• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Hilda's Kitchen Blog

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • About
  • Resources
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Book
    • About
    • Resources
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Recipes
    • Book
    • About
    • Subscribe

    You Are Here Home » Fall Recipes

    Published: Oct 10, 2021 Updated: Oct 10, 2021 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 4 Comments

    Spooky Halloween Popcorn Balls

    Sharing is caring!

    67 shares
    • Share54
    • Yummly
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    halloween popcorn balls

    This year, get the kids into the kitchen and make these Spooky Halloween Popcorn Balls! They have something to satisfy every taste: Salty and sweet, gooey, and crunchy. And if you're looking for other kid-friendly treats, check out my gourmet caramel apples and Halloween chocolate-covered Oreos!

    Jump to:
    • 🧐Why This Recipe Works
    • 🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
    • 🔖 Ingredients and Substitutions
    • 🍿How to Make Halloween Popcorn Balls
    • 🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
    • 🍎 Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🧐Why This Recipe Works

    Why make Halloween Popcorn Balls? Well, for one thing, they're fun to make! The kids will enjoy helping you add the finishing touches like adding the candy eyeballs and sprinkles. Involving the kids in the kitchen is a great way to introduce them to cooking, as you create fall traditions that your kids will look forward to year after year. It will also give them something to look back on and cherish many years from now.

    Another great thing about this Halloween Popcorn Balls recipe is that it can be easily modified. Stick to the recipe, or use ingredients that you have at home.

    Halloween Popcorn Balls are the perfect treat to take to Halloween parties or Halloween celebrations at school. However, you can bet that even the adults will enjoy these tasty Halloween treats!

    🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe

    🔖 Ingredients and Substitutions

    • Popcorn — This Halloween Popcorn Balls recipe calls for 2 large bags of microwave popcorn, which yields approximately 16 cups of popped corn. You'll only use 12 cups to make the popcorn balls, so you or your little helpers can snack on the rest. Another option is to use kettle corn, a mixture of the two, or pop the corn the old-fashioned way. You'll need approximately ½ of a cup of kernels which will yield more popcorn than you need.
    • Marshmallows — You need 6 cups of mini marshmallows. Although mini marshmallows melt faster, you can use large marshmallows if that's all you have.
    • Candy — I added M&Ms, white chocolate chips, candy corn, and Halloween sprinkles. You can also use Reese's Pieces, butterscotch, or dark chocolate chips.
    • Cinnamon — At the last minute, I decided to add cinnamon and it really worked with the other ingredients in the recipe. I'm listing it as optional so if you want to leave it out you can.

    🍿How to Make Halloween Popcorn Balls

    Step 1 | Pop Popcorn

    Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside until needed.

    Pop the popcorn either in the microwave (according to package directions) or pop kernels in a pot. You'll need 10-12 cups of popcorn.

    Step 2 | Melt Marshmallows

    Add butter, marshmallows, and white chocolate chips to a large pot and melt over low heat. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if using, as you stir with a rubber spatula.

    Step 3 | Add Popcorn And Candy Corn

    Once the mixture is melted, add popcorn and mix quickly to combine. Turn off the heat but keep stirring to completely coat the popcorn with the melted marshmallows. Add candy corn and continue to mix.

    popcorn with candy corn
    stirring candy corn into popcorn

    Step 4 | Add M&M's And Sprinkles

    Finally, mix in the M&M's and sprinkles. Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and shape the mixture into approximately fifteen 4" balls. Place the popcorn balls onto the parchment-covered cookie sheet. Have someone else press two eyeball candies into each popcorn ball while you form the rest.

    stirring m&m's into pop corn
    mixture for halloween popcorn balls
    halloween marshmallow balls on a tray
    A special thanks to my friend, Connie, for assisting with the candy eyeballs!

    Step 5 | Wrap Popcorn Balls

    Wrap the cooled Halloween Popcorn Balls with plastic wrap if not eating them right away. This will keep them from getting stale. Store at room temperature.

    halloween popcorn balls wrapped in plastic
    Popcorn balls stay fresh longer when wrapped

    🤷🏻‍♀️Recipe FAQs

    Why won't my popcorn balls stick together?

    Here are some reasons why popcorn balls might not stick together:
    • Too much popcorn
    • Not enough marshmallows
    • Too many mix-ins
    • Allowing the melted marshmallows to cool off too much or not working fast enough

    How do you get popcorn balls to stick together?

    Besides adding more melted marshmallows or gently reheating the mixture, you can try adding corn syrup to the marshmallow/butter/popcorn mix. The corn syrup will act like glue to bind the popcorn ball ingredients together.

    halloween popcorn ball on parchment paper

    Do you need to refrigerate popcorn balls?

    Popcorn balls do not need to be refrigerated and can be stored at room temperature as long as they are wrapped in plastic wrap. You can also store them in individual sandwich bags. This will help to keep them from sticking to each other.

    Can you freeze popcorn balls?

    You can make popcorn balls ahead of time and freeze them in freezer bags. Bring the frozen popcorn balls to room temperature and enjoy!

    👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

    • Since the marshmallow mixture is sticky, spraying the parchment paper, your hands, and the spatula helps make forming the Halloween popcorn balls more manageable.
    • If you are serving the marshmallow balls to individuals without nut allergies, you can add chopped nuts to the marshmallows mixture.
    • Toffee bits would also be delicious in this recipe.
    • Adding the candy too soon will cause the candy to melt, which is ok. If you don't want the candy to melt give it a few minutes before adding them, especially the M&Ms. Just keep in mind it will take more effort to get them to stick to the popcorn balls.
    • If using kettle corn, add a pinch of salt to the mixture before forming the balls.
    halloween popcorn balls on a spider web cake stand

    🍎 Related Recipes

    • Gourmet Caramel Apples Recipe
    • Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins
    • How To Make An Easy Charcuterie Board
    • Easy Halloween Charcuterie Board

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, 4294 TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    halloween popcorn balls

    Spooky Halloween Popcorn Balls

    These spooky Halloween Popcorn Balls are fun to make with your little ones and a delicious Halloween treat for young and old alike!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 15 servings
    Calories: 240kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Equipment

    • cookie tray
    • large pot
    • rubber spatula

    Ingredients

    • 1½ bag salted popcorn or kettle corn (approximately 10-12 cups)
    • 6 cups mini marshmallows
    • ¼ cup butter
    • ¾ cup white chocolate chips
    • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
    • 1 cup candy corn
    • ½ cup M&M's or Reese's Pieces
    • 1 tablespoon Halloween sprinkles
    • 15 candy eyeballs

    Instructions

    • Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside until needed. 
      Pop the popcorn either in the microwave (according to package directions) or pop kernels in a pot. You'll need 10-12 cups of popcorn.
    • Add butter, marshmallows, and white chocolate chips to a large pot and melt over low heat. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if using, as you stir with a rubber spatula.
    • Once the mixture is melted, add popcorn and mix quickly to combine. Turn off the heat but keep stirring to completely coat the popcorn with the melted marshmallows. Add candy corn and continue to mix.
    • Finally, mix in the M&M's and sprinkles. Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray and shape the mixture into approximately fifteen 4" balls. Place the popcorn balls onto the parchment-covered cookie sheet. Have someone else press two eyeball candies into each popcorn ball while you form the rest.
    • Wrap the cooled Halloween Popcorn Balls with plastic wrap if not eating them right away. This will keep them from getting stale. Store at room temperature.

    Notes

    • Since the marshmallow mixture is sticky, spraying the parchment paper, your hands, and the spatula helps make forming the Halloween popcorn balls more manageable.
    • If you are serving the marshmallow balls to individuals without nut allergies, you can add chopped nuts to the marshmallows mixture.
    • Toffee bits would also be delicious in this recipe.
    • Adding the candy too soon will cause the candy to melt, which is ok. If you don't want the candy to melt give it a few minutes before adding them, especially the M&Ms. Just keep in mind it will take more effort to get them to stick to the popcorn balls.
    • If using kettle corn, add a pinch of salt to the mixture before forming the balls.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1ball | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g
    Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

    More Fall Recipes

    • Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
    • Halloween Chocolate Covered Oreos
    • How To Make A Simple Caramel Apple Bar
    • Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash

    Sharing is caring!

    67 shares
    • Share54
    • Yummly
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




       

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Kim says

      October 13, 2021 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      These popcorn balls were delicious. Gooey and chewy. Be prepared to enjoy all the different flavors.

      Reply
      • Hilda Sterner says

        October 13, 2021 at 6:28 pm

        Thanks, Kim! I'm glad you enjoyed them as much as I did! 😉

        Reply
    2. Kelly Methey says

      October 10, 2021 at 8:54 am

      5 stars
      What a fun recipe to make with the kids or the grands! Can’t wait to do this with our little ones. They will love helping! An added bonus, they sound delicious!

      Reply
      • Hilda Sterner says

        October 10, 2021 at 9:13 am

        The adults around here loved them!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    profile photo-Hilda

    Hi, I'm Hilda! I'm the creator of Hilda's Kitchen Blog, author of Mom's Authentic Assyrian Recipes, and a recipe contributor to Brian Baumgartner's Seriously Good Chili Cookbook (AKA Kevin Malone, from The Office).

    Are you looking for a little inspiration in the kitchen? Let me show you how to use unique ingredients to make tasty meals for your family! more about me →

    Get My Cookbook!

    cook book on a wooden board

    Healthy Salads

    • Zesty Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
    • Tabouli (Tabbouleh) Salad Recipe
    • Green Goddess Salad Recipe
    • Oil and Vinegar Coleslaw
    • Roasted Beetroot Salad With Walnuts And Feta
    • Lebanese Fattoush Salad

    Check Out My Etsy Shop!

    montana healing salves logo

    Game Day Appetizers

    • Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
    • Traeger Smoked Potatoes (with oven instructions)
    • How To Make An Easy Charcuterie Board
    • Smoked Cream Cheese (2 Ways)
    • Keto Jalapeno Poppers with Bacon
    • Chicken Chips: A Keto Chicken Thigh Recipe

    Featured On

    featured on

    Subscribe to Get my Latest Recipes!

    Privacy Policy

    Stay Connected

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Etsy Shop

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Photo & Content Sharing Policy

    LET'S CONNECT!

    • Contact Page
    • Work with Me

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying Amazon purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 • Hildas Kitchen Blog • All rights reserved