Popcorn is a tasty and popular treat, and there are numerous ways to make it. Although microwave popcorn seems to be the most popular, you can also use your stove and even your oven to get the job done.
If you’re wondering if you can make popcorn in a toaster oven, the answer is yes. In fact, this is a very simple way to make popcorn.
How To Make Popcorn in a Toaster Oven
Although some people believe that toaster ovens are not the best way to cook popcorn, sometimes it’s the quickest and most efficient way. In many ways a good toaster oven works just like a regular oven, which means it’s easy for it to get hot enough to cook popcorn kernels. Making popcorn in a toaster oven is similar to making it in a regular oven. With both types of oven, you’ll use foil and either put the kernels in the foil or cover an oven-safe bowl with foil and place it in the oven. It’s that simple!
Safety Considerations
The main thing you have to remember when cooking popcorn in any type of oven is that the popcorn will be very hot when you first remove it from the oven. Just like microwave popcorn, you should let the popcorn sit for a minute or two before you open the container. If you open the container too soon, you might get blasted and maybe even burnt by super-hot steam. The container itself can also be hot when you first remove it from the oven, which is why it’s best to wear oven mitts or use a towel to grasp the container when taking it out of the oven.
What You’ll Need
There are a few ways to use a toaster oven to make your popcorn. You’ll need different items for different methods. For the most part, you need either a microwave bowl and some aluminum foil, or just the foil itself.
If you’re wondering if you should use oil to cook the popcorn, that depends on the taste you want in the end. If you do decide to use any type of oil when making delicious popcorn this way, do not include it before popping the kernels. Only add it after the popcorn is made.
Step-by-Step Cooking Process
Below are two super-easy methods of cooking popcorn in your toaster oven. In both cases, heat the oven to 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Using an Oven-Safe Bowl
- Pour a small amount of kernels in an oven-safe bowl without adding anything else
- Cover the bowl well with foil and make sure the foil is tight over the bowl
- Place the bowl in the toaster oven and listen for it to start popping
- Once the time between pops is fairly long, you can remove the bowl from the oven
Using Only Foil
- Take a piece of foil and spray it with baking spray
- Place about 1/3 cup of kernels in the bottom of the foil
- Wrap the foil in a very loose ball and put it in the oven
- When the pops stop or come infrequently, the popcorn should be finished
If you’re concerned about the cooking times for your popcorn, don’t be. Just listen to the pops of the corn kernels. Once the amount of time between those pops becomes more than just a few seconds, the popcorn is likely done.
Should You Use Oil?
Many people like the taste of butter or some type of cooking oil with their popcorn, especially olive oil. Just wait until the tasty popcorn is completely cooked and taken out of the oven before adding these ingredients.
Can You Cook Microwave Popcorn in a Toaster Oven?
It is generally not advisable to cook microwave popcorn in a toaster oven because microwave popcorn usually comes in a paper popcorn bag, and paper bags can catch on fire when placed in any type of oven.
Finally, if your seasoning isn’t sticking to the popcorn, see our post about how to make salt stick to popcorn.