Thai Style Popcorn is an addictive snack with a perfect combination of flavors. It is crispy and crunchy with the right amount of sweet, sour, and spiciness. This snack is also vegan and gluten free. Popcorn could not get any better than this!
We are popcorn lovers and for my family, no movie is complete without a tub of freshly popped popcorn. Also, popcorn is one of the easiest snacks you can make to munch, especially while you travel or when you are entertaining family and friends during a holiday gathering, football party, Diwali party, super bowl or a movie night.
I try different toppings every single time. I generally go with eyeball measures while preparing such snacks. So vary the spices as per your taste. It is always fun to be more creative.
If you love Thai cuisine and wish to try some of their recipes at home, then please check out the following dishes from our blog - Thai Vegetable Salad, Easy Thai Mango Fried Rice, the Thai Red Curry Stir Fry for your weeknight dinner, the most famous Thai Sticky Rice, etc.
Is popcorn healthy?
I have been asked this question a couple of times. If popcorn is air-popped and lightly seasoned with salt it is definitely a healthy snack. If you are in a weight loss journey, consuming it this way is good because of its low-calorie count and high fiber content.
But it is also important to satisfy your taste buds else you will end up stress-eating. So make sure you prepare flavored popcorn like this at home than eating at a movie theater which is loaded with sodium.
The recipe below will give you one of the best caramelized popcorn ever!! The added bonus is that it will be free of corn syrup.
How to make Thai Style Popcorn or Pad Thai Popcorn or Spicy and Caramel Flavored Popcorn at home?
- In a large pot on medium to medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot, add unpopped popcorn kernels. Stir until all the kernels are coated in oil.
- Spread it evenly at the bottom of the pan. Cover the pot with a lid. You should hear the kernels pop after a few minutes. Remove the pot from heat when the frequency of pops reduces to about 1-2 every 10 seconds. Add peanuts and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. In a saucepan on medium heat add ¼ cup of oil, followed by brown sugar, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice, and lime zest. Once the mixture starts to simmer, set the timer for 5 minutes, and let it continue to simmer. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and immediately add baking soda and mix well.
- Quickly pour this sauce over popcorn-peanut mixture and mix until everything is well coated.
- Transfer this to two parchment-lined baking dishes and place it in the oven for 45 mins, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.
- After removing from the oven, let it cool completely to crisp up.
- Garnish with cilantro before serving if desired.
I have added only those flavors that my family loves while preparing this popcorn. You can even add some grated ginger, Worcestershire sauce, and fish sauce if desired.
Some of my favorite popcorn flavors are :
- Classic salt and butter
- Caramel popcorn
- Sichuan (Szechuan) flavored
- Cajun seasoning
- Sriracha lime
- Easy Flavored popcorn What is your favorite popcorn flavor?
Sharing some other snacks for kids, evening snacks and snacks to munch all-day
- 3 Ingredient Banana chips (Plantain) - popular on the blog
- Nutella roll-ups
- Strawberry Mint toast
- Mini veg puff
- Palmiers (Little hearts / Elephant ears)
- Apple cheese danish
- Batata vada - deep-fried potato dumplings
- Aloo Bhujia - crispy potato noodles
- Apple fritters - another popular one!
- Puff Samosa
- Fried sweet plantains
- Peach fritters
Detailed recipe for Thai Style Popcorn
Recipe card
Thai Style Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- ½ cup Unpopped popcorn
- 1 ½ cup Salted peanuts roughly chopped
Thai flavoring
- ¼ cup Oil
- ⅔ cup Brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
- Zest of 1 lime
- Juice of 1 lime
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ to ½ cup Cilantro finely chopped, optional
Instructions
For the popcorn
- In a large pot on medium to medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoon of oil and unpopped popcorn kernels. Stir until all the kernels are coated in oil. Spread it evenly at the bottom of the pan. Cover the pot with a lid. You should hear the kernels pop after a few minutes. Remove the pot from heat when the frequency of pops reduces to about 1-2 every 10 seconds. Add peanuts and set aside.2 tablespoon Oil, ½ cup Unpopped popcorn, 1 ½ cup Salted peanuts
For the Thai Style coating
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- In a sauce pan on medium heat add ¼ cup of oil, followed by brown sugar, soy sauce, sriracha, lime juice, and lime zest. Once the mixture starts to simmer, set the timer for 5 minutes, and let it continue to simmer. After 5 minutes, remove from heat and immediately add baking soda and mix well.¼ cup Oil, ⅔ cup Brown sugar, 2 tablespoon Soy sauce, 3 tablespoon Sriracha sauce, Zest of 1 lime, Juice of 1 lime, ⅓ teaspoon Baking soda
- Quickly pour this sauce over popcorn-peanut mixture and mix until everything is well coated.
- Transfer this to two parchment-lined baking dishes and place it in the oven for 45 mins, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes minutes.
- After removing from the oven, let it cool completely to crisp-up. Toss it with cialntro only if desired. Thai style popcorn is now ready, enjoy as a snack with your favorite beverage.¼ to ½ cup Cilantro
Notes
- Use coconut oil for best and additional flavor.
- You can even add some grated ginger, Worcestershire sauce, and fish sauce if desired.
Nutrition
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Emily Liao
This was the perfect snack to make! The sweet and tangy flavors were so unexpected but delicious.
Traci
OMggggg! You had me at popcorn and I love ALL things Thai! Love how easy and delicious this recipe is...not to mention, so genius!!! Movie night just got a facelift 🤩
Anita
Wow! This is an amazing way to dress popcorn. I can see this becoming a staple for our movie nights at home.
Sara Welch
Made this for movie night last night and it was a hit all around the room! My kids enjoyed the small hint of spice too!
Jill
I love flavored popcorn. This Thai-style did not disappoint. Thank you for the amazing recipe.