Login

61 Calorie Popcorn Recipe

popcorn.jpg

When you think of popcorn, you may think of the buttery movie-theater variety - heavy on trans fats and calories. However, you can make popcorn in your own home that tastes just as good - without all the extra fat.

This is a recipe from the book "YOU:On a Diet" by Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (A great book, in my opinion, for the recipes alone).

You need:

  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
  • Flavored cooking spray (butter, olive oil, garlic)
  • Garlic salt or cinnamon

Place the popcorn in a two-and-a-half quart microwave safe bowl, microwave for four to five minutes (don't burn it!) Pour it on to a baking sheet, coat with spray, and follow with the garlic salt or cinnamon. The nutritional breakdown for this is 61 Calories, fat - .8 g, carbs - 5 g, protein - 1 g, and sodium - 0 g.

Make sure you use about 1-2 seconds of spray at most - with Pam, that's 14 calories. If you use 1/3 second, I really doubt you'll cover the popcorn.

I recommend using olive oil spray for the garlic variety, and butter spray if you're using cinnamon.

Enjoy!

More like this in Food
Print
Email Bookmark and Share

36 Comments

annalaura brown

Sounds great. but popcorn still has high carbs.

Reply
Ninalicious

61 calories! That's a pretty sweet low-cal snack. :)

Reply
Spectra

I've known about this one for a LONG time. I LOVE air-popped popcorn with Pam spray and sprinkle-herbs. It's really very satisfying and it's so much lower in calories than traditional popcorn.

Reply
Jan

I have a plastic container that makes microwave popcorn with no fat added. I'm sure you can find it any store that sells tupperware-type things.

Reply
Holly

Wow - only 61 calorie - incredibly, we should try in the next week

Reply
Debbie

Am I missing something? Most popcorn, whether plain or butter flavor, is only 80 calories for 2 cups popped.

Other than a few extra calories, what's the difference here?

Reply
fuzzypotpie

Don't you have to cover the bowl that the popcorn is in while microwaving?
I'm imagining popcorn bouncing and flying all over my microwave.

Reply
Jan

Fuzzy, you do. That is the part that is seriously wrong with this recipe. You either use a plastic container with a tight closed lid on it, like the one I use, or you place the popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, glue it shut (don't try stapling it, believe me... been there done that), and pop it like microwave popcorn but without any oil.

Most microwave popcorn contains trans-fats, the oil tends to be hydrogenated, so that is the big deal.

Reply
Michael

To hold a bag shut while microwaving popcorn, we found bag clips made completely of plastic - no metal at all
We found them in our local 'dollar store'

Also, both Wal-mart and Target sell microwave popcorn bowls with lids ... about $8 - $9

Reply
Michael

Also you do NOT want a TIGHT lid on a dish. It will pop as the air in the dish expands.
You want a loose lid that breaths and will release built-up pressure

Reply
Dr.J

I love popcorn! It's a whole food! I worry about whether it is genetically manipulated, but I still eat it. I air pop it. Jan! I used to brown bag it in the microwave, but a couple of times(I'm a slow learner:-)
I ran it a little too long cause I always had a lot of unpopped kernels left over, and almost burned the house down!! I definitely toasted one fine Ammana microwave!

Reply
Debbie

Thanks for the explanation. I didn't catch the difference the first time.

Reply
Jim
annalaura brown said:
Sounds great. but popcorn still has high carbs.[...]
Yeah - like 5 grams of carbs is gonna kill me...Reply
kim

i know seriously

Reply
Jan

Dr. J, I almost did that too. That is why I invested the $2 on the microwave air-popper container, hahahah.

Reply
Sheree
Debbie said:
Am I missing something? Most popcorn, whether plain or butter flavor, is only 80 calories for 2 cups popped.[...]
I'm lost here myself because I'm reading the nutrition info on the bag of kernels I have and it's not agreeing with this info. It states 20 cals for every 1 cup. So is the 61 cals for 2 cups popped. What gives??Reply
Dr.J

I vote for 30 cal per 1 cup air popped. That's with nothing else added.

Reply
ayse
annalaura brown said:
Sounds great. but popcorn still has high carbs.[...]

What is wrong with carbs??? Sheesh!

ayse
...who has maintained a 50 pound weight loss while eating lots of carbs

Reply
Claire S.

Hey guys, I'm so sorry about the calorie mishap - The 61-calorie count is for a 1/2 second spray of Pam, I believe - but then I advised using 1-2 seconds, which is 7-14 extra calories, so the count would be 68-75.
Again, the 61 calories is what the book listed, so I can't be sure if it's accurate.

Reply
Anushka

This is a nice idea, but you know, if you have to go to this trouble to make popcorn low fat/carb, you probably shouldn't be having any. I LOVE popcorn - the saltier the better. But it's one of those generally "off limit" foods...so if we're going to splurge, I'd rather have my regular 'ol Homestyle popcorn than try to make it "healthy". Viva regular popcorn!

Reply
Jim

I've checked on this -- I'm very sure 61 cals is for two cups popped.

I actually enjoy popcorn as a favorite snack of mine. As long as you don't gobble it down too fast I think it's a great alternative to a myriad other junk foods.

Reply
Jan
ayse said:
What is wrong with carbs??? Sheesh![...]

Right on. I love carbs and I think they love me back. I've never gone low-carb to lose the 100+ pounds I lost - unless you call going from a 65% carb diet to a 55-60% diet "low-carb".

I don't really like popcorn that much, but I regularly snack on sugar-free candy corn. It is only 70 cals for 3 cups, and much more fun than having a cereal bar.

Reply
Dr.J

Call me crazy, but 'regular popcorn' is air popped plan with nothing on it. Then we irregular it. Has popcorn become the new pizza?

Reply
Spectra

I only like the airpopped kind anyways...the oil popped stuff is too greasy for me.

Jan-I used to have one of those microwave popper bowls too. It was so awesome, but it got lost when we moved and I got an airpopper for my wedding, so I use that instead.

Reply
Jan

I use my "potato chip maker" more than I use the popcorn thing though. I'd rather eat chips.

Reply
Ann

I eat tons of light popcorn and that comes out to 50 calories per bag (20 calories per serving with 2 1/2 servings per bag). Much more convenient in my mind. And cheap.

Reply
Karen
Jan said:
I have a plastic container that makes microwave popcorn with no fat added. I'm sure you can find it any store that sells tupperware-type things.[...]


You can pop popcorn in your microwave without buying a 'microwave popper' or any other air popper. I am always trying to find ways to save money and have discovered a super efficient(high pop/low burn)and very low cost means of preparing popcorn in your microwave. Buy a bag of plain popcorn kernels, put 1/3 cup of kernels into a plain paper lunchbag. Do not add anything else, just the kernels. Fold the open ends over neatly twice. Place 1(one) staple in the centre of that fold. Place popcorn in microwave on High. You will find your own popping time, but mine takes a little over 2 minutes until it stops popping for 5-6 seconds. Remove the bag by the fold. Open carefully(it's hot!).What I have found is a full bag of popped corn with almost zero waste. The staple is too small to spark or burn the bag. Then you can eat plain as is, or with any desired flavouring. Haven't calculated the cost exactly, but I am sure it is less than a nickel a bag!

Reply
kim

how can you use a staple?? If i put metal in my microwave it turns into a spark show in there....i think the bag would catch on fire. lol

Reply
Jan

Karen, I used to make it like that, but I feel that paying 1.50 for a washable container versus using disposable bags is better, in terms of convenience, and for the environment.

Reply
BREA

Jan--

Where do you find this SUGAR FREE candy corn??
I didn't know it was even an option since candy corn is like alllllll sugar!
I'd be in heaven if I could find some!

(i know this is a super late post!)

Jan said:
I don't really like popcorn that much, but I regularly snack on sugar-free candy corn. It is only 70 cals for 3 cups, and much more fun than having a cereal bar.
Reply
Eileen

I just discovered plain air-popped popcorn as a snack and I'm sooo excited about it! I pop some plain kernels, then add a about a dozen squirts of "I can't believe its not butter" spray (granted the spray isn't really fat free as the label claims, but I figure its only about 12 extra calories and it makes the popcorn a zillion times more DELICIOUS!!!) I can gobble it down guilt free and I'm full for hours. One thing, I read that it interferes with the absorption of vitamin B???

Reply
umme

Question--

this says 1/2 cup kernels. my bag of popcorn kernels says 2 Tablespoons of unpopped kernels makes about 5 cups and is 100 calories. so how can 1/2 cup of kernels be only 61 calories?

Reply
kim

some kernels have been soaked in oil and then dried, so you may have that type

Reply
אסון התאומים

wow!!
i can't believe i can have my favorite snack with only 61 calories.

Reply
harper

Air pop into huge bowl. Stir and takes the lightest pops off the top. Squirt generously with Bragg amino acids or the usual soy sauce. Finish with any number of things to put on top. (The sauce/aminoes helps things stick.) Black pepper, cumin, cinammon, or even nutritional yeast.

Reply
Sheri

I make popcorn in either an electric skillet (350 F) or a pot on the stove -- glass lid is best. Be sure to keep shaking skillet or pot taking care not to burn. I use only about 1 tablespoon to 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil to a 1/2 cup of popping corn. I LOVE this with no salt or "chemically" fake stuff and really adore having it as I had to radically reduce my sodium and butter. I have high blood pressure, high cholestrol -- plus I also have diabetes. (Off topic but for the REAL chocaholics out there who can't eat sugar -- unsweetened baking chocolate is FABULOUS if it's really the chocolate you crave and not the sugar -- this is rare as most people are actually hooked on the sugar.) All my health conditions have improved and I'm SO grateful to have the popcorn and the chocolate that is now good for me and not bad for me as the sugar and butter are GONE and I don't miss them! :)

Reply

Add Your Comment

Required
Required (never displayed)
Comments may be held for moderation.

©2003-2009 Diet-Blog - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Disclaimer