Hot Honey Butter Popcorn (Printable)

Crispy popcorn tossed in honey, butter, and chili for a sweet-spicy snack.

# What You Need:

→ Popcorn

01 - 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
02 - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola or sunflower)

→ Hot Honey Butter

03 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
04 - 3 tablespoons honey
05 - 1 to 1.5 teaspoons hot sauce (Sriracha or Frank's RedHot), to taste
06 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
07 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add a few popcorn kernels and cover.
02 - Once the test kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Shake the pot occasionally.
03 - When popping slows to 2 to 3 seconds between pops, remove the pot from heat. Transfer the popcorn immediately to a large mixing bowl.
04 - In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Stir in honey, hot sauce, and chili flakes if using. Heat until fully combined and warmed through.
05 - Pour the hot honey butter evenly over the popcorn. Toss thoroughly to coat all pieces.
06 - Sprinkle the sea salt over the coated popcorn and toss once more. Serve immediately, adjusting seasoning or spice level if desired.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • Hot honey butter transforms basic popcorn into something that tastes like you spent hours on it, when you really spent ten minutes.
  • The sweet-spicy-salty balance keeps you reaching for more—it's addictive in the best way.
  • Perfect for feeding a crowd because it's cheap, fast, and somehow feels more impressive than it should.
02 -
  • If your popcorn tastes greasy instead of coated, your honey butter was too cool when it hit the popcorn; always pour it while it's still warm and slightly runny.
  • Those unpopped kernels at the bottom aren't a failure—they're inevitable, so just leave them behind and enjoy the popped stuff.
  • The heat builds as it sits, so taste it fresh and don't double the hot sauce on your first try thinking it's mild.
03 -
  • The second you pour hot honey butter onto popcorn, work fast to toss it; if it cools too much it gets thick and clumpy instead of clinging smoothly.
  • Keep the pot lid slightly ajar while popping so steam escapes and your popcorn stays crispy instead of becoming chewy.
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