This Smoky Bacon Popcorn is loaded with delicious smoky flavor thanks to the addition of bacon grease and smoked paprika.
Popcorn is a very popular snack in my house. We eat it almost every single time we watch a family movie together. I've posted many different recipes for different popcorn flavors over the years, but since I've started dressing it with bacon grease, my kids refuse to eat it any other way.
Of course, you can give your popcorn some bacon flavor by simply substituting melted butter with melted reserved bacon grease. Trust me - if you're not already saving your bacon grease after you make bacon, you should definitely start!
But, if you don't already have a container of bacon grease in the fridge, you can use this recipe to make Smoky Bacon Popcorn for your next family movie night.
How to make Smoky Bacon Popcorn:
If you don't already have bacon grease in your fridge, making this delicious, smoky popcorn will require the extra step of mincing and cooking a couple of slices of bacon until it's crisp, then using the grease to pour over the popcorn.
Smoky Bacon Popcorn Ingredients:
- bacon
- Popcorn kernels
- salt
- Smoked paprika
Once you've got the bacon ready to go, finishing this recipe will be like making any other popcorn. Simply pop your popcorn kernels (I like to use an air popper) and toss with the bacon grease, bacon bits, salt, and smoked paprika.
Will this be your family's new favorite popcorn recipe?
Want more Popcorn Recipes?
Smoky Bacon Popcorn Nutrition Notes:
I know, bacon grease doesn't exactly sound like a healthy option to dress your popcorn with. But let's compare to the most common alternative: Butter. It's true that butter has a little less total fat than bacon grease (11g vs almost 13g in 1 Tablespoon). That's because butter has some water content, which is why it bubbles and spits when you melt it.
However, butter's saturated fat content ("bad" fat that can increase cholesterol levels), is actually slightly higher than that of bacon grease (7g vs 5g in 1 Tablespoon).
So there you go. If you like the extra smoky flavor in your popcorn, don't feel guilty for using bacon grease instead of butter on your popcorn.
Smoky Bacon Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 slices thick cut bacon (or 3-4 slices regular cut bacon - see note below)
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Chop 2 slices thick cut bacon fine. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat and add chopped bacon. Cook until the bacon is browned and crisp, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel. Set aside the grease remaining in the skillet.
- Pop ½ cup popcorn kernels via your favorite method (I use an air popper). Pour the reserved bacon grease evenly over the popcorn and toss until it's evenly distributed throughout the popcorn. Sprinkle the popcorn with the cooked bacon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika.
Notes
Nutrition
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