In 3rd grade, I fell in love with baseball. My teacher partnered with the Oakland Athletics that year to offer our class a reading reward program, where we would earn free tickets to a game if we kept a book journal and finished enough pages at home. As an avid reader, I easily plowed through more chapter books than the program required before Christmas, and I brought my dad along to the special baseball game the following June.
Everything snowballed from there. That same 3rd grade teacher explained fractions to our class by using the Postseason and World Series teams as examples. When I turned 9 years old, my grandma taught me the numbered positions and shorthand codes to keep score. Then my dad and I began travelling around the country to visit MLB stadiums when I told him as an 11-year-old that I wanted to see all 30 with him.
Oh, and I announced every single game for my high school’s varsity baseball team during my four years there, too.
And now, I flip on the radio to listen to baseball games while baking, photographing, and washing dishes. When I start editing photos or publishing blog posts, I turn on the TV and keep an eye on the baseball games in the background. There’s something so soothing about the broadcasters’ deep, smooth voices painting the scene unfolding on the baseball diamond, punctuated by brief bouts of shouting out impressive defensive catches in the outfield or nail-biting base running plays of sliding in and scoring runs at home.
You could probably say I’m obsessed.
But since the calendar flipped to October, those games will soon end. The post season officially started yesterday, and in less than a month, the season will officially draw to a close with the grand finale of the World Series. My afternoons are about to become very quiet without the radio chatting away in the background!
So this past Sunday when MLB teams played Game #162, I made a batch of this Clean & Skinny Kettle Corn, a healthier version of one of our favorite ballpark snacks, for my parents and myself to enjoy while we watched teams play their final game of the regular season. It disappeared surprisingly fast, and they both agreed that they liked it so much that they were tempted to eat another bowl and skip dinner!
Have you ever made popcorn on the stove? Don’t be scared — it’s really easy! I promise.
You’ll start with a medium-sized pot, its lid, and coconut oil. Once the coconut oil melts over medium-low heat, add 3 popcorn kernels to the pot, and cover with the lid. Holding the pot’s handle in one hand and its lid’s handle in the other, gently shake the pot back and forth a few times every 3 seconds. This prevents the kernels from burning.
Once all 3 kernels pop — and not before! — take the pot off of the heat, and remove the 3 popcorn pieces with tongs. Those were your “test kernels,” and when they pop, it indicates that the pot is hot and enough pressure has built up inside to pop the rest of the kernels. That’s only what the kernels need to pop: heat and pressure. Lots of oil or butter isn’t necessary!
Now add the remaining kernels, salt, and sweetener. For this healthier sugar-free kettle corn, you’ll use Truvia. Truvia is made from stevia and erythritol, which are plant-based no-calorie sweeteners, and Truvia behaves just like granulated sugar in this recipe — but without the empty calories! You can find it at just about any grocery store on the baking aisle near the regular sugars, as well as at Target and Walmart.
Once you add the Truvia to the pot, it’s extremely important to continue to shake the pot every 3 seconds. Like sugar, Truvia will burn if you don’t move it around the pot by shaking, and we don’t want that to happen! The Truvia will turn into a liquid and bubble a tiny bit before the kernels begin to pop. Continue shaking the pot while those kernels explode, and as soon as you can count a full 3 seconds in between pops, pour the kettle corn into a big bowl.
Although sticky at first, it can take up to 20 minutes for the Truvia coating the popcorn to fully harden and turn crunchy, but I promise it’s well worth the wait!
Now only 4 more months and 100+ batches of this kettle corn until Spring Training baseball starts… 😉
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your sugar-free kettle corn popcorn!
| Clean & Skinny Kettle Corn | | Print |
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- ½ cup (70g) popcorn kernels
- 3 tbsp (39g) Truvia
- ½ tsp salt
- Melt the coconut oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Once melted, add 3 popcorn kernels, and cover the pot with a lid. Shake the pot every 3 seconds until all 3 kernels have popped.
- Remove the pot from the heat, and carefully remove the 3 popcorn pieces using tongs. Add the remaining popcorn kernels to the pot, and sprinkle with the Truvia and salt. Cover the pot with a lid.
- Return the pot to the heat, and continue to cook, shaking the pot every 3 seconds, until a full 3 seconds elapse in between kernel pops. Immediately pour the popcorn into a bowl. Let the popcorn sit for at least 15 minutes or until the Truvia coating turns from sticky to crunchy before eating.
Butter, canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil may be substituted for the coconut oil.
For a more detailed description of the steps in the Instructions, see the blog post above.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, sugar-free}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Sounds wonderful I can’t wait to make it! Two questions, I am free to use a little more fat if I want? Also, what size and material saucepan did you use? Sorry I guess that was three questions. I love your recipes especially the pineapple bundt cake – so delicious!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Trish! Yes, you can add more fat if you’d prefer, and I use a 3-quart nonstick pot. I’m so glad you enjoyed the bundt cake — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this kettle corn if you end up making it too!
I just made and burnt it. My burner was on 6 and I never quit shaking it. I used the cast iron pot. It’s awful.
Oh no!! That’s not how this kettle corn is supposed to turn out at all. That sounds disappointing, but I’d love to help troubleshoot those issues for you, Maggie. 🙂
Unfortunately, your kettle corn most likely burned because of the temperature and the pot that was used. The temperature is supposed to be set to medium-low, as directed in Step 1. If your burners are on a dial of 1 to 10, that should be a 3 — not a 6! This recipe also works best in a regular nonstick pot, rather than cast iron. (Many cast iron pots conduct heat differently than regular nonstick pots because of how they’re constructed!)
So if you ever try making this again, have access to a regular nonstick pot, and use a lower temperature, then your kettle corn should turn out much better!
Amy – I just successfully made your regular popcorn recipe without any added oil. Will I be able to make this kettle corn without coconut oil?
I hope you enjoyed the stovetop air popped popcorn, Dennis! I haven’t tried making this kettle corn without oil, so I’m not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray.
If you end up making it, I’d love to hear what you think of this popcorn too! 🙂
I am curious if anyone has tried the Truvia brown sugar or Swerve brown sugar in place of the regular Truvia? I am wondering if it would taste like caramel corn.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Kay! I haven’t personally tried using either of those sweeteners, so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. If you do end up making this kettle corn, I’d love to hear what you think of it! 🙂
A new study came out that said erythritol increases your stroke and heart attack risk to a huge degree. Is there another substitute that does not have this risk?
Hi Gayle! We’ve included sweetener substitute suggestions in the Notes section, directly below this recipe. I know it can be easy to miss though! I’d love to hear what you think if you try this recipe! 🙂