Christmas Crunch Popcorn Snack Mix is the perfect sweet and salty treat for the Christmas season! This easy and addictive Christmas Popcorn can be thrown together in less than 10 minutes with just five ingredients and it's ready to go!

Jump to:
- Christmas Crunch Popcorn Snack Mix
- Christmas Crack Popcorn
- Christmas Popcorn Recipe
- Why You'll Love this Christmas Crunch Recipe
- White Chocolate, Almond Bark, or Candy Melts
- How to Separate Unpopped Popcorn Kernels from Popcorn
- Tools Needed
- Ingredients
- Shop for Christmas Crunch Ingredients:
- How to Make Christmas Crunch Popcorn
- Pro Tips
- Mix Ins
- Serving Suggestions
- Popcorn Gift Ideas
- Storage Directions
- More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Recipe
Christmas Crunch Popcorn Snack Mix
It was chilly when I woke up here this morning - cold enough to build a fire in the fireplace. We also put our Christmas tree up over the weekend and started decorating the house.
I love the holiday season and all the festive decorations and lights that come with it!! It brings me so much JOY!
Our Christmas party will be smaller this year, but we will still be entertaining our immediate family and of course, there will need to be appetizers and Christmas treats - like this Christmas Crunch Snack Mix!
Christmas Crack Popcorn
I've made popcorn snack mix like this about a million times and for every occasion under the sun - including Easy Easter Bunny Snack Mix and my favorite Candy Corn Snack Mix. If you can't tell, popcorn is one of our favorite snacks!
But for whatever reason, I can't remember ever making any Christmas popcorn recipes. Until now. And I'm calling this popcorn Christmas Crack... or Christmas Crunch Popcorn Snack Mix.
Christmas Popcorn Recipe
This tasty treat is a great combination of salty buttered crispy popcorn with melted white chocolate, plain M&Ms, pretzels and fun sprinkles!
It's easy to make and very versatile. You can easily change up how much you make or what flavors you add. We usually make it with microwave popcorn but we've also used my husbands awesome popcorn maker to make air popcorn and then season it ourselves.
We've made this special treat dozens of times... sometimes to enjoy at home for family night or to share at a holiday party.
Why You'll Love this Christmas Crunch Recipe
- Delicious. Buttery and salty popcorn with the sweetness of M&M's and white chocolate drizzle, you get the perfect sweet and salty snack with lots of textures!
- Budget-Friendly. This Christmas Popcorn mix only has 5 inexpensive ingredients and it makes a big batch! It's great for gift-giving, movie snacks, or a classroom party.
- Perfect for Last Minute OR Make Ahead - Whether you need a snack in the next 15 minutes or you want to work ahead for the party over the weekend, this holiday popcorn works!! It's ready to eat in less than 15 minutes or you can bag it up and share it in a few days.
- It's easy enough for kids to make! Older kids can do it on their own, or younger kids can help you! It's an easy treat to make so you can make memories with your kids!
- Precision not required for Almon Bark Popcorn Crack. This is not one of those recipes that requires a lot of measuring. If your bag of popcorn is a little more or less, its fine. Don't quite have enough pretzels? No big deal. Want to add extra M&M's. I'm all for it. You can even change it up with different add-ins! I have some suggestions below.
White Chocolate, Almond Bark, or Candy Melts
White chocolate, almond bark, and white candy melts are all used in baking and candy making, but they differ in ingredients, flavor, and ease of use.
- White Chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla. It has a rich, creamy taste with subtle vanilla notes, making it ideal for desserts where flavor is important. However, it can be tricky to melt and handle due to the delicate nature of cocoa butter, which can cause it to seize or burn.
- Almond Bark is made from vegetable fats, sugar, and flavorings, with no cocoa butter. It has a more neutral, sometimes artificial, taste and is primarily used for coating and dipping. It’s easier to melt and work with than white chocolate, making it convenient for candy-making projects.
- White Candy Melts are similar to almond bark but often come in small disks or wafers. They are made from vegetable fats and flavorings designed to mimic the texture and appearance of chocolate without using cocoa butter. White candy melts are easy to melt, and their smooth texture makes them perfect for molding, coating, or decorating, especially for cake pops and other confections.
In short, white chocolate offers the best flavor but is more challenging to use, while almond bark and white candy melts are designed for convenience in melting and coating, though they lack the richness of real white chocolate.
For this popcorn snack mix, I always make almond bark popcorn or white candied popcorn with candy melts (this brand).
How to Separate Unpopped Popcorn Kernels from Popcorn
To easily remove unpopped popcorn kernels from your popcorn, try this method:
- Use a wire cooling rack: Place a wire cooling rack over a large tray or bowl.
- Pour the popcorn: Gently pour your popped popcorn over the rack. Shake it lightly to help the unpopped kernels fall through the holes.
- Separate the popcorn: Once all the kernels have fallen through, scoop up the popcorn and place it back in the bowl or on the line baking sheet. Discard the unpopped kernels that remain on the tray or in the bowl.
This will make sure your popcorn is kernel-free and ready to enjoy!
Tools Needed
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper or Wax Paper
Ingredients
There are only 5 ingredients and they're easy to find at Christmas!
Popped Popcorn (microwave or homemade). I use one bag of Act II Butter Lovers Popcorn, which yields 8-10 cups of popcorn. You can use any kind of popcorn or method that you prefer.
Homemade popcorn popped on the stove top or air-popped also works. If you choose one of those methods, I recommend adding butter and salt to get the truly sweet and salty contrast. You can even purchase a big bag of pre-popped popcorn.
White Almond Bark or Candy Melts. I almost always use white almond bark but white Wilton candy melts or the white Ghirardelli works also. I always have a hard time melting white chocolate chips so I don't recommend those.
Christmas M&Ms. Yes, any M&M candies work but if you're making Christmas popcorn, the red and green M&M's are the best for this popcorn candy mix!
Pretzels. You can use traditional twisted pretzels or pretzel sticks or even the square pretzels.
Christmas Sprinkles. It's really easy to find festive sprinkles around the holidays. Most stores even have a whole section dedicated to holiday sprinkles in November and December. Red and green sprinkles or a mix of them would be the most Christmas-y
Find the complete recipe with ingredients measurements in the recipe card below.
Shop for Christmas Crunch Ingredients:
How to Make Christmas Crunch Popcorn
This Christmas popcorn recipe is so easy to make - even kids can do it! Let me show you the steps!
- Pop the popcorn and pour into a large bowl. Remove any unpopped kernels. I use a bag of microwave popcorn (the "extra butter" variety) but you could use air popped or whatever is your favorite! You could also purchase pre-popped popcorn and skill this step.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Spread the popcorn out on the cookie sheet in a single layer.
- Sprinkle the M&M candies and pretzels evenly over the popped popcorn.
- Melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and pour over the top of the popcorn mix. I do this by chopping up the almond bark, then putting it in a glass bowl or measuring cup and microwaving for 1 minute. Stir and microwave again. Repeat in 30-second intervals until smooth and completely melted.
- Pour it over the popcorn, then gently stir it up to coat the popcorn with almond bark. Sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles to make it extra festive!! 🙂 Let it dry/harden, then break it into pieces.
- Enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate!
Pro Tips
- If you pop your popcorn (vs buying pre-popped), do not skip the step where you remove the un-popped kernels. Nobody wants to break a tooth biting into a hard popcorn seed.
- An easy way to turn air-popped popcorn into salty, buttered popcorn, is to spray it with butter-flavored non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle it with salt before adding the melted white chocolate.
- Need to speed up the the drying/hardening of the almond bark, pop the whole cookie sheet in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes!
Mix Ins
Some of these mix-in suggestions below may change up the look of the popcorn so it's no longer "Christmas" themed.
But you can get different flavors and textures and make it your own! Here are some other things you might try:
- Caramel Popcorn. Make gourmet popcorn by also drizzling caramel over the top! Sort of like these caramel and white chocolate apples. YUM!!
- Peanut Butter Twist. Use Reese's Pieces instead of m&m candies to add the flavor of peanut butter to this sweet and salty mix.
- Your Favorite Candies. In this recipe, I add Candy Corn to my popcorn (a favorite, of course). But you could also use any of your favorites... Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minis, Chocolate Chips, chopped Whoppers, etc. and make candy popcorn. You could also sprinkle in some mini marshmallows.
- More Salty Snacks. If you want to add more salty instead of more sweet, you could add peanuts or Chex Mix.
- Cookies. Chopped OREO cookies, Chips Ahoy! cookies, Nutter Butter Cookies... or whatever your favorite cookie is... add them in for a Cookie-Monster themed popcorn snack mix.
Serving Suggestions
If you're having a movie night, pour the sweet popcorn back into your big bowl and pass it around 🙂
Popcorn Gift Ideas
If you want to give holiday popcorn as an edible gift, here are some ideas:
- For kids party favors, add a cup of the Christmas popcorn snack mix to little baggies and tie them up with a cute ribbon.
- For adults or families, fill up a Christmas tin with the white chocolate popcorn and add a personalized card for your gift recipients.
- If you want to serve at holiday parties, divide the sweet treat into individual cups so guests can grab one to snack on while mingling. Add candy canes to the side of the cup for a cute and festive garnish.
Storage Directions
Fresh popcorn is best because it gets stale quickly, especially when it's chocolate-coated popcorn left uncovered.
So, if you have any leftovers from this white chocolate popcorn recipe (we never do), immediately place it into a large zip-top plastic bag. Press out as much air as possible before sealing, and store the bag in a dry and dark place at room temperature. Avoid heat or sunlight, which can melt the chocolate. If you don't have a zip-top bag, an airtight container is your second-best option but it's impossible to remove all of the extra air in a container.
For the best taste, enjoy your Christmas popcorn within 3-5 days. Even with proper storage, it may start to soften or lose its crunch over time.
Refrigeration or freezing is not recommended, as thawing causes the popped corn to soften. If you think you won’t finish the whole batch, cut the candied popcorn recipe in half!
Are you ready to make this totally addictive festive holiday treat? I promise you won't be able to put it down!!
Oooh, and if you need a snack for a Christmas movie night, or want to bag it up for class favors like these - kids and adults alike love this stuff!!
More Christmas Dessert Recipes
- The Cutest Christmas Lights Cookies (with video!)
- Easy Christmas Treats: Reindeer Cookies
- Marshmallow Popcorn Balls
- Festive Cookie Dough Dessert Cheeseball
- Eggnog Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Easy Baked Red Velvet Donuts
- Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes Ice Cream
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- The Perfect Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cheesecake
- Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Truffles
- Little Debbie White Chocolate Christmas Fudge
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PrintRecipe
Christmas Crunch Popcorn Snack Mix
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
The perfect sweet and salty treat! This easy and addictive snack can be thrown together in less than 10 minutes and ready to go!
Ingredients
- 8-10 cups of popped popcorn (microwave or homemade)
- 8 ounces of white candy melts or almond bark
- 1 cup M&Ms
- 1 cup Pretzels
- Christmas Sprinkles
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn and pour into a large bowl. I used microwave (the "extra butter" variety but you could use air popped or whatever is your favorite!
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or wax paper. Spread the popcorn out on the cookie sheet.
- Sprinkle the M&M's and pretzels evenly over the popcorn. Melt white chocolate and pour over the popcorn mix. I do this by chopping up the almond bark, then putting it in a microwave-safe measuring cup and microwaving for 1 minute. Stir and microwave again - in 30 second intervals until smooth and completely melted.
- Pour it over the popcorn, then gently stir it up to coat the popcorn. Sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles to make it extra festive!! 🙂 Let it dry/harden, then break it up and enjoy!
Notes
- PS. If you want to speed up the drying/hardening, pop it in the fridge or freezer for a couple of minutes!
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Amy
So yum! Also, grab yourself some peppermint M&Ms at your earliest convenience. Great combo!
Kathy Caravaggio
Hi Rose
Love your website. Your description's are always so detailed & very interesting...I always get a little chuckle.
My question is: I'm making chocolate Popcorn for a party on Sat. I would like to make ahead of time as i have so much to do.
How far in advance can i make the chocolate popcorn & what is the best way of storing?
Thanks so much. 🙂
Rose
I've only made it a day ahead and it never lasts long at my house - but when I did make it ahead, I bagged it up in sandwich bags, tied them shut and it was great the next day! I'd just recommend air tight!
Kathy Caravaggio
Thanks Rose. Have an amazing holiday season.
Betty Critchlow
Rose, Everything you post is great, I love it all . You must be a great manager. With schooling your children, baking and decorating all of your cakes, making deliveries and everything else a mother of 6 and a wife has to do. You have it organized great. Where in the world do you get all the great ideas?
Your friend in Indiana
Betty Critchlow
Jen
This looks so good. Thank you for sharing.
Jenna
Mmmm....love popcorn. And pretzels. And sprinkles, lol. Looks so good. I"d love it if you'd come link up with us at Best of the Weekend. The party went live Friday and goes until Wednesday night each week. Thanks for sharing such a yummy treat!
Rose Atwater
Thanks - I'll do that!
Jenna
Thanks for linking up! I'm still loving this treat so I'll be featuring you on Friday night.
Anita
This recipe looks so delicious! Hi, I'm Anita visiting from Artsy Fartsy Link Party.
Sahana
This popcorn crunch perfectly screams christmas. What a great combination of items. No wonder it goes away in minutes.Thank you for sharing with us @ #HomeMattersparty. We would love to have again next week.
Rose Atwater
Thank you!
tara
i just found this account but, how much does this serve?!
Melissa Holden
Can you use regular popcorn without butter?
Rose
It will be lacking that "salty" factor since popcorn is very bland without any salt/butter.
Karen Frederick
Thank you for a easy fun snack. However there should be a warning: It’s addictive!!
Elizabeth Sturman
I like to add cracked up peppermint candy pieces too.
Lizet Bowen
Some foods are fun to eat, and this Christmas popcorn is definitely fun to make and eat!
Jessica Formicola
My kids would absolutely love this! Such a fun snack mix and so simple to make too!
agreso
Thank you for a easy fun snack. However there should be a warning: It’s addictive!!