How Much Popcorn Per Person
Popcorn is a classic snack food that has been around since the early 1900s. It was originally used as a way to keep the popcorn kernel fresh during long train rides. Today, popcorn is a popular snack at movie theaters, sporting events, and other special occasions. And of course, we have all heard the name Orville Redenbacher – who had his own brand of famous popcorn.
Popcorn is often used in Hospitality Room Catering.
However, one of the biggest struggles for hosts is the serving size of popcorn per guest during a big crowd. Hence, we have made this article to give you a guide on how much popcorn per person. Read more below for all the answers. The quantities or servings are the same for popcorn machine or homemade popcorn.
Hence, we have made this article to give you a guide on how much popcorn per person. Read more below and take a look at the answer to these questions:
- How much popcorn for a big group?
- How much popcorn is needed for a popcorn bar?
- How many grams of popcorn kernels per person?
- How much popcorn per event?
If you’re looking to serve homemade popcorn at a party, here are some tips to ensure that your guests enjoy their
popcorn.
Also see how many chips to serve for a big group, plus how much ice cream per person.
If you are serving corn kernels – see here for the quantities.
If you want a quick answer though
Question: How much popcorn per person?
Answer: Popcorn is usually served as a snack at movie theaters, so you can expect to get about 2 medium baskets (7×7 inches) for each person.
If you’re looking to serve popcorn at an event, here are some tips to ensure that your guests enjoy their popcorn.
How Much Popcorn for a Big Group
The exact amount or number of servings when it comes to serving popcorn in large groups we list the guides below in a number of scenarios. The key thing you need to consider when planning out your menu is making sure that everyone has enough popcorn to eat. Since it is quite cheap it is better to serve more.
What is the size of a medium popcorn basket?
The size of a medium popcorn basket is 7 inches at the top, 7 inches high. The container. and maybe slightly narrower at the bottom approximately 5 inches. You can think of it as a large soup bowl, around 32 oz size.
When Popcorn is served after a meal – how much per person?
If there are full meals served at the event, you will only need 1 serving in a medium-sized popcorn basket per guest, assuming that some will not eat much because of the full meal course. A medium basket example is a Tebery 7 x 7 inches container.
When Popcorn is served with other snacks – how much per person?
However, if the popcorn is served at the event is a main part of the menu, then you will need to double it up. Make it a big serving like movie theater popcorn, or you should have 2 servings in a medium-sized popcorn basket per guest.
When Popcorn is the main snack – how much per person?
And if the popcorn is served as the main food during a movie date or a picnic day, then you should have three servings of a medium-sized popcorn basket. You will also need to have a flavor or two like butter and salt or caramel corn.
In short, follow these popcorn serving suggestions for a big group:
- Popcorn served with full meal course or other snacks: 1 serving of a medium-sized popcorn basket per person
- Popcorn served as part of the menu: 2 servings of medium-sized popcorn baskets per person
- Popcorn served as the only food: 3 servings of medium-sized popcorn baskets per persons
How Much Popcorn is Needed for a Popcorn Bar
A popcorn bar is usually considered a small-scale operation where crowds gather together to watch movies or play games while eating snacks like popcorn. When hosting such an occasion, you’ll probably be able to get by with just two or three different types of flavors. However, if you’d prefer to offer a variety of options, then you may want to stock up on several varieties of flavored popcorn. You could also add toppings like salt and clarified butter, caramel, cheese, bacon bits, coconut oil, etc.
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels per person?
ANSWER: 1/6 of a cup or 2.5 tablespoons of unpopped kernels per person. This will also yield just over 4 cups of popped kernels or 1 quart
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels for 20 guests
- For 20 guests you need 3.1 cups of Uncooked popcorn kernels
- For 20 guests you need 25 oz of Uncooked popcorn kernels
That will yield approximately 80 cups of popcorn
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels for 40 guests
- For 40 guests you need 6.3 cups of Uncooked popcorn kernels
- For 40 guests you need 50 oz of Uncooked popcorn kernels
That will yield approximately 160 cups of popcorn
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels for 50 guests
- For 50 guests you need 7.8 cups of Uncooked popcorn kernels
- For 50 guests you need 62.5 oz of Uncooked popcorn kernels
That will yield approximately 200 cups of popcorn
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels for 75 guests
- For 75 guests you need 11.7 cups of Uncooked popcorn kernels
- For 75 guests you need 94 oz of Uncooked popcorn kernels
That will yield approximately 300 cups of popcorn
How many cups of unpopped popcorn kernels for 100 guests
- For 100 guests you need 15.6 cups of Uncooked popcorn kernels
- For 100 guests you need 125 oz of Uncooked popcorn kernels
That will yield approximately 400 cups of popcorn
How Many Grams of Popcorn Kernels Per Person?
For 1 person you need 36 grams of unpopped corn kernels.
How Much Popcorn Does 2 Tablespoons of Kernels Make
Two tablespoons of kernels make 4 cups of popcorn.
How Much Popcorn Does 1/4 Cup of Kernels Make
A 1/4 cup of kernels will make 5 cups of popped popcorn.
How Much Popcorn Per Event (Popcorn Serving Size for Big Groups or Large Crowds)
As mentioned, the amount of popcorn that you have to prepare depends on what kind of event you are in. A party requires more than an average person needs because everyone wants their share of delicious snacks. However, when preparing for a wedding reception, you may want to keep things simple so that you don’t overdo it. On the other hand, if you are hosting a birthday celebration, you might want to go overboard since you know that everybody loves to eat more at a party.
Read more below for the kind of party.
Corporate Events
Gourmet popcorn adds just the right touch to your business functions. A popcorn bar would be a great idea to cater to everyone at the event. Add a variety of flavors of popcorn such as plain popcorn, cheese, fruits, colored, vegan, and more. Corporate events usually get a popcorn bar for snacks. With that, here is the estimated amount that you should prepare, assuming that every guest will only get 2 cups of popcorn.
- For 20 guests: 40 cups of popped popcorn
- For 50 guests: 100 cups of popped popcorn
- For 100 guests: 200 cups of popped popcorn
Kiddie Party
We all know how much kids love to eat heaps of popcorn in one seating. But they typically eat about half the amount as adults.
For 20 Kids: 30 cups of popcorn
For 50 Kids: 70 cups of popcorn
Adults Birthday Party
Serving popcorn in a birthday party usually comes as a snack. Plus there is cake and other foods normally. So, we will compute the amount needed based on 2 cups of popcorn per adult. Here’s the amount of popcorn that you will need:
- For 50 guests: 100 cups of popped popcorn
- For 100 guests: 200 cups of popped popcorn
- For 150 guests: 300 cups of popped popcorn
- For 200 guests: 400 cups of popped popcorn
FAQs
How to Season Popcorn
The most important thing about making good-quality popcorn is seasoning. You can use salt, sugar, butter, garlic powder, grated parmesan, grated parsley, oil, herbs, spices, etc. Here’s the step on how to season a popcorn:
1. Heat up some oil in a pot over medium-high heat until hot enough. If using a microwave, heat at a high power setting for 1 minute.
2. Put the corn into the pot with olive oil or melted butter. Stir well. Cover the pot and let cook for 3 minutes. Remove cover and stir again. Let cook another 4-5 minutes.
3. When done, remove from heat and pour out onto a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle your air-popped popcorn or microwave popcorn with desired flavorings. Serve immediately.
How to Make Stovetop Popcorn
To make stovetop popcorn, follow these steps:
1. Pour vegetable oil into a large saucepan. The pan needs to be big enough, so it holds plenty of oil when heated.
2. Place the pan over medium heat. Once the oil starts bubbling around the edges, add the pre-popped corn kernels. Do not overcrowd the pan;
3. When the popping slows down, turn off the burner. Immediately transfer the cooked corn to a bowl. Add your favorite flavoring such as salt, pepper, cheese, butter, etc. Mix well before eating.
How to Make Microwave Popcorn
Popcorn Recipe: Microwave Oven Follow these simple instructions to make microwave popcorn:
1. Fill a small mixing bowl half full with uncooked corn kernels and oil. This helps prevent burning while cooking.
2. Pour the unpopped popcorn into a brown paper lunch sack.
3. Spray inside of the microwave-safe dish with nonstick spray.
4. Put the brown paper lunch sack filled with unpopped popcorn inside. Fold the top of the bag to seal while heating.
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat.
6. Open carefully and pour the seasonings.
You can of course buy microwave popcorn bag, but they are only good for smaller groups.
Also, shake the bag to keep the unpopped kernels at the bottom
How Much Oil for Popcorn
A half-cup of kernels will only need at least 2 tablespoons of oil. Popcorn requires lots of oil because it has no fat content. It also contains starch which makes it stickier than other foods. For this reason, I recommend adding extra oil during the process of making popcorn. However, if you are worried about having too much oil, then just reduce the quantity of oil used by one tablespoon.