Popcorn may be a confection that brings to mind images of dimly lit movie theatres or fairgrounds alive with lights and laughter. But did you know that you can now make popcorn from the comfort of your home?
With the advent of the microwave, making popcorn has become a much easier process and it is now possible to make a bowl before snuggling on the couch with your favorite film.
These days, microwave popcorn can be purchased in a range of different flavors, from sweet to salted. However, the most popular popcorn flavor remains to be butter, which has become a staple in many households across the world.
Because of this, finding the best butter popcorn can be a difficult task, especially when you consider the number of options currently available on the market.
So if you want to know which butter popcorn is the best, then you have come to the right place. In the following article, we have compiled a selection of the best microwave popcorn brands currently available, so that you can see which one meets your needs.
Not only are these popcorn brands easy to make, but they also promise to produce a snack that recalls that iconic cinema taste.
We have also put together an informative buyer’s guide, to aid you in your search for the best butter microwave popcorn…
Best Butter Microwave Popcorns
OUR TOP PICK
There’s nothing worse than a bowl of popcorn that is unseasoned or lacking in delicious butter flavor, which is why Pop Secret has shot to the top of our list.
While testing this popcorn, we were shocked to discover that this brand contains less sodium than any other popcorn brand on the market, which is surprising when you consider just how buttery the final product is.
Not only is this popcorn covered with an intense buttery coating, but the butter itself also sports an almost cheesy flavor, which works to make the popcorn much more satisfying when you eat it.
Despite a large amount of butter, Pop Secret somehow manages not to be greasy, which means you won’t be left with messy fingers or stains on the furniture.
While this popcorn may fall on the more expensive side, it still remains one of the best brands available and is therefore worth the splurge.
Pros
- Butter Flavor: Pop Secret popcorn comes with an even coating of movie theatre butter, which promises a satisfying and delicious experience.
- Low Sodium: Despite its intense buttery taste, Pop Secret contains less sodium than any other popcorn brand currently available on the market.
- No Grease: Although Pop Secret is known for its vast amount of butter, the popcorn itself is not greasy and can be eaten without making a mess.
Cons
- Poor Packaging: Unfortunately, some people have complained about the popcorn leaking while it cooks in the microwave.
- Expensive Price: Pop Secret is considerably more expensive than any other brand on the market, which could deter customers.
EDITORS CHOICE
For the next brand on our list, we have chosen Jolly Time popcorn, which is similar to our previous choice in a myriad of ways, such as the strong butter coating and authentic cinematic taste.
While this popcorn is as close to Pop Secret as you can get, the confection itself is notably lacking in butter flavor, with the popcorn itself also being greasy to the touch.
In fact, this popcorn also contains more sodium than its predecessor, which is surprising when you consider the reduced seasoning.
Still, as far as taste and value go, this popcorn brand is comparable to our top choice, as it is affordable and bursting with a rich and buttery flavor.
Of course, the brand does contain a range of artificial ingredients, so if you would prefer to spend your money on a healthier alternative, this is not the brand for you.
Pros
- Butter Flavor: Like Pop Secret, Jolly Time popcorn comes with a strong butter coating, although it is noticeably weaker in comparison.
- Affordable Price: Although Jolly Time bears many similarities to Pop Secret, the brand itself is cheaper and can be purchased for an affordable price.
Cons
- High Sodium: Despite its lack of seasoning and butter, Jolly Time popcorn contains more sodium than Pop Secret.
- Greasy Kernels: While testing this popcorn, we noticed that it was incredibly greasy, which can leave your fingers oily and smelling of butter.
- Artificial Taste: Unfortunately, Jolly Time popcorn does come with an artificial taste, which may deter certain customers.
BEST VALUE
When testing this particular brand of microwave popcorn, we were blown away by its taste, which calls to mind the flavor of real homemade kernels.
In fact, you could easily believe that this popcorn had just been topped with freshly melted butter, especially given the amount of grease that came off on our fingers.
But we were willing to look past the grease and accept the brand for what it was, a delicious and satisfying snack that makes for the perfect accompaniment to your favorite film.
Just make sure that you have some napkins close at hand and you will have everything you need to enjoy your night in.
However, one of the best things about this popcorn is the price, with the brand being one of the more reasonably priced on the market.
Currently, you can purchase a value pack for around $0.70g per bag, which is decent for a well-known and popular brand.
Pros
- Homemade Flavor: Unlike other popcorn brands, Orville Redenbacher’s boasts a unique flavor, which recalls the taste of homemade kernels with freshly melted butter.
- Affordable Price: This particular brand of popcorn can currently be purchased for a reasonable price, which is notable due to its commercial status.
- Natural Ingredients: Orville Redenbacher’s prides itself on only using natural ingredients, with their popcorn not containing any artificial flavors or preservatives.
Cons
- Greasy Snack: Unfortunately, this popcorn can leave a lot of grease on your fingers, which means you should always keep some napkins close at hand.
- Unpopped Kernels: While Orville Redenbacher’s can produce some delicious popcorn, it could also leave you with a large number of unpopped kernels.
RUNNER UP
During our search for the best butter microwave popcorn, we discovered a wide range of low-calorie options, which included notable brands such as O Organics and Act II.
While both brands contained 25 calories per cup, we decided to showcase the former because of its intense flavor and affordable price.
Of course, being a more nutritious alternative, O Organic popcorn does not contain high levels of sodium, even though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the decent amount of seasoning and butter you receive in each bag.
Beyond this, the brand is also reasonably priced and makes for a great alternative to other health-focused snacks that can be both expensive and tasteless. So if you are trying to watch your calorie intake, this brand is probably the best option for you.
Pros
- Low Calories: O Organics popcorn is an organic and nutritious brand that only contains 25 calories per cup.
- Decent Flavor: While O Organics popcorn is low in calories, it still comes with a decent amount of seasoning and butter flavor.
- Low Sodium: Because of its nutritious nature, this particular brand of popcorn does not contain high levels of sodium, despite the seasoning and butter provided.
Cons
- Limited Stock: Unfortunately, O Organics is not a well-known brand, which means it cannot be purchased from commercial shopping platforms.
- Weak Taste: Although we personally enjoyed the flavor of this popcorn, it is somewhat muted and may not be sufficient for some buyers.
RUNNER UP
For the final product on our list, we have chosen a popular microwave popcorn brand that currently offers six different kinds of butter flavors.
While Act II popcorn is probably best known for its movie theatre flavor, we personally preferred the Xtreme butter for its strong and powerful taste.
Indeed, this particular popcorn lives up to its name, offering one of the more powerful butter flavors that we have ever tasted. In many ways, this popcorn is the perfect choice for anyone who asks for extra butter during a trip to the cinema.
However, despite the brand’s rich and salty taste, this popcorn only comes in at around 160 calories per cup, which is definitely surprising when you consider its potent seasoning.
So if you prefer your popcorn on the strong side, Act II Xtreme Butter has everything you need.
Pros
- Strong Flavor: Act II popcorn offers one the strongest butter flavors on the market, which makes it the ideal choice for anyone who enjoys rich and salty snacks.
- Low Calories: Despite its strong and buttery taste, Act II popcorn only contains 160 calories per cup, which is lower than most other brands.
- Crisp Kernels: Once the kernels have been popped in the microwave, the popcorn will continue to retain its crispiness until it has been consumed.
Cons
- Inconsistent Seasoning: While this particular brand can be extremely buttery, the seasoning can also be inconsistent between bags, which means you may not achieve the level of flavor you desire.
- Unpopped Corn: Unfortunately, it can be hard to get all the kernels to pop while cooking in the microwave.
Best Butter Microwave Popcorns Buying Guide
While the idea of buying microwave popcorn may seem like a simple task, there are certain factors that should be considered before completing your transaction.
Factors that help to ensure that the brand you are purchasing meets your needs and provides the flavor experience that you have been looking for.
In the following section, we have outlined some key points that should be kept in mind when it comes to purchasing microwave popcorn, as well as the methods we used to make our choices.
By consulting this buyer’s guide, we hope that you will be able to find the best popcorn for your tastes, saving you both time and money.
How Did We Make Our Choices?
When selecting the best microwave popcorn on the market, we judged each brand on a series of components, which included everything from the ingredients to the taste.
So if you want to know why we made our choices, everything you need can be found in the section below:
Ingredients: When choosing a new brand of popcorn, we would begin our evaluation by reading the ingredients and nutritional information provided on the packet. This helped us to discern which brand contained the least calories and whether the popcorn was made with natural or artificial flavors.
Cooking: The next thing we took into consideration was how the popcorn cooked in the microwave, which helped us to eliminate certain brands that were prone to burnings or undercooking. While some of our choices may contain leftover kernels, we promise that the majority of the corn will pop.
Buttering: An important part of cooking microwave popcorn is making sure that the butter has fully coated the kernels, which can be done by giving the bag a final shake before serving. To make sure we chose the best brands available, we tracked how long it took for each bag to cool and how well the popcorn was buttered after a final shake.
Taste: Tasting the product is always an important step during the evaluation process, which is why we have made sure that each brand chosen delivers delicious and buttery popcorn with a crisp and fluffy texture. We also made it our mission to select products that recalled the flavor of freshly melted butter, so that the overall experience would be more enjoyable.
What Should You Be Looking For?
Besides the components we have mentioned, there are several other factors that should be considered when purchasing microwave popcorn. So to help you understand what you should be looking for, we have compiled the following list:
Freshness: When selecting our listed brands, we made sure to taste test each product to determine the freshness and feel of the corn. In some cases, we discovered that certain brands could go stale after cooking, which made for a chewy and uncomfortable experience. However, the best microwave popcorn was able to retain its crispness, even after it had been buttered and served.
Oils Used: As we previously discussed, checking the ingredients is very important when it comes to selecting microwave popcorn and that includes any cooking oils being used. In most cases, the best microwave popcorn will contain a mixture of palm and corn oil, although this is not the same for all brands. For the best results, we recommend choosing a popcorn that contains only a few ingredients, as this will make it more natural and authentic.
Bag Size: Microwave popcorn bags can currently be purchased in a range of shapes and sizes, with most brands now offering different portions and options. Generally speaking, it is important to choose a size that you are comfortable with, as this will make the overall process much easier and efficient. Just make sure to double-check the size before completing your purchase.
Cooking Times: One of the best things about microwave popcorn is how easy it is to cook, which allows you to enjoy your snack in only a few minutes. However, this does not mean that the kernels will not burn, as certain brands are more prone to blackening than others. Some of the best microwave popcorn will often be resistant to scorching, as well as display short and easy cooking times.
Health Features: While some microwave popcorn will market itself as healthy, this is not always true. So if you are looking for a snack that is nutritious or low-calorie, we recommend purchasing a specialized brand such as O Organics or Skinny Pop. Of course, you will also want to choose a brand that contains little sodium or fat, which can be determined by the nutritional value on the box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Should You Buy Microwave Popcorn?
While many people might tell you that homemade popcorn is the only way to go, this is not always the case. In fact, modern microwave popcorn uses a variety of sophisticated ingredients to create healthy and authentic-tasting snacks for you and your family.
These days, microwave popcorn not only boasts a range of different flavors, but also different textures and yields, with some even tasting better than anything you can get in a cinema.
What Brand Of Microwave Popcorn Has The Most Butter?
As we previously mentioned, Pop Star is probably the most buttery popcorn we have tasted, despite the confection itself containing very little sodium. However, in terms of butter flavors, Act II remains one of the leading brands.
Not only does Act II produce its own Xtreme butter option, but the official website also sports 6 different butter-based options.
Why Does Movie Theatre Popcorn Taste So Good?
While we believe that microwave popcorn can taste as good as any movie theatre alternative, there is no denying that theatre popcorn is some of the best in the world. This is because of several reasons, such as the freshness of the popcorn and how it has been cooked.
In most cases, movie theatre popcorn will have been cooked using coconut oil, which can give the finished product a more distinctive taste. Movie theatres also use a substance called Flavacol to give the popcorn its signature yellow hue and salty taste.
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