The Seasoning Combo Ina Garten Sprinkles On Her Popcorn

Bring a bit of heat to your next movie night with Ina Garten's popcorn recipe. According to her website Barefoot Contessa, Garten's spicier take on the classic puffed snack first appeared in her 2016 book "Cooking for Jeffrey," a collection of recipes Garten has prepared for her husband of several decades. In addition to pages filled with recipes for vanilla rum panna cotta with salted caramel, challah with saffron, and roasted salmon tacos, Garten provides a set of simple instructions for spicing up a batch of popcorn that even novice cooks can follow. Since her recipe doesn't require advanced culinary skills to execute, it can be whipped up whenever demanding popcorn cravings strike.

After microwaving your favorite brand of popcorn (Garten suggests Newman's Own Natural), the hostess-with-the-mostess instructs aspiring at-home chefs to add the fluffy, hot kernels to a bowl. Next, melted butter is poured on top of the batch and a half cup of grated Parmesan is added to the mix. For the key, differentiating finishing touch of spice, a half teaspoon of chipotle chile powder and 2 teaspoons of fleur de sel (Garten recommends the brand Le Saunier De Camargue from southern France) is sprinkled over the popcorn. For best results, shake up the ingredients together before serving.

While the delicate, flaky addition of fleur de sel can elevate any humble recipe, the light punch of the smoky chipotle chile powder helps send this dish home. Ideally, serve this spicy snack hot or store the popcorn in an airtight container to enjoy during your weekend's Netflix binge. If you don't feel like making it yourself, you can also peruse our ranking of store-bought popcorn seasonings. Or, let Ina Garten's hot take inspire you to add your favorite spices to plain or buttered popcorn. 

Experiment with smoked paprika, a pinch of cayenne, or sriracha powder to flavor your next snack. Spice blends made with chipotle chili, onion and garlic powders, and cumin can also add a flavorful boost to your popcorn recipes, while hickory smoke powder can bring a noticeably smoky taste to your snack. Layer ingredients to create the perfect flavor for your palate. And, of course, you have a world to explore with flavored salts made from leftover herbs. No bowl of popcorn needs to be boring ever again.