On Friday evenings after dinner, you can usually find my husband and me checking our various streaming services to see what shows we need to catch up on. Or if we’re all caught up, we’ll scroll through newly released movies and pick something to watch from the comfort of our couch. Before we settle in and hit play on options like Severance, The White Lotus or a movie, I’ll fix us a snack to enjoy while we watch. Sometimes I’ll bake off some chocolate chip cookie dough that I keep stashed in the freezer, but most often, we opt for homemade popcorn to evoke the movie theater experience.

Popcorn is a surprisingly healthy snack, so long as you don’t overload it with butter, salt or other toppings. But that’s the best part about making it yourself, you get to choose exactly what you want on it. I follow a simple stovetop recipe and usually toss the popcorn with a little bit of butter and a dash of salt. 

How to Make Popcorn

While it’s so easy to throw a package of popcorn kernels in the microwave or tear open a pre-popped bag, such as SkinnyPop, it’s not that much more difficult or time-consuming to pop your own. You can do this in the microwave or on the stove; I prefer the stovetop method, so I can melt butter in the microwave while the popcorn is popping. 

I start with a heavy saucepan with a lid and add a little oil to the pan along with a few kernels. Then I’ll set the pan over medium to medium-high heat and wait for those tester kernels to pop. Once they do, I know the oil is hot enough, and I add the rest of the kernels. You can give them a quick shake to coat them with the oil if you like, but I usually just toss them in. Then I partially cover the pan, leaving a small vent for steam to escape, and listen for the popping to start, peak and then slow down. Once there are a few seconds between pops, I’ll remove the pan from the heat and pour the popcorn into a large bowl.

While my go-to is butter and salt, there are so many options out there. For fancy popcorn, I’ve added a little truffle oil and some Parmesan cheese. (Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, also dresses up popcorn with truffle oil plus some truffle salt on her new show, With Love, Meghan.) Sometimes, I’ll do a little powdered cheese, reminiscent of Smartfood. You could add some herbs or spices—think Ranch-, pizza- or chile-flavored popcorn. Or you could take it in a sweet direction with melted chocolate, cinnamon sugar or a drizzle of caramel and some peanuts. It’s super versatile, and it’s fun to have options to keep this weekly snack interesting.

Why Is Popcorn Good For You?

Popcorn is actually a whole grain, meaning the bran, germ and endosperm are intact, so it’s a good source of fiber. Each 3-cup serving has 3 grams of fiber, and the same is true for protein. I know that I struggle to get enough fiber, so having this go-to snack once a week helps me work toward my fiber goals. Fiber helps keep your digestive system running smoothly, and it’s also important for everything from reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease to lowering inflammation.

Popcorn is also low in calories (it has just 31 calories per cup), so it’s typically a healthier choice than a bag of potato chips or my beloved chocolate chip cookies. And because it’s so airy, you feel like you’re getting a nice hefty serving of a snack (3 cups is a good serving size to aim for); that plus the fiber and protein helps fill you up and keep you satisfied throughout the length of a movie. Nutritious and filling? That’s a combo I can get behind. And let’s not forget that it tastes great too!