White Chocolate Popcorn Recipe

One of my favorite family traditions is making a big batch of white chocolate popcorn around the holidays. It’s quick, festive, and has that perfect sweet and salty mix everyone loves.

The combo of popcorn, M&Ms, and salty pretzels makes it totally irresistible. And once you drizzle melted white chocolate over everything? Let’s just say there are never any leftovers.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fast and easy. You can make this white chocolate popcorn in about 10 minutes from start to finish — perfect for busy days during the holidays.
• Kid-friendly. It’s simple enough for kids to help with, whether that’s pouring in the pretzels or stirring the chocolate.
• Sweet and salty perfection. The mix of crunchy pretzels, popcorn, and creamy white chocolate hits all the right notes.
• Perfect for gifting. Pack it into treat bags or jars for teachers, neighbors, or holiday parties. It looks festive and tastes even better.
• Crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re hosting movie night or bringing a snack to a gathering, this Christmas popcorn recipe always disappears fast.
• Easy to customize. Swap out the candy colors for different holidays — red and blue for the 4th of July, green for St. Patrick’s Day, or pastels for Easter. One recipe, endless occasions.

Ingredients

This sweet and salty treat will take about 5 minutes of hands-on time. It looks fancy and tastes awesome, too!

• cookie sheet
• waxed paper or parchment paper
• popped popcorn
• mini pretzels
• M&Ms chocolate candy
• white chocolate chips
• shortening or coconut oil

How to Make White Chocolate Popcorn

First, line your cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper.

Spread the popcorn over the cookie sheet.

Then, add the pretzels on top of the popcorn.

Next, sprinkle the M&Ms over the popcorn. Since I was making this for the holidays I purchased a bag of red and green M&Ms!

Next, melt the white chocolate with the shortening in a saucepan over low heat (or your microwave – make sure you stop and stir every 20-30 seconds).

Then, drizzle about half of the white chocolate mixture over the popcorn:

Lastly, stir the entire popcorn mix gently with a large spoon. Drizzle the remaining chocolate over the popcorn and stir again.

Your popcorn is ready! Eat and enjoy!

When to Eat the Popcorn

So, you have two options when it comes to enjoying this popcorn recipe. I’ve tried both and there are some pros and cons for each!

1. Let it sit for about 30-45 minutes to dry before eating. This is the less-messy way to do it, but involves a little bit of patience from everyone.
2. Dig in right away. This is certainly messier – think of all that gooey chocolate over your children’s hands/face/your furniture, etc. However, it’s also slightly tastier when it’s warm and fresh.

You really can’t go wrong with this sweet-and-salty treat! Just make sure to keep plenty of napkins on hand. 😉

Storage Tips

Let your white chocolate popcorn cool completely before storing it. This helps the chocolate set and prevents everything from sticking together.

Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3–4 days. If you’re making it ahead for gifting, store it in a cool, dry spot away from heat or sunlight.

Make sure you DON’T stick it in the fridge, though! It will add moisture that can make the popcorn chewy and affect the texture of the chocolate.

Tips for the Best White Chocolate Popcorn

• Line your pan first. Always start with parchment or wax paper for easy cleanup and to keep the popcorn from sticking.
• Use fresh popcorn. Stale popcorn won’t hold up well once coated. Air-popped or lightly salted microwave popcorn both work great.
• Melt low and slow. White chocolate can burn quickly, so melt it over low heat or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring often.
• Work quickly. Once melted, drizzle the chocolate right away so it coats evenly before it sets.
• Toss gently. Use a large spoon or your hands (once cool) to mix everything together without crushing the pretzels or popcorn.
• Try flavor add-ins. A handful of crushed peppermint, caramel drizzle, or colored sprinkles can make this pretzel popcorn even more festive.

Other Add-Ins to Try

I’ll be honest with you, it’s hard to imagine anything working better than this recipe as-is. However, you can also try a couple of different add-ins and see what you like best! A few ideas include:

• Swapping out the M&Ms for peanut butter Reese’s pieces (or peanut butter M&Ms)
• Adding a drizzle of caramel along with the white chocolate
• Make it festive with a dash of sprinkles mixed in
• Add in crushed peppermints for a seasonal twist

But, if I were you, I’d try the original first. It’s perfectly balanced and has been a crowd-pleaser for years!

Bonus Tip: Host a Family-Friendly Movie Night

You can totally make this quick white chocolate popcorn just for fun, or to take to a party or event. But, I like to do something even more fun with this recipe—we turn it into a family event!

We make this white chocolate popcorn together as a family. Truly, it takes like 5 minutes of hands-on time, but when you are trying to keep multiple children focused, that’s about the max time you can take!

Then, we watch a fun movie together. We make this popcorn a lot around the holiday season, so we typically end up watching a Christmas movie of some kind. Honestly, it doesn’t get any cozier than lounging around in our PJs enjoying this yummy snack and spending time together!

Decorate Cups for the White Chocolate Popcorn

For a fun twist, you can even decorate holiday snack cups to serve your white chocolate popcorn inside of. Some years we do this, some years I forget. But, we keep the “decor” super simple.

As an example, you could glue colorful snowflakes using silver glitter glue to your cups. Or, put festive stickers on the cups. Plus, you can keep it in-theme with whatever movie you are watching too if you really want to step your game up. Kids will love decorating their little cup!

Even better? Not only are these decorated holiday snack cups cute, but they’ll help cut down on mess by keeping kids’ snacks contained. Win-win.

More Easy Holiday Treats:

• The Best Buckeye Recipe
• Homemade Eggnog (Paleo)
• Eggnog Log Cookies
• Magic 7-Layer Cooke Bars

Just pin it below to find the white chocolate popcorn recipe later!

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