Can You Put Sugar In A Popcorn Maker?

Popcorn makers are super fun and quick appliances to use, especially if you love movie nights on the sofa with fresh popcorn. While you can get flavourings to the top you might be tempted to use sugar within your popcorn maker.

Yes sugar can be put in a popcorn maker to add flavour and create a nice toffee style covering. Though there can be some drawbacks to using sugar in a popcorn maker such as harder to clean and can clogging up the appliance itself.

In this article, I am going to talk about whether you can use sugar in your popcorn maker, how to use it and the drawbacks of doing so.

Can You Put Sugar In A Popcorn Maker?

Of course, you can.

However, if you choose to, then there are downsides you ought to keep in mind (depending on the type of sugar you opt to use). Some popcorn machine manufacturers also totally advise against putting any sugar in your popcorn machine.

Most go on to state that the sugar might clog together and ruin the machine, making it unusable and at times going as far as causing a fire. What’s more? Most Popcorn Makers’ user manuals even include warnings such as “Do not put ingredients like margarine, salt, butter, oil, sugar, etc. into the popping chamber; as these substances can cause damage to the appliance.”

Having said that, if you’d like to get around all these restrictions and get all the sugar to stick to your popped popcorn, then I’ll share one of my favorite, easy-to-follow recipes in today’s guide. But first, let’s take a look at why someone would want to put sugar in their popcorn maker in the first place.

Why Would You Put Sugar In A Popcorn Maker?

Let’s get this out of the way – You cannot have popcorn without either salt or sugar. That’s just wrong.

The ability to properly season your popcorn with sugar is the single most essential skill you must have if you want your popcorns to taste their best. I can even confidently state that the butter isn’t the one that makes the popcorn. I know stating that feels extra wrong, but it is the truth. It all begins with the seasoning.

Regardless of how many eccentric ingredients and special fancy toppings you use, if the popcorn is under-seasoned, it’ll taste incomplete and bland. Its flavor will be the same as that of the ‘popcorn’ that retails in a package delivered to your doorstep.

Now that you understand why you ought to put sugar in a popcorn maker while preparing the snack, let’s skip to the section you’ve been looking forward to and look at how you can use Sugar in a popcorn maker.

How Can I Use Sugar In A Popcorn Maker?

The main issue with popcorns is that they have lots of nooks and crannies and your regular sugar isn’t fine enough to get into all these nooks and crannies. That’s why most of the time when you add sugar or salt to your popcorn, most of it (the salt and sugar) doesn’t stick to the popcorn and ends up at the bottom of the bowl.

With that in mind, the first step will be making your own popcorn sugar. Pick the cheapest sugar at the store, and place it in your food processor or well-cleaned coffee grinder. I use these appliances for spices and they can quickly turn any sugar into popcorn sugar.

Also, note; the coarser the sugar, the longer it’ll take (even though even the most coarse sugar should be efficiently broken down in under a minute or two). Once the sugar granulates have been effectively broken down, it’s time to start popping.

Hook up the pot onto the hanger of your popcorn maker’s main unit, and switch on the heater and light. Subsequently, add a suitable amount of oil or butter (the amount you use is subject to your own taste).

As a general rule of thumb, the popping pot should be preheated for 4 to 5 minutes with oil (until steam comes out from the pot.) So, as you wait for the oil to heat, measure out your popcorn into a small bowl and add sugar to the kernels.

Use the measuring scoop provided to measure the amount of kernels and add an amount of sugar the meets your needs and taste.
Note: Honey and liquid sugar must not be used.

Once the Popping pot is sufficiently preheated, open the lid and pour in the premixed sugars and kernel. The lid might be hot so you’re advised to handle using an oven mitten.

After pouring in the mixture, switch ON the stirrer so it can begin stirring and expect the popcorn to start popping out through the lid after approx. 3 to 4 minutes.

When popping is over and no more popping sound is coming from the pot, switch off the heater & stirrer, then rotate the pot’s roller bar to pour out all remaining popcorn from the pot. Only keep the warmer and spotlight ON, as these will keep the popcorn dry, warm, and tasty.