Pumpkin Popcorn
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This pumpkin popcorn is a delicious, affordable whole grain snack that kids and adults will love. Roast this sweet treat for a unique fall snack.
Popcorn is one of the easiest real food snacks to make. A small quantity of kernels goes a long way, so it’s also one of the most affordable whole food snacks. This recipe costs just $.21 per serving.
I like to jazz up my own popcorn with different flavor combinations. My family loves chocolate popcorn, as well as my vanilla almond and maple gingerbread versions. This pumpkin popcorn is always a hit during fall. It has a sweet cinnamon pumpkin flavor that everyone loves.
I’ve made this pumpkin popcorn many times over the years. It’s a unique snack that everyone seems to love.
Pumpkin Popcorn Tips
Combine the topping ingredients in a small pot, and then drizzle them evenly over the popped popcorn before roasting. To get the best texture on this maple pumpkin spice popcorn, make sure to spread the mixture evenly across all the popcorn. If you pour it quickly onto a small number of popcorn pieces, they’ll get too soggy to roast properly.
You can substitute pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon if you’d prefer. Feel free to add a dash of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, or other seasonings to suit your tastes. I recommend using organic kernels when possible. You can use butter instead of coconut oil if you aren’t interested in making a dairy-free version of this pumpkin popcorn.
I like to pull out two cups of plain popcorn before adding the topping. This stretches the batch a bit, but if you’d prefer, you can make a little extra topping and glaze all the popcorn.
Let the popcorn cool before transferring it to an airtight container for room temperature storage. This snack barely lasts a day in my house!
Visit this post for other variations on coconut oil popcorn. There are so many different topping flavors for this frugal snack!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup popping corn kernels yields about 10 cups popped
- 2 tbs melted coconut oil
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tbs pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Pop the popcorn using an air popper or other method. We use this hot air popper.
- In a small saucepan, combine the oil, syrup, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and salt. Cook over medium heat for a minute or two, stirring until all the ingredients are combined.
- Measure two cups of plain popcorn and set aside.
- Put the remaining popcorn in a roasting pan. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the popcorn and stir until evenly covered.
- Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Let the popcorn mixture cool. The glazed pieces of popcorn will harden as they cool.
- Stir the plain popcorn into the pumpkin-glazed popcorn mixture and serve.
Nutrition
Price Breakdown
This recipe yields about 8 cups, and the total cost is $.85 or $.21 per serving (using organic popcorn kernels). Pumpkin popcorn is the perfect treat for little ones at a Halloween party, and adults enjoy it just as much.
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2012, and it was updated in 2021.
Not sure where I went wrong. Soon as I poured the mixture on the popcorn it basically made the popcorn shrink up and get very mushy. Was not even worth trying to bake. Any ideas where I may have gone wrong?
I’m sorry to hear that. I make this often, and I haven’t had that experience. It sounds like you may have had too much of the topping. Did you follow the measurements in the recipe? If you want to try again, maybe you could brush the topping onto the popcorn with a pastry brush rather than pouring it on. Stir a few times while applying the topping. I hope it works better for you next time.
Hi! I’m planning to try this soon. I wondered if I could make it in one pot by first mixing the oil, syrup, spices, and pumpkin, then adding the kernels to that pot once mixed? I don’t have an air popper and usually use a pot to pop my popcorn. I was thinking of minimizing the number of dirty dishes as well. Thanks!
Interesting idea! I’m not sure if the kernels would pop properly with all the other ingredients in the pan, but it’s worth a shot. Let me know if you try it.
I cannot use oil of any kind. Any ideas of a substitute for that coconut oil? Or can I omit it all together?
You could omit the oil, but the popcorn may stick to the pan a bit. Stir it several times in the oven to help avoid sticking. Good luck!
I made this the other night but the popcorn never hardened it; just remained sort of mushy. Would you recommend baking it longer?
Jaime, your oven may run a little cooler than mine. If you bake it for a couple extra minutes or turn the heat up a bit, it should harden properly.