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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!
Pumpkin Popcorn
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
Equipment
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 Estimate
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.
Jay says
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?
Annemarie says
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.
Sharon says
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!
Annemarie says
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.
LouAnn says
I cannot use oil of any kind. Any ideas of a substitute for that coconut oil? Or can I omit it all together?
Annemarie says
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!
Jaime says
I made this the other night but the popcorn never hardened it; just remained sort of mushy. Would you recommend baking it longer?
Annemarie says
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.
marla meridith says
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
Annemarie says
Thanks, Marla. I appreciate the link and I hope you try the popcorn – it’s delicious!
Krishna says
Really nice site, complete with good contents, very nice design and above all your site loads very fast and navigates with equally fast load times.
Annemarie says
Thank you!
Katy Johnson says
Great idea! I will try this soon!
Annemarie says
Thanks, Katy! I hope you like it.
Celiac Kiddo says
Oh wow, it’s like you read my mind 🙂 I’m totally pumpkin obsessed right now and this popcorn looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe, I’ll be trying it soon, like tomorrow.
-Dana
Annemarie says
Thanks – it’s that time of year! Let me know how you like it.
Ashley Bunker says
This sounds yummy! Love the picture.
Annemarie says
Thanks, Ashley! It’s a great fall treat.
divagoesorganic says
I might have to make this tonight. I’ve been snacking on lots of popcorn lately and looking for ways to jazz it up. Pumpkin AND popcorn?! Yes please!
Annemarie says
This is a great way to jazz up your popcorn. I hope you enjoy it!
Jill says
Oooh, I haven’t even thought about doing this. Delish! Can’t wait to try it!
Annemarie says
Thanks, Jill. I hope you like it!
Cynthia L. says
Found your site from Whole Foods Wednesday. This looks so good. I love popcorn and the spices sound wonderful!
Annemarie says
Thanks, Cynthia! If you give it a try, let me know how you like it.
Carissa says
yum. I have not tried pumpkin with popcorn, but it looks and sounds so delicious
Annemarie says
Thanks, Carissa!
Susan Geiser says
I can’t wait to make this! I hear from my picky eater that your “punkin popcorn” is awesome!!
Annemarie says
I’m glad I passed his test again – I’m on a roll!