COOK: Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Oil Popcorn (stove-top popcorn recipe)

• Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Popcorn Ingredients
• Kitchen Equipment Needed
• How to Make Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Popcorn
• Storage & Serving Ideas
• Parmesan, Black Pepper, & Truffle Oil Popcorn (easy stove-top recipe)

This cheesy truffle popcorn recipe is fast, easy, and topped with nutty grated Parmesan cheese, sharp black pepper, sea salt, melted brown butter, and a drizzle of fragrant truffle oil.

Once you get the hang of this incredibly simple but gourmet stove-top popcorn recipe, you can have theater-quality fresh popcorn at home any time!

Serve your homemade cheese & truffle popcorn up in a big bowl to pass around, or fill up individual popcorn bags for your next family movie night. It’s also a great appetizer or party snack!

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Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Popcorn Ingredients

Popcorn:

Use white or yellow plain popping corn. I like this organic white popcorn, which has thin hulls and a nutty flavor. Fresher popcorn pops up lighter and with less unpopped kernels.

Store your popcorn in a tightly sealed container so that it doesn’t dry out. While popcorn is “dry”, the kernels contain a bit of trapped moisture, which is what helps them to pop. I like to transfer mine from bags or plastic containers into glass jars after opening.

Popping oil:

I use a mixture of coconut oil with just a tiny dab of butter. The coconut oil tolerates high heat without burning, and has a bit of a sweet nutty flavor. It’s the secret behind the salty sweet smell of movie theater popcorn and will make your homemade popcorn even better!

I add a teaspoon of butter, less for flavor, and more because it adds a bit of moisture that can help the popcorn kernels pop. If you want buttery-flavored popcorn, you’ll melt and add additional butter after the popcorn had finished popping… adding it all at the beginning will result in burnt butter!

Parmesan cheese:

Freshly grated block Parmesan cheese is the most delicious, but even the granulated pre-ground stuff makes a tasty (and more budget-friendly) Parmesan popcorn.

Truffle oil:

Plenty of gourmands will turn their nose up at truffle oil, much of which is actually artificially-flavored and may or may not contain actual truffles… but I still really like it on popcorn and fries.

If you’re reading this recipe, you’re probably a fan too! I’ve provided measurements, but I usually just drizzle it lightly over the bowl as I’m stirring up the popcorn with the seasonings.

Seasonings:

This popcorn tastes best with freshly ground black pepper. I like to add a sprinkle of flaky Maldon sea salt, but you can also use popcorn salt, fine Himalayan pink or sea salt, or regular salt.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

2-3 quart saucepan + lid:

You’ll want a saucepan with a heavy bottom to prevent scorching, and a tightly fitting lid to trap in the heat and steam (as well as to keep the popping corn in the pot!).

mixing or serving bowl:

I like to toss my popcorn in a small to medium mixing bowl, and then serve it out of that. You can also use a clean plain brown paper bag and shake up the popcorn to mix in the seasoning, but you’ll lose some of your seasonings to the absorbent paper.

How to Make Parmesan, Black Pepper & Truffle Popcorn

one: prep ingredients & heat your pan

• Grind the black pepper and grate the Parmesan cheese into a small dish and set aside.
• Preheat a 2-3 quart heavy bottomed pan with a tightly fitting lid over medium high heat.

two: melt your oils

• Add the coconut oil and two or three kernels of popcorn to the hot pan.
• Heat until the oil is melted and shimmering but not smoking, and one of the test kernels pops.

three: add the rest of the popcorn

• Quickly add one or two teaspoons of the butter, swirl the pan, then add the popcorn all at once.
• Cover the pan immediately.

four: shake and listen

• Shake and agitate the pan regularly back and forth over the burner so the kernels slide around and don’t stick or scorch.
• Listen for the sound of the popping kernels, and keep shaking the pan over the heat until the pops slow to a few seconds between each pop.
• Turn off the heat.

five: make melted or brown butter (optional)

• Pour the hot popcorn into a mixing or large serving bowl & set aside.
• Quickly add the rest of the butter to the hot pan, and return to the stove.
• Melt and then lightly toast the butter until it foams slightly and the milk solids turn a light brown hue and it smells nutty and rich.
• Quickly remove the pan from the heat (it can burn quickly once it’s browned).

six: garnish and serve your popcorn

• Pour the brown butter over the popcorn, using a heat-resistant spatula to scrape all the butter from the pan and mix the popcorn so the butter is evenly distributed throughout the kernels.
• Sprinkle the popcorn with the freshly ground black pepper, sea salt or popcorn salt, and grated Parmesan cheese, tossing again to mix.
• Drizzle the popcorn with the truffle oil to finish, and stir gently again.
• Serve immediately!

Storage & Serving Ideas

Homemade popcorn is best enjoyed piping hot and freshly popped. You can pack up any leftovers once they’ve cooled. Don’t put them in an airtight container until the popcorn has fully cooled.

Leftover cheesy truffle popcorn will be less crispy, but still quite tasty… but we almost never have any leftovers to speak of!