x
I absolutely LOVED your popcorn recipe. Thanks for sharing it. Always a pleasure to read your posts.
Awesome Angela!