Lemon Pepper Popcorn

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Dalkin&Co popcorn for your next movie night!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

⅓ - ½ cup popcorn kernels (enough to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer)
2 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan in a shallow layer)
1 small lemon zested
⅔ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 tablespoons Dalkin&Co Lemon Pepper Seasoning
¼ cup butter

Place a large serving bowl near the stove. Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pan with a lid (if you have a medium-sized Dutch oven, it’s perfect for this). Turn the heat up to medium-low, add 2 kernels of corn, and cover.
Once the kernels pop, remove the pan from heat and pour in the remaining popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and give the pot a little shimmy to distribute the kernels evenly. Let the kernels warm for one minute.
Cook over medium-low heat, shaking the pot occasionally. Once the kernels start popping like crazy, crack the lid just a smidge so the popcorn stays crisp. Cook until the popping sound slows to about one pop per every few seconds. Remove the pan from heat and dump the popcorn into the bowl.
Heat the butter in a small saucepan with the lemon pepper seasoning. Toast for 1 minute until fragrant.
Grate the Parmesan over the bowl of popcorn and pour the butter mixture over. Toss to combine and serve.

Use a heavy-bottomed pot. A Dutch oven or sturdy saucepan distributes heat evenly so the kernels pop without scorching.
Start with a test kernel. Adding two kernels first tells you when the oil is hot enough. Once they pop, you know it’s time to add the rest.
Let the kernels warm for a minute. After adding the remaining kernels off heat, letting them sit briefly helps them heat evenly and pop more consistently.
Shake the pot regularly. Gentle shaking keeps kernels moving so they don’t burn and helps unpopped kernels reach the heat.
Crack the lid slightly. Letting a little steam escape keeps the popcorn crisp instead of chewy.
Toast the lemon pepper in butter. Heating the seasoning in butter for a minute wakes up the spices and infuses the fat with flavor.
Use finely grated Parmesan. A microplane-style grate melts into the popcorn better and distributes evenly instead of clumping.
Add zest right before serving. Fresh lemon zest gives the brightest citrus aroma when it’s added at the end.
Toss in stages. Add the butter mixture and cheese gradually while tossing so every kernel gets coated.
Serve immediately. Popcorn is at its peak texture right after tossing—warm, crisp, and fully flavored.