Nigella Lawson’s Party Popcorn
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Say goodbye to boring plain popcorn and hello to a flavor explosion with Nigella Lawson’s party popcorn recipe!
Leave it to Nigella Lawson. I was once content to eat my popcorn with just butter and salt, but after trying her party popcorn recipe, there’s no going back. A delightful mix of sweet and savory flavors—think cinnamon, cumin, and paprika—this stuff is downright habit-forming. Adapted from Nigella Express, one of my go-to cookbooks, this snack is a breeze to whip up in less than fifteen minutes. While it’s named “party popcorn,” don’t reserve it just for entertaining—it’s equally delicious for family movie nights or anytime snacking.
“Delicious! We keep saying that we need to step away from the bowl, but it’s impossible! Thanks for sharing such a yummy recipe—I never would have thought to combine those spices with popcorn, but it totally works. 🙂”
What you’ll need to make Party Popcorn
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by heating the oil and popping corn in a large pot. Don’t be tempted to increase the quantities — the kernels should be in a single layer to ensure even popping.
Cover the pot with a lid and wait for the kernels to start popping. As it pops, shake the pan gently now and then to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2-3 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat.
Next, melt the butter in a small bowl and add the spices, sugar, and salt.
Stir to combine.
Then drizzle the mixture over the popcorn, stirring as you go so that it coats the popcorn evenly. It will clump in some spots — that’s okay.
Continue tossing the popcorn until it’s well coated.
Then transfer to serving bowls or popcorn bags and enjoy.
Note: The original recipe, as published here, calls for 4 teaspoons of salt. That’s way too much salt (and possibly a typo) so I reduced the amount significantly here.
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Nigella's Party Popcorn
Say goodbye to boring plain popcorn and hello to a flavor explosion with Nigella Lawson’s party popcorn recipe!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ cup popcorn kernels (I like Pop Secret Jumbo Popping Corn)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable oil into a very large pan over medium-high heat. Add the kernels, then set the lid on top.
- Wait for the kernels to start popping, then shake the pan gently now and then to keep the kernels moving. When the popping slows to 2-3 seconds apart, remove the pan from the heat.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the cinnamon, paprika, cumin, sugar and salt. Use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the popcorn, stirring as you go so that it coats the everything evenly. Pour into bowls or popcorn bags and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Serving size: 2 cups
- Calories: 109
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 46 mg
- Cholesterol: 9 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Jenn, another home run. I was skeptical at first after seeing the ingredients. Such a pleasant surprise. I did not use all the topping for my first batch (thank goodness), I had enough for a 2nd round. Can not wait to make again. Thank you
This was amazing! A hit with family and friends easy to make! Will be a good go to recipe.
Love this, except way too much cumin for me, I only used a half teaspoon and threw in some ground ginger the second time I made it and it turned out great!
This makes a fairly large amount of popcorn, and the ratio of popcorn to buttered mixture topping is off in my opinion. This needs less cooking oil in my popcorn popper, but it needs way more butter as far as I’m concerned, and more of the spices and more sugar. I wanted it sweeter and spicier and in fact also added some cayenne to this. The flavors are good together, once I got them adjusted for that much popcorn. I would double or triple the buttered topping for that amount of popcorn, make it a bit sweeter and add some cayenne.
Finally tried this popcorn tonight. Delicious and addictive for sure.
Another “repeat it!” recipe! Love the combination of flavors, and it really is addicting. After popping corn, I always put it in a brown grocery bag that I’ve cut down a few inches. That’s when I top with melted butter and salt and just shake it up. So with this recipe I did the same – spooned on the butter/spice mixture, stirred a bit when doing that, and then just shook it up! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Jenn. I absolutely love your recipes. Everything I have tried has been delicious. We use a hot air popper for our popcorn. Would it matter if I used the air popper rather than a pot on the stove? Thanks
Hi Dana, Thank you! An air popper will definitely work. Hope you enjoy it!
Do you use sweet or hot paprika?
I use sweet paprika, but feel free to experiment with some hot paprika if you’d like. 🙂
SO good!
I’ve made this several times and it is the perfect balance of sweet and spicey! Thanks for a great recipe!
Super yummy! It was gobbled down by all my guests.