Grinch Popcorn
This Grinch popcorn recipe is fun and easy to make and tastes like it came from a high-end candy shop. It is the perfect treat for serving at your How The Grinch Stole Christmas movie night and is ideal for gift-giving!
Suitable for vegetarian and gluten free diets.
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There’s nothing that gets me into the Christmas spirit more than cuddling up with the family on the couch for holiday movie night. We always watch our all-time favorite, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and whip up a ginormous big bowl of Grinch Popcorn for snacking.
Because we’re such big fans of the green guy, I loooove making all sorts of Grinch theme goodies, such as these fun Grinch kabobs (so cute) and this festive Ginch dip recipe. They’re all so easy to make, taste great, and will make your heart grow three sizes!
The Grinch popcorn bucket recipe is sure to set your holiday season off to a great start. Start with my simple homemade stovetop popcorn, and you need just 3 ingredients to whip up this festive popcorn treat with candy and mini marshmallows.
Table of Contents
Grinch Popcorn Recipe
Just like my Grinch Cookies, this sweet and salty candy melt popcorn is perfect for the Christmas season. Serve at movie night and holiday parties, or save it for after the kids go to bed so you don’t want to share. #dontbeagrinch
If you’ve ever marveled at the gourmet popcorn adorning the shelves of high-end candy shops, then prepare to be pleasantly surprised. This candy melt popcorn is simple enough that the kids can make it with minimal supervision. You can easily turn it into individual Grinch popcorn balls for a super fun snack or party favor.
Take a page from my book and pair this sweet Grinch popcorn with other Grinch-inspired treats such as Grinch Punch, which is colorful, fun, festive, and sure to become a family favorite in your home during the holiday season.
Why Make This Grinch Popcorn Recipe
- It’s easy and budget-friendly. This delicious sweet and salty popcorn is budget-friendly and easy to make. It’s a great recipe for kids!
- Ideal for gift-giving. Wrap Grinch popcorn buckets in colorful cellophane to give as gifts for friends, coworkers, teachers, and anyone who deserves some holiday cheer.
- Perfect for a crowd. The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled when entertaining a crowd.
- Perfect for the holidays. Great for all your Christmas parties, festive tea parties, Grinch movie nights, and impromptu get-togethers.
Ingredient Notes
- Popped Popcorn – Begin with already popped popcorn. You can use stovetop, microwave, instant pop, or air popped popcorn. Remove any unpopped kernels.
- Candy Melts – Select bright green candy melts for that classic Grinch color. You can also use white candy melts and add green food coloring.
- Christmas Sweets – White marshmallows and red holiday candies offer a nice contrast to the green popcorn, but you can use whatever candy you have on hand.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How To Make Grinch Popcorn
Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
Step 1. Add the popcorn to a large bowl and gather the rest of the ingredients.
Step 2. Melt the candy melts in a large bowl according to the packet instructions.
Step 3. Pour melted candy over the popcorn and gently mix until all coated, then stir in the Christmas sweets and add mini marshmallows. Allow the mixture to cool so the coating hardens.
Step 4. Decant the candy popcorn into individual bowls or bags for serving or gift-giving.
How To Make Stovetop Popcorn
Making homemade popcorn is simple, and this stovetop popcorn method only takes a few minutes. Of course, you are welcome to use microwave popcorn, and you can even make popcorn in your Instant Pot.
- Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Then add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.
- When the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels in the pan and shake gently so that they lay in an even layer and cover.
- Once the kernels start popping, you should keep shaking the pan gently so that the kernels keep dropping back into the coconut oil and as many as possible pop. Try to leave the lid open a tiny bit as this helps to reduce the steam so you get nice crispy popcorn.
- Eventually, the popping will slow down, at which point you can remove the pan from the heat and decant into a sharing bowl.
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Grinch Popcorn Tips For Success
- Use a silicone spatula or spoon to mix the melted candy melts into the popcorn. The melted candy can be hot, so we don’t recommend using your bare hands.
- Prep all of your ingredients ready to go before you melt the candy. The candy melts will harden back up fairly quickly, so you’ll want to prep the popcorn and be ready to go when it is time to mix.
- Follow the instructions on the candy melt package to melt them properly. Use a microwave-safe bowl and heat in short intervals, stirring in between, to avoid burning. Candy melts should be smooth and pourable.
- You can add in a variety of extra sweets. You can add in pieces of holiday cookies, sprinkles or marshmallows. A fun twist is also to add a little cinnamon and nutmeg while mixing.
- Once the popcorn is completely set, gently break it apart into bite-sized clusters. The popcorn should no longer feel sticky to the touch.
- If serving for a party, you can make it ahead and store in Ziploc bags until party time. This is a fun treat for holiday-themed parties or homemade holiday gifts for teachers.
- You can also make this with melted marshmallow mixture and green food coloring. I love adding in a drizzle of melted chocolate too.
Delicious Variations on Grinch Candy Popcorn
I love to make candy melt popcorn all year long. And this recipe for Grinch Popcorn can be quickly adapted to suit any holiday or special occasion.
Here are just a few of the possibilities:
- Monster Halloween Popcorn: Combine green and yellow candy melts with crunchy sprinkles, candy, and fun edible monster eyes.
- Witch’s Brew: Make this spooky Halloween version with black candy melts (or melted dark chocolate), pieces of candy corn and gummy worms.
- Harvest Cornucopia: Your Thanksgiving guests will love this combination of fall flavors. Add pumpkin pie spice to melted caramel and mix in the popcorn, mini pretzels, and chopped pecans.
- Sweetheart Popcorn: This sweet Valentine’s Day treat uses red candy melts, conversation hearts and mini marshmallows. You can even get extra creative and form the popcorn into individual heart shapes.
- Leprechaun’s Gold: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by following this recipe for Grinch Popcorn, but swap the Christmas sweets with your favorite green candies and some shelled pistachio nuts.
- Bunny Corn: Mix the popcorn with melted white chocolate and combine with jellybeans and pastel-colored sprinkles. Package in individual treat bags for a cute Easter basket treat.
Prep And Storage
- Prep Ahead – Pop the popcorn in advance and remove any unpopped kernels.
- Store – If you have any leftover popcorn, store it in an airtight container for a couple of days. Be aware that the popcorn will be a little softer, not crunchy, after you store it.
- Freeze – Freezing this recipe is not recommended.
FAQs
Microwave popcorn is a convenient option. Just make sure to choose a plain or lightly buttered variety to allow the candy coating to adhere properly.
You can also make stovetop popcorn following our instructions in this post or try making Instant Pot Popcorn.
While the classic Grinch green is iconic, you can use other colors of candy melts. feel free to experiment with other colors of candy melts that suit your theme or occasion.
It’s so fun to use different candy mixins and get creative! Make this Grinch popcorn with different candy mixins like mini chocolate chips, holiday-themed sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and even dried cranberries.
How much salt to put on the popcorn comes down to personal preference. I say, don’t be shy with that salt shaker, as the contrast of salty and sweet is what makes this Grinch popcorn recipe so darn irresistible! Also, I find that salting the popcorn as soon as it is popped and while still warm helps it stick better.
Yes, you can make a large batch of this Grinch popcorn. Just scale up the recipe accordingly. Keep in mind that working in smaller batches while drizzling the candy melt coating helps ensure even distribution.
Using a flavored popcorn can add an extra layer of complexity to the flavor. Just be mindful of how the popcorn’s existing flavor will blend with the candy coating and mixins.
The popcorn will last for a couple of days when stored in an airtight container or ziptop bag. Not that we ever have any leftovers to store at my house – lol!
More Grinch Christmas Recipes
Be sure to check out my entire collection of festive Christmas Grinch Treats!
More Christmas Recipes You’ll Love
Get in the spirit of the season with these great Christmas recipes;
- Crockpot Christmas Candy.
- Christmas Fruit Salad.
- Christmas Tree Cupcakes.
- Pistachio and Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt Bark.
- Fruit Christmas Tree.
- Festive White Chocolate Covered Pretzels.
- This 12 Days of Easy Christmas Cookies post is a must for the holiday season!
Recommended Tools
- A great set of Mixing Bowls for preparing and serving.
- Handy Ziplock Bags for gifting or storing any leftovers.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon!
More Christmas Recipes
Try some of these other fun and festive Christmas recipes!
Thank you for reading my Grinch popcorn recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot recipes, Southern recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
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Grinch Popcorn
Ingredients
Grinch Popcorn
- 10 cups (1250g) popped popcorn see stovetop popcorn recipe below
- 12 ounces (340g) candy melts
- assorted Christmas candies and mix-ins
Stovetop Popcorn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- ½ cup (64g) popcorn kernels
- salt to taste
Instructions
Grinch Popcorn
- Add the popcorn in a large bowl and grab the rest of the ingredients.
- Melt the candy melts in a large bowl according to the packet instructions.
- Pour the melted candy into the popcorn and mix until all coated.
- Then stir in the Christmas candy, spread the mixture onto parchment paper, and allow the mixture to cool so the chocolate hardens.
Stovetop Popcorn
- Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.
- Then add 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels in the pan and shake gently so that they lay in an even layer and cover.
- Once the kernels start popping, you should keep shaking the pan gently so that the kernels keep dropping back into the coconut oil and as many as possible pop. Try to leave the lid open a tiny bit as this helps to reduce the steam so you get nice crispy popcorn.
- Eventually, the popping will slow down, at which point you can remove the pan from the heat and decant into a sharing bowl.
Video
Notes
-
- Use a silicone spatula or spoon to mix the melted candy melts into the popcorn. The melted candy can be hot so we don’t recommend using your bare hands.
- Prep all of your ingredients ready to go before you melt the candy. The candy melts will harden back up fairly quickly so you’ll want to prep the popcorn and be ready to go when it is time to mix.
- Follow the instructions on the candy melt package to melt them properly. Use a microwave-safe bowl and heat in short intervals, stirring in between, to avoid burning. Candy melts should be smooth and pourable.
- You can add in a variety of extra sweets. You can add in pieces of holiday cookies, sprinkles or marshmallows. A fun twist is also to add a little cinnamon and nutmeg while mixing.
- Once the popcorn is completely set, gently break it apart into bite-sized clusters. The popcorn should no longer feel sticky to the touch.
- If serving for a party, you can make ahead and store in Ziplock bags until party time. This is a fun treat for holiday-themed parties or homemade holiday gifts for teachers.
- You can also make this with melted marshmallow mixture and green food coloring. I love adding in a drizzle of melted chocolate too.
- Storage – keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Bintu,
Thank you so much for your site! I got on for the instant pot egg nog, followed the mulled wine, and then the Grinch popcorn. I am so grateful for all your other popcorn ideas, we go through a 50 pound bag of popcorn about every 12-18 months. So these extra seasonal themed popcorn treat recipes are awesome for our family. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
That popcorn looks like a fun treat!
Popcorn is my favorite snack!! I love all the options that you’ve given here. I also love the idea of using my Instant Pot to pop popcorn!
I would never have thought about making popcorn in an Instant Pot. What a good idea!
this is such a good idea! The Grinch is one of my favourite Christmas movies!! I’d be so happy munching on some of this watching it!
An alternative idea for something to “crunch” on the sofa watching an Xmas movie!
This popcorn is so fun! Perfect festive Christmas treat!
I’m a big fan of sweet and salty combo’s and this Grinch popcorn is perfect for the Holidays!
What a fun idea for the holidays! My girls will love it.