If you’re looking for a light snack to enjoy at any time of day, you can’t go wrong with popcorn. It’s great for movie nights, of course, but also also as a mid-morning snack to tide you over until lunch, a snack to share with the whole family, and something to make nights in a bit more special.
We reviewed dozens of packs of popcorn to identify the best of the best. We considered a range of factors, including popping method, flavor, hull, and average customer reviews. All of our top five products are available for you to buy on Amazon.
On careful comparison, the Great Northern Popcorn Company All-in-One Premium Pack stood out as the overall best popcorn on the market. We love the versatility of popping your popcorn however you like (on the stove, in an air popper, in a microwave popping device, or even in a commercial machine) but paired with the perfect amount of tasty flavoring.
In This Article
The 5 Top-Rated Popcorns
| Editor's Picks | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best Popcorn Overall | Great Northern Popcorn Company All-in-One Premium Pack | 4.4 |
| Best Pre-Popped Popcorn | Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn | 4.7 |
| Best Budget Popcorn | Snappy White Popcorn | 4.4 |
| Best Hulless Popcorn | Dutchman's White Hulless Popcorn | 4.2 |
| Best Microwave Popcorn | Smude's Brand Microwave Popcorn | 4.5 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change
Best Popcorn Overall: Great Northern Popcorn Company All-in-One Premium Pack
If you like popping your own popcorn but dislike coming top with toppings and flavorings for it, Great Northern Popcorn Company All-in-One Premium Pack is perfect for you. Each pack contains 24 individually-packaged portions of unpopped popcorn kernels along with a sachet of butter-flavored coconut and sunflower oil that’s perfectly sized to coat the amount of popcorn in each portion. You can choose from six portion sizes between 2.5 and 12 ounces. Bear in mind that just 1 ounce of unpopped popcorn kernels is considered a serving, making 4 cups of popped kernels.
The Great Northern Popcorn Company is a big-hitter in the world of popcorn, and is sold to many large vendors, so you can get the taste of your favorite movie theater or ballpark popcorn at home. We love that you can make the popcorn any way you choose, adding the seasoning either while you pop it or after it’s popped, depending on your popping method. A case of 24 individual portions of 2.5 to 12 ounces costs between $23 and $37, depending on which size you opt for.
Great Northern Popcorn Company All-in-One Premium Pack Key Features:
- Free from trans fats and cholesterol
- Butter flavoring is dairy-free
- Doesn’t contain controversial flavoring diacetyl
Best Pre-Popped Popcorn: Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn
Sometimes you want to reach for a snack with little to no effort, which is why we love Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn. This popcorn comes in large 7 ounce bags of ready to eat pre-popped popcorn, and you get 4 of these 7 ounce bags for around $11. If you’re not sure what 7 ounces of popcorn looks like, it’s equal to around 14 cups, or 7 lots of 2-cup servings.
What’s great about Angie’s popcorn is that it’s made from simple, natural ingredients. We’re focusing on the sweet and salty flavor, which contains just popcorn, sunflower oil, salt, and sugar. This makes it suitable for vegans, plus it’s gluten-free, kosher, and contains no trans fats. It’s the snack that doesn’t discriminate, no matter your dietary requirements. Importantly, Angie’s popcorn isn’t just natural and healthy, it also tastes great so there’s no need to sacrifice flavor. If you’re looking for a ready made popcorn that you can snack on at any time, this should be your first choice.
Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn Popcorn Key Features:
- Verified by the non-GMO project
- No artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup
- Made from whole grains
Best Budget Popcorn: Snappy White Popcorn
Snappy White Popcorn might not be the cheapest popcorn on this list, but it does offer the best value for money. You get 4 pounds (64 ounces) of plain popcorn kernels for just $12, which works out at less than $0.19 per ounce. Bearing in mind that an ounce of kernels makes 4 cups of popcorn, you get a huge amount for your money. Don’t worry that you’re getting subpar popcorn at such a low price, this is quality popcorn, with many buyers praising its consistency from batch to batch compared to other brands. Snappy popcorn is grown, processed, and packaged in Iowa, and has been since 1940.
You can choose to pop this popcorn however you like, such as on the stove or in a popcorn machine, getting excellent results whatever your method. It doesn’t come with any kind of flavoring, but this allows you to use your imagination and come up with creative toppings (or you can simply toss in in sugar, salt, or both if you want to keep it classic). If you want to pop and top your popcorn yourself, this is an excellent choice.
Snappy White Popcorn Key Features:
- Comes in a reusable lidded container
- Verified non-GMO corn
- Vegan and gluten free
Best Hulless Popcorn: Dutchman’s White Hulless Popcorn
Popcorn is great, picking parts of popcorn hull out of your teeth for hours is not. Dutchman’s White Hulless Popcorn is made from a special variety of popcorn with thin hulls that shatter into small pieces, leaving your popcorn practically hulless. There’s no such thing as completely hulless popcorn but this certainly comes close, making it a great choice if fibrous hulls put you off eating popcorn regularly. It’s also great for anyone who can’t tolerate standard popcorn well due to digestive issues.
If you like to make popcorn your own way, this is an excellent choice. It works in all types of popcorn machines or simply in a heavy pan on the stovetop. This popcorn comes as a large 4 pound bag of plain kernels for $15. Though you can also buy a storage jar full of 4 pounds worth of popcorn for $29, if you don’t already have something you can store it in.
Dutchman’s White Hulless Popcorn Key Features:
- Contains nothing but corn that you can pop and season any way you like
- Gluten free, kosher, and suitable for vegans
- Verified non-GMO
Best Microwave Popcorn: Smude’s Brand Microwave Popcorn
Many people love the convenience of microwave popcorn but dislike the additives and artificial taste that many brands are saddled with. Smude’s Brand Microwave Popcorn, however, is a completely different kettle of… popcorn. It contains three ingredients only: popcorn, sunflower oil, and salt, giving you a fresh, homemade taste with no artificial additives.
Each box contains 3 wax-free microwaveable packages that produce approximately 7 cups of popped popcorn a piece. Simply microwave the bag according to the package directions and you’ll have stovetop quality popcorn with minimal effort. At $7 for 3 packs, this popcorn is pricey, but it’s a good choice if you don’t mind spending a little extra for the sake of convenience.
Smude’s Brand Microwave Popcorn Key Features:
- No artificial additives of any kinds
- Gluten-free, vegan, and kosher
- Made using non-GMO ingredients
Whatever your needs, there’s a popcorn out there option for everyone. You can find popcorn that’s organic, vegan, kosher, non-GMO, gluten free, and more. So, find your favorite family movie and settle down for a night in with the ultimate movie snack.
