This recipe for Christmas popcorn is SO GOOD. Who knew you could make marshmallow popcorn!? And it tastes really good! It’s kind of the same concept as Rice Krispie treats, but with popcorn. I LOVE the sweet and salty combination of the salted popcorn with the sweet marshmallow topping. Yum!
And don’t get me started on the AWESOME Christmas colours here. I found Christmas sprinkles at the bulk store that are shaped like tiny green holly leaves and round red berries. So cute and festive! I used plain chocolate M&M’s and Peanut M&M’s in holiday colours but you could easily use the regular M&M colours to make this marshmallow popcorn any time of the year.
I was just snacking on this Christmas popcorn as I was writing these paragraphs, and I had to take the bowl back downstairs because it’s just too addictive. It was a big hit with my kids too. My 5 year old took huge bowl of it last night and came back a few minutes later with an empty bowl and a huge smile on his face. He LOVED it!
So I realize this goes in the lazy category, but I totally used pre-popped popcorn from the grocery store when I made this sweet and salty popcorn. My grocery store sells salted, plain popped popcorn and it just made my life easier. (Just make sure you don’t use the pre-bagged buttered popcorn that looks like movie theater popcorn.).
You can definitely pop your own popcorn for this recipe. Just make sure you add salt. (The salt is critical in my opinion.) I included a rough measurement of how many kernals you need to pop to get the right amount down below.
Check out our video for how to make Christmas Popcorn:
If you’re looking for even more sweet treats, here’s a few of our favourites:
Cinnamon Heart Popcorn
Birthday Cake Popcorn
Cinnamon Sugar Chex Mix
Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
How to Make Christmas Popcorn:
Here’s a list of affiliate links to products on Amazon that are similar to the ingredients we used:
- Salted Popcorn
- Large Marshmallows
- Butter
- Christmas Sprinkles
- Plain M&M’s
- Peanut M&M’s
This recipe is super simple and you only need a few things to make it.I got almost everything from the bulk store.
I’m in love with the holly and berries confetti sprinkles. And I’m completely addicted to peanut M&M’s. Such a great combination!
You’ll be melting together butter and marshmallows on the stove, just like you’d do for rice krispie treats.
Except when they’re completely melted and mixed together, you’re going to pour the mixture over top of the popcorn, rather than adding the popcorn to the pot. I just find it’s a lot less sticky this way.
Gently fold the marshmallow mixture into the popcorn using a spatula or metal spoons. If the popcorn is sticking to the spoon too much, try spraying a clean spoon with cooking spray and using that instead.
The mixture is definitely sticky, so it’s okay if not every single piece of popcorn is evenly coated. Just try to get the marshmallow mixture on as many kernels as you can.
How many cups of popcorn kernels do you need to make 8 cups?
If you’re popping your own popcorn, you’ll need approximately 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of unpopped white popcorn kernals to make 8 cups of popped popcorn.
It will really depend on the type of kernels you use, since different types of popcorn pop to different sizes.
Once your popcorn is covered in that buttery marshmallow goodness, take it out of the bowl and spread it out onto your baking sheet.
I recommend spraying your hands and the baking sheet with cooking spray to stop it from sticking. It’s sticky and frustrating when you go to move the popcorn and a huge pile comes up stuck to your hands! Do your best to spread the popcorn out onto the entire sheet so that it’s in a single layer.
Now you can add your candy on top. You can use different combinations if you like, but we used plain M&M’s, peanut M&M’s and holly and berry confetti sprinkles.Start by adding the smallest topping first. So the sprinkles first, then the plain M&M’s and finally the larger peanut M&M’s.
You can add as much or as little candy as you like. Yum!
You can eat this right away, or wait for it to cool off. If you wait, the marshmallow mixture becomes less sticky and easier to pull apart.
This marshmallow popcorn is such a colourful snack. I LOVE the red and green colours with the white popcorn. So pretty!
Christmas Popcorn: A Marshmallow Popcorn Recipe
This marshmallow Christmas popcorn (aka Santa Crunch Popcorn) is SO GOOD and it's really simple to make. Such a great Christmas treat idea for kids and grown ups!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Total Time15 minutes mins
Course: Dessert, Snack
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn salted
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons butter melted
- 20 marshmallows large
- 1 Tablespoon Christmas sprinkles
- 1/4 cup plain M&M's regular size
- 1/2 cup peanut M&M's
Instructions
Measure 8 cups of salted, popped popcorn into a large bowl. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Add the melted butter to a small pot then add the marshmallows. Mix the butter and marshmallows together over low (to medium-low) heat until the marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is fully combined.
Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn. Gently fold the popcorn using two spoons until most of the popcorn is coated in the marshmallow mixture.
Pour the popcorn onto the baking sheet. Spread the mixture out as best you can until the sheet is covered.
Sprinkle the Christmas sprinkles evenly over the popcorn. Then sprinkle the M&M's on top.
Enjoy it right away, or wait for it to cool. After about an hour it becomes less sticky and comes apart more easily.
Notes
1. I used salted pre-popped plain popcorn from the store, but if you're popping your own, you'll need approximately 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of unpopped kernels to make 8 cups of popcorn. Be sure to add salt after you pop it!
2. When you're spreading the popcorn onto the baking sheet, spray your hands with cooking spray before handling the popcorn, or wear food handling gloves to prevent sticking.
This marshmallow Christmas popcorn is SO GOOD and it’s really simple to make. Such a great Christmas treat idea for kids and grown ups! I’ve also seen it called Santa Crunch Popcorn. Who knew marshmallow popcorn was a thing!? Top it with sprinkles and M&M’s and this sweet and salty popcorn is delicious! (And perfect for the holidays!)
Here’s a few more sweet and snack-able recipes:
Cinnamon Heart Popcorn
Birthday Cake Popcorn
Cinnamon Sugar Chex Mix
Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
Our bookLow-Mess Crafts for Kidsis loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon |Barnes and Noble | Books- A- Million | Indiebound |Indigo |Amazon Canada
