Popcorn Is Good. Bacon Makes It Better

Whether you're seated for Hollywood's hottest new movie or enjoying a mid-day snack, popcorn is a timeless, bite-sized provision beloved by many. Although regular popcorn needs no fixing, there's nothing wrong with giving a classic snack a flavor-forward facelift. Enter bacon, the easy-to-make breakfast staple that takes a bowl of popcorn from ordinary to extraordinary.

Bacon packs a heavy-handed umami punch that gives the mild-mannered, one-dimensional taste of plain popcorn a tint of savory goodness. Because most bacon is salt-cured, it doubles as a flavor enhancer and sodium source — double win. Bacon also provides a batch of popcorn with protein, making it a perfect post-gym snack. Whether you use pork for a classic taste, turkey for a lighter flavor, beef for a hearty machismo, or a vegan variety for a deceptively meaty taste, any type of bacon can improve the flavor of popcorn.

For the best and boldest flavor, prepare freshly cooked bacon and dice, smash, or crush it into bite-sized pieces. How bacon influences the texture of your popcorn bowl is ultimately your choice. For double the crunch, cook the rashers longer. For a softer, chewier texture that will contrast the brittleness of popcorn, cook the strips for less time. Not in the mood to cook? Bacon bits are a convenient alternative. Whether store-bought or homemade, sprinkle crushed bacon over a bowl of popcorn as a functional garnish or shake it all together for an integrated bacon popcorn experience.

Bacon does plenty of favors for a plain-jane batch of popcorn, which means you don't need to introduce anything else to elevate its flavor. If you're feeling adventurous, however, there are plenty of complementary ingredients you can incorporate into your bacon-kissed popcorn to take things up a notch.

If you have a little extra time, try making candied bacon to infuse your popcorn with. Before frying or baking it, coat bacon in an amalgam of sticky-sweet maple syrup, brown sugar, pulverized nuts, and any other spices you'd like to give it a dulcet taste that maintains its umami bluster. When you add candied bacon to a batch of popcorn, you get a mix of sweet, salty, and savory akin to kettle corn.

To give your popcorn a cheesy taste sans cheese, sprinkle in a generous serving of nutritional yeast. Its savory, deceptively dairylicious bravado mingles with the meaty flavor of bacon and gives the popcorn a touch of bold richness — perfect for vegans using meatless bacon. To eat this bacon-studded snack like the pros, think like Ina Garten and give popcorn an upgrade with a heaping drizzle of melted truffle butter and enjoy a luxuriously savory snacking experience.

Whether you keep it simple or add to it, once you taste bacon-infused popcorn, you'll never look at the regular stuff the same. Enjoy it with friends, munch on it over the sink while you stare into the abyss during a work break, or sneak it into the theater — don't worry, we won't tell!