This slightly spicy popcorn recipe gets it kick and tang from a dose of sriracha and lime-spiked olive oil. Perfect for movie night!
I'm on my way back from a fantastic weekend with a group of fellow food bloggers. There was plenty of laughter (my cheeks still hurt), questions asked and answered, friendships forged and...of course...great food. We stayed up well past our regular bedtimes on the last night, taking advantage of every last moment we had with each other. And what does a night of late night talking require? Late night snacks.
I introduced everyone to my favorite popcorn topping, smoked paprika & rosemary olive oil, and managed to hook several of them. It's so good that sometimes I wonder why I ever eat popcorn any other way!
Since I'm not one to leave well enough alone and see no reason to have only one favorite popcorn topping, I set to work coming up with a variation that involved an ingredient that is always in our pantry...sriracha. You've seen that big hot sauce bottle with the rooster on the front, right? That's sriracha. And while it's traditionally used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking, it's great with eggs, soups, noodles, vegetables and almost any other savory dish you can think of. They actually make mini sriracha bottles that you can carry in your purse.
We use our air popper to pop the popcorn, but feel free to pop it in a pan or even a paper bag (see my recipe instructions for details). Heat the sriracha with some olive oil, lime zest and juice, and salt, and drizzle it over the popcorn for a healthy snack with a bit of a kick. It's not overly spicy, so feel free to add more sriracha if you like things fiery.
Other healthy snacks:
Cookin' Canuck's Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas
Cookin' Canuck's Curry Spiced Nuts with Dried Cherries
Skinny taste's Broccoli & Cheese Tots
Lexi's Clean Kitchen's Nut-Free Energy Bites
Oh She Glows' Happy Digestion Smoothie
Printable Recipe
Sriracha Lime Olive Oil Popcorn Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup popcorn kernels
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn kernels using an air popper. Alternatively, place the kernels inside of a paper lunch bag, fold over the top of the bag and cook in the microwave until there are 2 to 3 seconds between pops. Transfer the popcorn to a bowl.
- In a small glass bowl, stir together the olive oil, lime juice, sriracha, lime zest and salt. Microwave until just heated, about 20 seconds.
- Drizzled the oil mixture over the popcorn, tossing with your hands. Add cilantro and toss again. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Emily Thorne
I had to go and make this and oh my goodness! It is delicious. Thanks for sharing this!
Dara
I'm so glad to hear that, Emily! It's pretty addictive.
Joanie @ ZagLeft
Such a healthy snack and I love the spicy kick!
Rose | The Clean Dish
I didn't know you could make microwave popcorn in a paper bag - we do it the old fashioned way, in a skilllet. Good to know 🙂 I love the flavoring; so creative! Popcorn tends to be too bland for me so I'm thinking this is going to be a new favorite! 🙂
carrie @ frugal foodie mama
Whoa! I am LOVING the flavors in this popcorn! I can't resist anything sriracha. 😉
Becky Hardin | The Cookie Rookie
What a great idea!!! I see movie night real soon
Grace
Awesome flavors! Surely enjoyable snack!
Sommer @aspicyperspective
Just add a movie and I would be oh so happy vegging out on the couch with a big bowl of this popcorn all evening! Yum
Julie | This Gal Cooks
Yesss! This is what great snacks are made of...well this and dark chocolate! I have some popcorn in my pantry. This has to happen sooner than later. 🙂
Amanda | The Chunky Chef
I make a similar popcorn... it's so delicious!!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit
Whoa! It's a good thing this is light and healthy because I may eat my weight in this!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
We make air-popped popcorn every weekend! My Hubby will love this spicy version!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes)
The flavors in this are incredible!!