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I’m obsessed with this! My favorite snack food — popcorn — plus the most delicious umami seasoning — Spicy Furikake — a savory and slightly spicy Japanese spice blend made with sesame seeds, dried seaweed (nori), salt, sugar, and a hint of heat with a little chili powder. Sweet, salty, and umami all mixed into one bowl. My favorite everyday snack — that makes my sweet and salty taste buds smile.
Ingredients
Check out the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and specific measurements.
Popcorn
- Freshly popped popcorn kernels
- Or, my fave (shhhhhh) ! Already popped popcorn — LesserEvil Organic Avocado-licious Popcorn or LesserEvil Himalayan Pink Salt Popcorn
- Microwave popcorn — Paul Newman’s Organic Popcorn
Or “Cheating” With Other Popcorn
For Topping
- Butter, Coconut Oil, or avocado oil
- Granulated Sugar
- Homemade Spicy Furikake Seasoning or store-bought
- Toasted Sesame Oil — La Tourangelle Artisan Made
Instructions
Check out the recipe card for all instructions and tips.
Pop the Popcorn
- In a large pot or dutch oven, over medium heat, add Avocado oil. Let the oil come to temperature for popping.
- Add kernels to the hot oil and cover with a lid, shaking the pot a few times to make sure your kernels are coated with the oil. The kernels will start popping at a pretty quick pace. Once the popping slows down and to every few seconds, it is time to take the popcorn off the heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.
Or! Buy Store-Bought Popcorn
- This is my favorite (shhhh)! Store-bought is so easy and so super delicious. My faves — LesserEvil Organic Avocado-licious Popcorn or LesserEvil Himalayan Pink Salt Popcorn or Paul Newman’s Organic Popcorn
Make The Topping
- Place a small pan over medium-low heat, adding butter, coconut oil, or avocado oil. Allow it to warm, and add sugar — and a splash of soy sauce for more of an umami taste. Once the sugar has dissolved, usually a couple of minutes, remove the topping from the heat and pour over the popcorn in the bowl. Make sure that the butter does not start to burn while the sugar is dissolving.
Sprinkle on The Gold!
- Now it’s time to add the good stuff! Drizzle the sesame oil over the popcorn and shake well. Next sprinkle the Spicy Furikake Seasoning over the popcorn and shake or mix until you have a bit of umami gold on each kernel of popcorn. And enjoy!
What is Furikake?
Furikake or Bonito Furikake, is a crunchy, salty, umami-packed Japanese seasoning. While there are many ways to make Furikake — you’ll find most recipes are made with dried bonito flakes, toasted sesame seeds, toasted seaweed, sugar, and salt. But you’ll often find other seaweed, dried fish, seeds, or spices added in as well.
Other Ideas For This Recipe
Make it Hawaiian Hurricane Popcorn!
Just add Arare Rice Crackers to the Furikake Popcorn. You can find Arare rice crackers in Asian stores or online at Amazon. Simply mix the recipe together as the recipe card entails and then add in Arare Rice Crackers.
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Pin ItWant a Little Tangy Kick?
After everything is mixed together. I love to add a beautiful, thick balsamic glaze that is aged in a barrel and reduce by evaporation. But those can be pricey or hard to find. Alternatively, you can simply create a balsamic glaze yourself. Add 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it boils reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 3 minutes. Remember that it will continue to thicken once you take it off of the heat. So consider pulling it off of the stove when it is not too thick. Once it is cooled, drizzle it over the furikake popcorn mixture.
Make Ahead & How To Store
Prepare popcorn and Furikake ahead of time storing ingredients separately. Make butter topping mixture when ready to enjoy. Mix popcorn, butter topping, and Furikake when you are ready to enjoy it. Storing is not typically successful because the butter tends to make the popcorn soggy. So enjoy this one fresh!
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer a homemade Spicy Furikake. But, of course, there are many store-bought seasonings that are delicious too. Not all seasonings are the same quality. So here are my favorites and a few notes on each …..
— Kyo Rayu Furikake — This one is super yummy, and quite spicy. But it does not include my two favorite ingredients — toasted sesame seeds and toasted nori flakes.
— Barnacle Foods Furikake Kelp Seasoning — A delicious option with Kelp and Bonito Flakes.
Well, it does have a hint of ocean flavor from bonito flakes and seaweed nori. So, yes, it typically had a slight fish or seafood flavoring. The overall taste is a friendly mix of salty, nutty, and umami goodness. While furikake usually contains dried fish and nori seaweed, it doesn’t have an overpowering fishy taste. Instead, it offers a savory, umami flavor, similar to miso soup.
Furikake doesn’t have a fixed ingredient list, but it typically includes salt, sugar, dried crumbled seaweed, dried fish shavings, and sesame seeds. Various types of furikake might also contain other dried seafood, vegetables, seeds, and more. You might also find it to include other flavors from dashi, like kombu seaweed and katsuobushi fish shavings.
Furikake is actually super healthy! Furikake is packed with essential nutrients. It’s rich in calcium, protein, iodine, iron, and other minerals. The exact origins of furikake are a bit uncertain, but a popular story is that it was created in the early 1900s to boost nutrition, especially calcium, during a time when many Japanese people faced malnutrition and nutrient deficits were common.
Furikake Popcorn
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
For Freshly Popped Popcorn
- 3 tbsp Avocado Oil or other neutral oil
- ⅓ c. Popcorn Kernels
For Store-Bought Popcorn
- 10 c. Popped Popcorn
- 1 bag Microwave Popcorn
For Topping
- 3 tbsp. Butter , Avocado Oil, or Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- ¾ c. Furikake Seasoning
- 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
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Instructions
Cook The Popcorn
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, add 3 tbsp. avocado oil. Let the oil come to temperature for popping.Pro Tip! A good way to test if the oil is hot enough, drop a couple of kernels into the oil and once they start popping, you know that the oil is ready for popping. Remove popped kernels first.Add ⅓ c. kernels to the hot oil and cover with a lid, shaking the pot a few times to make sure your kernels are coated with the oil. The kernels will start popping at a pretty quick pace. Once the popping slows down and to every few seconds, it is time to take the popcorn off the heat. Transfer the popcorn to a large bowl.
Make The Butter Topping
- Place a small pan over medium-low heat, adding 3 tbsp. salted butter. Once the butter has melted, add 1 tsp. sugar, and a splash of soy sauce for more of an umami taste. Allow the sugar to dissolve, for about one minute.Remove the topping from the heat and pour over the popcorn in the bowl.
Sprinkle On The Gold
- Now it’s time to add the good stuff! Drizzle 1 tsp. sesame oil over the popcorn and shake until mixed. Next, sprinkle the ¾ c. Furikake seasoning over the popcorn and shake or mix until you have a bit of umami gold on each kernel of popcorn. And enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
