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!
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 first.
Why Our Oldest Didn't Know What Doritos Were
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 little kid 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.
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.
- Homemade Popcorn Seasoning – everyone 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.
“Dorito” Popcorn – dairy free, gluten free, vegan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels (organic preferred)
- 2 – 3 tablespoons coconut oil (for popping)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or granules (if you would like to make your own garlic granules, see Easy Homemade Granulated Garlic)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder or granules
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (if you would prefer homemade chili powder, see The “Best” Basic Chili Powder)
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
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
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
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 :)?
Couple of questions. I am new to essentials oils. My husband has been plagued with asthma, bronchitis& sinus infections for quite a long time. He has had 2 surgeries on his sinuses & hospitalized 3 times in the last couple of years for asthma & bronchitis.We have tried RC a couple of times & I diffuse some of the oils. Any suggestions.? I have read several different opinions on ingesting essentials oils & we haven’t tried although I do take oregano capsules when I feel a cold or feel badly. I have a question about myself. I had rotator cuff surgery in August & have some issues with my neck, shoulder & back, either muscular, trigger points or just tension knots. Any suggestions? Thanks,
Hi there. Here is the answer to your question from the owner of Native American Nutritionals. This is not medical advice – please consult w/ your physician prior to making changes in your diet or taking any supplements,
You are a GODDESS among women. I made this last night and it was awesome even without butter! I already use NOOCH aka nutritional yeast on my buttered popcorn. I avoid Doritos bc of the nasty ingredients & MSG, but WHAT HO! this is AWESOME. Which makes YOU awesome. I mention it at the end of todays post about green smoothies too. And link to glorious you. THANK YOU.
Thanks! You made my day!!!
You seem to have a very nice site with a lot of good recipes and information. Why do have McDonalds advertising on your site? Do you take your family there? My daughter has a site also and she does organic, grain free, and allergy free. She would never compromise her site for money.
I’m sorry about that. I am redoing my ads – it’s a hard line b/t trying to have ads to pay for my blogging expenses (which are HUGE these days) and keeping ads off that I don’t agree with. I make it a point to keep off sexual ads and more compromising things. I personally would be open to an occasional cone from McDs if I could still eat them. They were one of my favorite frugal date night treats years ago :). Trying to do my best here. Initially I had no ads at all. Thinking about where to go from here. Thanks for your comment. Where does your daughter blog?
Oh my goodness, I am indebted to you!! This recipe is amazing! I have been missing that distinct cheesy, spicy “doritos” flavor so badly… you have no idea! 🙂 Just tried the recipe for the first time tonight, and I am totally hooked! Thank You!!!
Yea – thanks!!
Definitely pinning, sharing and trying. And yes, on the cayenne! Thank you!!!
Thanks Maggie! You are so welcome! Can’t wait to here what the Popcorn Afficionado thinks!
This has been our favorite way to make popcorn for about 5 months now–we don’t even make popcorn anymore unless we have this seasoning to go on top! I just wanted to share that I make a quadruple batch of the seasoning mix in my Vitamix until all the seasonings are powdery. I find that it coats a bit better and we go through the seasoning mix more slowly! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
You’re welcome!
We loved this! Would probably back off the cumin for personal tastes only, but it was super yummy!
Yea!!!
I’m so curious about nutritional yeast, since I’ve never used it before.
We are waiting on blood triad results to see which foods my autistic four-year-old son is sensitive to; I am mentally/emotionally preparing myself to see casein on the list–we’ve been big dairy eaters at my house thus far.
Do you think I could use this “Dorito” seasoning in meat for taco salad? Of all of us, my husband will suffer the most not having cheese in the house, and keeping his beloved Mexican food night on the menu is my biggest challenge right now.
I’ve visited your blog occasionally in the past, Adrienne, but I have a feeling I will need to subscribe when those blood test results come in.
Yes, it would be GREAT but I have a DIY taco seasoning you will love. It’s on my site.
There are a ton of good ideas for you here. I would just go ahead an subscribe now :). But of course, I am biased.
Thanks! I took a look at your taco seasoning recipe, even though we’ve been making our own for years. I was specifically interested in the “nacho cheese” element of the yeast. Either way, I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for months and haven’t gotten around to it yet. Maybe banning dairy from the house will motivate me. 😉
Made these tonight -delicious!! Recipe is spot on!! Thank you.
We love popcorn around here too! Even buying organic popping corn is super cheap compared to buying ready-made snacks. Is there any way to make this without the yeast though? Or are there some other good uses for it? I just hate to buy special ingredients to make one thing. Thanks for all you do, I love your blog!
You could try dried parmesan. I think that would work. I use the yeast for a topping on the table as well. We love it and have other recipes – just haven’t shared them yet. Oh – check out in the search bar….5 ingredient salad dressing :).