The Best Popcorn in Air Fryer- With Oil and Without Oil
Popcorn in the air fryer! It’s so simple! Air Fryer Popcorn creates a wonderfully light and fluffy popcorn with a slightly toasted flavor that everyone will love! It’s sure to be your new favorite popcorn and it’s so easy to make that it’s a winner all around!
Can you cook popcorn in an air fryer?
Yes, we can certainly cook popcorn in an air fryer. Although using an air fryer to make popcorn is new to many, it is a fast-spreading and easily accepted method of making popcorn by a large community.
People who care a lot about their health, diet, weight loss, and weight gain, prefer to use an air fryer rather than a stove or microwave to pop popcorn.
What you need to know
Air Fryer Popcorn Takes A. LOT. of hit-and-miss to get the right popcorn. When you do it right, it’s a great alternative to the stove or microwave when you can’t use these methods.
But the downside is that popcorn can ruin an air fryer. Look, the air fryer is not sealed from the inside. The fan and vents are located directly above the basket, allowing air to circulate.
It also means that it’s really easy to puff small or light foods – you know, like popcorn kernels – all over the place. When it does, the popcorn kernels can easily settle inside the heating element, causing the air fryer to shorten (resulting in a fire).
For this reason, we don’t really recommend using an air fryer for popcorn. You will likely have an easier time and much better results using the stovetop or microwave. However, it can be done, and if you want to know how, we’re here to tell you!
How to Make Popcorn in Air Fryer (With Oil)
When I first heard that popcorn can be made in an air fryer, I was so excited! I have a complete love affair with the air fryer, so I was looking forward to trying it out!
But then all I could think of were those air rifles from the 80s (check Youtube for old videos!). They were all in a rage at the time, and you had better believe that someone sat at the desk of every home in my neighborhood! * Including my way home at the time, which I have a newer but “old” version of now!
The selling point was, that you can eat as much as you want, for a fraction of the calories of regular popcorn. Of course, air-popped popcorn was only good when you dunked it in butter. Once you do that, it is definitely no longer “healthy”!
Using an air fryer produces delicious and fluffy popcorn. It takes a little longer than the stovetop version, but there’s much less chance of the popcorn burning – and you’re using less oil ! Or leave it out altogether, the popcorn is still delicious!
What you will need to make popcorn in the air fryer
Other than an air fryer and some aluminum foil, you’ll only need 3 ingredients! Two of them are optional because I’m sure you’ll love the lightly toasted taste of our air fryer popcorn!
- Popcorn Kernels – Use Your Favorite Kind! I love organic and non-GMO brands. And I can’t decide if I like white or yellow corn better!
- Cooking oil (optional) – Any cooking oil will do, and you can omit the oil. However, I like using coconut oil because I think it results in a much more fluffy and delicious popcorn.
- Salt (optional) – sprinkle to taste. Or try some other flavors, like nutritional yeast, garlic salt, or my favorite sweet maple sugar salt – which makes it like kettle corn! We’re also big fans of Kernel Season’s signature popcorn flavors too, delicious
How to Make Popcorn in an Air Fryer
This is a great way to make popcorn! To fry popcorn in the air at the Ninja Foodie, select the “Air Crisp” function and follow the instructions below.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (205°C) and using aluminum foil, place the bottom of the basket of your air fryer basket. Leave the sides as free of aluminum foil as possible to allow air to circulate.
- Measures ¼ cup of your favorite popcorn kernels.
- Gently coat the popcorn kernels with the cooking oil of your choice.
- Place the popcorn in the lined air fryer basket. Try to make sure the kernels are not on top of each other – a flat panel of single kernels is best.
- Place the basket in the air fryer and cook at 400°F (205°C) for 5 minutes. Cook until you don’t hear the kernels popping. Make sure not to open the basket too early, because rogue grains may come out!
- Remove the basket and transfer any popped popcorn to a bowl. If there are still kernels that have not popped, put the basket back into the air fryer and continue popping for another 3 minutes.
- Transfer the remaining popcorn to your plate with the already popped popcorn.
- Add salt and any desired toppings(melted butter, butter substitute spray, popcorn flavors) and serve immediately.
You may have to do some trial runs to get your air fryer popcorn right. Try small batches until you get the perfect popcorn.
Also, be aware that the pellets may get stuck in the heating element of the air fryer and clean accordingly. Only the air fryer basket model works best for popcorn, but this machine isn’t exactly easy to use for popcorn. So I do not suggest using this method every night.
Save air fryer popcorn for a family movie – when you need delicious popcorn at the movie theater
Equipment You May Need
How to make popcorn, popcorn is a delicious entertainment that has a great effect when eaten, and therefore it is also one of the most famous entertainment, and it has great benefits and high nutritional value.
The method of making popcorn in an air fryer is one of the healthy ways to prepare popcorn, so learn it with us today to present it to your family members.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serve: 2 people
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn
- Salt, to taste
- Shredded cheese, as desired, or without
How to prepare
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C.
- Layout foil on the fryer basket.
- Put the popcorn kernels and a little salt in the bottom of the air fryer basket.
- Install the air fryer in place.
- Cook the popcorn for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is soft.
- Serve it in its own serving bowls
How is popcorn made in an air fryer healthier than one made in the microwave?
In an air fryer, popcorn is made using a minute amount or in the complete absence of oil. This is a huge advantage air-fried popcorn takes over conventionally microwaved popcorn. In the microwave, a bag of popcorn containing a large amount of oil, butter, and other spices is used. You cannot control the number of spices and therefore you have to eat what is prepared as is.
In addition, an air fryer uses hot air to pop the popcorn compared to a microwave oven, which uses microwaves that penetrate the particles, producing heat energy and making the popcorn pop. Everyone knows the potential dangers of using a microwave to make or heat food.
What’s the difference between traditional popcorn and air-fried popcorn?
When we use the stovetop to make popcorn, we have to add part of oil or butter to make popcorn. The oil contains unsaturated fats while butter is a pure form of saturated fat. Since we don’t reduce our daily fat intake very much, adding this fat to our popcorn snack will eventually raise cholesterol concentrations.
How to cook aluminum foil-wrapped popcorn in an air fryer?
- Take 1/4 y cup of popcorn kernels.
- Take out the air fryer pan and put aluminum foil in it.
- Place the popcorn kernels on the tin foil and then wrap the aluminum foil.
- Place the container in the air fryer and turn it on.
- Eventually, you’ll start to hear the popcorn pop.
- Let the popcorn pop for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Turn off the air fryer and collect all the ready-made popcorn.
Does all popcorn pop in one round?
No, all popcorn kernels don’t explode in one round. Some nuclei always remain unsuppressed.
How does aluminum foil allow popcorn to pop?
When aluminum foil is used to make popcorn in an air fryer, the mechanism that works is cooking with the help of entrapped heat. The heat from the dry air circulating inside the air fryer is trapped inside the aluminum foil. This heat causes the popcorn that is already there to pop.
How to cook popcorn without aluminum foil in an air fryer?
- Heat the air fryer at about 240 to 250 degrees.
- Then remove the container and pour a quarter cup of popcorn kernels into it.
- You can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil under the frying pan. The addition of oil depends on the consumer. Popcorn can be made with or without oil.
- Place the container in the pan again.
- Let the popcorn pop for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn off the fryer.
- Take out the ready-made popcorn and collect the non-slip popcorn.
- Season the popcorn with salt and butter and enjoy.
What to do when not all popcorn kernels appear?
It’s okay if not all cores appear at once. You can increase the cooking temperature or the cooking time. But both methods can burn first-time popcorn. So it is best to remove the undone kernels and give them another to get ready.
What is the right amount of popcorn to add to an air fryer?
Always cook a small amount or a quarter of the amount of popcorn in air fryer in one turn. This allows the maximum amount of popcorn to be cooked in one cycle with the fewest uncooked kernels. Adding too much will leave more popcorn unpopped.
What is the correct temperature and time to cook popcorn in an air fryer?
There is no set rule for time and temperature for cooking popcorn in an air fryer because each fryer has a different thermostat and therefore has a different cooking time. You should manage the time and temperature according to the handling of the air fryer.
Conclusion:
In this short guide, we answered the question “Can you cook popcorn in an air fryer?” With an in-depth analysis of how to make popcorn in an air fryer. Moreover, we also discussed how making popcorn in an air fryer can be healthier than other traditional methods of making popcorn along with the pros and cons of using an air fryer for making popcorn.
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