Chocolate protein popcorn
8 min · 15 g protein · 168 cals / serving
A giant bowl of warm air-popped popcorn tossed in a little melted butter and shaken in a chocolate protein dust of whey, cocoa and a pinch of salt. Sweet-salty, movie-night sized, ready in five minutes, and each half carries a little more protein than two eggs.
Ingredients
Chocolate dust
- 1 scoop whey protein, chocolate (whey, not casein)
- 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
- a pinch stevia, pure stevia extract, to taste (optional)
- a pinch salt, fine
Steps
- Pop the kernels in an air popper, or in a large microwave-safe glass bowl covered with a plate for 2–3 minutes, until the pops slow to one every 2 seconds. Tip into the biggest bowl you own, or a large paper or zip-top bag, and pick out any unpopped kernels.
- While it pops, whisk the protein powder, cocoa, sweetener and salt together in a small bowl, breaking up any lumps so it is a fine, even dust.
- Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn while it is still warm, tossing as you pour so every piece gets a light sheen.
- Sprinkle over half the chocolate dust, close the bag or cover the bowl with a plate and shake hard, then add the rest and shake again until every piece is coated. Eat straight away; it is best the day it is made.
Good to know
Why the butter first?
Dry powder will not stick to dry popcorn, and most of it ends up at the bottom of the bowl. A thin sheen of warm butter gives the dust something to cling to, so add it while the popcorn is still hot and shake in two rounds.
Why whey and not casein?
Whey is a fine, light powder that dusts evenly. Casein is heavier and turns pasty where it meets the warm butter, so it clumps instead of coating: ideal in a brownie, wrong on popcorn.
Can I go savory?
Shake the buttered popcorn with unflavored whey, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, the salt and a spoonful of finely grated parmesan instead of the cocoa and sweetener. It reads like a cheese-dust popcorn.
Per
- Calories
- 400
- Protein
- (35%)
- 36 g
- Fat
- (26%)
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- (39%)
- 45 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 12 g
- Sodium
- 354 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 336 kcal goes into the pot and 87 g of ingredients comes out as about 84 g of food: 400 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.