7 Best Popcorn Popper Consumer Reports & Reviews 2023

For tasty and healthy popcorn, you can pop popcorn using a pot-on-the-stove method that uses regular cookware. This is a classic way of popping popcorn but slightly time-consuming, especially if you need to pop every week for a movie night or a get-together.

There are different types of poppers available in the market. Some are inexpensive and perfect for your kitchen, and some are commercially used models.

To find out the perfect solution that you should buy for your personal or commercial use, we have tested several models and picked up the best popcorn poppers.

7 Best Popcorn Popper Reviews

You have to go through the list below and choose the best suitable popper for you.

1. West Bend Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper

We put West Bend popcorn popper on a test to find out whether it is as good as it seems. The first thought that came out was about its size and design, which is bulky and slightly difficult to store. But it is fun to watch the popping of popcorns through its transparent cover.

The user manual guide helps you understand the process and the oil to corn ratio. You can add ¾ cup of corn kernels that make around 6-quarts (24 cups) of popcorn. The machine takes a little time to start popping because the heating plate needs to warm up.

We observed that the performance of this popper is quite impressive, and we found no burnt pieces. The taste of the popcorn is delicious. So, what else do you need from a popper machine? You can go with this popper if the size of the popper is suitable for your kitchen.

2. Great Northern Stovetop 6-1/2-Quart Popcorn Popper

This stainless steel popcorn popper is a good choice for those who are looking for a high-quality popper and have health concerns with aluminum poppers. It has gears made of metal and wooden handles for a better internal stirring mechanism. This popper can make 5-quarts of popcorn at a time.

The popping process with this stovetop popper is simple; you need to heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil, add ½ cup of corn kernels and use the wooden handles to stir continuously. Once ready, remove the pot from heat, season if you like, and enjoy fresh popcorns.

This stovetop popper is a classic solution to enjoy theater-style popcorn at home for your family get-together, kid’s birthday parties, and movie nights.

3. Nostalgia OFP521 Hot-Air Tabletop Popcorn Maker

With a vintage-style look, this lovely popper machine makes 12 cups of popcorn at a time. The popper uses hot air to pop the corn instead of oil that ensures the quality of popcorn that is much lighter and healthier for birthday parties or movie nights with family.

This popper machine comes with a kernel measuring scoop to ensure the right quantity of kernels is used in every batch to avoid overfilling the kettle. With the push of a button, this air popper makes healthy popcorn within few minutes.

The swirling airflow in the popping chamber makes sure that no kernel is left un-popped. The compact design of the popper allows you to keep it at the countertop of your kitchen, and it is suitable for small apartments, and dorms. Overall, it is a good-looking and well-performing option for healthy popcorn.

4. Great Northern Black Little Bambino Popcorn Popper

This vintage-style popper machine comes with the capacity of 2.5 oz of the kettle that makes 1 gallon of popcorn per batch. The kettle is made of stainless steel and it has a built-in stirring system. This machine comes with a warranty of 90-days with a 30-days warranty of the kettle.

This machine has the unique feature of a removable serving tray that is also dishwasher safe. The package includes some other useful accessories like a measuring cup, measuring scoop, and two popping kettle handles.

The machine has a power wattage of 330 watts with 2 control switches. The retro design of this popper makes it suitable for smaller startups and canteens.

Also Read: best rice cooker

5. West Bend Hot Oil Theater Style Popcorn Popper

West Bend Theater-style popcorn popper is an attractive and space-saving machine that you can have at your home to enjoy theater-quality popcorn. The 4-ounces kettle can make 5 to 6 servings within few minutes with improved popping technology.

The uniquely designed, the non-stick kettle is removable for easy and quick clean-up. The small size makes it convenient to have a theater popper machine for everyone. This popper needs no preheating because of 480 watts of power wattage.

It has a tilt door that makes the serving of popcorn easy and convenient. This popper comes with useful accessories like kernels measuring cup, oil measuring spoon, and popcorn scoop.

6. Cuisinart CTG-00-MPM, Microwave Popcorn maker

The time is to introduce the next popcorn popper that is a microwave popcorn maker from a well-known company, Cuisinart. With this popcorn maker, you can make up to 10 cups per batch which is quite enough for a small family movie night.

This popper is made of microwave-friendly, durable, and FDA-approved silicone material, which is heat resistant.  It is a quite handy popcorn maker that pops up to 95 to 99% kernels. It also allows you to try different recipes with a variety of flavors like caramel, salt, buttery, and sugar.

This popper does not need any oil and makes low-calorie popcorn. The best thing about this popcorn maker is that it comes with a lifetime warranty, so you can buy it without any doubt.

7. Lekue Microwave Popcorn Popper

This is one of the gems that work brilliantly and are inexpensive at the time. It is one of the best-performing solutions that we have tested in our research. We found few small kernels left un-popped, but you can put them again in the microwave.

The bowl can hold a moderate quantity of kernels, and it can produce about 3 to 4 servings per batch. The height of the bowl is 5 inches, and it can be folded down to 2.5 inches. You can store this bowl in a small cabinet easily.

The clean-up process is easy because the bowl is dishwasher safe, but you have to be careful if you want to clean it manually. The best thing is that the package includes a recipe booklet that gives you lots of ideas and it is a perfect gift.

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Best Popcorn Popper Buying Guide

Here is the complete guide for selecting the best popcorn popper and all the factors you have to consider before buying.

Popcorn Popper Design

There are three main designs of popcorn poppers available in the market. The first one is a stovetop popcorn popper. These types of poppers are the most classic, small in size, and easy to use. The second type of popper is similar to theater-style popcorn poppers.

They are big in size and take more space but make high-quality popcorns. They are expensive but most people like to buy these vintage-style poppers because they produce amazing quality popcorns. Finally, the third type of poppers is the air popper that uses electricity and produces healthier popcorns.

They are commonly used by students living in dorms and have no space to store them. They are inexpensive and take small space. While choosing the popcorn popper, you have to identify your needs and how you are going to use the popcorn popper.

Oil or Air Popping Method

Most of the popcorn poppers use oil or hot air for popping the corn. The oil gives a richer taste to popcorns and produces similar popcorns that you can find in movie theaters. Many poppers that use the oil popping method allow using different types of oils like olive oil, or corn oil.

The air popping method is much simpler; it uses hot air to pop the corn. In this way, you can make calorie-free and healthier popcorns. But if you like theater-style popcorns that are rich in taste, then you should go for theater-style poppers.

Capacity

The size of the popper ranges from 15 cups to 3 gallons of popcorns per batch. The stovetop and air poppers have the capacity of 15 to 18 cups per batches that is suitable for small gatherings and family of 4-5 people.

The large size of a theater-style popper allows you to produce as much as 3 gallons of popcorns at a time. Some theater-style poppers also allow you to make smaller batches if you like.

Popping Speed

The popping speed matters for most people and you have to check that how fast a popcorn popper works before buying. Most of the small air poppers are very fast because they do not have to heat the oil first.

They can make popcorns in just 3-4 minutes with their full capacity. The larger poppers take a longer time than air poppers.

Construction

The construction material of the poppers is very important because they have to absorb extremely hot temperatures and hot oil.

Some cheaper air poppers come with plastic material, which is not a durable solution, especially if you need to use it a lot. The stovetop poppers are made of stainless steel, which is a preferred material because it can hold the heat more efficiently.

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FAQs?

What are the Best Popcorn Popper?

Here is a list of the top rated popcorn proper as per our reviewers in 2023;

1. West Bend Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper
2. Great Northern Stovetop 6-1/2-Quart Popcorn Popper
3. Nostalgia OFP521 Hot-Air Tabletop Popcorn Maker
4. Great Northern Black Little Bambino Popcorn Popper
5. West Bend Hot Oil Theater Style Popcorn Popper
6. Cuisinart CTG-00-MPM, Microwave Popcorn maker
7. Lekue Microwave Popcorn Popper

What Size Popcorn Machine Do I Need?

It totally depends on the fact that for how many people you have to make popcorns. For example, if you need 2-ounces per serving for 10 people, then you will need to make 20-ounces of popcorns.

If you use the 4-ounce machine, then you will need to reload it five times and it will take 3-4 minutes every time. But if you use the 8-ounce machine, you can do it faster with just 2 to 3 reloads.

What type of oil can be used to cook popcorn?

There are a variety of oils that can be used in popcorn poppers. The oil type you use will affect the taste. The most common oil is being used by commercial popcorn makers is coconut oil. But if you are health conscious and need low-fat oil, then you can use canola oil.

How to keep my popcorn machine clean?

The outer construction of the popper can be cleaned with a standard window cleaner, but you have to be careful while cleaning the kettle because it has electrical components and you should avoid washing it. The kettle cleaning kits are available in the market that you can use, or you have to just clean it with a wet cloth.

What’s the best ratio of oil to corn for popcorn machines?

The best ratio of oil to corn depends on the size of the kettle of the popper. A normal 4-ounce popper needs ¼ cup of oil and ½ cup of corn kernels. A user manual or guide with the package will help you understand the best ratio of oil and corn your popper needs.

Conclusion

The popcorn poppers are the best solution to the microwave popping method because they are fast, efficient, and affordable. You can season the popcorn the way you want, such as you can make a salted version of popcorn or with caramel and butter.

Making popcorn with the popper machine is a fun task if you have the right popper. If you have read this far, the selection of the right popcorn popper will not be difficult. Good luck with your best popcorn popper!

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