This Hack Gives Leftover Popcorn a Second, Crunchy Life (2024)

There’s no way to put this lightly: leftover popcorn is not good. No matter if it’s homemade or from the movie theater, anytime those popped kernels sit out for a few hours, they turn into a stale, mushy disaster.

So, if you’re sick of throwing away your $12 movie theater popcorn—or choking it down because you don’t want to waste it—we found a hack that revives leftover popcorn to its original crunchy glory. And all you need is an oven—or better yet, an air fryer.

The hack originated from a 2017 “Inside Edition” report that showed how to revive stale cereal, chips, and popcorn in your oven. TikTok user @anguswannnn recently tried it but took it up a notch by using the air fryer instead of the oven because the “oven’s too big [and] going to use too much electricity,” he explained.

He did follow the original oven method, though, which means reheating the popcorn at 250°F for 5 minutes. He took the once-soggy movie theater popcorn out of the air fryer, and it was perfectly crunchy again. But was that TikTok editing magic, or does the trick actually work? We tried it to find out.

Does Reheating Leftover Popcorn Actually Work?

I recently saw a movie in the theaters and had some leftover popcorn. Normally, I would begrudgingly throw the bag away or bring it home and leave it on my counter for a few days before inevitably tossing it after no one has touched it. But, this time, I knew I had this hack in my back pocket and was hoping that meant the leftover snack wouldn’t go to waste.

When reheating the popcorn, I opted for the air fryer because the preheating time is so much quicker than my oven. I dumped the popcorn in the 250°F cooking vessel and let it air fry for 5 minutes. I could hear the popcorn flying around in the air fryer—and even popping some of those unpopped kernels from the bottom of the bag.

After air frying, the popcorn didn’t look any different. It wasn’t browned or melty—it really gave no indication that it was reheated at all...Until I tried it. I popped a few pieces in my mouth and was shocked at how crunchy it was. It really did taste exactly like the fresh popcorn from the day before.

I highly recommend trying this method. Whether you went back for your free bucket refill at the theater or just found a half-eaten bag of your favorite store-bought popcorn deep in the pantry, this trick is sure to make your snack as good as new!