Top 5 compared
The best popcorn makers
Fresh popcorn for movie night in a few minutes, from plain kernels instead of a microwave bag.
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The top 5 at a glance
A popcorn maker heats kernels until the water inside turns to steam and bursts them open. Popping in a little oil, in a stovetop pot or a theatre-style kettle, gives the rich, cinema kind, with a stirrer to turn the kernels through the hot oil. Hot air and a microwave bowl need no oil, so the popcorn comes out light and dry, ready for butter or seasoning.
Any of them pops ordinary kernels from the grocery store, so there’s nothing special to buy. A stovetop popper, a microwave bowl or a hot-air popper tucks into a cabinet, while a theatre-style machine needs its own spot on the counter. Popcorn machines go back to Charles Cretors, who showed his steam-powered popper at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
What matters
- Popping time, so the next batch is ready before the bowl empties.
- Batch size in cups, enough for everyone on the couch.
- A measuring cup, if you’d rather not guess the kernels.
#1Wabash Valley Farms Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper (25008)
$30–$50
A crank on the lid turns a stirring arm across the bottom of the aluminum pan, so every kernel keeps moving over the burner and pops rather than scorches. There’s no motor to wear out, and as little as a teaspoon of oil gives the taste of cinema popcorn.
What owners say: Owners rave about the theatre-style popcorn and how good it tastes, and find it quick to pop and easy to clean up afterwards; no complaint comes up often.
Heads up: Its aluminum pan won’t work on an induction cooktop, and Wabash Valley Farms says to check a glass-top stove’s manual before using lightweight aluminum on it.
A closer look: Put the oil and half a cup of kernels in the pan before it goes on the burner, then turn the crank slowly until only the odd pop is left or the handle gets hard to turn; the hardwood handle and crank stay cool. Clean the pan with a paper towel, not the dishwasher; the moving parts are covered for 25 years.
- Stirring arm turned by hand
- No motor to wear out
- Wooden handle stays cool
- 25-year warranty on moving parts
Best for: Oil-popped popcorn over a burner
- Type
- Stovetop pot, in oil
- Popcorn per batch
- About 24 cups
- Popping time
- 3 min or less
- Measuring cup
- No
#2Presto PopLite My Munch Hot Air Popper (04811)
$75–$100
A personal-size hot-air popper: the vented cover keeps the popcorn crisp as it fills, then you snap on the lid and flip the popper, and the cover becomes a serving bowl with a handle. Sized for a single snack, it leaves nothing over to go stale.
What owners say: Small, quick and simple to use, owners say, and it leaves few kernels unpopped; the serving size and the design go down well. Some doubt it’s worth what it costs.
A closer look: Once it’s cool, the base nests inside the cover and the cord wraps around the base, so the whole popper packs into a small corner of a cabinet. For a crowd, plan on two or three rounds, with a minute’s rest between them.
- Cover becomes the serving bowl
- Vented cover keeps popcorn crisp
- Packs away inside its cover
Best for: A snack for one or two
- Type
- Hot air, no oil
- Popcorn per batch
- Up to 8 cups
- Popping time
- About 2 min
- Measuring cup
- No
#3West Bend Theatre-Style Popcorn Popper (82515)
$100–$150
The look of a movie-theatre popcorn machine, sized for a kitchen counter: a stirring rod sweeps the kernels around the nonstick kettle, a single press tips the kettle to pour out the popcorn, and a tray underneath catches the kernels that didn’t pop.
What owners say: It pops well and the popcorn pleases owners, but the plastic accessories crack easily and a few machines failed early, they report; ease of use, cleaning and size draw mixed views.
A closer look: Measure the kernels and oil with the cup and spoon from the box, and use the scoop to clear what’s left in the kettle before the next batch; magnets in the roof hold its lid up while you load it. The kettle lifts out for cleaning but must never go in water, and the machine stands tall, so check it fits under low cabinets.
- Stirring rod sweeps the kernels
- One press tips the kettle
- Catches unpopped kernels
- Magnets hold the lid open
Best for: Family movie nights at home
- Type
- Theatre-style kettle, in oil
- Popcorn per batch
- Up to 16 cups
- Popping time
- Starts at about 3 min
- Measuring cup
- Kernel cup, oil spoon
#4Cuisinart Collapsible Microwave Popcorn Popper (CTG-00-MPMC)
$20–$30
Plain kernels pop in this red silicone bowl in the microwave with no oil, and the popcorn is served from the same bowl, so there’s no second bowl to wash. Set on the counter and pushed down by its handles, it collapses small enough for a drawer or cabinet.
What owners say: Easy to use and to clean, by owners’ accounts, and handy to take along. Some end up with burnt popcorn, and they disagree about how well the kernels pop.
Heads up: Cuisinart says to set the time on High rather than use the microwave’s popcorn button, and never to go past five minutes, or the popcorn can burn and stain the inside of the bowl.
A closer look: Before each batch, pull the bowl fully open, then spread up to a third of a cup of kernels over the base for about 10 cups, which takes around four minutes on High. The bowl can go in the dishwasher, but wash the lid by hand; Cuisinart Canada backs it with a limited lifetime warranty.
- Doubles as a serving bowl
- Collapses to fit a drawer
- Bowl goes in the dishwasher
- Limited lifetime warranty
Best for: Small kitchens and student rooms
- Type
- Microwave bowl, no oil
- Popcorn per batch
- Up to 10 cups
- Popping time
- 3 to 4 min
- Measuring cup
- No
#5Presto PopLite Plus Hot Air Popper (04867)
$75–$100
A full-size hot-air popper with a push-button on/off switch and a chute that sends the popcorn straight into the bowl, batch after batch. The cup on top doubles as a butter melter, with a metal insert that melts the butter faster while the corn pops.
What owners say: It pops fast and gives most owners no trouble. A few had plastic melt on the first use, some raise concerns about smoke, and how well it pops and its value get a mixed verdict.
A closer look: Fill the cup with kernels and pour them in, then set it back on top with up to a tablespoon of butter and put a large bowl under the chute. Switch it on, and off again as soon as the popping stops. With no oil inside, the base just needs a wipe afterwards.
- Push-button on/off switch
- Metal insert for melting butter
- Chute pours into your bowl
Best for: Big bowls without oil
- Type
- Hot air, no oil
- Popcorn per batch
- Up to 18 cups
- Popping time
- About 2½ min
- Measuring cup
- Built in
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Whirley-Pop | #2Presto PopLite My Munch | #3West Bend 82515 | #4Cuisinart microwave popper | #5Presto PopLite Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best personal-size | Best cinema look | Best budget | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.3 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $75–$100 | $100–$150 | $20–$30 | $75–$100 |
| Type | Stovetop pot, in oil | Hot air, no oil | Theatre-style kettle, in oil | Microwave bowl, no oil | Hot air, no oil |
| Popcorn per batch | About 24 cups | Up to 8 cups | Up to 16 cups | Up to 10 cups | Up to 18 cups |
| Popping time | 3 min or less | About 2 min | Starts at about 3 min | 3 to 4 min | About 2½ min |
| Measuring cup | No | No | Kernel cup, oil spoon | No | Built in |
| Best for | Oil-popped popcorn over a burner | A snack for one or two | Family movie nights at home | Small kitchens and student rooms | Big bowls without oil |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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