Who’s ready for some dill pickle popcorn?! I know the fitness community loves a good pickle recipe, so here’s a tangy, crunchy snack for you to enjoy. Bonus – you only need a few ingredients to make it!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by NOW®. As always, all opinions are my own.
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Popcorn – I love using NOW Real Food® Organic Popcorn for this recipe. Their foods are always high quality, and buying plain popcorn kernels allows you to cook and flavor them however you’d like. Plus, you can get 20% off your order of popcorn and any other products from NOW with code CHRISSY.
- Avocado Oil – You can find avocado oil on NOW Foods site as well. It’s great because it has a high smoke point, so it works well for popping popcorn. (If you ever notice your oil smoking when you try to make stovetop popcorn, that’s a good sign you want one with a higher smoke point like this!).
- Citric Acid – This is an optional ingredient for this recipe, but I recommend it if you have some on hand (or want to purchase a bottle). It adds that sour tanginess like you’d find in a jar of pickles. While a jar of pickles can achieve that with vinegar, you can’t add as much vinegar to popcorn before it gets soggy – hence the citric acid to achieve the same goal.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by making your seasoning mix. You’ll melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave, then mix it with the vinegar (or pickle juice), dill, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and the citric acid (if you plan to use that ingredient). Set that aside for now.
Put the avocado oil and a few popcorn kernels into a large pot.
Turn on the heat to medium, and cover the pot with a slightly ajar lid. Wait for those few kernels to pop, then add the rest of the kernels.
Making it this way ensures that the oil is hot when you add the rest of the kernels, and reduces the likelihood of burning in your batch.
Continue covering with a slightly ajar lid and letting the popcorn pop.
When it starts slowing to a few seconds between pops, immediately remove it from heat.
Pour the butter seasoning mix in, stirring as you pour and continuing to stir to distribute it evenly.
Now dig in and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
The melted butter helps ensure the pickle flavor and seasoning sticks to the popcorn.
Pickle popcorn is best eaten fresh, right after making it. However, if you have leftover popcorn, you can store it in an airtight bag or food storage container for 2-3 days.
Yes, to make this recipe vegan, use dairy-free butter in place of regular butter. The rest of the recipe is vegan as-is.
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, I love this recipe for a snack that satisfies your salty cravings in a nutritious way! Popcorn is a whole grain, meaning you’ll get some fiber in each serving. The avocado oil and butter add a little satiating fat. And the puffed, high-volume nature of popcorn means you get to enjoy a nice size portion that can fit into anyone’s meal plan. Perfect for movie nights (or taming that post-long-run hunger)!
More Popcorn Recipes
If you’re looking for more popcorn recipes, be sure to give one of these a try from fellow food bloggers:
I hope you enjoy this dill pickle popcorn recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Dill Pickle Popcorn
Ingredients
For the stovetop popcorn:
- 2 tbsp NOW avocado oil
- ½ cup NOW popcorn
For the seasoning:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp distilled vinegar (or pickle juice)
- 1 tbsp dried dill
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp NOW citric acid (optional)
Instructions
- Start by preparing the seasoning mix. Melt the butter and mix it with the vinegar, dill, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and citric acid (if using). Set aside for now.
- Pour the avocado oil into a large pot, and add 2 to 3 individual popcorn kernels in a large pot. Turn on the heat to medium, cover with a slightly ajar lid, and wait for those kernels to pop.
- When those kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels. Give the pot a little shake to spread the kernels around the oil. Place the lid back on again slightly ajar.
- Wait for the kernels to pop, which should start happening fairly quickly. Continue cooking until the popping slows to a few seconds between each. Immediately remove from heat.
- Pour the butter seasoning mix over the popcorn, stirring as you pour and continuing to stir after to coat all the popcorn.
- Enjoy! Store leftover popcorn in an airtight bag on the counter. For best quality, eat within 2-3 days.
Notes
- The citric acid helps add a sour tanginess to the popcorn that replicates that in a jar of pickles. You can still make this recipe without it, though, and it will still taste delicious.
- This recipe makes around 12 cups of popped popcorn, give or take. It can vary by on a cup or so, as the exact number of popped kernels varies when you remove it from heat. The nutrition analysis below assumes 4 servings of about 3 cups popped popcorn each.
Nutrition
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This stuff is addicting – so good!