Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Turn your popcorn into a savory treat by adding a buttery, rosemary drizzle and sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese. This rosemary Parmesan popcorn recipe smells and tastes delicious!

I first tried rosemary Parmesan popcorn at a now closed restaurant in Los Angeles. Offered in the bar area, the popcorn snack provided a buttery, herby compliment to a cocktail or glass of wine. Since that first taste over 10 years ago, I’ve made this rosemary Parmesan popcorn recipe at home only a couple of times as I rarely had fresh rosemary on hand. That all changed this year, when we planted a rosemary bush and enjoyed fresh rosemary all summer and into the fall.

With our unlimited rosemary bounty, we’ve enjoyed this rosemary Parmesan popcorn recipe all summer and fall as a savory afternoon or family movie night snack. We find that 1/3 cup of unpopped kernels provides plenty for our family, especially since both kiddos prefer plain popcorn. This wasn’t a surprise from my son, who isn’t a fan of many flavors, but was shocking from my daughter, who eats and loves raw rosemary. For our mix of preferences, we separate enough popcorn for the kids, then add the buttery, herby, salty deliciousness to the rest.

Pair the rosemary Parmesan popcorn with a gin hot toddy for a nice evening treat.

Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn Ingredients

Popcorn: Any popcorn popping method works for this recipe: pre-popped, microwaved, air popped or skillet popped. Our go-to popper is the Stir Crazy (this is not sponsored, just our personal favorite). The kids LOVE watching the kernels pop, it is an event in and of itself. We love how the oil evenly coats the popcorn and we can use any variety of oil, from olive to coconut.

Rosemary: Fresh rosemary is a must for this recipe, giving peppery, piney, minty flavor and aroma. Rosemary lives with other fresh herbs at the grocery store, usually in the refrigerated produce area. Or, grow a rosemary plant. Ours required basically no maintenance, just an occasional water between rains. With our cold New England winters, we don’t anticipate the plant will survive the winter. We haven’t decided whether to bring the plant inside for the winter or start new next year. But, with winter rapidly approaching, we are going to try freezing rosemary to prolong our supply.

Parmesan: A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese adds a nutty, salty texture; no additional salt is needed. Freshly grated Parmesan is hard to beat, but pre-grated works if you don’t have a Parmesan wedge handy. A handheld grater works well for grating small amounts of cheese and is easy to clean. Substitute for Pecorino Romano (my husband’s favorite), which tends to have a sharper, saltier flavor.

Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup popcorn kernels
oil or butter for popping
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

How to Make Rosemary Parmesan Popcorn

Pop popcorn according to your popper’s directions. For the Stir Crazy, add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter for 1/3 cup of kernels.

Place butter in small saucepan on low heat. As soon as butter melts, add 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary and reduce to simmer for 3 minutes. Reduce to lowest setting until popcorn pops.

Add butter rosemary mixture and Parmesan to popped popcorn in layers. Pour 1/2 popcorn into large bowl. Drizzle 1/2 melted butter, rosemary mixture, and sprinkle 1/2 grated Parmesan over popcorn and stir to combine.

Add remaining popcorn and top with the rest of the melted butter rosemary mixture and grated Parmesan. Top with remaining chopped rosemary and stir to combine.
 

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