You can easily have hot, freshly popped kettle corn at home with this easy stovetop kettle corn recipe. All you need is a large pot and 4 basic pantry ingredients for the best homemade kettle corn.
Heat oil with 3 test kernels in large, deep, heavy pot with tight fitting lid, over medium-high heat. Once all 3 kernels pop, your oil is hot enough to start popping the rest of the kernels.
Add popcorn kernels and sugar; stir and cover. Shake pot vigorously every few seconds (yes, every few seconds). I alternate between setting pot down to rest a few seconds and shaking it a few seconds. This is a bit of an arm workout, but it must be done so sugar/popcorn won't burn.
Once popping has slowed, remove pot from heat and keep shaking until popping ceases. Sprinkle evenly with a pinch or two of salt. Give it another good shake, and immediately pour kettle corn into a large bowl.
Break up clumps as needed, and let cool enough to eat. Store cooled popcorn in airtight container or zipper bag up to a week at room temp.
Notes
You can also use canola or vegetable oil.Name brand kernels tend to pop up fluffier than generic brands; same goes for fresh vs. older kernels. As noted in original article, popped popcorn can be stored in airtight freezer bags and frozen for up to several weeks. If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡