Microwave butter popcorn is a good and easy snack to have at home, but there are so many different brands that it can be hard to know which one is the best. So, what is the best microwave buttered popcorn?
The best microwave buttered popcorn based on the number of consumers is Orville Redenbacher. Pop Secret and Act II also have great microwave buttered popcorn based on market share.
Keep reading this article to learn what the best-selling popcorn is and whether store brand and homemade buttered popcorn are good alternatives to store-bought popcorn.
What Is the Best-Selling Popcorn?
Determining the best microwave butter popcorn can be tricky since everyone has their own preferences in determining what makes good microwave buttered popcorn. However, some studies have attempted to determine which microwave butter popcorn is the best.
A Statista Research Department study found the most popular popcorn brands in the United States in 2020.
The best-selling popcorn brand is Orville Redenbacher, with 63.59 million consumers per year purchasing their popcorn. Their classic butter popcorn is their most popular microwave popcorn flavor.
Orville Redenbacher has two main types of microwave buttered popcorn:
- Orville Redenbacher’s Ultimate Butter Popcorn
- Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Popcorn
Both come in boxes with six bags of 3.29 ounces (93.2 grams) of popcorn with no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes.
The second most consumed popcorn brand in 2020 was Pop Secret. Almost 50 million people consumed their popcorn in 2020, making them one of the most-loved popcorn brands in the world. Pop Secret has premium butter popcorn with a natural, classic butter flavor.
Like Orville Redenbacher, Pop Secret has Pop Secret Butter Popcorn and Pop Secret Popcorn, Movie Theater Butter Popcorn, both available on Amazon. These flavors come in various sizes ranging from three bags to 30 bags.
Act II comes in a close third with 47.2 million consumers in 2020. They offer standard butter popcorn as well.
You can find Act II Butter Popcorn on Amazon if you’re looking for the classic, smooth blend of salty and buttery popcorn. Just like the two brands above, you can also get the Act II Movie Theater Butter Popcorn if you want to have a taste of the movie theater at home. You can find other versions of their microwave buttered popcorn, including Xtreme Butter, Light Butter, and Butter Lovers.
Is Store Brand Microwave Buttered Popcorn Good?
Store brand microwave buttered popcorn is just as good as private-label popcorn brands. If all store brand microwave popcorn was counted as a single brand, it would be the fourth best-selling popcorn in the United States.
The Statista study mentioned in the section above includes a store brand category, which is an agglomeration of all store brand microwave popcorn being sold in the United States.
For example, Walmart has its own Great Value Brand of buttered popcorn. Target has a microwave butter popcorn in their Market Pantry brand. You can find these in their respective stores and on their websites.
Costco also has a Kirkland butter popcorn option that is great if you want to buy a large amount of butter popcorn while still paying a low price. If you want a good but cheap microwave butter popcorn, you should go with the store brand.
Is Homemade Buttered Popcorn Good?
Homemade buttered popcorn is just as good as—if not better than—store-bought microwave popcorn. The best part about homemade popcorn is that you can adjust the recipe to your taste, allowing you to make popcorn exactly how you like it.
If you want something fast and easy, you can microwave or air-pop plain popcorn, melt some butter, and pour it on top. However, if you want to go above and beyond with your homemade popcorn, then Food.com has a great buttered popcorn recipe for you.
To make great homemade butter popcorn, simply:
- Take ⅓ cup of popcorn and put it into a paper bag in the microwave. Make sure it is paper and not plastic so it does not melt or affect the quality of the popcorn. Fold the top of the bag so it is shut and the popcorn does not spill out of the bag as it pops. You also need to leave room in the bag for the popcorn to expand as it cooks.
- Seal the bag if you have something that’s microwave safe. Otherwise, you can just fold it tightly and monitor it as it cooks.
- Finally, microwave your popcorn for two to three minutes until the pops slow down to about 5 seconds between each pop.
- Now, you just need to melt the butter you want to use on your popcorn. You can use as much or as little as you want. And, you can add salt if you want to add some extra flavor.
- After you add your salt, butter, and any other toppings to your popcorn, shake the bag and enjoy!
Homemade buttered popcorn can be a great alternative to store bought if you struggle to find a brand that you like. Even if your homemade popcorn is not perfect the first time you make it, you can keep playing around with the toppings, the cooking time, and how much butter you use until you find the perfect recipe for your taste.
What Type of Corn Should You Use for Homemade Buttered Popcorn?
You should use popping corn or popcorn kernels to make homemade buttered popcorn. Brands like Orville sell big containers of popcorn kernels that you can pop at home, like the Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popping Corn. These kernels are all natural and come in yellow and white corn.
Final Thoughts
Microwave buttered popcorn is a great snack that is easy to make at home, at work, or wherever you have access to a microwave.
Based on the amount of microwave popcorn consumed in one year, Orville Redenbacher is the best microwave popcorn brand. However, there are other popular microwave buttered popcorn brands, such as Pop Secret, Act II, and store brands.
