Vegan ‘Cheesy’ Popcorn Recipe (2024)

Been making popcorn this way at least once a week for decades, with half olive oil, half ghee, and coating with nothing but sea salt. There's really no need to pop 2 or 3 kernels first then add the rest -- I pour them all in at the beginning. And I haven't shaken popcorn while it cooks in decades, either -- what's the point? As kernels pop they rise to the top, gravity keeps the un-popped ones in the fat at the bottom. Very few un-popped kernels at the end with this method.

I’d like to share a tip! I love nutritional yeast but was always frustrated when the topping was in the bottom of the bowl and not on the kernels! So, when using nutritional yeast, I have a extra large metal bowl ready with the salt and yeast and once the popcorn is about half way through popping I gingerly open the lid and pour most of it into the seasoning and toss while the rest of the kernels pop. Add the finished kernels and “voila,” perfect seasoned popcorn! It’s all about the steam.

I make like Jeff, but with canola oil, just enough to coat bottom of pan. Putting all the kernels in at beginning helps them have roasty taste. Medium high heat. Shake once or twice if I'm nearby. When popped kernels are nearing the top of the pan, I remove the lid entirely, so the steam all escapes, yielding crunchy pops. Doesn't pop all over everywhere. In bowl, drizzle olive oil, popcorn salt (it's very fine grain, coats well), pepper, nutritional yeast. Everyone loves it.

Do you remove the cooked popcorn with a spoon or dump all the contents of the Dutch oven, including oil, into the bowl before seasoning?

Yes, in the article she mentions sometimes using animal fat on her popcorn at home. It is not part of this recipe, however. She can discuss using animal fats in an article and still have a recipe that’s vegan if the ingredients to *that recipe* are free from animal products. It’s not like this is an all-vegan publication where any mention of animal products anywhere negates all the recipes.

I've tried every brand of popping corn I could get my hands on for decades, and finally found Anson Mills, which I order from their website. The flavor, texture, and rate of unpopped kernels (2-5 per batch) is far superior to anything else I've tried.I use Mark Bittman's proportions: 2 t. oil : 3 T corn per serving, pop in canola oil, and flavor with olive oil, S&P, and yeast. Had not thought of using very fine salt - what a good idea!

i have been using nutritional yeast on popcorn since 1995 when my friend showed me how. she learned it from someone in maine. i like the big flakes (vs powdered style) and i always use extra virgin olive oil and it works great. sometimes i add a furikake flavor to amp it up but not usually.

Made this because I was curious. I have popcorn as a snack about 4 nights a week. Always use about a tablespoon of coconut oil to 1/4 cup popcorn. Then add nutritional yeast, powdered dulse (seaweed) a little shake of Herbamare and a little shake of Spike seasonings. This recipe tasted good at first but made me feel sick to my belly after a short while. Who needs such an excess of fats in their diet? I’ll stick to my healthier and equally if not more delicious version.

Also, for additional flavor, add a sprinkle (or lots) of Sumac! Yummy.

Santonio Greene. Have just reread over and over. While Mellissa referred to them in the article, i'll be damned if I can see any reference to duck fat etc in this recipe! What are you talking about?

I can appreciate using a healthy amount of oil, but 1/2 cup is a waste. Next time I'll try 1/3 cup. Will also cut back on the yeast, as a little goes a long way.

This was certainly delicious, and it prompted my first ever use or taste of nutritional yeast, but I found it to be very oily. Like many, I love popcorn, no matter how it's made or seasoned. But I particularly appreciate how it can be a low calorie, high fiber snack. But with this recipe, the fiber part remains but the low calorie part, not so much. I think I'll save this high-fat version for the rare treat and go back to my dry popped version the rest of the time. Too bad....

Ate a bit and threw out the rest. My recipe with a lot less oil may not be as crispy but it won't give me a heart attack, either.

Disappointing. I can usually eat shameful amounts of popcorn, but I tossed most of this out. I found it far too greasy compared to my usual Bittman-like method. It's a waste of oil, much of which poured out with the popped corn. Every bite tasted more like oil than popcorn, which was no crispier than with my usual method. And I don't get these toppings. Popcorn should be quick and simple to make, and reasonably healthy to eat. It should taste like corn, not yeast, cheese, or oil.

Isn't yeast a living organism? Since it's a living thing, although not exactly an animal, why can vegans eat yeast ? Curious about that.

I use 1 tablespoon of oil for one-third cup of kernels. More seems like too much.

This is a bit overkill on the oil and nutritional yeast. I did 2tbsp gee (I’ve used the same amount of avocado oil before and comes out perfect) and half the amount of nutritional yeast. I added 1/2tsp of cayenne to this and it was chef’s kiss delicious.

1/4 cup corn kernels from Sprouts or Rancho Gordo + 2 tablespoons coconut oil + 1 bottle of wine = 2 very happy weekend popcorn eaters. Stay away for Trader Joe's popcorn kernels. They are invariably stale. We have learned this from experience.

Equal parts yeast and sea salt, then smaller amounts of dried dill, onion powder and black pepper. Grind it to FINE in a mortar and pestle - the yeast flakes really need this step so they stick to your popcorn and don't wind up in the bottom of the bowl. Helps to dump the freshly popped corn into a large paper shopping bag, sprinkle the seasoning over it, close the bag and SHAKE it. Perfectly distributed, and you can also roll down the edges of the bag and just use it as your disposable bowl.

This was a surprise, since it was like cheesies, which I have not eaten since I was a kid! (But these felt pretty healthy, and didn’t have dyes and preservatives.) I didn’t have powdered rosemary, so tried to grind up the pieces I had. I used a hot air popper and then drizzled olive oil over the popcorn and then sprinkled, stirred, sprinkled, stirred the topping on, so it would stick to the popcorn. A tasty snack! I will probably make this regularly.

After many many years of stovetop popping and cracking the lid slightly to release the steam, I still found the popped kernels to be a bit stale tasting/soggy… I replaced the glass pot lid with a colander! Result: escaping steam = no more moisture laden popcorn

I double the kernels (2/3 cup) while keeping oil at 1/2 cup canola plus 1 tbsp coconut oils and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt with 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and it turns out perfectly every time.

One review suggested Bittman’s approach: 2 tsp canola/olive to 3 Tbl corn.

Keep your popcorn in the freezer; the frozen water contained within the kernel adds an extra explosive force to the popping process as it rapidly thaws in the hot oil. Also, I add salt, garlic powder and dried oregano directly to the pot along with the corn; adds a really nice toasted/roasted flavor to the final product. Looking forward to trying out nutritional yeast.

Love this recipe & make it frequently. I've found that 1/3 cup of oil is enough; and that peanut oil works just as well as grapeseed oil (and is cheaper by far). I like to experiment with the spices. Today I added 1/4 t cumin and 1/4 t of a blend with oregano, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. YUMMY!

"Using more oil than popcorn kernels - a technique developed by Jessica Koslow..." No offense to Ms, Koslow, but this is not a chef-developed technique. Movie theaters everywhere have been doing this forever. Of course it tastes great!

We love salt, nutritional yeast and Spanish smoked paprika. Trader Joe's avocado oil works very well for the oil.

Please learn the definition of vegan.

I use a tablespoon or two of oil. What’s with this grease bomb?

How do you keep the seasoning on the popcorn without putting on oil or butter?