Name: Best Homemade Popcorn Seasoning Recipes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: Ranch: ½ tsp dried dill, ½ tsp dried chives, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper; Cinnamon Sugar: 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt; Gingerbread: 1 ½ Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves; Coconut Curry: ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ tsp curry powder, ¼ tsp salt; Dorito: 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp salt; Mexican Chocolate: 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder,1 Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, pinch of cayenne pepper; Taco: 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast; 4 cups popped popcorn; 1 tsp oil (5 mL)

7 Easy Homemade Popcorn Seasonings (Sweet & Savory!)

By Sarah Bond, BS Nutrition, MS Sensory Science, Updated Nov 04, 2026

4.84 from 124 ratings

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8 minutes

Serves 4 cups

104 Comments

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Making homemade popcorn seasoning is so much easier than you would think. Today I’m showing you how to make 7 of our favorite popcorn flavors, from herby ranch to cinnamon sugar! These seasonings have been munched down on in thousands of kitchens since I first published this recipe years ago – yours next?

Many different popcorn seasonings. — I developed each of these 7 popcorn seasoning blends over the years as a food scientist who happens to also have a passion for good popcorn.

The day I learned that popcorn is a whole grain was a pretty big day. Suddenly my favorite mindless-munching snack was a wholesome one, and let’s just say I ate a lot of popcorn after that discovery.

But while many store-bought flavored popcorns are loaded with butter and sugar, you can make your own homemade popcorn seasoning at home that’s healthier (and cheaper!) than the store-bought stuff.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“My adult grandchildren always look forward to the different flavours of popcorn I’ll bring to a game or other event. Sara, these top their choices, especially the Mexican Chocolate and Taco.” —Vivian

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Making homemade popcorn seasoning is so much easier than you would think. Today I’m showing you how to make 7 of my favorite flavors, from herby ranch to gingerbread!

How to Scale Popcorn Seasoning for Holiday Gifts

This is the question I get asked most. My easy rule is to multiply each blend by 6. That fills an 8-ounce jar for most flavors, and each jar seasons six 4-cup bowls of popcorn.

Ranch (4-ounce jar): 1 Tbsp each dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, and onion powder, plus 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 ½ tsp pepper. Tag: use 2 ½ tsp per 4 cups popcorn.
Dorito (8-ounce jar): ¾ cup nutritional yeast, plus 1 ½ tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, and salt. Tag: use about 2 ½ Tbsp per 4 cups popcorn.
Taco (8-ounce jar): 6 Tbsp taco seasoning and 6 Tbsp nutritional yeast. Tag: use 2 Tbsp per 4 cups popcorn.
Coconut Curry (16-ounce jar): 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut, 1 Tbsp curry powder, and 1 ½ tsp salt. Tag: use a heaping ¼ cup per 4 cups popcorn.
Cinnamon Sugar (8-ounce jar): ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp cinnamon, and 1 ½ tsp salt. Tag: use about 2 ½ Tbsp per 4 cups popcorn.
Gingerbread (8-ounce jar): ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, and 1 ½ tsp ground cloves. Tag: use 2 Tbsp per 4 cups popcorn.
Mexican Chocolate (8-ounce jar): 6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 6 Tbsp powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp cayenne. Tag: use about 2 ½ Tbsp per 4 cups popcorn.

Whisk each blend in a bowl before you funnel it into the jar, since nutritional yeast and powdered sugar both settle into layers. On the tag, write the amount to use and the one step people skip: toss the popcorn with a teaspoon of oil or melted butter first. Shredded coconut has natural oils, so give the Coconut Curry jar a shorter use-by date than the others.

A jar pairs nicely with a bag of kernels. For the rest of your list, check out my 47 gift ideas for foodies.

Savory Popcorn Recipes

Ranch Popcorn Seasoning:

½ tsp dried dill
½ tsp dried chives
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Dorito Popcorn Seasoning:

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt

Taco Popcorn Seasoning

1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning:

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp salt

Sweet Popcorn Seasoning Recipes

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn Seasoning

2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt

Gingerbread Popcorn Seasoning

1 ½ Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves

Mexican Chocolate Popcorn Seasoning

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mexican cocoa popcorn seasoning in a white bowl.

Make it stick!

There are a few ways to make the seasonings really stick to the popcorn. I always like to spray the popcorn lightly with either flavorless or olive oil. Spray or drizzle the oil over the popcorn, then toss to coat the whole batch. Then sprinkle on your seasoning and toss once more for evenly coated popcorn.

Another way to keep seasonings from falling off is to swap regular sugar for powdered sugar in sweet recipes. This light sugar coats each kernel without sinking to the bottom. Ready to get popping?

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Best Homemade Popcorn Seasoning Recipes

4.84 from 124 ratings

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 5

Cook: 3

Total: 8

Servings: cups

Learn how to make 7 easy homemade popcorn seasonings—from herby ranch to cinnamon sugar! These reader-favorite flavors are quick to mix and seriously snackable.

Ingredients

Pick a Seasoning

▢ Ranch: ½ tsp dried dill, ½ tsp dried chives, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper
▢ Cinnamon Sugar: 2 Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt
▢ Gingerbread: 1 ½ Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground cloves
▢ Coconut Curry: ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, ½ tsp curry powder, ¼ tsp salt
▢ Dorito: 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp cumin, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp chili powder, ¼ tsp salt
▢ Mexican Chocolate: 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder,1 Tbsp powdered sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp salt, pinch of cayenne pepper
▢ Taco: 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Base

▢ 4 cups popped popcorn
▢ 1 tsp oil, 5 mL

Instructions

Mix: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for your seasoning of choice.
Pop: Prepare popcorn in either the microwave or traditionally on the stove. Spray or drizzle oil onto popcorn, tossing to evenly coat.
Serve: Sprinkle seasoning over popcorn and toss to coat once more. Serve warm.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

How I pop popcorn on the stove: My favorite base is stovetop popcorn with coconut oil. Warm about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat with 3 test kernels. Once they pop, add the rest of the kernels (about 2 to 3 tablespoons makes roughly 4 cups popped). Cover and shake the pot every few seconds, cracking the lid slightly to let steam escape.

These seasonings are also great on air fried kale chips or on crispy roasted chickpeas!