Out of Butter, one case

Butter substitute for popcorn

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Olive oil

2 ¼ tsp for every 1 tbsp of butter

On popcorn, drizzle olive oil or another oil you like the taste of: about 2 ¼ teaspoons for each tablespoon of melted butter, because oil is all fat and butter is about one-sixth water. Ghee is the closest in flavor, at the same 2 ¼ teaspoons per tablespoon, and it keeps the popcorn crisp because the water that turns buttered popcorn chewy is gone. Oil is not lower in calories than butter, so for fewer calories use less fat and season with nutritional yeast.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Drizzle it in a thin stream while you toss the bowl, then salt. Use about ¾ of the butter amount.
Best for —: everyday stovetop or air-popped popcorn
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full butter card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Butter substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 tbsp butter	Verdict
1	Olive oileveryday stovetop or air-popped popcorn	2 ¼ tspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Ghee or clarified butterthe closest taste to buttered popcorn	2 ¼ tspTweak it	Tweak it
3	Refined coconut oiltheater-style popcorn	2 ¼ tspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Nutritional yeastlower-calorie popcorn	1 tbsp per 4 cups poppedYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Stick margarine or vegan butter blockwhen you want to melt and pour exactly as the recipe says	1 tbspTweak it	Tweak it
Not a swap	Tub spread or light margarine	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Olive oil

fruity and peppery in place of dairy; a mild olive oil or avocado oil is quieter

A pourable fat that coats the popcorn and makes the salt stick, which is most of what melted butter does here. It has no water, so the popcorn stays crisp.

Best for: everyday stovetop or air-popped popcorn, dairy-free and vegan popcorn, popcorn with herbs, garlic powder or chili
Prep: Drizzle it in a thin stream while you toss the bowl, then salt. Use about ¾ of the butter amount.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: It does not taste of butter. On kettle corn or caramel corn the olive flavor sits oddly; use a neutral oil or refined coconut oil there.

Olive oil has about 2 g saturated fat per tablespoon against about 7 g for butter. The calories are slightly higher, about 120 per tablespoon against about 100.

Ghee or clarified butter

buttery and slightly nutty, stronger than melted butter

Butter with the water and milk solids removed. It is the only swap that still tastes of butter, and because the water is gone the popcorn does not go soft.

Best for: the closest taste to buttered popcorn, popcorn that has to stay crisp for an hour or more, popping the kernels as well as topping them
Prep: Warm it until it pours and use about ¾ of the butter amount, because it is all fat.
Suits: vegetarian
Contains: dairy
Where it fails: It is still dairy, so it is not an option for a milk allergy or a vegan bowl.

Refined coconut oil

neutral if refined; clearly coconut if the jar says virgin or unrefined

Solid in the jar and liquid once warmed. It is a common popping oil for theater-style popcorn, and it coats the popcorn with a rich feel that thin oils do not have.

Best for: theater-style popcorn, kettle corn and caramel corn, dairy-free popcorn with a richer feel
Prep: Melt it first and use about ¾ of the butter amount, because it is all fat.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: It sets again below 76°F, so popcorn eaten cold has a slightly waxy coating.

Nutritional yeast

savory and cheesy, not buttery

Yellow flakes with a savory, cheese-like taste. It replaces the flavor job of butter, not the fat, so it is the option when the aim is fewer calories.

Best for: lower-calorie popcorn, air-popped popcorn, vegan popcorn with a savory, cheesy taste
Prep: Start with 1 tbsp per 4 cups of popped popcorn and add to taste. Mist the popcorn lightly with oil first, or the flakes fall to the bottom of the bowl.
Suits: vegan, dairy-free
Where it fails: On dry popcorn with no fat at all, most of it ends up in the bowl. It does nothing for sweet popcorn.

Crush the flakes between your fingers or in a blender so they are fine enough to cling.

Stick margarine or vegan butter block

cleaner and saltier than butter, with less dairy flavor

Made to about the same 80% fat as butter, so it melts and pours the same way. It also carries the same water, so the popcorn softens as it would with butter.

Best for: when you want to melt and pour exactly as the recipe says, dairy-free popcorn, with a vegan block
Prep: Melt it gently and salt the popcorn lightly at first: most sticks and blocks are salted.
Where it fails: Popcorn made ahead: the water in it makes the popcorn chewy within the hour. Many margarines contain whey, so read the label if the bowl has to be dairy-free.

Tub spread or light margarine

watery and salty

Soft spreads run 35 to 60% fat and the rest is mostly water. Melted and poured, that water goes straight into the popcorn.

Best for: spreading on toast, not on popcorn
Where it fails: The popcorn shrinks and turns chewy where the spread lands. Use any oil in the cupboard instead.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeButter

On popcorn, melted butter does three things: it adds richness, it carries the butter flavor, and it gives the salt something to stick to. It also brings 16 to 18% water, which is why heavily buttered popcorn goes chewy. Any pourable fat covers the richness and the salt. Only ghee keeps the flavor.

Tips for substituting butter

5 tips

Pop the kernels in oil, not butter: 2 to 3 tbsp of a neutral oil or ghee per ½ cup of kernels, in a covered pot over medium-high heat. The milk solids in butter scorch at about 300°F, before most kernels pop.
Drizzle the fat in two additions, tossing the bowl in between, then salt. One pour in the middle leaves a greasy clump and dry popcorn around it.
For fewer calories, cut the fat instead of changing it: 1 to 2 tsp of oil misted or drizzled over 4 cups of popped popcorn is enough to hold salt and seasoning.
Use fine salt. Grind table or kosher salt to a powder in a blender or mortar; it clings with far less fat than coarse crystals do.
To make butter that will not soften popcorn, melt it slowly, let the foam settle, and spoon off the clear yellow fat. That clear fat is clarified butter.

Questions

5 questions

What is the lowest-calorie butter substitute for popcorn?

Not an oil. Tablespoon for tablespoon, oil has slightly more calories than butter, about 120 against about 100. The way to cut calories is to use less fat and more seasoning: mist 4 cups of popped popcorn with 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil, then add fine salt and nutritional yeast, which is roughly 20 calories per tablespoon, or a dry spice such as smoked paprika.

Why does butter make popcorn soggy, and do the substitutes?

Butter is 16 to 18% water, and popcorn soaks up water and shrinks. Oil, ghee and coconut oil are all fat with no water, so the popcorn stays crisp. Stick margarine and vegan butter carry about the same water as butter and soften the popcorn the same way.

Can I pop popcorn in butter?

Not in regular butter. Its milk solids burn at about 300°F and the popcorn tastes scorched. Pop in ghee, which holds to about 450°F, or in a neutral oil or refined coconut oil, using 2 to 3 tablespoons per ½ cup of kernels. Add butter flavor afterward as a topping.

How do I get salt and seasoning to stick without butter?

Use a small amount of any oil and a very fine salt. Toss the popcorn with 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil per 4 cups while it is still hot, then add salt ground to a powder. Water or a wet sauce is not a substitute for the fat: it makes the popcorn shrink and go chewy.

How much oil replaces the butter on a bowl of popcorn?

Use about three-quarters of the butter amount: 2 ¼ teaspoons of oil per tablespoon of butter, or 3 tablespoons of oil for ¼ cup of melted butter. Start with less than that, toss, and taste, because a topping is easy to add to and impossible to take off.