26 Ingredients To Elevate Your Bowl Of Popcorn

Popcorn is the ideal easy, budget-friendly snack. Whether you opt for microwave popcorn or you choose to make your own from scratch, it won't take you more than a few minutes to whip up. And in most grocery stores, it's cheap — like, really cheap — which means you can enjoy it regularly as a snack. While a basic, unadorned bowl of popcorn is a beautiful thing all on its own, you don't have to settle with an unseasoned version of the classic snack. By adding a few ingredients, you can elevate your bowl of popcorn into something seriously special.

We've collected a slew of popcorn pairing ideas so you can transform your nightly popcorn ritual into a creative, deeply delicious snack. Grab these items at the store, or just use whatever you already have in your pantry. Once you try these ideas, you may never think of popcorn the same way again.

If you want to make your bowl of popcorn into something akin to a light meal, consider adding mini pepperoni to the dish. Instead of butter, you can throw those mini pepperonis into a pan, letting them cook and brown a bit before adding your popcorn. Then, that popcorn will soak up all that pepperoni fat, leaving you with deeply flavorful popcorn you could never get with butter alone. The slightly crisped pepperoni will taste incredible alongside the more neutral-flavored popcorn, which is why this is such an elite combo. Feel free to add other spices to the mix, or just keep things simple with pepperoni alone.

One seasoning blend you should always have in your spice cabinet is furikake. It's the Japanese mixture of fish flakes, dried sesame seeds, seaweed, and salt, often alongside other ingredients, that can take an average poke bowl to the next level. But you don't have to relegate your use of furikake to Asian-inspired dishes alone. It also makes for a delicious topper for popcorn.

We love this combo because it's so easy. You don't really have to take any extra steps — just sprinkle the furikake on top and mix everything together. You're left with a deeply flavorful snack that boasts salty, umami, and fishy flavors.

Oftentimes, popcorn covered in butter can be quite rich, and that richness takes center stage. It can be hard to really pick up on any other flavors. That's why you may want to balance things out with the inclusion of another ingredient. Lemon zest is a great contender. It has a brightness and acidity that plays well with all that butter and really brings the snack together. Sprinkle some extra salt on top, and you'll see why it's a flavor combination we keep going back to time and time again. Add some lemon juice if you're craving even more acidity.

Many people have easy, go-to snacks that they always keep stocked in the pantry. Popcorn is one of these snacks for many of us, as are pretzels. But just because these two snacks come in different packages doesn't mean you can't enjoy them together. When you're looking for a way to add some textural variety to your bowl of popcorn, consider adding some pretzels to the mix. As another salty, carb-y snack, it works especially well with popcorn.

And you don't have to stop with plain pretzels. If you really want to up the flavor ante, try using chocolate-covered pretzels instead. That extra touch of sweetness makes for the ideal salty-sweet snack.

Popcorn is at its best when it's drenched in plenty of butter, so why wouldn't it work well with other dairy ingredients? That's our argument for dusting your bowl of popcorn with some Parmesan cheese. Now, in most dishes, it makes sense to use fresh Parmesan cheese, as it yields a fresher, overall more delicious flavor than the processed stuff. But when it comes to popcorn, you're going to want to use the stuff that comes in the green container. It offers the best texture for getting into the nooks and crannies of every individual piece of popcorn, yielding evenly cheesy bites.

Whether you're looking for a cheese alternative to top your popcorn with or you just want to try seasoning your popcorn with a less-expected ingredient, you may want to turn to nutritional yeast. The ingredient, popular in health food circles, boasts a flavor often described as cheesy and umami, which is why it makes sense as a topper for your popcorn. We love this addition because it's super easy — just shake some nutritional yeast onto your popped popcorn, and you have a deliciously salty snack that requires no butter at all (although you can certainly add butter to the mix if you prefer).

You know the last time you wanted to cook ramen noodles but didn't end up using the seasoning packet that came with them? If you're like us, you have a ton of those leftover packets sitting around your pantry. Well, don't throw them away just yet because they make the most delicious addition to your popcorn.

Think about it: Ramen seasoning packets are salty and deeply flavorful, transforming those bland, basic noodles into an ultra-salty snack. That's just what a seasoning packet will do to your plain popcorn. Just toss the popcorn with the contents of the packet, and make sure to mix well — you don't want to eat any big clumps of that salty seasoning.

Sometimes, it pays to keep things simple. Sure, there are a ton of unusual and creative popcorn topper ideas on this list, but some things are best kept as unfussy as possible. When you want to upgrade your buttered popcorn without adding a ton of different flavors to the mix, just sprinkle some garlic powder onto your popcorn. You'll be amazed at how little it takes to turn your popcorn into a garlicky treat.

Don't have any garlic powder on hand? You can also infuse your popcorn with that garlic flavor by adding some fresh garlic to the butter you cook your popcorn in.

Every taco seasoning you try is likely slightly different, but most of them boast a common set of ingredients, including but not limited to paprika, chili powder, garlic and onion powders, cumin, and salt. When all of these ingredients come together, it makes for a super flavorful spice mix that makes your taco meat shine. But believe it or not, those flavors actually work really well with popcorn as well.

For best results, use buttered popcorn, and then toss the popcorn with some taco seasoning. You can also do this with plain popcorn, although it may have a harder time actually sticking to the individual pieces of popcorn. Either way, you're in for a taco-flavored treat.

We all love a sweet and salty combo, and there is perhaps no simpler sweet and salty combo than popcorn and chocolate chips. This is the snack we always make when it seems like we have nothing in the house to snack on. The saltiness from the popcorn plays off of the sugar in the chocolate chips, making for a harmonious bite that essentially everyone can get behind.

And the best part? If you make sure your popcorn is hot enough, those chocolate chips may start to melt and meld with the popcorn itself, which increases the delicious factor even more.

Many, if not most, people add salt to their popcorn, but not enough add MSG. However, there's no easier way to capture the umami flavor profile of your favorite snack foods. MSG is a compound similar to salt that's responsible for the mouthwatering umami flavor you'll find in a wide variety of packaged foods. And by adding just a sprinkle of it to your popcorn, you're easily increasing its deliciousness tenfold.

If you haven't cooked much with MSG in the past, make sure you start slow, adding just a little bit of it to your popcorn as you go. Keep tasting to make sure you're not overwhelmed by the ingredient's flavor-enhancing effects.

Ultimately, popcorn is a food that's all about texture. If you just taste some plain, unbuttered, and unsalted popcorn all on its own, you'll find that popcorn doesn't have much of a notable flavor at all. That's why using ultra-flavorful ingredients can really transform the snack. Enter chili crisp. The popular ingredient may just be one of the best things you can add to your popcorn bowl because it offers such an explosion of different flavors.

You can use the oil in chili crisp to help pop your popcorn but feel free to drizzle more on top when you're done cooking. Those extra crispy pieces in the chili crisp will only enhance the snack's texture more.

Tajin may be best known as a slightly spicy and ultra-salty topping for fruit, but that's not all it's good for. It can also take a bland bowl of popcorn and turn it into a bright, flavorful snack. The seasoning is made with a blend of mild chili peppers, lime, and sea salt, and these three simple ingredients hit all the right notes. Those chili peppers add the slightest touch of heat (although Tajin is not really known as a spicy ingredient — it's appropriate for even the most spice-averse), while the lime adds some much-needed acidity. Then, the salt enhances all of those flavors even more.

Some people prefer their popcorn to be salty and savory, but others may be craving a sweeter flavor profile. If you fall into the latter camp, there are a few easy ingredients you can add to your popcorn bowl to achieve that perfectly sweet snack. Caramel sauce is one of our all-time favorites. It has a richness and deep complexity that you can't harness with sugar or a sweetener like agave alone. Just keep in mind that adding caramel sauce to your popcorn can make things sticky, so make sure you have some napkins on hand if you choose to take this route.

Some subtle sweetness can be a nice touch to your bowl of popcorn, but for some snackers, that sweetness may not be enough. Luckily, it's easy to add yet another layer of flavor when you choose to drizzle some hot honey on top of your popcorn. That sweetness takes center stage, of course, but the ingredient also boasts a slight heat that renders your popcorn just spicy enough. You can add in extra heat in the form of chili powder, or you can keep things nice and simple with hot honey alone. Grab some store-bought hot honey or make your own.

There's nothing like snacking on a big plate of veggies, dipping each variety in ranch dressing for that creamy, savory flavor we all love. But you may not know that you can capture that same flavor in a bowl of popcorn — minus the veggies and the salad dressing entirely. Simply add some dry ranch seasoning to your bowl, and you'll understand what we mean. You're not going to be getting that creamy texture, but you can taste that amazing, salty combo of flavors in a crunchy form via your popcorn. Don't worry — we won't tell anyone you're skipping your veggies.

You know the Rice Krispies treats your parents made as a kid or that you snagged out of the vending machine at school? It's just cereal mixed with melted marshmallows, but for some reason, that combination of ingredients really works. Well, you can make a similar kind of snack by combining popcorn and melted marshmallows. You'll get that same crunch with the sticky, gooey coating you love. Add in some chocolate chips, candy, or a bit of extra sugar to keep things even sweeter. Form the mixture into bars or separate clumps, and you have an elite sugary snack.

Why stick to just one salty, crunchy snack when you can have two? That's exactly why we advocate combining Goldfish crackers and popcorn in the same bowl. They're both salty, so you know it's going to fulfill your savory snack cravings, but the Goldfish add an extra touch of cheesy flavor you won't get from popcorn. Plus, popcorn and Goldfish crackers are roughly the same size, so you can grab a handful of equal parts popcorn and crackers. Experiment with different Goldfish flavors for the best results. Pizza-flavored Goldfish make for an especially fun snack, especially when some of the extra seasoning flavors the popcorn as well.

If you don't mind getting a little bit messy when you're eating popcorn, then this next suggestion is for you: Pour a bit of buffalo sauce into your popcorn. There are a few different ways to do this. One way is to add some buffalo sauce to your butter before you throw in the unpopped popcorn kernels. That way, you get that buffalo sauce seasoning as evenly distributed as possible. Alternatively, though, you could simply drizzle some on top of your finished popcorn, then toss it all together. Either way, it's the tangy treat popcorn lovers have always dreamed of.

Now, this suggestion is probably one of the least expected on this list, but believe us when we say that it's also one of the tastiest. Anchovies — yes, like the little fish — can make a super flavorful addition to your bowl of popcorn. This definitely works best with popcorn you make from scratch, because you're going to be melting those anchovies in the butter you pop the popcorn with. That way, you're not getting chunks of fish. Rather, those salty and umami flavors will be well-distributed throughout your bowl of popcorn. And no, it doesn't really taste fishy at all — just incredibly savory.

Who says that popcorn can't be a warm, comforting snack? It certainly can be, especially when you serve it with warming spices like cinnamon. Cinnamon is best used in buttered popcorn because that butter allows the powdered cinnamon to stick to those individual pieces of popcorn instead of falling to the bottom of your bowl. And if you ask us, cinnamon popcorn tastes even better when it has a bit of sweetness to it. Make your own cinnamon sugar, or just add the cinnamon to your already honey- or agave-sweetened popcorn. The result is a crunchy snack that almost resembles Grandma's apple pie.

Most of the spices in your spice cabinet can be used for seasoning popcorn, and curry powder is no exception. Curry powder is a blend of spices, often with a warm flavor profile, and different cultures boast different types of curry. You can always buy one of these blends from your local supermarket or spice shop, but you can also make your own at home if you really want to be able to personalize those flavors. Add some butter or oil to your popcorn to give those ground spices something to stick to, and then sprinkle on your curry powder.

Toffee is sticky and sweet while offering a surprising complexity to everything it touches, which is why it's ideal for creating a sweet popcorn snack. Depending on how you want to eat your snack, you can incorporate toffee into your popcorn in a few different ways. If you really want to capture the warm stickiness of the treat, make sure to melt it before mixing it in with your popcorn. It tastes especially good when it's mixed with some sort of fatty element, like butter. But you can also use cooler toffee broken into small pieces to crunch on alongside your popcorn. Either way, you're in for a treat.

Plain old butter will do the trick if you want to season your popcorn simply, but you can elevate that basic butter addition with some miso. Miso delivers a salty, umami flavor that works really well with neutral-tasting popcorn. For best results, make your popcorn on the stove or in the microwave, then melt some butter. Stir some miso paste into that butter until it forms a smooth, easily drizzle-able consistency. Add as much as you want to your popcorn — just make sure to taste it before you add any additional salt, as it's easy to over-salt miso butter popcorn.

When you want a touch of sweetness in your popcorn without resorting to something too sticky or chocolate-y, you may want to turn to raisins. It's a great option for those who want to get some additional fruit into their diet but who don't want to eat a whole bowl of grapes on their own. And if you really want to make your raisin-y popcorn taste amazing, take the time to add in some other ingredients along with the raisins. A few of the other ingredients we've mentioned on this list, like cinnamon and caramel sauce, can work well here.

When you want to add saltiness and acidity to a pasta dish, there's one ingredient that'll never let you down: capers. And, perhaps surprisingly, capers can also be used for flavoring popcorn as well. Of course, you're not going to want to use capers in their usual form: Their wetness can make your popcorn soggy, which is the last thing you want. Rather, you're better off using dried capers, which deliver the same intense flavor in a more popcorn-conducive package. For even more of a flavor punch, combine those dried capers with some lemon zest for the most elevated bowl of popcorn you've ever eaten.