Healthy Air Fryer Popcorn Recipe [Oil Free]

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Don’t we all enjoy popcorn, whether it’s microwaved or purchased at a movie theater?

However, they are frequently laden with an excessive amount of butter/oil and salt.

Making popcorn in an air fryer is a quick and easy process in which I have complete control.

In less than 15 minutes, you can have a salty, crunchy, and delicious snack thanks to butterfly air fryer popcorn!

Popping your own kernels allows you to control the amount of butter and seasoning you use, resulting in an easy healthy snack that’s completely different each time you make it.

WHY MAKE THIS RECIPE?

• It’s inexpensive, simple, and delicious.
• It’s simple to change the flavor to your liking.
• A delicious snack that the entire family enjoys.
• Make ahead of time, season to taste, and serve to your guests.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED?

With the exception of your air fryer and some aluminum foil, you’ll only need three ingredients!

Two of which are optional because I’m confident you’ll enjoy the slightly roasted flavor of this air fryer popcorn!

• Use your favorite kind of popcorn kernels! I prefer organic and non-GMO brands. And I can’t decide whether I prefer white or yellow corn!

• Cooking Oil (Optional) – Any cooking oil will suffice, and the oil can be omitted. However, I prefer to use coconut oil because I believe it produces fluffier, more flavorful popcorn.

• Salt (optional) – Add to taste. Try other flavorings, such as nutritional yeast, garlic salt, or my personal favorite, sweet maple sugar salt, which makes it taste like kettle corn! Kernel Season’s brand popcorn flavors are also a favorite of ours; they’re delicious!

USING ALUMINUM FOIL IN YOUR AIR FRYER

You may need to make a quick adjustment to your air fryer when making air fryer popcorn.

Most air fryers have a basket with holes that allow the seeds to fall through and land beneath the basket. This would result in a disappointing mess instead of a tasty snack.

To avoid this, line the bottom of your air fryer basket with a sheet of aluminum foil.

This forms a barrier that protects your popcorn seeds and allows them to pop inside the basket where they belong.

DO YOU NEED TO USE OIL WHEN MAKING POPCORN IN YOUR AIR FRYER?

Despite the name, air fryer, oil is an essential component of cooking with this handy kitchen appliance.

You’ll need some kind of oil to help your popcorn pop and have that perfect crunch without burning.

CAN YOU RE-POP UNPOPPED KERNELS?

Yes! If there are still a lot of kernels on the bottom of the basket, lightly coat the kernels with oil a second time and pop them again.

However, I usually discard the unpopped kernels and replace them with fresh kernels.

AIR FRYER POPCORN TEMPERATURE

The ideal air fryer popcorn temperature is 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit. Any lower and the popcorn will not pop, and you want as much popcorn as possible popped.

AIR FRYER POPCORN TIME

You must make an educated guess when it comes to air fryer popcorn cooking time.

This is due to the fact that some air fryers are more powerful than others, and this is not a hard and fast rule.

We used a Philips Air Fryer XL and cooked for 7 minutes. However, the guideline should be, “When your popcorn stops popping, it’s time to finish cooking.”

We recommend setting the cook time to 9 minutes and watching your popcorn in the air fryer; if it stops after 7 minutes, for example, you should stop the cooking time.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Preheat the Air Fryer – You want the Air Fryer to be hot so that the popcorn can pop quickly. Otherwise, you will have burnt kernels.

• Hold off on the seasoning – By not seasoning or salting the popcorn as it cooks, you gain more flavoring options at the end.

• Use the proper amount of popcorn – A quarter cup of kernels per session is ideal, as having too many will result in too many unpopped kernels. If you have a large air fryer with a larger surface area, you can up the amount to a third of a cup.

• Shake – Shake a few times while cooking. To prevent the popping corn from escaping, only slightly open the basket for shaking.

• Timing – To avoid burnt popcorn, I usually stop popping after about 6-7 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Alternative recipes to try:

Can You pop a Popcorn in A Fryer?

Easy Homemade Air Fryer Popcorn Recipe

Air Fryer Popcorn (With or Without Oil!)