Nick Jonas's 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Popcorn—It's Delicious

When I make popcorn, I'm usually content with butter and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes for flavoring. Now and then, I want to spice it up since the entire family, including my ten-year-old son, loves food with a kick.

I could take the easy route and dust the popcorn with chili powder, but I knew there had to be a better one-ingredient upgrade out there. So, this food journalist went on a deep dive to find the perfect solution to popcorn with a kick.

I was going to settle on a spicy popcorn seasoning mix when I came across Nick Jonas’s interview with US Weekly. Jonas revealed, “I like Sriracha-flavored popcorn,” and that he would only eat popcorn in the theaters after the movie started, not during the previews. 

Now, why didn’t the Vietnamese lady in me think of Sriracha? The popular condiment made from fermented chili paste I’ve enjoyed for decades is umami-ful, garlicky, tangy, and perfectly spicy. Paired with butter, Sriracha is the perfect one-ingredient upgrade for the ubiquitous movie snack. I grabbed a bottle of Sriracha from the pantry and went to work. 

How To Make Nick Jonas’s Sriracha Popcorn 

To make Jonas’s delicious spicy sriracha-flavored popcorn, you only need three ingredients: popcorn, unsalted butter, and sriracha.

Pop your popcorn as usual, on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Then, melt the butter and stir in the Sriracha. A good rule of thumb is to use a two-to-one ratio of butter to sriracha. So, if you melt two tablespoons of butter, mix in one tablespoon of Sriracha. Always give it a taste and adjust it according to your palate.

If it’s too spicy, add more butter. If it’s not spicy enough, add more sriracha. Then, drizzle this mixture over the popcorn and give it a good toss to coat it thoroughly with the spicy butter.

Tips To Make Nick Jonas’s Spicy Popcorn Even Better  

The pho-loving Vietnamese lady in me can’t help but want to make Jonas’s Sriracha popcorn even better. Thinking of what I usually add to my pho, I squirted a little hoisin sauce into my Sriracha-butter mixture to taste. Hoisin sauce adds a bit of balancing sweetness. If you have a bigger sweet tooth than me, instead of hoisin sauce, you can mix in a little honey or maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. 

A squirt of lime juice brightens the popcorn, too, complementing the flavors of the Sriracha. Popcorn that tastes like pho, what’s not to like?

Finally, if you have extra time, brown the butter first, especially if you’re using at least a quarter cup (four tablespoons) of butter. It adds another layer of richness and flavor. 

Movie popcorn is best when warm and buttery, but pump up its heat level with some Sriracha, and it becomes unforgettable—so good that it’s now a family favorite.