Instant Pot Popcorn

Instant Pot popcorn is probably the easiest way to make popcorn at home with just two simple ingredients! You get the fresh popped flavor of natural popcorn in minutes. 

We love popcorn and have it all the time. I love making popcorn in my Instant Pot because it’s so, so easy. You’re going to love it too. You may also like our list of Instant Pot recipes that are done (start to finish!) in 20 minutes or less!

Instant Pot Popcorn

We got an Instant Pot a while ago and love it. I use it for soups, dinners, and anything that I need in a hurry. If you’re not familiar with the Instant Pot it’s a multi-use pot. It’s a pressure cooker for when you want things cooked quickly, and it can be a slow cooker too!

And, you can saute in it so that you don’t have to dirty multiple dishes!

But I also love that you can cook food that you already think might be easier and the Instant Pot makes it even easier! One of my favorite uses of the Instant Pot is making hard boiled eggs. Yes, boiling eggs in a pan on the stove is easy, but it’s even easier in the Instant Pot. And, the shells fall off the eggs!

It’s what I love about popcorn in the Instant Pot – it’s another easy recipe that improves the quality of the food and keeps life simple. That’s why we love popping popcorn in the Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Popcorn Ingredients

• popcorn kernels – just your average kernels. This is a great way to save money making popcorn, because you get so many kernels in a bag. 
• coconut oil – this is the best way to coat the popcorn kernels. You can try butter, but the coconut oil gives the popcorn a rich flavor without tasting like coconut
• salt or popcorn seasonings – this is optional. I love a little salt on my popcorn and think it makes it more like popcorn I get at the movies. And, sometimes a flavored popcorn seasoning is a great way to mix it up a little. 

Equipment

You’re going to want to use an Instant pot glass lid for your Instant pot for this recipe. It makes it a little easier. If you don’t have a glass lid, you can still use the regular Instant Pot sealing lid, but you’ll have to guesstimate by sound when more than half of the kernels are popped.

You might want to check out all our favorite Instant Pot accessories that make using the IP so much easier. 

How to Make Popcorn in the Instant Pot

Here are the Instant Pot popcorn instructions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and adjust the temperature to high. 
2. Add the coconut oil to the Instant Pot and let it melt. 
3. You can use a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to stir the coconut oil so it melts evenly on the bottom of the pan.
4. Once the coconut oil is melted and you can tell it’s hot, add the popcorn kernels. 
5. Stir to coat the kernels with oil. 
6. Next, add any popcorn seasonings and stir.
7. Add the Instant Pot glass lid. The popcorn will start popping in 2-3 minutes.
8. After about 3/4 of the popcorn is popped, turn the Instant Pot off by hitting “cancel.”
9. The popcorn will continue to pop, but this will let it pop without burning. 
10. Once all the kernels have popped  — there will be several seconds between pops (kind of the same principle behind microwave popcorn.) — you can turn off the Instant Pot and take the lid off. 

This is where the glass lid is helpful. You can see straight through to the kernels. 

Now all you have to do is set up a movie and you’ve got movie style popcorn as a treat with your movie.

 love this picture – can’t you just smell the fresh, hot popcorn. Feels like you’re at the movie theater!

Oops, even spilled a little.

Instant Pot Popcorn VS Microwave Popcorn

You might ask, is Microwave popcorn bad? Or, is microwave popcorn safe? I’ve even read, Does microwave popcorn cause cancer?

“The possible link between microwave popcorn and cancer isn’t from the popcorn itself, but from chemicals called perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) that are in the bags.” (source)

I don’t know about you, but you it’s just more natural to pop corn kernels with natural ingredients and the Instant Pot makes it so easy to pop popcorn. You’ll have it in about the same time you pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave — and you’ll probably make more popcorn than what you’d get from a bag. 

Instant Pot popcorn is the easiest and freshest way to make popcorn at home.

If you haven’t gotten an Instant Pot yet, let me tell you, it’s worth every penny! I’ve had mine for awhile now and you can make so many things in it. It’s a pressure cooker, it’s a slow cooker, you can saute, you can make dinner, dessert, and yes, even popcorn!

Looking for more Instant Pot recipes?

• Instant Pot chicken noodle soup 
• Instant Pot corn on the cob
• Instant Pot peach cobbler
• Instant Pot jasmine rice