November 15, 2020

Smoked Paprika Popcorn Recipe – Cheap & Easy Snack

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Popcorn is one of my favourite thrifty snacks. Making it yourself at home is cheap, quick and easy and it means you can add whichever flavourings you like too. This is my recipe for smoked paprika popcorn.

There are many really great reasons to make your own popcorn at home. As well as being very cheap, keeping a packet of kernels in your kitchen store cupboard means you can easily pop some yummy popcorn any time you like. We especially like making our own for family film nights.

How To Make Smoked Paprika Popcorn

Another great thing about making your own popcorn at home is that you control exactly what goes into it – meaning that is much healthier than shop-bought popcorn which usually only comes with salt and sugar added.

If you prefer savoury popcorn over something sweeter, this could be the popcorn recipe for you.

Using smoked paprika gives the popcorn a lovely smokey flavour – I actually think it would be perfectly served as a snack at a BBQ or as an appetiser alongside Mexican dishes such as chilli con Carne and Nachos.

You could also use this recipe as a base for adding other flavours. I don’t like too much spice but if you want to give your popcorn a kick you could use cayenne pepper or hot paprika instead of smoked.

This recipe also works with regular paprika however, it doesn’t have nearly such a strong flavour kick.

Where Can I Buy Smoked Paprika?

While popcorn kernels can be found in most supermarkets, smoked paprika can be trickier to find.

Where I live, it’s not sold in Lidl, Aldi or Asda.

However, my local Sainsbury’s does always seem to have it so that’s where I buy it from, usually a couple of jars at a time as we get through quite a lot!

For a milder flavour you could use normal paprika instead or spice things up with some hot paprika.

How Much Does The Recipe Make?

This recipe made a large bowl full of smoked paprika popcorn – enough to share between 2-3 people if munching in front of a movie or plenty to share between 7-8 people if serving as a snack alongside lots of other dishes or portioning up for lunchboxes or on the go snacks.

If not eaten immediately the smoked paprika popcorn needs to be kept in an airtight container or zip-lock bag. It will keep for around a week provided no wet toppings are added (this recipe doesn’t use any, but it could include things like butter).

Homemade Smoked Paprika Popcorn

Delicious, healthy and cheap popcorn recipe that's easy to make at home

Print Recipe

Prep Time 0

Cook Time 10

Course Snacks

Equipment

Large Pan With Lid

Ingredients

75 grams of Popcorn Kernels
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1/3 tsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Cook the popcorn according to the packet instructions. I add the oil and popcorn to the pan and place on a high heat, covered with a lid. As soon as the corn starts to pop (usually after 2-3 minutes) I reduce the heat to the lowest setting until the popping stops.
Transfer the popcorn into a large bowl and add the smoked paprika and salt. Gently toss the popcorn using a spoon until it's well coated in the smoked paprika. Doing this while the popcorn is still warm help the paprika stick.
Serve immediately or transfer into an airtight container until needed. As mentioned above homemade popcorn should last for around a week.

Notes

For a milder flavour replace the smoked paprika with plain paprika. If you like the sweet and saltiness of cinema popcorn you could try adding a teaspoonful of sugar too.

Keyword Cheap Snacks, Healthy Snacks, Popcorn, Thrifty Recipes