Who doesn’t love a sweet candy-coated popcorn ball? Ready in under 30 minutes, this easy recipe is simple to prepare and makes the perfect addition to festive gatherings. They are classic as-is, but you can also experiment with adding food coloring, mix-ins, and even marshmallows to make this classic treat your own!
You’ll feel like a kid again with this sweet and salty treat! Decorate your holiday table with them as edible arrangements or wrap the old-fashioned popcorn balls up as tasty gifts that both kids and adults will enjoy. For more homemade candy recipes, try my homemade chocolate fudge, peanut brittle recipe, or rum balls recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Popcorn – pop your own or use pre-popped bags from the grocery store. You need 16 cups of popped popcorn in total. Stick to plain, unsalted, or lightly salted popcorn.
Sugar – use granulated sugar to create a soft candy coating that makes these easy popcorn balls the perfect treat!
Corn Syrup – light corn syrup is best for a delicate sweet flavor and keeps the sugar coating chewy rather than turning into hard candy. In a pinch, you can use dark corn syrup, but it will have a more molasses-like flavor and will add a brown coloring.
Butter – unsalted butter is best, but you can also use salted butter. Just reduce the added salt by ¼ teaspoon to prevent oversalting.
Vanilla Extract – adds a sweet and comforting nuttiness that also enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How to Make Popcorn Balls
1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Lightly grease a large baking dish or roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the popcorn in an even layer on the pan, then place the pan in the oven to warm.
2. While the popcorn warms, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, water, and salt in a heavy 2-quart saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and stir occasionally until the butter is melted.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling while stirring for 2 minutes or until the mixture reaches 235°F when tested with a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Remove the pan of popcorn from the oven. Drizzle the hot syrup mixture over the warm popcorn.
5. Use a silicone spatula to stir the popcorn and syrup together until the popcorn is well coated in the syrup.
6. Using lightly greased or buttered hands or food-safe gloves (see my shaping tips below!), shape the popcorn into twelve 3-inch popcorn balls, and place them on parchment paper to cool and dry, for about 20 minutes. Wrap each popcorn ball in plastic wrap or a plastic treat bag to keep it fresh.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Use a candy thermometer. To get the syrup mixture to the perfect candy-like texture that’s still chewy in this recipe for popcorn balls, use a candy thermometer. Attach the thermometer to the side of the pot, making sure the tip is submerged in the liquid and not touching the bottom or side of the pot. Bring the sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, and salt to a boil until it reaches 235º F on the thermometer, then turn off the heat and remove from the burner.
- Carefully shape the balls. If the popcorn and syrup mixture is too hot to touch once combined, stir it a few more times and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle – but still warm. I also recommend wearing latex or nitrile food-safe gloves to shape the balls. They add some insulation from the warm syrup and also make clean-up much easier! Grease the gloves with butter or cooking spray before you start shaping.
- Make colorful popcorn ball treats! Add a drop or two of liquid food coloring to the syrup mixture before drizzling over the popcorn to make balls that are festively colored for any occasion.
- Add mix-ins. You can add sprinkles, chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, mini M&Ms, or other candies for a pretty and flavorful addition to homemade popcorn balls. Once the syrup and popcorn are about halfway combined, add the mix-ins and continue stirring together until well coated.
- Include marshmallows. Add a deliciously gooey, chewy texture similar to rice krispie treats to the popcorn ball recipe. Mix ¼ cup of mini marshmallows into the syrup mixture when you add the vanilla. Then coat the popcorn in the sweet marshmallow mixture until well combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow the shaped balls of popcorn to cool completely before storing them at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in a zip-top bag with all the air squeezed out, or in an airtight container. This will help keep the popcorn fresh and the candy coating crisp! Popcorn balls will last up to 3 days when stored properly. I do not recommend freezing them as they will lose their texture.
Old fashioned popcorn balls make the tastiest holiday gifts! Wrap them in plastic wrapping and tie them off with a bow as party gifts for guests. Or serve them on a treat platter alongside Linzer cookies and spritz cookies for a festive dessert spread. They are also great for an anytime snack table next to pretzel bites or candied pecans.
Homemade popcorn is delicious and super easy to make – it only takes a few minutes! You can either put unpopped kernels in an air popper (and it pops on its own) or cook them on the stove top. If cooking on the stove, heat a large pot over medium heat and add a neutral, high heat oil like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
You will need 2 tablespoons of oil per ½ cup of popcorn kernels. Add the popcorn kernels to the pot, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to low, gently shaking the pot over the burner as the kernels pop. Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, it’s done! Remove the lid and dump the popcorn into a large bowl immediately to prevent burning.
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If you’ve tried this Popcorn Balls recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Popcorn Balls
Equipment
- Roasting pan or baking pan
- pot
Ingredients
- 16 cups popped popcorn (160g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
- ½ cup light corn syrup (120ml)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (46g)
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Lightly grease a large baking dish or roasting pan with cooking spray. Spread the popcorn in the pan and place in a 250°F degree oven to warm.
- In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, butter, water nd salt. Place over medium heat, and stir occasionally until the butter is melted.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling while stirring for 2 minutes or until the mixture reaches 235°F. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Drizzle the hot syrup over the warm popcorn and stir with a silicone spatula until the popcorn is well coated in the syrup.
- Using lightly greased or buttered hands, (see notes on how to do this safely!) shape the popcorn into twelve 3-inch balls, and place them on parchment paper to cool and dry, about 20 minutes. Wrap each one in plastic wrap or place in a plastic treat or sandwich bag.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer. To get the syrup mixture to the perfect candy-like texture that’s still chewy in this recipe for popcorn balls, use a candy thermometer. Attach the thermometer to the side of the pot, making sure the tip is submerged in the liquid and not touching the bottom or side of the pot. Bring the sugar, corn syrup, water, butter, and salt to a boil until it reaches 235º F on the thermometer, then turn off the heat and remove from the burner.
- Carefully shape the balls. If the popcorn and syrup mixture is too hot to touch once combined, stir it a few more times and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle – but still warm. I also recommend wearing latex or nitrile food-safe gloves to shape the balls. They add some insulation from the warm syrup and also make clean-up much easier! Grease the gloves with butter or cooking spray before you start shaping.
- Make colorful popcorn ball treats! Add a drop or two of liquid food coloring to the syrup mixture before drizzling over the popcorn to make balls that are festively colored for any occasion.
- Add mix-ins. You can add sprinkles, chopped nuts, chopped dried fruit, mini M&Ms, or other candies for a pretty and flavorful addition to homemade popcorn balls. Once the syrup and popcorn are about halfway combined, add the mix-ins and continue stirring together until well coated.
- Include marshmallows. Add a deliciously gooey, chewy texture similar to rice krispie treats to the popcorn ball recipe. Mix ¼ cup of mini marshmallows into the syrup mixture when you add the vanilla. Then coat the popcorn in the sweet marshmallow mixture until well combined.
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