Vegan Microwave Popcorn: The Ultimate Guide [Dairy-Free Brands]

Popcorn is my favorite food. No exaggeration—it’s number one. And in 13 years as a vegan, I’ve had popcorn so many ways. Today, I decided to do a complete survey of microwave popcorn brands to make a list of vegan options. So, is microwave popcorn vegan?

Out of 99 microwave popcorn products checked, 34 were vegan and 65 were not vegan. Most microwave popcorn flavors contain “butter” or “natural flavors (including milk).” The most common vegan flavors are “sea salt” and “kettle corn,” but some “butter” flavors are vegan, too.

When I started working on this post, I decided to make it the ultimate vegan guide to microwave popcorn—and I think I’ve succeeded. Below, I cover every major brand of microwave popcorn and which of their products are vegan. Let’s go!

How to Check If Microwave Popcorn Is Vegan

When it comes to finding vegan microwave popcorn, you need to quickly identify whether the popcorn contains a milk ingredient.

I recommend first checking for an allergen warning at the end of the ingredients list.

If the popcorn contains dairy, then it should say “CONTAINS MILK” or something similar. When you see that milk warning, just move on and check the next box of microwave popcorn.

Keep in mind, if the allergen warning says “MAY CONTAIN MILK,” that is typically still considered vegan-friendly. “May contain milk” just means that it was made in a facility that uses dairy products, but there is no dairy being used intentionally in that product.

Read more about “may contain milk” warnings here.

Side Note: This is the best free video introduction I’ve found on adopting a plant-based diet—the right way. You’ll learn how to lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plants. Watch the free Masterclass here.

Milk Ingredients in Microwave Popcorn

There are quite a few different milk ingredients you can find in microwave popcorn products. Keep an eye out for the following dairy ingredients:

• Butter
• Clarified Butter
• Dried Butter
• Butter Oil
• Natural Butter Flavor
• Dry Buttermilk
• Natural Flavor (Includes Milk)
• Dried Parmesan Cheese
• Dried Cheddar Cheese
• White Cheddar Powder
• Natural White Cheddar Flavor

The cheese ingredients are not very common, but “butter” and “natural flavors (including milk)” are very common. Most microwave popcorn flavors are likely to contain one of those. But I promise you—there are dairy-free microwave popcorn brands!

“Gray Area” Ingredients in Microwave Popcorn

There are a couple other ingredients in microwave popcorn that the most picky vegans may worry about.

• Palm oil – Almost all microwave popcorn is made with palm oil, which is controversial to vegans due to sustainability issues. That said, as I explained in my post about Crisco, some palm oil is “responsibly sourced.” See below for microwave popcorn options without palm oil.

• Sucralose – Kettle corn and other sweet flavors of popcorns sometimes have sucralose, which is typically considered vegan but has an infamous history of animal testing (read more here).

• Artificial Colors – Some popcorn flavors are flavored to be a deeper yellow color using artificial colors like yellow 5 or yellow 6. Artificial colors are not always considered vegan due to ongoing animal testing concerns.

Alright, now that we covered which ingredients to look for, let’s get into the vegan microwave popcorn brands!

In the following lists, I won’t bother mentioning the “gray area” ingredients. I’ll just be looking at the dairy ingredients.

Is Act 2 Popcorn Vegan?

Three flavors of Act 2 microwave popcorn are vegan: Butter Lovers, Kettle Corn, and Llama Party (Cotton Candy). All the other flavors contain butter or milk ingredients.

Act II Butter Lovers popcorn is one of the most famous examples of a food that sounds non-vegan, but it actually is vegan. It doesn’t contain real butter. It’s some kind of crazy chemical magic—but it’s not derived from animals.

Here is the full list of Act 2 popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Xtreme Butter	No	Butter
Butter Lovers	Yes	–
Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Light Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Homestyle	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Buttery Kettle Corn	No	Milk
94% Fat Free Butter	No	Butter
Llama Party (Cotton Candy)	Yes	–

Is Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Vegan?

Six flavors of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn are vegan: Kettle Corn, SmartPop! Kettle Corn, Naturals: Simply Salted, Naturals Light: Simply Salted, Avocado Oil Popcorn, and Skinnygirl Lime & Salt. The rest contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full list of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Pour Over Movie Theater Butter	No	Butter
Ultimate Butter	No	Butter
Butter	No	Butter
Light Butter	No	Butter
Tender White	No	Butter
Home Recipe	No	Butter
Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Cheddar Cheese	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk), Butter Oil
SmartPop! Kettle Corn	Yes	–
SmartPop! Butter	No	Butter
Naturals: Simply Salted	Yes	–
Naturals Light: Simply Salted	Yes	–
Naturals Light: Butter & Sea Salt	No	Butter
Avocado Oil Popcorn	Yes	–
Skinnygirl Butter & Sea Salt	No	Butter
Skinnygirl Lime & Salt	Yes	–

Is Pop Secret Vegan?

Eight flavors of Pop Secret microwave popcorn are vegan: Kettle Corn, Sea Salt, 94% Fat Free Kettle Corn, Sweet ‘n Crunchy Caramel, Sweet ‘n Crunchy Kettle Corn, Kidz First Order Kettle Corn, Pumpkin Spice, and Popfetti. The others contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full list of Pop Secret microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Jumbo Pop! Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Extra Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Double Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Homestyle	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Jumbo Pop! Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Sea Salt	Yes	–
94% Fat Free Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Light Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
94% Fat Free Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Sweet ‘n Crunchy Caramel	Yes	–
Sweet ‘n Crunchy Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Kidz Galactic Butter	No	Natural Flavors (Including Milk)
Kidz First Order Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Pumpkin Spice	Yes	–
Popfetti	Yes	–

Is Jolly Time Popcorn Vegan?

Three flavors of Jolly Time microwave popcorn are vegan: Simply Popped Sea Salt, KettleMania, and Healthy Pop Kettle Corn. The other flavors contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full list of Jolly Time microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Blast O Butter	No	Butter, Dry Buttermilk
Simply Popped Butter	No	Clarified Butter
Simply Popped Sea Salt	Yes	–
Xtra Butter	No	Butter, Dry Buttermilk
Butter	No	Butter, Dry Buttermilk
Crispy ‘n White	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Crispy ‘n White Light	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
KettleMania	Yes	–
Mallow Magic	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
The Big Cheez	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Healthy Pop Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Healthy Pop Crispy ‘n White	No	Natural Flavor (Including Milk)
Healthy Pop Kettle Corn	Yes	–

Is Newman’s Own Popcorn Vegan?

Two flavors of Newman’s Own microwave popcorn are vegan: Sea Salt and Tender White. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full list of Newman’s Own microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Sea Salt	Yes	–
Tender White	Yes	–
Touch of Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Organic Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Contains Milk)
Organic Touch of Butter	No	Natural Flavor (Contains Milk)

Is Boom Chicka Pop Microwave Popcorn Vegan?

Two flavors of Boom Chicka Pop microwave popcorn are vegan: Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn and Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn. However, the Real Butter Popcorn flavor is not vegan, as it contains butter.

Here is the full table of Book Chicka Pop microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is it Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn	Yes	–
Real Butter Popcorn	No	Butter
Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn	Yes	–

Is 365 Microwave Popcorn Vegan?

The “No Oil or Salt Added” flavor of 365 microwave popcorn is vegan. The Butter Flavor and Light Butter Flavor are not vegan, as they contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full table of 365 microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is it Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Butter Flavor	No	Organic Butter Flavor
Light Butter Flavor	No	Organic Butter Flavor
No Oil or Salt Added	Yes	–

Is Quinn Popcorn Vegan?

Two flavors of Quinn Pop microwave popcorn are vegan: Vermont Maple Kettle Corn and Just Sea Salt. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full table of Quinn microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Aged Parmesan & Rosemary	No	Dried Parmesan Cheese
Real Butter & Sea Salt	No	Dried Butter
White Cheddar & Sea Salt	No	Dried Cheddar Cheese
Vermont Maple Kettle Corn	Yes	–
Just Sea Salt	Yes	–
Movie Theater Extra Butter	No	Grass-Fed Clarified Butter

Is Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn Vegan?

Both flavors of Skinny Pop microwave popcorn are vegan. Surprisingly, the Butter flavor of Skinny Pop does not include real butter. Instead, it includes “Natural Non-Dairy Butter Flavor” and it is certified vegan.

Here is the table of Skinny Pop microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Sea Salt	Yes	–
Butter	Yes	–

Is Pop Weaver Popcorn Vegan?

No flavors of Pop Weaver microwave popcorn are vegan. All of them contain real butter.

Here is the table of Pop Weaver microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Extra Butter	No	Butter
Butter	No	Butter
Light Butter	No	Butter
Kettle Corn	No	Butter

Is Cousin Willie’s Popcorn Vegan?

Only one flavor of Cousin Willie’s microwave popcorn is vegan: Just a Hint of Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full table of Cousin Willie’s microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Buttery Explosion	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Movie Theater Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn	No	Natural Butter Flavor
White Cheddar	No	Natural White Cheddar Flavor
Natural White Cheddar	No	White Cheddar Powder, Natural White Cheddar Flavor
Cinnamon Toast	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Real Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Just a Hint of Sea Salt	Yes	–

Is Black Jewell Popcorn Vegan?

Three flavors of Black Jewell microwave popcorn are vegan: Natural, No Salt / No Oil, and Simply Sea Salt. The other flavors contain milk ingredients.

Here is the full table of Black Jewell microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Natural	Yes	–
Touch of Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor
Sweet & Salty	No	Natural Butter Flavor
No Salt / No Oil	Yes	–
Simply Sea Salt	Yes	–

Is O Organics Microwave Popcorn Vegan?

The Simply Salted flavor of O Organics microwave popcorn is vegan. However, the Butter flavor of O Organics microwave popcorn is not vegan, as it contains milk ingredients.

Here is the full table of O Organics microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:

Flavor	Is It Vegan?	Animal Ingredients
Simply Salted	Yes	–
Butter	No	Natural Butter Flavor

How to Make Microwave Popcorn With Just Plain Kernals

You can also make popcorn in the microwave with plain popcorn kernels. To do this, you’ll want a safe container to put the kernels in. For example, you can use this collapsible silicon bowl with a lid (Amazon link).

Is There Vegan Microwave Popcorn Without Palm Oil?

Quinn does not use palm oil in their microwave popcorn. They have two vegan options without palm oil: Just Sea Salt and Vermont Maple Kettle Corn. You can also get the “No Oil or Salt” flavors by 365 or Black Jewell—they contain no oil whatsoever.

I was surprised to learn how common palm oil is in microwave popcorn, but it truly is the norm, present in almost all microwave popcorn products.

Even brands like Skinny Pop and Boom Chicka Pop, which use sunflower oil for their pre-popped popcorn, use palm oil for their microwave offerings.

Tip: Melting Vegan Butter to Pour on Popcorn

One time I dated someone who did this with her popcorn. She would take some Earth Balance (vegan butter), put it in a little pot on the stove, melt it, and pour it on her popcorn.

I never thought to do that before, so I thought it was pretty neat.

Most microwave popcorn comes with plenty of salt, oil, and flavor, so you probably won’t need to add melted vegan butter… But I just felt like adding this bonus tip at the end of the article in case it’s what’s been missing in your life!

Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey

1. This is the best free video training I’ve found on plant-based nutrition. You’ll learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plant-based food. Watch the free “Food for Health Masterclass” here.

2. This is the best vegan multivitamin I’ve found in my 14 years of being vegan. It has vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3—and nothing else. Translation: It only has the nutrients vegans are actually low in. Read my full review of Future Kind’s multivitamin here (with 10% discount).