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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?
save this recipe!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.
The Perfect Gift
I love making a big batch of popcorn seasoning to use as an edible holiday gift! Simply scale your favorite flavor up as much as you need, then store it in an airtight container (like a mason jar). These popcorn seasonings can be stored for up to 3 months.
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
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 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
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. Simply spray or drizzle the oil over the popcorn and toss to coat the whole batch. Then sprinkle on your seasoning and toss once more for evenly coated popcorn.
Another way to ensure your seasonings stick is to swap out regular sugar for powdered sugar in the sweet recipes. This light sugar will coat each kernel without all sinking to the bottom. Ready to get popping?
7 Easy Homemade Popcorn Seasonings
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
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Hi Sarah,
Great ideas! I’m curious about the nutritional yeast which I never heard of. Is that a filler of some sort to add some bulk to the seasoning? Does it have a flavor?
Thanks!
Hi Dave! Oh gosh, I’m so excited to have the honor of introducing you to nutritional yeast. I did an article all about it here, but in short it adds cheesy / eggy / creamy / savory flavor while being full of vitamins (especially B12, which isn’t usually found in vegan foods). I use it to add flavor to all sorts of dishes, but its texture, which is a bit flaky, makes it perfect for popcorn seasoning!
I tried the Doritos recipes and it was a big hit! Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful recipes.
So happy to hear, Madalene! 😀
Agree the flavor combo was perfect.
These sound delish! So my question is about the nutritional yeast as well. If you aren’t vegan, can you leave it out?
Hi Lisa! You can leave it out (or substitute it for parmesan), but it’s actually a really nice flavor (for vegans and non-vegans alike!). Enjoy 😀
That Dorito flavour is amazzzinng! We load it on our buttered popcorn. I quadruple the recipe each time as I’m addicted. Thanks for the recipe 🙂 i usually dont even like nutritional yeast much
YAY! So happy to hear it, Sally! 😀
Enjoyed the Gingerbread Seasoning this evening. YUM Will definitely mix up more for the future. Looking forward to trying the Mexican Chocolate next.
One of our favorites is Cinnamon Popcorn. I pop the corn in an organic non-flavored coconut oil – enough to make 8 or so cups. I then melt additional coconut oil to use as “butter”. The seasoning is a rounded teaspoon of Vietnamese (Penzey’s is my favorite) cinnamon, a packet of Stevia, and a good pinch of salt.
Thanks for the recipes!
So happy to hear it, Jaci! 😀 Sounds delicious with the coconut oil!
Hi! Thanks so much for posting the recipes! I am exploring some healthy popcorn seasonings. Did you know what the nutritional values are for these seasonings by any chance? Thanks!
That’s a great question, Winta! Because spices generally have such little nutritional values, I didn’t include them. You can more or less expect most of these recipes to have about 40 calories (6g carbs, 1g protein, 1 g fat), along with whatever sodium from salt you might add. And if you add nutritional yeast, that will improve the nutritional profile a bit.
So far I’ve tried the ranch and Mexican chocolate. Both have been perfect as is!
So happy to hear it, Jillian! Happy popping!
OMG!! I’m so exited that I found such great recipes. I made the cinnamon sugar, the Mexican chocolate, and the Doritos. they were all soooooooooooo good and i’m looking forward to making these recipes again. thanks so much!!!
So happy to hear it, Gemma!
Hey there, these recipes look amazing. Wondering if these can be stored in jars if I make bulk quantities. Have never used the yeast and not sure of it’s shelf life.
Yea they should all be shelf stable for a while! Nutritional yeast will be good for a long time at room temp (I keep it for up to a year).
Hello, Could the sugars be substituted with Splenda for those who are diabetic? Thank you
Yep that would be fine with this recipe! 😀