Christmas Popcorn

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Three-ingredient Christmas Popcorn is a fun holiday treat! Toss freshly popped popcorn and holiday M&M’s in melted white chocolate plus an (optional) coating of sprinkles. Serve this up at your next party or package it up as a delicious, edible gift!

Or try some of our other favorite Christmas snack mixes– this Reindeer ChowSugar Cookie Snack Mix, or Christmas Snack Mix.

Image of a bowl of Christmas Popcorn

Christmas Popcorn

Along with super-simple Christmas cookie recipes (like these three-ingredient Peppermint Cookies), I love a good dessert snack mix that is also easy to whip together.

It’s the perfect last minute treat to make for a party or to entertain guests, it’s the best kind of snack to enjoy alongside the latest cheesy Christmas movie, and it makes for a great edible gift for friends and family. Also, Christmas popcorn is a great treat to get the kids involved with making it–enjoying some good quality time in the kitchen together.

My kids love making this Christmas Popcorn treat–as long as they’re promised handfuls of it upon finishing!

Process shots-- images of the white chocolate in a bowl

How Do You Make Popcorn Even More Delicious?

Add candy and coat it in chocolate, plus sprinkles!

While I adore good Christmas gourmet popcorn (like this Chocolate Popcorn recipe), I don’t always have the time to make that in the craziness of December, and that’s why this popcorn recipe is so great. It uses minimal ingredients and doesn’t take a whole lot of time to whip together.

Here’s what we use:

  • Popcorn. Purchasing already-popped popcorn makes Christmas popcorn come together even quicker and easier, but it’s a bit more spendy. If you’d rather pop your own, here’s what we use. You can, of course, use kernels as well, but be sure to add a touch of salt to the popcorn to enhance the end popcorn flavors.
  • White chocolate. We recommend chocolate made specifically for melting (like these melting wafers) for best results. Melding wagers are found in the baking aisle of your store.
  • Coconut oil. I like to add a touch of oil or shortening to the chocolate. It helps to smooth out the chocolate and makes coating the popcorn in chocolate easier. 
  • Christmas M&M’s. We love the pops of red and green, plus the delicious chocolatey flavor and crunch these candies add to the popcorn. You could also use holiday-colored Six-lets here! (Note: M&M’s and Sixlets are trademarked candy products.)
  • Christmas sprinkles. This is optional, but a fun addition to add even more crunch and color! Here are the exact Christmas sprinkles I use.

QUICK TIP

Try some of our other favorite Christmas popcorn recipes like this Oreo PopcornCake Batter Popcorn, or white-chocolate and cinnamon-sugar-coated Cinnamon Roll Popcorn.

Process shots of Christmas Popcorn-- images of the white chocolate being combined with the popcorn and M&M's

Christmas Popcorn Gift

We love gifting this popcorn–my kids especially love giving it to their friends since they helped make it!

The kids and I go to craft stores and choose from dozens of festive Christmas popcorn tins. Grab as many tins as you want to gift out and fill them with this popcorn!

Another option is to fill up festive bags  with the popcorn and tie with a fun Christmas string/ribbon.

Process shots-- images of the treat being spread on a tray and sprinkles being added on top

STORAGE

How Long Will Christmas Popcorn Last?

Popcorn gets stale quickly, but especially when it’s tossed with chocolate and left in an uncovered bowl!

  • Transfer any leftover Christmas Popcorn to a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and then store in a dry, cool, dark area. Keep out of heat and sunlight where the chocolate could melt.
  • Christmas popcorn is best enjoyed within 3-5 days; even when stored properly, it begins to soften or become stale.
  • We don’t recommend freezing leftovers; they soften as they thaw. If you aren’t sure about being able to finish the entire recipe, cut it in half or thirds! 

Image of a bowl of Christmas Popcorn ready to be enjoyed

QUICK TIP

Quick Kernel Removal Idea: There are few things worse than crunching down on a stray unpopped kernel in your Christmas Popcorn! Here’s how to ensure they don’t sneak in: Lay one or two wire cooling racks over a large tray. Carefully pour the popped popcorn over the cooling rack(s). All the unpopped kernels will fall through the holes onto the tray. Once you’ve scooped up the popcorn and measured it for this recipe, you can dump the kernels left behind into the trash — easy!

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Christmas Popcorn

5 from 5 votes
Three-ingredient Christmas Popcorn is a fun holiday treat! Toss freshly popped popcorn and holiday M&M's in melted white chocolate plus an (optional) coating of sprinkles. Serve this up at your next party or package it up as a delicious, edible gift!
Print Recipe

Christmas Popcorn

5 from 5 votes
Three-ingredient Christmas Popcorn is a fun holiday treat! Toss freshly popped popcorn and holiday M&M's in melted white chocolate plus an (optional) coating of sprinkles. Serve this up at your next party or package it up as a delicious, edible gift!
Course Dessert, Snack, treat
Cuisine American, Vegetarian
Keyword Christmas Popcorn, Christmas Popcorn gift
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 10 servings (~1 cup per serving)
Chelsea Lords
Calories 366kcal
Cost $5.98

Ingredients

Instructions

  • PREP: Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.
  • POP POPCORN: Pop the popcorn according to package directions. Remove any un-popped popcorn kernels. Alternatively, use purchased, pre-popped popcorn and skip this step.
    (Here's what I like to do: set out a wire cooling rack atop a tray and dump the bag of popcorn on top. The un-popped kernels will fall through and leave the popped kernels on top. Pull up the wire cooling rack and dump all the popped popcorn into a very large bowl.)
  • M&Ms: Pour M&M's on top of popcorn.
  • MELT CHOCOLATE: Combine chocolate melts with oil and melt in the microwave until completely smooth (See Note 3). Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and M&M's and stir with a spatula until well combined and coated.
  • ADD SPRINKLES & LET SET: Pour coated popcorn on the prepared baking sheet and spread in an even layer. Add sprinkles on top (as little or as many as you'd like!) and let set/harden at room temperature.
  • ENJOY: Gently break into pieces and store enjoy!
  • STORAGE: Transfer any leftover popcorn to a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and then store in a dry, cool, dark area. Keep out of heat and sunlight to avoid melting the chocolate. Best enjoyed within 3-5 days; even when stored properly it begins to soften or become stale.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Popcorn: Purchasing already popped popcorn makes it come together even quicker and easier, but it’s a bit more spendy. If you’d rather pop your own, here’s what we use. You can, of course, use kernels as well (~1/2 cup), but be sure to add a touch of salt to the popcorn to enhance the end popcorn flavors.
Note 2: White chocolate: We recommend chocolate made for melting like melting wafers (found in the baking aisle of the store.) Why add oil? I like to add a touch of oil or shortening to the chocolate to help it to smooth out and make coating the popcorn in chocolate easier. 
Note 3: Microwaving chocolate: To avoid scorching the chocolate, microwave for 15 seconds at a time, and stir for at least 15 seconds between each microwave burst. Remember, the chocolate is still melting from residual heat even after it has been removed from the microwave. It’s important the chocolate never gets too hot! We want it nice and melted, but as close to room temperature as possible (if it's too hot it will melt the M&M's).

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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