Popcorn and a movie – like salt and pepper or fish and chips, you really can’t have one without the other. After a full-on week of work, school and other activities, a movie night is a great way to bring the family together.
The quality of the snacks is important during such evenings, of course, and although we’ve sampled bags of shop-bought popcorn, they can be very sugary (and pricey). With one of the best popcorn makers at hand, however, corn kernels can be bought very cheaply and turned into delicious popcorn, with toppings of your choice, in no time at all.
Popcorn makers use a variety of methods to bring us our favourite movie night snack. Some models are designed to be used on a hob or in a microwave, while others simply need to be plugged in.
Most models will make 60-80g of popcorn at a time – electric options usually come with instructions that detail the amount of time to leave the device to cool down before making your next batch. Looking for healthier choices for the whole family? Air popcorn makers don’t require any oil or butter, which makes them easy to clean, too.
With all of the above in mind, we’ve tried and tested a range of options, so, keep reading for our pick of the best popcorn makers you can buy.
How we tested
During testing, we were helped by some very willing popcorn munchers (of various ages) when it came to assessing each of the popcorn makers. We considered how fast the popcorn was made, how much could be made at a time, how many unpopped kernels were left and how easy each product was to clean. Keep scrolling to find out which ones impressed us the most.
The best popcorn makers for 2024 are:
Joe & Seph’s gourmet popcorn maker
Gourmet popcorn brand Joe & Seph’s has created a popcorn maker to help you whip up your own indulgent creations. Like others on this list, you simply pour the kernels into the chamber, press go and wait two minutes for your popcorn to be made.
We were very impressed with the sleek look of this machine – it’s useful being able to use the plastic bowl to serve the popcorn, too. The only drawback of this product is it recommends leaving 20 minutes for it to cool down between batches, which could be annoying if you’re feeding a large group of people.
Next time, we plan to upgrade our popcorn with some of Joe & Seph’s sticky toffee caramel sauce (£4.45, Amazon.co.uk), for the ultimate movie-night treat.
Buy now £53.00, Amazon.co.uk
Brensten collapsible silicone microwave hot air popcorn popper bowl
If space is an issue in your kitchen, this is the popcorn maker for you. It comes in nine different colourways and collapses down into a 5cm-tall bowl, for easy storage. If you’ve got a large family, this microwavable option is a good choice, as it can make a large amount of popcorn in one go.
It took just two minutes to pop the kernels, and we were really pleased to see there weren’t many left unpopped in the bottom of the bowl. The bowl and lid are made from BPA- and PVC-free silicone and are dishwasher safe, which is always a winner.
We added a bit of butter to the bottom of the bowl, to add some extra flavour. Just make sure you use a tea towel or oven gloves when you remove the bowl from the microwave, and be aware of the steam when lifting the lid.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon.co.uk
Giles & Posner mini popcorn maker machine
This popcorn maker transforms kernels in just a couple of minutes. The pastel pink colour makes it a stylish product and the fact it comes with its own serving bowl is very useful. But we did manage to spill quite a bit of popcorn when tipping this model upside down, to get all the popcorn in the bowl.
The motorised stirring function means the kernels are heated evenly, however, which meant we had fewer unpopped ones, compared with some other models. We appreciated the non-stick coating, too, which made this machine easy to clean.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
Joseph Joseph M-cuisine single-serve popcorn maker, set of two
Joseph Joseph is a brand that brings style and substance to its products, and this set of two popcorn makers is innovative and easy to use. Each cup can make around 30g of popcorn. You pour the kernels into the cup, close the flaps, then microwave for two to three minutes.
It’s all very simple to use but we did get frustrated with the flaps, as they didn’t stay closed, which meant we ended up with popcorn inside the microwave and some unpopped kernels. It took us a couple of attempts to work out how much to put inside the cups and how long was best to keep them in the microwave, to avoid burning the kernels.
We liked the idea of these but when it comes to catering for larger families, we’d probably use one of the machines that can make a greater volume of popcorn in the same amount of time.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon.co.uk
Smart kettle popcorn maker
Of those we tested, this is the only popcorn maker that uses oil. While other machines give you tasty, fluffy, healthy popcorn, but adding oil into the mix really takes things up a notch.
The popcorn is made inside a stainless-steel kettle featuring a stirrer. You add the oil then, once it’s hot, the popcorn pops out of the kettle and you use the handle on the side of the machine to tip the kettle’s contents into the main container. This feels like a really authentic popcorn maker, and our younger testers loved taking it in turns to crank the handle.
Up to 16 cups of popcorn can be produced per batch, which was certainly surplus to our requirements but would be ideal for a party or movie night with a group of friends.
This popcorn maker was a bit trickier to clean, however, as you have to detach the kettle. It’s not suitable for the dishwasher, either, but the delicious popcorn was worth the extra effort.
Buy now £119.00, Dunelm.com
Heat and Eat popcorn maker
This is a really neat product that won’t take up much space on your kitchen counter or in a cupboard. It really is as simple as ‘heat and eat’, as all you have to do is pour the kernels in, without the need for any butter or oil, and press go.
Our younger testers liked the vibrant colour of this product, and we could pretty much plug it in and leave them to it, as it is so simple to use. Catching the flying popcorn in a bowl proved to be great fun for the kids, and it took mere minutes to go from kernel to sofa, which is ideal when patience is still a skill to be honed in our house. There were quite a few unpopped kernels at the end but this is still a really good product overall.
Buy now £37.99, Onbuy.com
Sensio home popcorn maker
Red really seems to be the go-to colour when it comes to popcorn maker design. This Sensio model is sleek but retro and simple to use. It’s another one that uses air to heat up the kernels and turn them into a healthy, delicious snack.
By the time it came to testing this one, our mini testers had become pros at knowing what to do. It didn’t take long for the machine to heat up the kernels, which started popping after about three minutes.
The measuring cup is useful for getting the right amount of popcorn but the machine gets quite hot during use – you may need to wait a while for it to cool down before making a second batch.
Buy now £23.68, Amazon.co.uk
Salter healthy electric popcorn maker
This is another super-quick machine that will have you tucking into tasty popcorn in mere minutes. The Salter machine uses a hot air chamber to pop the kernels and comes with a spoon for measuring and pouring portions (up to 10), which then works as a lid to keep the popcorn contained while it’s popping.
Our younger testers found this machine really easy to use and loved trying to catch the popcorn in a bowl as it came out of the spout. The main criticism of this product was there were quite a few unpopped kernels left over, which were also very hot when they came out of the spout, so that’s something to watch out for during use.
Buy now £19.93, Amazon.co.uk
The verdict: Popcorn makers
The Joe & Seph’s gourmet popcorn maker comes out on top for us. We love the fact the bowl keeps the popcorn contained and that you can add in some of the brand’s delicious flavours, to make it a movie night to remember. We were also impressed with the Smart kettle popcorn maker – we loved its retro look and the super tasty popcorn it delivered.
Feeling inspired to spend more time in the kitchen? We’ve rounded up the best air fryers to help you cook up a storm
