Popcorn is a classic movie night snack, and sometimes it's also a nice way to satisfy a craving when you want some junk food but don't want to dive into a bag of chips.
While butter may be your go-to topping at the theatre, white cheddar popcorn is the most abundant flavour in the grocery store aisle and it can be hard to know which one to choose.
After a recent grocery store trip to Real Canadian Superstore, Thrifty Foods and Walmart in Victoria, B.C., I came across five brands that have their own version of white cheddar popcorn.
Those brands are Great Value, Smartfood, SkinnyPop, Compliments and Orville Redenbacher and I decided to put them all to a test to see how they compare in terms of flavour.
For me, when I think of popcorn I want it to be light and fluffy, but to also have that crunch to each bite. It also needs to taste like the flavour I'm choosing to go with, which in this case is white cheddar.
For this comparison, I'll be rating each brand out of five in terms of how much I enjoyed the popcorn.
Here's how it went.
Compliments Aged White Cheddar Flavour Kettle Corn
Compliments Aged White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $4.29 for 190 grams
Price per 100 grams: $2.26
I had never tried Compliments popcorn prior to this taste test and I can safely say I haven't been missing much.
The popcorn has a nice crunch to the popped kernels but that's all it has going for it.
If I was to eat this blindfolded I'm almost certain I wouldn't be able to tell you it's white cheddar flavoured popcorn because that's not what it tastes like.
I can't even explain what it tastes like, but I can confirm I didn't like it.
Rating: 1.5/5
SkinnyPop White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn
SkinnyPop White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $5.29 for 125 grams
Price per 100 grams: $4.23
SkinnyPop popcorn is the healthiest white cheddar popcorn on the list, and by healthiest I mean it has the least amount of calories per cup, no sugar, and no artificial colours of flavours.
While I do appreciate a healthier snack during a movie-night at home, it was hard comparing this brand to the others because of how subtle the flavour is. Again, if you blindfolded me and asked me to tell you what flavour of popcorn this is, I would most likely not say white cheddar.
If I wasn't comparing this to the other bags of white cheddar popcorn, I wouldn't mind the lack of cheesiness because the popcorn itself has a nice crunch to it and is overall good popcorn.
If you're looking for a healthy popcorn option similar to BOOMCHICKAPOP, I would recommend SkinnyPop.
However, if you want flavoured popcorn with a distinct cheese flavour, then this is not it.
Rating: 2.5/5
Great Value White Cheddar Flavoured Popcorn
Great Value White Cheddar Flavoured Popcorn.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $3.27 for 190 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.72
Great Value popcorn, which can be found at Walmart, is made with real cheddar cheese and I immediately noticed the difference when comparing it to Compliments and SkinnyPop.
Each popped kernel is loaded with white cheesy powder and it's honestly quite tasty.
My issue with this brand though is that the popcorn is a bit too soft for my liking and almost tastes stale when compared to how crunchy the other brands are.
However, if you don't mind a less crunchy popcorn then you might really enjoy this one!
Rating: 3/5
Orville Redenbacher White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn
Orville Redenbacher White Cheddar Flavour popcorn.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $4.79 for 190 grams
Price per 100 grams: $2.52
Orville Redenbacher is a big name in popcorn and it's my go-to when it comes to making the snack at home in the microwave.
While I had never tried this brand's white cheddar flavour, I wasn't surprised that it was good.
Each bite was loaded with flavour, and the cheesiness was quite bold and had a kick to it.
I really enjoyed this popcorn and I know I'll be picking it up again.
The only thing I did take a bit of issue with is when I noticed that it had way more sodium than the other brands (600 milligrams of sodium per 50 grams of popcorn). In other words, it's super salty.
Rating: 4.5/5
Smartfood White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn
Smartfood White Cheddar Flavour Popcorn.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Price: $3.97 for 200 grams
Price per 100 grams: $1.99
When I think of Smartfood, I think of it as the OG of the white cheddar flavour (at least it was when I was growing up in Ontario).
I remember being a kid and going through an entire bag because once you start, it's hard to stop.
I haven't had it in ages and honestly, it's just as good now as it was then.
This popcorn has so much flavour and it's a great balance of butter and cheese, something the other brands did not have.
Again, it was hard to stop myself from finishing the whole bag because it's so addictive.
This popcorn has been popular for so long and it's easy to see why!
Rating: 5/5
Honestly choosing a winner for this taste test was tough and I kept going back and forth between Smartfood and Orville Redenbacher.
If you prefer a white cheddar popcorn with a buttery finish then Smartfood is the way to go but if you want a bolder, cheesier kick to your snack then you might prefer Orville Redenbacher. Either way, you can't go wrong!
A movie night isn't just about popcorn and the more variety you have in terms of snacks, the better.
If you like chips, you may want to read Sarah Rohoman's comparison of salt and vinegar chips or Mira Nabulsi's take on ketchup chips found in Canadian grocery stores.
If you're having some friends over and need some finger food options, I also recently compared five brands of chicken nuggets and four brands of pierogi.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
