Microwave Paper Bag Popcorn (No Oil) [Easy + Healthy]

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What&#;s the ultimate snack time snack?!

POPCORN!!!!

For me, at least, it has always been a nice buttery, salty bowl of popcorn. I never really have craved a bag of potato chips, or Cheetos in my adulthood, but a bowl of popcorn? Yes please!

Growing up, my parents and I had a lot of movie nights. And more often then not, my dad would microwave a bag of popcorn. Such a fun treat for movie night.

I bet my dad is going to love this recipe. It&#;s microwave paper bag popcorn &#; and it&#;s his level of easy (no offense, dad!&#;)

That&#;s right, popcorn that&#;s made in a lunch paper bag, in the microwave. No pre-filled bag needed. We&#;re going to DIY microwave popcorn!

And it&#;s so stinking simple. I swear, you will never go back to making the store bought microwave kind again!

It&#;s just as easy to make, tastes better, and is healthier for you! No oil necessary!

Fluffy, lightly salted, perfectly buttered popcorn all made in a lunch paper bag? 

Let&#;s do this!!!

What you need for microwave paper bag popcorn:

• Butter &#; beautiful, real butter for the ultimate buttery taste. This is of course optional, but highly recommended. Without butter the popcorn is kind of flavorless, and dry. But, by all means, you do you.
• Popcorn kernels &#; just your basic old popcorn kernels for popping, nothing fancy. Inexpensive, but delicious.
• Lunch paper bag &#; to pop the popcorn in. The old-school ones that your lunch used to be packed in for school. They are cheap, but they do the job.
• Popcorn salt &#; for that salty goodness. All popcorn salt is, is salt that is ground up into a fine powder so that it evenly coats the popcorn. I make my own popcorn salt by grinding kosher salt up in a spice grinder, then I keep it on hand for whenever I want to make popcorn. Or, you can easily buy some.

That&#;s all you need for making your own popcorn in the microwave!

No extra oil. Nothing! It&#;s pretty much air-popped popcorn, only, done in the convenience of the microwave!

How to make microwave paper bag popcorn?

• Melt the butter &#; I like to get the butter ready so you can drizzle it on the popcorn right when it&#;s done.
• Microwave the popcorn &#; add the popcorn kernels to the paper bag. Fold the opening of the paper bag onto itself twice, to seal it. Place the paper bag on it&#;s side in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1:30 to 2:30 minutes. The timing will depend on the wattage of your microwave.
• Add the salt and butter &#; Once the popcorn is done popping, dump it in a bowl. Pour the butter over top, sprinkle of over the salt, and toss to combine.
• Enjoy &#; Serve the popcorn immediately. Warm, fresh popcorn, can&#;t be beat it!!!

Couldn&#;t be any easier!

How long should I microwave my popcorn?

Timing can vary depending on the wattage of your microwave. It may take one or two test rounds to get the perfect timing right.

Cook time can range form 1:30 minutes to 2:30 minutes. You will know to stop the popcorn when you start to hear the popping slow down. It&#;s better to remove it a tad early then to burn it.

My microwave is 1,100 wattage, and 2 minutes is the perfect amount of cook time. Reduce, or increase the time accordingly to the wattage of your microwave.

Tip: never walk away from the popcorn while it&#;s popping. Use your nose to smell for burning, and your ears to hear when the popping starts to slow down. That&#;s a good indication that it&#;s ready.

Is it safe to microwave popcorn in a paper bag?

Yes. I haven&#;t had any problems.

Of course, don&#;t leave the microwave unattended while the popcorn is cooking. And, use your senses. If you smell it burning, stop it immediately. 

Generally, I don&#;t think there is anything to worry about.

Is microwave popcorn good for you?

Word on the street is that traditional, store bought, microwave packets are often filled with artificial chemical butter flavoring, instead of real butter. They can also have excess oils in it, not the good kind. And, they can be really high in sodium. 

So, no, microwave popcorn packets aren&#;t the healthiest snack for consuming on a regular basis.

Never fear though, we have a solution!

Homemade microwave paper bag popcorn, to the rescue!!!

Why is this recipe for microwave paper bag popcorn healthier?

No artificial flavors, no low quality oil &#; in fact, no oil at all, And, you&#;re in control of the sodium level.

This recipe only has 5g of fat  (with butter), 78.7mg sodium, and 99 calories, per 2 cup serving of popped popcorn.

It is hard to find a comparison of nutrition information for store bought microwave popcorn. The nutrition facts vary from brand to brand due to variations on the size of the bags and ingredients used, etc. But, in conclusion of my quick research, at the very least, the fat content, and the sodium content are way higher in a store bought version of generic microwave popcorn.

Bottom line: when you make your own microwave paper bag popcorn you are eating a snack that&#;.

• is lower in fat
• is flavored with real butter
• lower in sodium
• has no artificial flavors
• has no chemicals
• is oil free

*(compared to store bought microwave popcorn packets).

Sounds like a winner to me!

How to make popcorn without oil?

I did not test this recipe with oil in it. Would it pop better? Maybe. But, my goal was to keep this recipe as healthy as possible and when you HAVE to add oil, or extra butter to popcorn made in a pan, why not eliminate it when it&#;s not absolutely necessary?

For me, this popcorn is perfectly fluffy, there are hardly any un-popped kernels, and I love the fresh taste it has compared to store bought microwave popcorn. Plus, the freshly melted, real butter provides the best flavor. Always!

What&#;s the difference between your stovetop popcorn recipe, and this one?

About a year ago I shared a recipe for the best stovetop popcorn (with nutritional yeast)&#;so which one is better?!

Honestly, I love them both.

The stovetop popcorn recipe feels more fancy, and fun to make.

I especially recommend making popcorn on the stove top if you never have before, just for the experience. It does tend to get a little more fluffy than the microwave version, but I think both are a real tasty option.

Recently, we have been making the microwave paper bag popcorn version more often, mostly due to it&#;s convenience. No extra pan to wash, and quicker cook time.

Both methods of cooking popcorn is a road to a delicious, healthier snack option.

Chose your own adventure.

Reasons you will make this popcorn recipe on repeat:

• It&#;s delicious
• And crunchy
• Perfectly salted
• Has a real buttery flavor
• It&#;s filling, but not heavy
• It&#;s so, so easy to make
• Only takes 7 minutes to make
• It&#;s low in calories
• It&#;s oil free
• It&#;s naturally gluten free
• It&#;s naturally vegetarian
• It&#;s a favorite snack enjoyed by kids, and adults alike
• The perfect movie night snack.
• Did I mention, it&#;s tasty?!

More healthy snacks:

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to leave a comment down below, along with a star rating. Snap a picture and tag me on Instagram #robustrecipes. I love hearing from you.

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Microwave Paper Bag Popcorn (No Oil)

5 Stars

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1 Star

2

from

1

review

• Author:

  Emily

• Prep Time:

  5 mins

• Cook Time:

  2 mins

• Total Time:

  7 minutes

• Yield:

  2

  1

  x

• Category:

  snack, sides, easy, 10 ingredients or less

• Method:

  microwave

• Cuisine:

  gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, meatless, egg free, nut free

• Diet:

  Gluten Free

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Description

Microwave paper bag popcorn is so easy. It only requires a few simple ingredients, and takes only minutes to make. It&#;s healthier than traditional store bought microwave packets. The perfect snack!

Ingredients

Units

Scale

• optional: 1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 1/4

  cup

  For more information, please visit popcorn in paper bag no oil in bulk.

  popcorn kernels

• 1/4 teaspoon

  popcorn salt (see notes)

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Melt the butter: If are using butter, melt it in the microwave, gently &#; set aside.
2. Microwave the popcorn: Add the popcorn kernels to small lunch size paper bag. Fold the opening of the paper bag over twice to seal it. Place the paper bag on it&#;s side in the microwave. Pop on full power for 1:30 mins to 2:30 mins. The timing will depend on the wattage of your microwave. Mine is 1,100 watts and 2 minutes is perfect &#; make sure to decrease, or increase your cook time accordingly to the wattage of your microwave. This might take one or two times of trial and error to get the timing just right so that in the future you know exactly how long to pop your popcorn. You will want to stop cooking the popcorn once there are a few seconds between each pop.
3. Add salt and butter: You can add the melted butter (if using) and salt to the bag and shake it up, but I find there is better distribution of the seasoning and butter if I transfer it to a large mixing bowl. My bowls have lids, so I add the popped popcorn, butter and salt, place the lid on, and shake it to mix. No lid? Just use a spoon, or your hands, to give everything a good toss.
4. Enjoy: Of course, popcorn is best eaten fresh and warm, so dig in.

Notes

Oil option &#; I know the title specifically says &#;no oil&#;, but I started making the popcorn using 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of avocado oil and that tiny bit of oil does help the final popcorn to pop larger and fluffier than without the oil. I think that either method results in great popcorn, but I did want to mention that the added oil is an option, if you want. I just add the 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of avocado oil (or other neutral tasting oil) to the bag of kernels, shake it around in the bag so the kernels are coated, and proceed with the recipe.

Butter: Even though the butter is optional, without it the salt doesn&#;t stick to the popcorn as well &#; so I highly recommend it.

Vegan/dairy free: For a vegan/dairy free version you can use vegan butter instead. Or omit the butter.

Popcorn salt: all popcorn salt is, is kosher salt that&#;s ground up into a fine powder. This is so that the salt sticks evenly to the kernels instead of being big clumps of salt. I highly recommend it.

How to make your own popcorn salt: Place a few tablespoons of kosher salt in to a spice grinder (AKA a coffee grinder designated for spices) and whiz away until the salt is powdery. Transfer to a jar for storage. I always keep some on hand for whenever we want popcorn. If you get clumps in your popcorn salt, I just use a spoon to break up the clumps so it&#;s smooth again. If you don&#;t have a spice grinder, then I recommend buying popcorn salt.

Nutritional yeast: one of your favorite popcorn toppings is nutritional yeast! A must try for a fun flavor twist.

How to make smaller portions of popcorn: You can easily make 1 serving of popcorn: 2 tablespoons popcorn kernels, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, 1/8 teaspoon popcorn salt. I reduce the cook time by about 10 seconds (1:50 mins). Again, cook time varies depending on the wattage of your microwave.

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I grew up on oil-popped popcorn. My family used an old aluminum electric popcorn popper from Jolly Time brand popcorn. It had line inside showing you how much oil to put in before you added popcorn kernels. Popcorn was a traditional evening snack when we watched movies together or played cards.

As an adult, I continued to enjoy popcorn. We made huge bags of it at the fire station and our housefund, a fund we all contributed money into for pantry items, bought Costco-sized boxes of microwave popcorn. We loved the convenience of the microwave popcorn until we watched a news program about the hazards of chemicals contained in microwave popcorn. So back we went to oil-popped popcorn. And I kept this up until ditching oil several years ago, then no more popcorn&#;cue sad face&#;

But then I discovered that you can make popcorn in a paper bag in the microwave! All the convenience of microwave popcorn, no toxic chemicals from commercial popcorn bags, and no oil!

Making Microwave Popcorn in a Paper Bag

This process is super easy! All you need is a paper bag, some popcorn kernels, and a microwave. Here&#;s my video explaining the process and you can watch it happen in real time:

Trimazing! Microwave Popcorn

Learn how to make oil-free popcorn in your microwave from trimazing.com

You don&#;t need a special bag, a lunch sack size or one you get mushrooms in at the market is perfect.

I even reuse the bags over and over again. We keep the used popcorn bags in our pantry with the kernels.

Add &#; cup of your favorite kernels.

Roll down the top a couple folds and set your bag in the microwave.

Microwave for about 2 minutes, depending upon your microwave, and listen for the popping to slow down to about one pop every 3 seconds. Stop the microwave at this point so the popcorn doesn&#;t burn.

Popcorn Toppings without Oil

The only issue with oil-free popcorn is that toppings, like salt, don&#;t stick to the popped corn. I happen to love plain popcorn without salt, but I know I&#;m in the minority here. So here&#;s my fix for that. Put some tamari, soy sauce, or liquid aminos in a little spray bottle (Bragg&#;s even sells a little spray bottle full of their aminos if you don&#;t want to make your own), then lightly spritz your popcorn. This fine mist won&#;t make your popcorn soggy, but it will moisten the surface enough for dry toppings to stick. It adds a lot of great flavor and saltiness too, so you may not even need to salt your popcorn. I love to top mine with nutritional yeast and smoked paprika after spraying with tamari or aminos.

So if you&#;ve been missing popcorn with your whole food, plant-based, oil-free way of eating, give this a try. I think you&#;ll be thrilled to have popcorn back in your life!

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4.75

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4

votes

Microwave Popcorn in a Paper Bag

Prep Time

1

minute

minute

Cook Time

2

minutes

minutes

Total Time

3

minutes

minutes

Servings

1

Author

Cindy Thompson, MS, NBC-HWC | Trimazing! Health & Lifestyle Coaching

Cook Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• &#;

  cup

  popcorn kernels

• paper bag

• spray bottle of tamari, soy sauce, liquid aminos, coconut aminos, etc.

  optional

• nutritional yeast

  optional

• smoked paprika

  optional

• salt

  optional

Instructions

• Put &#; cup popcorn kernels into the paper bag. Fold down the top of the bag a couple times.

• Lay bag of kernels in the microwave and set for 2 minutes. Microwave and listen for popping to slow down, about 1 pop every 3 seconds and then remove the bag of popped corn.

• Spray with tamari, soy sauce, liquid or coconut aminos if desired and sprinkle with dry topping of choice. I love nutritional yeast and smoked paprika.

Video

Trimazing! Microwave Popcorn

Learn how to make oil-free popcorn in your microwave from trimazing.com

Are you interested in learning more about popcorn in paper bag no oil bulk discounts? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!