Microwave Popcorn
A glass bowl and a plate are all the gear this needs, and you decide how salty it gets. A teaspoon of oil tossed with the kernels coats the popcorn as it pops, so the salt lands on every handful instead of the bottom of the bowl. Five minutes, no stove.
Quick facts
5 min(2 prep, 3 cook)
2 servings · makes 8 cups
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Get it all out
Tick things off as they hit the counter.
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tsp neutral oil, like canola
- ¼ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
Let 'em cook
Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.
- 1
Wash your hands. Put the ¼ cup of popcorn kernels and the 1 tsp of oil in a heatproof glass bowl that holds at least 3 quarts, such as a borosilicate one like Pyrex. Stir with a spoon until every kernel is shiny with oil. Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe plate that covers the whole rim.
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 2
Put the covered bowl in the microwave and cook on HIGH until the pops slow to about 3 seconds apart, 2½ to 3 minutes, then stop the microwave right away. Stay at the microwave the whole time it runs.
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels
Timer: 2.5 min
- 3
Put on oven mitts. Lift the plate off, tilting it away from your face because hot steam comes out, then lift the bowl out of the microwave and set it on a trivet or a dry folded towel, not straight on the counter.
- 4
Still wearing the oven mitts, slowly tip the popcorn into a serving bowl that holds at least 8 cups, leaving the unpopped kernels behind in the glass bowl. Sprinkle with the ¼ tsp of salt and toss with a large spoon until it's evenly coated. Taste and add more salt if you want it.
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 5
Eat the popcorn right away, while it's warm and crisp. Seal any popcorn you don't finish in a container with a tight lid and leave it on the counter.