Love and Olive Oil

Olive Oil Popcorn

Spicy Olive Oil Popcorn

You know those days, when you’ve eaten dinner, but maybe it’s too late for dessert (or maybe you’ve already eaten dessert) and you still feel the need to munch? Maybe you’re watching a movie on a Friday night and to you, movies just aren’t complete without popcorn? Whatever your reason, sometimes we all just need a snack.

Enter the air popper. Yes, we have one. We’ve decided that this little unitasker is worth our precious cabinet space. You may feel otherwise, but we love our little popper.

One of our favorite snacks is freshly popped popcorn drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Yes, we kind of ripped the idea from Trader Joe’s (whose olive oil popcorn is practically like crack), but we’ve adopted it as our own.

Until now, however, we’ve stuck to plain old extra virgin. The fruitier the better. You’re only using a few tablespoons so you might as well use the good stuff. You may feel that popcorn is useless unless it is smothered in butter (and I think I’ve expressed my love for butter enough already this week), so let’s give the olive oil some love, too. Because it truly makes an otherwise ordinary snack extraordinary. This may be the shortest, simplest recipe I’ve ever posted. It may also be one of our all-time favorites.

Take it up another notch and use a fiery chili-infused olive oil, like the one the fine folks at Nudo were kind enough to send (they also sent me a sample of their stone ground lemon, which sounds divine, but maybe not on popcorn). But the chili… oh the chili! Spicy. Sassy. Delicious.

So for once (and I don’t say this often), put down the butter, and give this a try.

Olive Oil Popcorn

Makes 4 snack-size servings

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
  • 1 teaspoon table or popcorn salt (fine grain), or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil of your choice

Directions:

  1. Place popcorn kernels in air popper and pop according to manufacturers directions (alternatively, you can make ‘air-popped’ popcorn in the microwave, simply put kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold over top of bag multiple times. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes or until the pops are more than 1 second apart).
  2. Transfer popcorn to a large bowl (much larger than the actual quantity of popcorn). Drizzle over olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss to coat. Continue adding olive oil until you achieve your desired coverage. Sprinkle with salt again and toss until evenly coated.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

Did you make this recipe?

Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #loveandoliveoil.

Love & Olive Oil loves olive oil… do you?

There may be affiliate links in this post. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

405 Comments

  1. One of my favorite snacks is good ole triscuits with very sharp cheddar and a grainy or hot and sweet mustard.

  2. I just friended you on facebook!

  3. My favorite snack is popcorn, but I can’t eat it any longer since it aggravates my diverticulosis. I’m a fan of salty, savory snacks. Spiced nuts are great.

  4. I’m also a fan on facebook :)

  5. My favorite snack right now is greek yogurt with honey… mmm delicious

  6. I’m a fan on facebook!

  7. My favorite snack is a sweet red apple and some nice sharp cheddar cheese. Yum!

  8. My favorite snack is whatever cheese happens to be in the fridge – hopefully Wisconsin Cheddar or a Blue cheese.

  9. I’m a Facebook fan!

  10. I love popcorn, too! My other guilty pleasure snack is Cheez-Its. I only let myself buy them once a year, otherwise it would be insane! :) That olive oil looks A-MAZING. Yum.

  11. looks and sounds yummie!!
    my favorite snack is cheese and pretzel thins… always takes care of the tiny little hungers in between meals.
    fan of yours on FB.
    xo

  12. Love, love, love brie and apples. Wish the brie weren’t so fattening…

    I am a fan on facebook.

  13. homemade tortilla chips with homemade pico de gallo! i was VERY spoiled when I worked at a restruant and still am spoiled since our good friends ran that restuant!!

  14. my all time favorite snack is (without a doubt) HUMMUS! with veggies, pita chips or veggie chips… or anything to get the hummus-y goodness into my mouth :)

  15. I’m a fan on facebook as well!

  16. My all time favorite snack is hummus with pita bread.

  17. And I am a fan on Facebook.

  18. Lately I’ve been craving hummus, because the good stuff is so hard to find, and frankly a little expensive unless you make it yourself. But it is like crack for me sometimes, served with any kind of fluffy, chewy naan. I go through phases where it’s my designated breakfast. White bean hummus, traditional garlic hummus, tomato & basil hummus, eggplant hummus. Goodness, I think I’ll have dreams about it tonight.

  19. O MY CUPCAKES!!! My fave is caramel corn, oh yummilicious it is. I would love this popper so I could make it for my fam and friends, blessings, and a merry, and happy.

  20. I “LIKE” you on facebook as well.

  21. I love almond butter on a banana or cheese, any kind of cheese!

  22. I love your idea of popcorn with olive oil, but I might insist on topping with some oregano and parmasean cheese. I love some homemade jalapeno poppers (jalapeno, cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and baked till crispy), and don’t tell anyone … cheetos!

  23. greek yogurt, fruit and some crunch :) (flax seeds, wheat germ, granola, nuts…)

  24. all time favorite snack? there are too many to choose from! i like ice cream, kettle corn, reese’s pieces, strawberries, chips & hummus….i could go on and on.

    fan on facebook right here!

  25. The classic chips and salsa. :D

  26. I am also a fan on facebook. :))

  27. I love snacking on warm popcorn and adding a bag of Reese’s Pieces. Yumm!

  28. Favorite snack: chips, salsa and guacamole. Guacamole with or on anything really. Thanks for the chance!

  29. My favorite snack is chocolate ice cream, I love ice cream!

  30. My favorite snack, is anything crunchy with cheese :)

  31. I’ve always liked your blog, but now I do on facebook too!

  32. cheese -any cheese, though triple cream brie with some of your balsamic fig jam is great!

  33. I tweeted. I’m @Fettbot!

  34. It’s hard to choose but my all-time favorite snack is gummy bears!!

  35. Chips are good. So are pretzels. But stuck-on-an-island snack? Gotta go with popcorn with brewer’s yeast. But I will try olive oil and that!

  36. Caramel popcorn – I love that sweet and salty crunch!

  37. It would have to be roasted garlic or cilantro hummus with pita chips for dipping. Y…U…M….

  38. Ice cream is so my favorite snack!

  39. I have so many favorite snacks but if I have to pick one it would be tortilla chips and guacamole.

  40. I like your blog on Facebook (A. Mace).

  41. My all-time favorite snack is fresh-baked cookies and cakes. I also can’t say no to pita chips with hummus.

  42. Wow.. I never thought to put the olive oil on my popped popcorn. I usually pop it over the stove with olive oil, though. My favorite snack – really good crunchy tortilla chips with homemade salsa and guacamole. I can’t resist it!

  43. Cheese & crackers and wine :)

  44. Really good sour dough bread toasted with either a drizzle of olive oil or butter. I can eat a whole loaf of it……….!

  45. Anything fresh baked – cookies, cakes, muffins, breads

  46. I love pretzels and also clementines

  47. Crusty bread with butter and honey. Yum!

  48. my favorite snack is peak of season ripe, fresh fruit. so good. namely, figs. but i think it’s because they’re best for about a week out of the year (and only if you get them before the birds do!). but a peach or tomato or pear will do just fine and even better with a wedge of sharp cheddar..

  49. i’m a fan!

Did you make this recipe? Leave a Review »