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This Christmas popcorn snack is the perfect blend of sweet and salty, and it’s everything you need to make your holiday season extra special! It comes together in under 15 minutes and makes a tasty gift for family, friends, or neighbors.
Table of Contents
- The Perfect Sweet & Salty Christmas Treat
- What You’ll Need:
- How to Make Christmas Popcorn:
- What Type of Popcorn to Use
- Tips for the Best Popcorn
- Additional Mix-Ins
- Reviews About this Popcorn
- Questions About Christmas Popcorn
- Storing Easy Christmas Popcorn
- Gifting Ideas
- More Christmas Treats to Try
- Christmas Popcorn Recipe
The Perfect Sweet & Salty Christmas Treat
Looking for a thoughtful present? Or a treat to munch on while sipping hot cocoa and watching Christmas movies in your comfiest pajamas? This festive popcorn recipe is the answer! Packed with popcorn, holiday M&M’s, pretzels, and drizzled with melted white chocolate, it’s so easy to make and absolutely irresistible.
I made some the other day, and let me tell you, once you start snacking, it’s hard to stop. The mix of salty and sweet is just perfect. Honestly, I think this might turn into one of those recipes people ask for every year—it’s that good!
What You’ll Need:
Here’s the short and sweet list of ingredients to whip up this holiday magic:
- Popcorn: I love using gourmet white popcorn for its fluffy texture. Make sure to remove any unpopped kernels!
- Pretzels: Mini pretzels or broken pieces add the perfect crunch.
- M&M’s: Holiday-themed red and green M&M’s make it festive.
- Peanuts: Roasted and salted peanuts balance the sweetness.
- White Candy Melts: You can use candy melts, white chocolate chips, or almond bark.
- Christmas Sprinkles: Because sprinkles make everything better!
How to Make Christmas Popcorn:
This recipe is so simple, you’ll wonder why you haven’t made it every year!
- Combine: In a large bowl, mix the popcorn, pretzels, M&M’s, and peanuts.
- Melt: Gently melt the white chocolate in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each round until smooth.
- Drizzle: Pour the melted chocolate over the mix and stir until everything is coated. Add sprinkles and toss to spread the cheer!
- Cool: Spread the mixture out on wax paper to cool, then store it in an airtight container—or start snacking immediately.
What Type of Popcorn to Use
Our favorite type of popcorn to use in Christmas popcorn is Orville Redenbacher Tender White Popcorn. It comes out so tender and fluffy! It also has a subtle butter and salt flavor, which makes it a great base for this recipe. You don’t want to use any popcorn that has a strong flavor like movie theatre butter or kettle corn. It won’t take the flavor of the white chocolate as well.
Tips for the Best Popcorn
Try these tips and variations to make the best Christmas popcorn! Using fresh popcorn, cleaning out the popcorn, and slowly melting chocolate are just a few of the tips to help make it easier and better every time you make it!
- Fresh popcorn – You want to make your popcorn the day of. This will ensure the popcorn is fresh and has the best texture and flavor.
- Clean popcorn – Make sure that when you add the popcorn, you don’t add any un-popped kernels. There is nothing worse than biting into one of those! I like to shake the popcorn bag well so all the kernels fall to the bottom and then add the popcorn by the handful.
- Melting chocolate – When melting chocolate, you will want to do this slowly. Chocolate will harden quickly and easily if not done properly. Stir in between each interval.
- Cooling – Let the chocolate cool before you transfer the mix into containers or bags.
- Add-ins – Find your favorite add-ins and toss them together with the popcorn for a fun and festive treat.
- Parchment paper – Line your baking sheet with parchment paper before spreading out the popcorn. This helps with getting clusters and having everything evenly distributed.
- Storing – Store it in a cool, dry place to avoid the chocolate melting.
Additional Mix-Ins
This is one of those recipes you can personalize and make your own. Switch up the colors of sprinkles and make a fun salty snack mix for Halloween, Easter, or birthdays. Here are just a few ideas for more mix-ins:
- Cereal – Christmas Cap’n Crunch Cereal or Chex cereal. Any other Christmas Cereal – there seem to be new ones every year!
- Candy melts – Choose red, pink, or green candy melts for a fun and festive Christmas crunch popcorn! These are usually white chocolate or vanilla candy melts flavor.
- Nuts – Cashews, Almonds, Pecans, and walnuts are all a savory and crunchy texture that adds to the Christmas popcorn.
- Marshmallows – Mini Marshmallows are fun to bite into a soft bite. Kids always love this extra add-in!
- Chocolate – Mini Peanut Butter Cups or cut-up Kit Kats give it that extra chocolaty flavor.
- M&M options – Peanut M&M’s, Peanut Butter M&M’s, Mint M&M’s, or Pretzel M&M’s are always easy to pour from the bag into the popcorn.
- Candy canes – Chop up candy canes for a peppermint treat in each bite!
- Sprinkles – Add all the color and extra fun with holiday sprinkles.
Reviews About this Popcorn
“One of my family’s all-time favorite Christmas recipes! So delicious!”
-Nellie
Questions About Christmas Popcorn
If kept stored in a cool, dry place, leftovers can last up to a week.
Once you let the mixture cool, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator or the freezer for up to a month. Be sure to let it come back to room temperature before serving.
When I bring this snack to my neighbors during the holidays, I like to put it in cellophane bags and tie them up with Christmas-y ribbon. You can also fill a Christmas tin, or a Christmas mug, or place it in a resealable plastic bag.
Ensure that the melted chocolate is not too hot when mixing it together with the popcorn.
Storing Easy Christmas Popcorn
We love making this Christmas popcorn in batches to share with friends and family members! It is simple to make and comes together quickly. It is a great holiday gift or fun to celebrate game night or get-togethers during the holidays.
- Airtight container – Place the Christmas popcorn in an airtight container and store it for two to three days long. This is a treat that will disappear quickly but also needs to be eaten quickly.
- Cool and dry – Store in the pantry or at room temperature in your kitchen. This will ensure a longer longer-lasting shelf life.
- Refrigeration – It is best not to refrigerate this Christmas popcorn. It will stick together and clump up. The popcorn will change texture and flavor.
Gifting Ideas
This is a great gift to give to family, friends, and neighbors for the holidays! Choose a tin box, find a decorative Christmas plate, or a fun festive ziplock bag to store it in. Your friends and family will love this gift during the holiday season.
More Christmas Treats to Try
We love the holidays mainly for the treats we get to make! They are special and always a tradition in our house to make with our kids. Try a few of these favorite easy Christmas treats that we love!
Christmas Popcorn
Ingredients
- 2 bags gourmet white microwave popcorn popped and all un-popped kernels removed
- 3 cups mini pretzels
- 1 bag red and green M&M’s
- 2 cups peanuts roasted, salted
- 18 ounces White Candy Melts
- red and green sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine popcorn, pretzels, M&M's, and peanuts.
- Melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring the chocolate each time, until smooth.
- Drizzle over the snack mix and toss until coated.
- Add sprinkles and toss until evenly distributed.
- Spread over wax paper until cool. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Notes
- One recipe makes approximately 32 cups of Christmas Crunch.
- To avoid getting unpopped kernels in your mix, shake the popcorn bag well so all the kernels fall to the bottom, and then add the popcorn by the handful.
- Let the chocolate cool all the way before you transfer the mix into containers or bags.
- Store it in a cool, dry place to avoid the chocolate melting.
Nutrition Information
This sweet and salty Christmas popcorn is the ultimate holiday treat! Ready in just 15 minutes, it’s loaded with popcorn, festive M&M’s, pretzels, peanuts, and a drizzle of melted white chocolate. Perfect for gifting or snacking during movie nights, this recipe is so easy to make and completely customizable with your favorite add-ins. Trust me, once you try it, it’ll be a holiday tradition!
What’s your go-to holiday snack or treat? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your ideas!
“Wow, this Christmas Popcorn looks so delicious and festive! I love how customizable it is with different mix-ins. Have you tried using caramel drizzle instead of white chocolate? I bet it would be amazing!
Looks DELICIOUS! Will be making with peanut butter xmas m&ms. Thank you for the recipe.
looks delicious! Will be making with peanut butter xmas m&ms. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Happy Holidays!
Yum! This will be perfect for Christmas, I know I’ll have to make a few batches though or it won’t last 😉
One of my family’s all-time favorite Christmas recipes! So delicious!
Oh my gosh, this is addictive! What a festive treat for the holiday season.
This was so easy to make and everyone in my family loved this fun holiday snack! I know it’s “Christmas Crunch” but I might be making this all year long 🙂
I love anything Christmas! This Christmas popcorn looks so delicious, and perfect for the kiddos!
I’m not so sure I’d share this with my neighbors and friends… I might go Scrooge and keep it for myself it looks so delicious!
Hilda: How much does this make. Would you need to make a batch for each gift? Thank you.
Love Christmas snacks.