Dorito Popcorn – Gluten free & Vegan

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Do you like DORITOS but want a healthier option? Try this Dorito Popcorn Recipe to get the flavor of Doritos, but without the chemical topping–delicious and dairy-free too!

Love DORITOS® but you don't like all of the chemical nasties? Get "Dorito®" Flavor without the chemicals with this Dorito® Popcorn! It's a great dairy free seasoning that tastes great on veggies, salads, kale chips, pasta, rice, and more!

If you’ve been around my blog, or my family, for awhile, you know that we love popcorn – I’ve got a bunch of homemade popcorn recipes on my site from Healthy Peanut Butter Popcorn to one of our faves Surprisingly Good Seasoned Popcorn. And of course, there is Basic Healthy Stovetop Popcorn for the popcorn purist. But one thing you likely don’t know is that I love Doritos.

But I don’t eat them anymore.

In fact, no one in our home eats them.

We did have an unfortunate episode with a Ranch Dorito® long ago that led to a near anaphylactic reaction in my oldest, but that’s not why we don’t have them around.

Since I’ve become a natural-whole foodie, GMO corn and the chemical concoction on top of the crispy chips are not welcome in our home anymore.

The ingredients in Doritos are just nothing that I want in neither my nor my family’s bodies.

When you think about it, would you really choose to have your chips topped with monosodium glutamate, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Red 40, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate?

Me neither.

I actually have a few funny things to tell you about Doritos–each one about one of my sons

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What’s a Dorito, Anyway?

When I found some Dorito seasoning recipes on the internet and told my boys that I would be making Dorito Popcorn, my youngest asked what Doritos are.

I know, that sounds pretty ridiculous to some folks, but since we’ve never had them in our house, and we don’t watch much TV, my son didn’t know what they are.

Hint: If you are trying to whole-foodify your family’s diet, avoiding TV is a huge help. And avoid the center aisles of the grocery store too. That’s where almost all of the processed stuff lurks. Just waiting to tempt you to spend too much and put chemicals and additives into your body.

The Only Dorito My Oldest Son Has Ever Had

When my son was about 5 months old, he was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to 3 foods (later other foods were added to his “off limit” list). You can read Eczema and Food Allergies–from Despair to Healing to learn more about all we went through.

Dairy, egg whites, and peanuts have not been in his diet. Ever.

Well, mostly.

When he was about 1 1/2 years old, we were at a church party.

Suddenly, I noticed my son had hives all down one side of his face and was holding a half-eaten chip.

I grabbed the chip and quickly figured out what had happened.

My suspicions were verified when I found the offending chip’s bag.

Ranch Doritos. They contain milk powder.

Another small child had placed his unfinished plate of Doritos down at “little tyke” level and my son had gotten a bite.

We quickly gave him Benadryl and called his allergist who assured us he was in no danger as long as the symptoms didn’t progress to vomiting or breathing. Which they didn’t.

So–

  • between the one son who didn’t know what Doritos are
  • the other who has only had a small bite ever cross his lips and
  • mom who just loves Doritos but can’t stomach the ingredient list,

we were all super excited to work on making a seasoning that we could put on popcorn and have that delicious Dorito flavor without all the allergy problems and chemical and GMO ickiness.

And now you can enjoy it too.

dorito popcorn in yellow bowl

Where to buy Quality Spices?

I personally LOVE Frontier spices for their freshness and quality. I buy almost all of my spices from them in bulk because we do so much cooking from scratch.

If you prefer small amounts, Simply Organic is Frontier’s section of products in smaller quantities.

Recipe Notes and Substitutions for Dorito Popcorn

  • Nutritional Yeast: Oh–and as a side note, nutritional yeast is a non-candida-feeding yeast that has a nutty-cheesy flavor. Vegans tend to use it a lot for a cheesy taste without dairy.
    And if you’re trying to avoid synthetic folic acid (almost all nutritional yeast has it), here is a brand to try.
  • THM: This recipe is a “crossover” if you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, unless you use air-popped popcorn, which will make it an “E.”

Other Popcorn Recipes


If you love popcorn as much as we do, you’ll love trying out these other recipes.

The BEST Popcorn Seasoningeveryone asks for this recipe
Herb Popcorn — a surprisingly delicious recipe
Sugar-free Kettle Corn — amazingly good!
Peanut Butter Popcorn — which can also be made into Almond Butter Popcorn as well.

The BEST Stovetop Popcorn Popper

We’ve had this popper for many years and we love it.

Most crank-style poppers are made of aluminum, but this one is made from stainless steel — much better for your non-toxic lifestyle.

I Recommend
Great Northern Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Popper

Great Northern Stainless Steel Stovetop Popcorn Popper

I love that this popper is stainless steel (not aluminum) -- no shaking needed and makes up to 5 quarts in minutes!


dorito popcorn in yellow bowl

“Dorito” Popcorn – dairy free, gluten free, vegan

Like Doritos but don’t like the chemical topping? Try this Dorito popcorn recipe – like eating Doritos, but without the chemicals! It’s dairy-free too!
4.87 from 36 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, THM:S, Vegan
Keyword: dorito popcorn
Servings: 6 -8 cups
Calories: 124kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Prepare popcorn using oil with your preferred method. This Healthy Stovetop Popcorn post has more information about popping and about my favorite stovetop popcorn popper. Air popped popcorn won't work without additional oil since the seasoning needs moisture from the oil to adhere to the popcorn.
  • Combine all spices, and salt in a small bowl.
  • Blend seasonings in a spice or coffee grinder, or blend in blender to make a fine powder.
  • Sprinkle seasoning over popcorn and toss to coat.

Notes

  • Nutritional Yeast: Oh–and as a side note, nutritional yeast is a non-candida-feeding yeast that has a nutty-cheesy flavor. Vegans tend to use it a lot for a cheesy taste without dairy.
    And if you’re trying to avoid synthetic folic acid (almost all nutritional yeast has it), here is a brand to try.
  • THM: This recipe is a “crossover” if you are on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, unless you use air-popped popcorn, which will make it an “E.”

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg | Net Carbs: 7g

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

I hope you love this Dorito Popcorn as much as we do!

What is your favorite way to eat popcorn?
Do you still eat Doritos :)?

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Recipe Rating




 

300 Comments

    1. Depends on your allergies. can you find a curry w/o cumin? that would work. Paprika – any other pepper but you’ll have to choose one that isn’t too hot – would that work?

  1. 5 stars
    I just made this! This seasoning blend is the bomb!!! WOW! I wasn’t expecting it to be that delicious. I think I will use this seasoning on other things too! It would be great on French fries, baked potato, homemade tortilla chips or crackers, roasted nuts, etc! For those wondering which flavor of “Doritos” this most resembles, it is probably most likely the original “taco” flavor Doritos.

    1. Hi Laura! So glad you enjoyed it so much! I was thinking about tweaking it, but I guess not–LOL! I agree with the topping ideas—love the cracker idea! These Lentil Crackers would be a great option for that!

      Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your great tips!

  2. I’ll have to skip this one due to the nutritional yeast (migraines here) but other than that it does look much healthier than Doritos, which I haven’t had in years. Will be having your Pakistani Kima soon!

    1. Aww so sorry about the migraine issue! I do hope you like the Kima – making it today for Thanksgiving actually :). Hope to have some more popcorn recipes up soon.

  3. 5 stars
    I use this recipe all the time when I make popcorn! But I just use 1/4 tsp of salt and it’s more than enough for me. I do everything else exactly like the fecipe, 1/4 tsp of cayenne too and the spiciness is perfect. Thank you for the recipe, really helps me keep my cravings in check 🙂

  4. Make your own Dorito chips!! Use this spice mixture and use on corn or wheat tortillas cut to the right size, sprayed with olive or avocado oil to the spice sticks, and toast in the oven.

    1. Yes I should do a post on that too – YUM!!!! Thanks for bringing that up again b/c I have thought about it!

  5. 5 stars
    I meant to rate this. Sorry! 5 star. Makes plenty left over to use for another batch of popcorn the next day.

    1. Awww thanks for thinking of that – it means a lot especially when someone from All Recipes takes your recipe and publishes it there :(. Not good.

  6. This was delish! I, of course, air popped the kernels, but mister it with plenty of cooking spray and tossed the spice mixture. I like that salt is optional, so I threw in only one teaspoon. I swapped out the cayenne and paprika for hot Hungarian paprika, which I already had on hand. Y U M ! I bet this will be even better with a hit of lime juice. Spicy, sour, salty, crunchy, and zero guilt FTW. I also love that this uses nutrition yeast in a clever way.

  7. Hi

    How long will the Doritos popcorn mixture be good for in the fridge after it is made up, there will be no salt in it?

    Thanks

    1. Hi there. So the recipe has salt in it, so are you saying you wouldn’t put the salt in there? Without salt, the shelf life will be the shelf life of the spice that has the shortest shelf life and that will depend on the age of your spices. Hope that helps and that you enjoy it!

  8. 5 stars
    Seasoning didn’t stick good, so sprayed popcorn with a light mist of olive oil then remixed and that worked well. I will make again, next time will cut chili powder in half and maybe Cayenne too, packed a big punch. Taste was great! Wow, just like Doritos.

    1. Hi there. So sorry I didn’t respond to you until now. I’ve been completely buried. Did you use air popped popcorn by chance? So glad you liked it!

      1. Yes, used air popcorn for healthier reasons. So, that makes sense, why the mixture didn’t stick. If I had used microwave popcorn or buttered it obviously would have. Thanks

        1. Yes, that’s exactly it! I used to make air popped all the time, but then moved to popping in oil–actually for health reasons. Popcorn is pretty high glycemic and the fat helps modulate that. I went from low fat to much higher fat and actually am much healthier now. Anyhow, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Another popcorn recipe is coming soon so stay tuned! I hope you are subscribed to updates! You can subscribe at the top of the blog or in the sidebar or below the posts. Take care!

  9. 5 stars
    Forgot the cumin and didn’t have any chilli on hand… But woooow this was excellent!! Seasoning is really really good!

  10. 5 stars
    Excellent seasoning recipe and delicious on popcorn. Thanks so much for this recipe – I make extra with additional chili powder and keep on hand.

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you again for this excellent spice recipe! Just made another double batch to keep in a shaker. I use engevita yeast which seems to be a powdered form or run the nutritional yeast flakes through a spice grinder to help ‘sticking’. We also oil pop (avocado oil) and a little melted ghee and believe including some oil in your diet is healthier and keeps you feeling satisfied.

        1. Thank you so much! So happy you like it! We were just saying that we need to order nutritional yeast – haven’t had it in our home for way too long!

      1. 3 stars
        Way too much cumin. Tastes like cumin popcorn. The other spices are good. Would just leave cumin out or maybe 1/4 tsp.

        1. I’m so sorry you feel that way. I don’t think anyone has said that before. Perhaps you blended incorrectly? Sorry!