Imagine the satisfying crunch of popcorn with a buttery, garlicky base, topped with a mix of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic, onion, and a hint of salt. This snack not only adds an exciting flavor profile to your popcorn but also brings a bit of that bagel shop magic right into your home. It’s a hit for family movie nights or even as a quick, flavorful snack throughout the day.

Popping your popcorn fresh on the stove, microwave or using your favorite hot air popper, you can achieve that perfect, light texture every time. Then, by drizzling it with melted butter and generously sprinkling the everything bagel seasoning, you’ll have a treat that’s both irresistible and incredibly easy to prepare. Enjoy this snack while watching your favorite movie or sharing laughs with family and friends.

Why You’ll Love This Snack

This Everything Bagel Popcorn is a great choice for your next snack.

It’s easy to make and tastes delicious. Perfect for movie nights or game days. You just need popcorn, butter, and everything bagel seasoning.

You’ll enjoy the mix of flavors. The seasoning adds a savory taste with a hint of garlic, onion, and poppy seeds. Your taste buds will thank you!

Making this snack can be a fun activity for the whole family. Kids love shaking the bowl to coat the popcorn. It’s a tasty yet simple recipe.

Plus, it’s a bit more nutritious than other snacks. You can even opt for a vegan or low-fat version by using coconut oil instead of butter.

Serve this popcorn at parties or family gatherings. It’s sure to be a hit with everyone. Tasty, easy, and quick to make—it ticks all the boxes for a perfect snack!

What is Everything Bagel Seasoning

This blend typically includes:

• Sesame seeds: Adds a nutty taste and a bit of crunch.
• Poppy seeds: Contributes a slightly tart flavor and additional texture.
• Dried minced onion: Offers a sweet, savory flavor.
• Garlic powder: Enhances with a robust, savory punch.
• Kosher salt: Balances flavors and brings everything together.

You can find premade everything bagel seasoning at the store or mix your own. Adjusting the amounts lets you customize the flavor profile to suit your taste.

I usually buy one from Trader Joe’s (that is the one I used for this recipe) or from Costco (if you are a heavy everything user).

Make Your Own Everything Bagel Seasoning

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds (optional, for additional color)

Instructions:

Gather all the ingredients and measure them out precisely to ensure the correct balance of flavors.

In a small bowl, combine the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried minced garlic, dried minced onion, coarse sea salt, and black sesame seeds (if using).

Nutritional Information

When you make Everything Bagel Popcorn at home, you control the ingredients and their amounts. This allows you to tailor the snack to your nutritional needs.

Popcorn itself is a great whole grain. One serving (about 3 cups popped) contains roughly:

• Calories: 90
• Dietary Fiber: 3.5g
• Protein: 3g

Adding the Everything Bagel seasoning brings in extra flavor but also some nutrients.

Step-by-Step Preparing Guide

Preparing the Popcorn

Start by choosing how to pop your popcorn. You can use a stovetop, microwave, or an air popper. Each method works fine, so pick whatever suits you best.

Once popped, place about 8 cups of popcorn in a large bowl.

Combining the Ingredients

Melt 2-4 tablespoons of butter (vegan butter works too). In a small bowl, stir the melted butter with a teaspoon of garlic powder.

Drizzle half the butter mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle half the everything bagel seasoning and mix well. Repeat with the remaining butter and seasoning.

Make sure each piece is well-coated. To ensure even distribution, shake the bowl with a lid on it, if you have one.

Serve immediately for the best flavor and crunch. Enjoy your Everything Bagel Popcorn as a unique and tasty snack!

Storage and Freshness

To keep your Everything Bagel Popcorn fresh, store it in an airtight container. This helps to prevent the popcorn from becoming stale.

After you’ve made your tasty treat, let it cool completely before placing it into the container. This step is important to avoid moisture buildup, which can make the popcorn soggy.

Tips for Best Results:

• Use an airtight container: Ensure it seals well to keep out air and moisture.
• Store at room temperature: Keep the container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
• Eat within a week: For the best taste and texture, consume your popcorn within 7 days.

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Everything Bagel Popcorn

One of the best snacks out there! The popcorn and the everything seasoning are both rich with good nutrients like fiber, protein and more! Perfect for entertaining, movie nights or day snacking!

Course Snack

Keyword healthy, popcorn, snack

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Jessica

Ingredients

• 8 cups plain popped popcorn
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 tablespoon Everything Bagel Seasoning

Instructions

• Place your popped popcorn in a large bowl.
• Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and toss until well coated.
• Sprinkle the Everything Bagel Seasoning over the popcorn and toss until you cover as much as you can.

<p>The post Everything Bagel Popcorn Recipe: A Tasty Snack Twist first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

In trying to figure all of this out for my family, I have decided that it is important to try to maintain the snack and mealtime structure we have during the school year.  I try to stick to our snack routine to make sure that the mealtimes are still the main focus. For us that means a small mid-afternoon snack (now that my kids are older the mid-morning snack has disappeared– at least on most days), which always includes either a fruit or a vegetable, or both. Recently, that hasn’t been cutting it for my 9-year-old in the late afternoons, so I have told him that he can eat as many fruits and vegetables as he wants between afternoon snack and dinner. That way, he can munch away and I don’t need to worry about empty calories. Win-win! That being said, however, I do think it is important not to get so bogged down in the rules that we forget to have fun and relax. Afterall, we want our kids to have a healthy and happy relationship with food, rather than a rigid one, so there is definitely a time and place for flexibility and ice cream! 

Here are some of our fun, favorite, simple snacks that help us make it through the summertime snack attacks:

Watermelon: In slices, in chunks, or quickly pureed for watermelon water. This cooling, refreshing, and rehydrating treat is a go-to in our house.

Frozen smoothies: Make a batch of your family’s favorite smoothies but instead of pouring them into glasses, freeze them in popsicle molds.  Then you’ve got fun popsicles for an afternoon treat!

Summer Fruit Kebabs: Grab a skewer and load it with your favorite summer fruits! Berries, melons, chunks of stone fruit, it is all delicious! Plus you can dip them in the sweet yogurt dip below!

Sweet Yogurt Dip: Cut up some of your favorite summer fruits and dip away in this healthy and easy mixture.

Juice and fruit popsicles. Next time you make juice popsicles, throw some blueberries, raspberries, or small pieces of cut up summer fruit into the molds as well. Your kids will flip for these fun treats!

Homemade Granola Bars: These are fun to make with kids and very portable, great for picnics and day trips.

Kale Chips: Kale is incredibly plentiful in the summer, so kale chips are a great salty, crunchy snack.

Popcorn: Popped on the stove and then seasoned with nutritional yeast, parmesan, garam masala, chili powder, Mexican blend or just salt.

What are your favorite summertime snacks? Do you have favorites from your own childhood?

<p>The post Healthy Summertime Snacks first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

Over the years I have experimented with lots of different toppings: garam masala, za’atar, chili powder, cinnamon, parmesan, and nutritional yeast are some of my favorites. But in honor of Cinco de Mayo this year I wanted to push the envelope and try something different: Mexican Street Corn-Style Popcorn.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mexican Street Corn (Elotes), it is a wonderful concoction of grilled corn that is then slathered in a creamy, citrusy dressing and then topped with salty cheese. In other words: heaven. If you ever have the chance, definitely get it! But I wanted to try to find a way to put that creamy, citrusy, smoky goodness onto popcorn as a fun and festive snack.

Now, I do have to warn you that this popcorn is just a tad addictive. Even last night, after having dinner and dessert, I reached into the leftovers bag for “just one more bite” and found myself shoveling handfuls into my mouth, with my husband pushing me aside to get his hand in the bag too! So when you make it either prepare to ruin your dinner, exercise great restraint, or serve it to a larger group.

A note on popping popcorn yourself: for those of you who have never made popcorn from the kernel before, don’t worry! It is very simple to do and, like so many other foods, once you have made the homemade version, the stuff that comes in a bag just won’t seem worth it. But, if that feels too scary, then buy the store stuff (you’ll need 6-8 cups), as plain and unseasoned as you can get, and then use the dressing to top it off.

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Mexican Street Corn-Style Popcorn

Course Snack

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon coconut or canola oil
• ¾ cup popcorn kernels
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. If using coconut oil, let it completely melt. Add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels and put the lid on the pot.
• When the kernels start to pop, pour in the rest of the kernels and put the top on again. Swirl the kernels around so that they get coated in oil. Let the popcorn start popping and shake it occasionally to allow the un-popped kernels to sink to the bottom.
• While you wait for the popcorn to pop, combine the melted butter and mayonnaise in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
• The popcorn is done popping when there is about 1 second between pops.
• Dump the popcorn into a large bowl and pour the lime zest, chili powder, and salt on top. Mix gently, just to spread out the toppings a little bit.
• Pour the butter and mayonnaise mixture on top and then stir well, I just used my hands, to make sure everything is well coated.

<p>The post Mexican Street Corn-Style Popcorn first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>

Chelsey is a Registered Dietician based in New York City. She is deeply passionate about nutrition, baking, cooking, exercising, and living a healthy lifestyle and she is all about doing it in a balanced way (sound familiar?)! She also has her own food allergies and so all of her recipes are nut-free, peanut-free, and sesame seed-free, plus many are grain-free, vegetarian, or vegan. So basically, she is a cooking rockstar! Make sure to check out her amazing blog here.

So take it away, Chelsey….

Hi there! Since many of you may not know me, there’s one thing you should know off the bat — I have had severe food allergies to tree nuts, peanuts and sesame seeds for as long as I can remember! At a young age, I learned how to navigate this nutty world nut-free, and now as a dietitian I help many other families do the same!

Even if you or someone in your family doesn’t have food allergies, there’s a pretty good chance that you send your kiddos to a nut free school or your child (or you!) have a friend with food allergies. So read on, my new friends… food allergies are everywhere ((and on the rise)).

Before I share my favorite Nut Free Snack Mix, however, I wanted to share some of my top tips to help you navigate food allergies…
Always read food labels! As far as food allergies go, the only part of the label you have to pay careful attention to is the ingredient list. Read it. And read it again. Line by line. Use your finger to guide you so you don’t miss ANYTHING!

If you can’t read it, don’t eat it! This is my motto and I’m sticking to it! I’m pretty sure I grew up with my mom chanting this motto to me non-stop, but I’m glad she did because it made me extra vigilant when it came to anything I was going to eat. And it is important to note that manufacturers can easily change the ingredients without a major packaging update, so just because you’ve purchased and safely eaten a product in the past doesn’t mean you can skip label reading the next time you go to purchase the same product!

Know the nicknames of your food allergy. Although there are what seems like a million different tree nuts, I think this tip is especially important for those with egg, milk, soy and gluten allergies. Eggs have about 20 different pseudonyms they can hide behind (would you ever guess lecithin or lysozyme?!). Did you know milk can be hidden behind casein and lactate? What about soy as MSG, vegetable gum or even vitamin E?

Always have your EpiPen (or other adrenaline shot). You NEVER want to be unprepared if a life-threatening situation arises, which is why I always recommend that families have an EpiPen (adrenaline shot) in multiple locations within their home, including the kitchen and one on each floor of the home. In school, your child’s teacher as well as the nurse should each have their own EpiPen! You should also always carry one in your purse.

Pack safe snacks wherever you go. You never want to be in a situation with a hungry kid (or you!) and not have something you know is safe to eat. Which is exactly why you need my nut free snack mix recipe……

You can find more information about managing food allergies here, but make sure you do your research about your specific allergy. And I always suggest talking with a dietitian when you or someone you know is newly diagnosed with food allergies to make sure you understand how to eat well with your restrictions.

I love this recipe so much because it’s easy, customizable and so yummy! As written below, the recipe is free of 7 top food allergens [contains soy], but there are plenty substitutions listed too. This snack mix stores well in an air-tight container for a few days so you can double or triple the recipe to make a big batch at once.

Nutritionally speaking, this Nut Free Snack Mix is a great afternoon snack because it contains a combination of fiber, healthy fats, and protein, which will keep you full for longer. AND it’s satisfying with salty and sweet flavors, plus crunch and chew! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do…

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The Best Nut Free Snack Mix

Course Snacks

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 188kcal

Author Jessica Braider

Ingredients

• 3 cups air-popped popcorn or 2 tablespoons kernels
• 1/3 cup seeds I used a combination of raw sunflower seeds and raw pepitas
• 1/3 cup crispy roasted edamame [*contains soy*]
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips Enjoy Life is my preferred food allergy friendly brand
• 1/4 cup raisins or other dried fruit
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder may omit for children
• Olive oil spray I use olive oil in my Misto Oil Sprayer.

Instructions

• If not using store-bought air-popped popcorn, place popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, fold down the top and microwave for one minute and 30 seconds, or until kernels are popped. Place 3 cups of the popcorn in a large bowl.
• Wait until the popcorn has cooled and then add the remaining ingredients. Gently mix together.
• Spray snack mix for a few seconds with olive oil and then sprinkle sea salt and chili powder on top. (Or any other desired spices).
• Enjoy! Snack mix will store well in an air-tight container for a few days.

Notes

*May substitute additional seeds if soy allergy.
If allergic to sunflower seeds, may use more pumpkin seeds or whole flaxseeds or additional popcorn. 
If allergic to corn may substitute puffed rice cereal.
I order many of my seeds and dried fruit online from Gerbs Allergen Friendly Foods to prevent cross-contamination.

<p>The post The Best Nut Free Snack Mix and A Dietitian’s Tips to Help You Navigate Food Allergies first appeared on The Balanced Kitchen.</p>