Top Popcorn Makers 2020

We reviewed dozens of popcorn makers and listed the best options for you in 2020
By Jen Hammond
In This Review
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    Who doesn’t love popcorn? Ok – there are some people out there who don’t find the classic cinema treat that moreish – but there’s a reason why popcorn makers are, on the whole, still so popular. It’s easy to set up a popcorn maker in your own kitchen if you love sampling sweet and salty kernels each time you go to the movies.

    Why pay out for big bags of corn from the supermarket when you can pop bucketfuls using the best machines online? In this buying guide, we will be looking at the best popcorn makers money can buy, and why you might be interested in making an investment.

    But what makes the best popcorn machine? Is it built in stainless steel? Does it fling popped corn as far as the eye can see? Maybe it’s just a nice, simple corn popping machine that’s easy to switch on and leave to do its business. Let’s take a closer look.

    Why Buy a Popcorn Maker?

    First of all, it will likely save you money. Bags of popcorn from the supermarket can really cost a packet – literally – and if you simply set up an easy to use machine with your own kernels in your kitchen, you will likely find you start saving serious pounds.

    What’s more, popping corn is a lot of fun! It can be a really healthy snack, and the best machines – offering hot air popcorn and more – are very affordable. You can buy microwave popcorn, of course, if you really want a quick batch – but does it always taste the same? Probably not.

    Let’s take a look at makers we’ve tried and tested for your perusal – at least before you go ahead and buy a popcorn popper of your own!

    The Top Popcorn Makers for 2020

    1.
    Elgento Popcorn Maker

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    Best Lightweight Popcorn Machine 

    The Elgento Popcorn Maker is super-affordable, and is a great entry-level option for anyone new to popping corn in 2020 (where have you been?). Use this lightweight popcorn popper, complete with scoop, to easily create cinema-ready snacks. At less than £20, it’s a steal, and it’s also really easy to wipe and clean down. You can even buy a popcorn cart in the same range! It’s not exactly sleek in stainless steel, but it’s nice to look at all the same.


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 18.5 x 11.5 x 27cm
    • Weight: 739g
    • Power: 1200W

    Reasons to Buy

    • Nice and light
    • A fantastic design - really easy to use and clean
    • Extremely affordable for first-time users

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Might have a tendency to spill corn
    • Can be a little noisy at times

    2.
    VonShef Retro Popcorn Maker

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    Best Retro Popcorn Machine

    If you love the retro cinema aesthetic, this great-looking machine – which runs on hot air – is likely to appeal to you. By a hot air popcorn maker, we mean that it doesn’t need butter or oil to create a tasty treat. Simply use air in the maker to pop a stack of corn that’s supremely moreish. This machine really looks the part, it’s reasonably priced, and you even get an array of popcorn bags to help make the experience all the more authentic!


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 18.5 x 15 x 29.5cm
    • Weight: 1.44kg

    Reasons to Buy

    • Looks fantastic - a genuine retro appeal
    • Creates healthy popcorn with no need for added fats
    • Nice and easy to use - comes with popcorn bags, too

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Perhaps not the most robust model on the market
    • Some people prefer oil and butter!

    3.
    Salter EK2902 Fat-Free Electric Hot Air Popcorn Maker

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    Best Healthy Popcorn Machine

    Salter is a brand that millions of people trust, and for good reason. This time around, they’ve set up a fantastic hot air machine, which means you are guaranteed to receive healthier snacks than you might from popping with oil and butter. It’s certainly affordable, and if you’re used to cooking microwave popcorn or buying snacks in bulk from the shop, this might be a nice change. easy to use with a quick cooking time, it’s a nice-looking unit which is likely to appeal to new poppers and seasoned corn munchers alike.


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    Reasons to Buy

    • Looks great - a sleek and slimline system
    • Helps to pop genuinely healthy popcorn
    • Very affordable on the whole, and from a great brand

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Can have a habit of spilling out
    • Might not create as much popcorn as you expect

    4.
    Relaxdays Silicone Microwave Popcorn Maker

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    Best Microwave Popcorn Machine – Relaxdays

    Ok – this one isn’t a machine as such, however, it is likely to be your best chance at getting great-tasting corn snacks out of the microwave. This affordable silicone system is free from BPAs and is completely safe to use. Silicone popcorn makers are safe and healthy to use providing they are responsibly manufactured. What makes this maker one of the bets is the fact you won’t even need oil or anything additional to add in. Simply pop it in the microwave and away you go!


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 25.5 x 25.5 x 14.5cm
    • Weight: 249g

    Reasons to Buy

    • Very reasonably priced
    • Nice and lightweight
    • Super-easy to use and to generate healthy popcorn

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Not everyone's ideal way to make popcorn
    • Not as fancy-looking as stovetop makers!

    5.
    Royal Catering Popcorn Machine

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    Best Premium Popcorn Machine

    If you really want to push the boat out, this fancy popcorn maker will allow you to trundle a full cart of popcorn into your kitchen. Boasting 1600W of power for incredible cooking prowess, this system even comes with various tools and pieces, as well as an interior lighting system! This really helps it become the perfect party centrepiece for children’s birthdays and grown-up parties, too! It’s an electric popcorn maker tour-de-force, but it comes at a fair price.


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 56 x 42 x 76 cm
    • Weight: 21.9kg
    • Power: 1600W

    Reasons to Buy

    • Looks fantastic - a truly stunning maker that's likely to be a great party machine
    • Comes with space for up to 6kg of popcorn
    • Classic design with interior colour-changing lights

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Very expensive at more than £400!
    • May be difficult to clean

    6.
    Ariete 2954 Popcorn Machine

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    Best Basic Popcorn Machine

    If you really want to keep things simple, this Ariete system is one of the best popcorn makers to pop out a snack in less than two minutes. Boasting a brilliant retro look, this machine is extremely lightweight and doesn’t need oil or butter to get working. It uses hot air, and ease of cleaning is on the menu, too. It’s a nice way to get fresh popcorn, though it may be a little out of the price bracket for some people.


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 29.2 x 16 x 16cm
    • Weight: 970g
    • Power: 1100W

    Reasons to Buy

    • Great-looking little machine with a retro vibe
    • Very easy to clean out
    • A healthy way to pop corn regularly

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Can be quite expensive for some people
    • Not the most feature-rich of machines for the price

    7.
    Global Gourmet Popcorn Maker

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    Best Portable Popcorn Machine

    Finally, let’s take a look at a popper made for snack-making on the move (providing you have a socket handy). This fantastic little system is reasonably priced, and is lightweight and compact enough for you to pop corn while camping or in different rooms in your home. It’s another system which won’t use any kind of oil or fat, meaning it’s a fantastic healthy snack machine to take with you.


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    Features

    • Dimensions: 25 x 24 x 14.4cm
    • Weight: 1.22kg
    • Power: 1200W

    Reasons to Buy

    • Superbly portable - easy to plug in and use anywhere in the home
    • Doesn't need oil or butter to make tasty corn
    • Easy to clean on the whole

    Reasons to Avoid

    • Might leave unpopped kernels behind
    • Not the best-looking system

    Where Does Popcorn Come From?

    Believe it or not, the corn we put into our machines grows from grass. It’s actually a type of cereal, and is one of many different types of corn and maize you’ll find growing all over the world. However, as the name suggests, it’s not only the best corn for popping, it’s the only corn that will pop at all.

    Is Popcorn a Healthy Snack?

    Yes! Corn is delicious and natural, however, the popcorn you enjoy in the cinema is likely to be loaded with sugar and salt. Therefore, the best popcorn makers you can use at home will allow you to create tasty snacks without having to add in anything too fatty or unhealthy in the bargain.

    Popcorn is perfectly healthy to enjoy regularly providing you take it easy – and what’s more, providing you don’t load it with butter and salt. Use common sense!

    How to Clean Your Popcorn Maker

    This will differ from popcorn maker to popcorn maker. However, the best machines – the top popcorn makers on this list for 2020 – will be easy to wipe down in a matter of minutes.

    However, a generally good approach is to pour specialist solution into your machine – if applicable – and to boil it, before cooling and wiping down. However, some machine may just need a quick wipe out with soap and water.

    The fact is, all machines are slightly different. Therefore, always make sure you read your instructions before you take any cleaning fluid or hot water to your machine. Also, make sure you’ve got any unpopped kernels up and out of the way, too.

    What Are Some Popcorn Flavours You Can Try at Home?

    Sick and tired of plain butter and salted popcorn? We can’t blame you for wanting to try something a bit different. Making popcorn with toffee, chocolate and even spices is perfectly possible – and the BBC GoodFood has a stack of amazing recipes over here which are well worth reading. Have you ever tried Bombay mix popcorn? Whether you are a fan of the best popcorn dunked in sugar and syrup, or if you prefer your corn to be salty and moreish, it’s worth using your 2020 popcorn maker to its full potential. Why not take a look at some of the best recipes popping up – literally – right now?

    What Else Can You Use a Popcorn Maker For?

    If you’re already reading through our posts for 2020, you’ll know that you can use a popcorn maker to roast coffee! Believe it or not, you can place green coffee beans in a popcorn machine and they will roast all the way to that perfect blend.

    However, take a look around the web for inspiration and you’ll find there are more than a few jokers who will tell you what else you can use the best popcorn machines for. Don’t believe everything you read – the gentleman who advised you can cook a battered sausage in a popcorn maker will surely have his just desserts in time to come, don’t worry!

    Found your perfect popcorn maker for 2020? Looking for a retro style or something sleek in stainless steel? There’s stacks to pick from. Take a look at our best picks and start looking to pop that corn in the comfort of your own home.

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