High-quality popcorn makers produce delicious popcorn within minutes, have a high yield with few unpopped kernels, and are easy to clean up.

The Lekue Microwave Popcorn Popper is our top pick because it is simple to use, has a compact design, and costs less than $20.

If you've ever worked in an office environment, you've been tantalized by the smell of microwave popcorn. There's always someone who pops a bag for an afternoon snack. Even at home, many of us simply prefer the convenience of throwing a bag in the microwave, punching in a few numbers, and waiting for the popping to slow.

However, microwave popcorn is inferior to the from-scratch alternatives for several reasons, and it's only marginally more convenient. If you are a frequent popcorn eater, we recommend investing in a popcorn maker.

One of the most popular makers for kicking the microwave bag habit is fittingly the microwave popcorn popper. These poppers usually cost less than $20, are made of silicone, are incredibly easy to use (just put your ingredients in the bowl and put it in the microwave), and fold up for compact storage. Their biggest downfall is that they only make about 12 cups of popcorn at a time.

Air poppers continue to be a favorite option because they don't use oil. However, we didn't include any of these in our guide because it's hard to create a flavor-packed snack without oil. And, seasoning tends not to stick after popping. Plus, each of the models we looked at had a laundry list of buyer complaints.

Stovetop and electric popcorn makers both use metal stirrers and oil to evenly heat kernels. With stovetop models, you control the stirrers with a crank. This task is automated with the electric version. These poppers tend to cost a bit more, but they also produce more popcorn per batch.

While researching the best popcorn makers, we examined thousands of expert and buyer reviews and ratings of dozens of models. Our guide features poppers that have demonstrated their user-friendliness, durability, and ability to pop fluffy, delicious popcorn.

Here are the best popcorn makers:

Prices and links are current as of 6/11/20. We also added a selection of related buying guides.