The BEST Dairy Free Air-Popped Popcorn You’ll Ever Have

This healthy dairy-free air-popper popcorn recipe tastes exactly like movie theatre popcorn but with a fraction of the calories. Even more, you can meal-prep it to keep on hand whenever you crave something salty and crunchy!

Keep reading to learn what makes this popcorn so healthy and how to make 10 cups of it in under 5 minutes with less than $1 in ingredients!

JUMP ahead

• Dair-Free Popcorn Health Benefits
• Air-Popped Popcorn vs Other Popcorn
• Nutrition Facts
• Healthy Ingredient Facts
• Step-By-Step Instructions
• How To Meal Prep Popcorn
• Expert Tips
• Recipe Card

Dairy Free Air Popped Popcorn Health Benefits

This butter-free popcorn seasoning is both delicious and healthy. It uses two simple ingredients: extra virgin olive oil and pink Himalayan salt. This power combo makes this crunchy, salty snack more than just satisfying.

• It makes the perfect sick-day snack, as it promotes thirst and rehydration, which is why my kids call it ‘feel better popcorn’.
• It helps you stay hydrated. Pink Himalayan salt contains electrolytes, which, when combined with water, helps rehydrate the body like Gatorade, but without the sugar and food dyes.
• It’s packed with insoluble fibre, which helps treat and prevent constipation.
• It gives you longer-lasting energy. Popcorn is a whole grain that takes longer to digest and olive oil is an energy-packed superfood for your brain.

Air-popped Popcorn vs other popcorn

air-popped popcorn

The easiest and healthiest way to make any popcorn is to use a simple air-popping machine. This compact machine uses hot air instead of heated oil, making it a significantly lower-calorie and safer alternative to traditional movie theatre and stovetop popcorn.

For less than the cost of one trip to the cinema, you can have better-than-movie-theatre popcorn right at home whenever the mood strikes!

If you love popcorn, you’ll more than make back the small expense of a simple and compact air popper machine.

stovetop POPCORN

Most homemade popcorn recipes you’ll find online require you to use the stove, a fair amount of hot oil and exact timing. However, not all stoves and pots are made the same. They distribute heat differently, which can cause you to overcook your much-anticipated snack. The trial and error process alone can be trying, and heating up the oil causes you to lose some of its precious nutrients. Using an air-popper machine ensures you don’t waste any precious ingredients.

microwave POPCORN

The other popular homemade option involves using the microwave and a brown paper bag. Again, you’re at greater risk of overcooking your popcorn and being forced to make significantly smaller batches at a time. For some, this forced portion control may be better suited.

There’s no question that store-bought microwave popcorn was a snack-time staple for many growing up—especially in the ’90s and early 2000s!

However, research shows that the inside of microwave popcorn bags is actually coated with harmful chemicals, including PFAS (aka per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances). When heated, this inner coating breaks down into hormone-disrupting agents that have been linked to hormone-related conditions such as hypothyroidism, infertility and cancer. 

Meanwhile, the popcorn itself is often seasoned with inflammatory oils and some questionable ingredients, including synthetic flavourings that have been connected to other health issues.

Yikes!

store-bought popcorn

With the health benefits of air-popped popcorn going mainstream, it’s no surprise that snack manufacturers have popped, err, I mean hopped onboard. While there are some great, whole-food-based options available now, their prices leave something to be desired.

IN SUMMARY: Air-popped popcorn is not only the healthiest option, but air-popping is the easiest cooking method for making popcorn.

nutrition facts

Each 3 1/2 cup serving of this dairy-free popcorn has:

• 3g of protein
• 4g of fibre
• 10g of healthy fats
• 0.2g of sugar
• 17g of net carbs
• 185 calories

Healthy Dairy-Free Popcorn Ingredients

While the ingredient list for this dairy-free air popper popcorn recipe is short, the list of health benefits is not! Feel free to skip ahead to the ones you’re most interested in.

skip ahead

• Popcorn
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pink Himalayan Salt

Check out the printable recipe card for exact measurements.

popcorn

There’s this misconception that popcorn itself is lacking in the nutrition department, which couldn’t be less true! Homemade, air-popped popcorn is not only satisfying but a source of essential nutrients!

Nutrient-wise it contains: 

• Loads of insoluble fibre
• Plant protein
• Phenols (a type of antioxidant) and manganese 

Health benefits-wise, it: 

• Helps regulate and balance your blood sugar with its high fibre content
• Helps your body to stay regular and rid itself of toxins by bulking up your poop
• Helps frequent snackers maintain a healthy weight

When buying your kernels, opt for organic popcorn kernels. They’re guaranteed to be non-GMO and have significantly less pesticide residue. When considering the cost, remeber that 1/3 cup of popping kernels yields 10 cups of air-popped popcorn.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

Extra virgin olive oil (aka EVOO) is an excellent example of a body-healing food, especially when it’s used raw, like in this dairy-free popcorn recipe.

Nutrient-wise it’s rich in: 

• Monounsaturated fats
• Anti-inflammatory antioxidants
• Vitamins E and K

Health benefits-wise, it: 

• Lowers your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s
• Improves joint pain, chronic inflammatory conditions and inflammation-based symptoms
• Improves mental focus and memory
• Helps lower bad cholesterol
• Improves the appearance of hair and skin

Extra virgin olive oil doesn’t spoil quickly and is a staple in healthy cooking. Thankfully buying it in bulk from somewhere like Costco can save money in the long run. Just make sure to store it in a dark bottle or out of direct sunlight to retain it’s health benefits.

PINK HIMALAYAN SALT

Pink Himalayan salt, also called pink salt or rock salt, is a nutrient-rich alternative to conventional table salt.

Nutrient-wise it contains: 

• Electrolytes
• Over 80 macro and trace minerals like sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, copper and more   

Health benefits-wise, it: 

• Helps regulate water levels in the body
• Reduces muscle cramping associated with mineral deficiencies and dehydration
• Makes vegetables taste delicious, making them a more desirable food choice, which in itself holds a host of benefits

With pink salt’s rising popularity, it’s easy to find on a budget. Like this option on Amazon.

Speaking of healthy ingredients, if you are looking for the easiest way to upgrade your nutrition, try swapping some nutrient-packed ingredients into your current mealtime routine! Don’t know where to start? Not to worry. I’ve got you! Just download this FREE Healthy Ingredient Substitutions Guide here for loads of tips, tricks and nutrition facts. It also includes a handy master list to make shopping and meal prep easier!

How To Make Dairy-Free Air Popped Popcorn

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Plug in your air popper and position a large bowl in front of it to catch your popcorn.

STEP 2: Following the manufacturer’s instructions for your air-popper, add your kernels and pop your popcorn. While it pops, get your salt and oil ready.

STEP 3: As soon as it finishes popping, immediately drizzle with one-third of the oil (2 tsp) and 1/3 of the salt (1/3 of a tsp) and toss it with your hands to distribute the oil. Repeat two more times and taste. Add more salt or oil if desired.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once the popcorn is popped, you’ll need to season it right away. Waiting any longer than a minute or two will result in stale-tasting popcorn.

STEP 4: After seasoning, serve immediately or store in an airtight container, like a glass jar or resealable bag, for up to 2 weeks.

How to Meal Prep Air Popped Popcorn

Meal prepping air-popped popcorn is super quick and easy. I always have some prepared in the pantry for quick and easy snacking.

NOTE: The trick to keeping it fresh and crunchy is to immediately add the olive oil (which I cover in more detail here) and store it in an airtight glass jar or freezer bag.

To meal prep air-popped popcorn, all you do is:

• Prepare the popcorn as per the recipe instructions
• Season it right away
• Store it in an airtight glass jar or freezer bag
• Repeat

You’ll save yourself time by not having to wash out the bowl after preparing each batch and by not having to take out and put away the air popper machine.

Each batch takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and will stay fresh for weeks. That is, assuming it doesn’t get gobbled up before then.

Expert tips for optimal results

KEEPING IT FRESH

The trick to keeping your air-popped popcorn crunchy is to add your olive oil and salt seasoning as soon as it’s finished popping. Unfortunately, waiting more than a minute or two will affect the overall crunch factor and long-lasting freshness.

Olive oil has natural preservation properties, thanks to its anti-aging antioxidants! Not only does it keep the body youthful and vibrant, but it also keeps popcorn from going stale!

Once you’ve dressed your popcorn, it will stay fresh for hours in a bowl – assuming it doesn’t get gobbled up in minutes! But if you want to extend its pantry shelf life, store it in a large glass jar or resealable bag.

PERFECTING THat MOVIE POPCORN FLAVOUR

The key to perfectly seasoned popcorn is to layer your oil and salt. Instead of adding all the oil and all the salt at once, drizzle one-third of the oil and salt, toss/mix it with your hands, and repeat two more times.

Regardless of the seasoning you add, this method will help you avoid oversaturating some popcorn kernels while leaving others bare.

To ensure an even distribution of the oil, try using an oil decanter with a narrow spout. Drizzle over the top of the popcorn in a back-and-forth motion for a count of 3 to 4 seconds each time. Otherwise, measure your oil onto a spoon and lightly drizzle using the same back-and-forth motion.

HELPFUL TOOLS

An air-popped popcorn machine is one of those kitchen tools that healthy snackers can’t live without! It doesn’t take up much room and, depending on the brand you buy, will easily last over 10 years. I’ve had my Cuisinart hot-air popcorn machine for over 13 years now and still love it!

The machine pays for itself quickly, considering how much a bag of Skinny Pop Popcorn, microwave popcorn, or chips costs these days.

An oil decanter makes seasoning popcorn a breeze! It has a narrow spout for the oil to come out of, giving you more control over how much comes out. I use mine for popcorn and dressing up dips and veggies. Stainless steel or dark glass keeps your oil freshest and those precious antioxidants intact.

Questions About This Recipe?

If you have any questions about this recipe or the information you’ve learned today, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an Instagram direct message!

Recipe Card

Let’s Keep In Touch!

I can’t wait to hear all about your healthy eating journey and what you’ve been cooking! Please comment below or share your successes with me on Instagram @nourashnutrition so that I can celebrate you and your healthy eating milestones!

Until next time…

Sending you 🤎 & ✨!

xo ash