Hot Honey Butter Popcorn (Printable)

Crispy popcorn coated in a rich honey butter glaze with a spicy chili touch.

# What You Need:

→ Popcorn

01 - 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
02 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)

→ Hot Honey Butter

03 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 3 tablespoons honey
05 - 1 to 1.5 teaspoons hot sauce (e.g., Sriracha, Franks RedHot), to taste
06 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
07 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

# How-To:

01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add two popcorn kernels and cover.
02 - Once test kernels pop, add the remaining kernels in a single layer. Cover the pot slightly ajar to release steam and shake occasionally until popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds between pops. Remove from heat and transfer popcorn to a large mixing bowl.
03 - In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in honey, hot sauce, and optional chili flakes until fully combined and warmed through.
04 - Drizzle the hot honey butter evenly over the popcorn. Toss thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle sea salt and toss again to distribute seasoning evenly.
05 - Serve immediately, adjusting seasoning and spice level if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It takes 15 minutes total and tastes like you spent hours perfecting it.
  • The heat isn't aggressive—it sneaks up on you, playing beautifully against the honey's sweetness.
  • Your guests will ask what brand of popcorn seasoning you used, not believing you made it from scratch.
02 -
  • The second you pour that warm honey butter on popcorn, it's going to clump slightly—this is normal and actually means your coating is working; just keep tossing and it'll break up into perfect even coverage.
  • If your honey is crystallized or thick, warm it slightly before mixing it into the butter, or you'll get little honey chunks that don't incorporate smoothly.
03 -
  • Keep your popcorn in a warm oven at 200°F while you make the honey butter, so the coating sets perfectly rather than cooling and hardening unevenly.
  • Don't pour the honey butter all at once from one spot—drizzle it in a spiral pattern so every part of the bowl gets touched, then toss aggressively.
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