Selena Gomez's Tangy Popcorn Upgrade Is Perfect For Movie Night
Selena Gomez may be a successful actress, singer, and businesswoman, but she's still a work in progress when it comes to the culinary arts. Not gonna lie, seeing her struggle to cook on her HBO Max show "Selena + Chef" made us feel better about our chef potential. But if there's one thing you can't deny about her, it's her broad interest in different foods. She typically enjoys Tex-Mex for breakfast, protein-rich salads for lunch, and various bowls for dinner. For snacks, she likes Cheetos and chocolates, but her favorite is pickles.
Selena loves pickles so much that she's not afraid to mix them with her food and snacks whenever possible. One recipe she once proudly shared on national TV that uses the briny food item is her tangy popcorn. If you are someone who likes the combination of tangy, spicy, and crispy, then you might enjoy munching on this snack on your next movie night.
@fallontonight @selenagomez teaches Jimmy how she eats popcorn 🍿 #FallonFlashback Original Air Date: 07/21/2010 (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) #SelenaGomez #JimmyFallon
In a TikTok clip from her 2010 guest appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," Gomez happily shared her family's go-to popcorn recipe, which involves adding a generous amount of Tabasco sauce and a bit of salt to plain popcorn, mixing it all up, and eating each piece with pickle juice dip. Fallon initially seemed wary of the bizarre recipe, as seen in the clip. But once he got a taste of it, he changed his mind, calling it "phenomenal" and his "new favorite popcorn."
How to make Selena Gomez's tangy popcorn
To make Selena Gomez's tangy popcorn, you can start by pouring as much Tabasco sauce as you would like into a bag of popcorn. Plain popcorn is ideal, but if you want it to be a bit more decadent, then buttered popcorn will do. Next, sprinkle in some salt, close the bag, and shake it well until the flavorings are evenly distributed. Once done, transfer the seasoned popcorn into a bowl. Then, prepare pickle brine to serve as a dip. Though the Jack-in-the-Box-loving Hollywood star has not revealed her preferred pickle brand, her boyfriend, Benny Blanco, disclosed on TikTok that her favorite is Best Maid Pickles. But if you can't get a hold of the Texas-based product, any dill pickle brine will do.
Popcorn is versatile, as it can easily be upgraded with the introduction of different flavors. Even adding something as trendy and unexpected as matcha can give it a vibrant upgrade. Gomez's recipe does the same. Adding Tabasco sauce, which brings not only heat but also a tangy kick due to its vinegar base, makes each bite even more exciting. And dipping each piece in pickle juice, which is sour and zesty, creates a contrast that wakes up the palate. The combination of crunchy and wet elements adds another layer of surprise through texture. What makes the whole recipe work is contrast — spicy and sour, dry crunch and liquid tang. The interplay of these flavors and textures will keep you coming back for more (along with Gomez herself it seems).