Popcorn Bars make the fun, crispy, and colorful movie night snacks that are so easy to assemble! All of your favorite childhood foods are combined into one fantastic, handheld treat that you can make for any occasion!
Need some movie night fun? Have a birthday coming up? Maybe you just need an after school treat. Whatever it is, you will have no problem finding an excuse to make these delicious bars!
Recipe Notes:
Movie Snacks – Have you ever wanted all of your favorite movie theater snacks to be combined into one delicious bar? Well, now you’re in luck!
Sweet and Salty – Can’t decide between having something sweet or salty? Have both!
Kid Friendly – These are really simple to make, even your kiddos can help out! They will love these bars.
Colorful and Cute – Not only are these delicious to munch on, they look so cute on a dessert table!
Customizable – You can customize the candy you add to these bars. You can add some orange and brown candies for Halloween, or red and green candies for Christmas.
These popcorn bars are an explosion of texture and flavor in your mouth. The crunchy, saltiness of the popcorn combined with the gooey marshmallows, chewy sour gummies, and the melt-in your mouth M&Ms will blow your mind!
Ingredient Info
Let’s discuss how to make these popcorn bars, as well as the ingredients that are needed. Please take note that below you will find discussion, expert tips, and answers to frequently asked questions about this recipe to help you recreate it in your kitchen. If you *just* want the recipe itself, scroll down. The full printable recipe itself, with exact measurements and instructions, is found at the bottom of this page.
- Popcorn – Freshly popped popcorn will ensure these bars have the most crunch. I don ‘t recommend using day old popcorn, or popcorn from a bag. Use whatever popcorn you like whether it’s white, yellow, kettle, or buttered popcorn. All of those will work.
- Marshmallows – Use whatever size marshmallows you prefer, it’s all going to melt down anyway. As long as you have 12 ounces of whatever size, you’re good to go.
- M&Ms – M&Ms are always the classic choice, but feel free to use whatever brand of coated chocolate candy you have on hand. Reeses Pieces would work great also.
- Sour Gummies – We used sour patch kids, because the size is perfect for these bars. Use whatever sour candy you have available, I just recommend not using anything too large.
- Butter – Salted butter does a great job at balancing out the sweetness of the marshmallows and candy, but you can use unsalted butter if that’s all you have. You can also add a pinch of salt to the butter while it melts in the pan.
Step By Step Instructions
- Begin by greasing a 9×13 baking dish. pop your popcorn, and add it to a large mixing bowl. Set that off to the side and begin on the marshmallow paste. To a large saucepan or pot over medium heat, add the marshmallows and butter.
- Continuously stir the marshmallows and butter together until it melts completely and becomes a paste like consistency.
- Once melted, grab the bowl of popcorn you set aside. Remove the marshmallow mixture from the heat, and quickly pour it into the bowl of popcorn. Stir well until all the popcorn is coated.
- Fold in the sour gummy candies and M&Ms until well distributed.
- Pour the popcorn mixture into the 9×13 baking dish, use a wooden spatula, some wax paper, or greased hands to gently press the candy into the popcorn mixture. Let the mixture cool completely in the dish before cutting into pieces and serving!
Tips And Advice
Storage – These will last up to 4 days at room temperature. You can either wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap, or store them in an airtight container.
Keep Them Soft
Wrapping each bar individually will keep them plenty soft, as long as you store them at room temperature. If you want them to stay softer for longer, you can store the bars in an airtight container with a slice of sandwich bread. Change out the sandwich bread every day or so so it continues to stay soft long after you make them.
Equipment
For this recipe you’ll need some of the following kitchen essentials to make this recipe:
- 9×13 Baking Dish
- Large Pot or Saucepan
- Silicone or Wooden Spatula
- Large Mixing Bowl
FAQs
You don’t have to add M&Ms and sour gummies! You can mix in a ton of different candies, nuts, sprinkles, chocolate chips (though they might melt a bit) and so much more. Get as creative as you want with these. Be careful not to add too many toppings though, or else not everything will stick together.
It’s like a Rice Krispie Treat with some added candy, but instead of Rice Krispies you use popcorn!
Recipes You’ll Love
If you can’t get enough of these chewy, delicious popcorn bars, just wait until you try out a few more of these similar recipes!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios Popcorn Balls
- Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats
- Christmas Rice Krispie Treats
Popcorn Bars
Ingredients
- 10 cups freshly popped popcorn white or yellow
- 12 ounces marshmallows
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups M&Ms divided
- 1 cup sour gummy candies i.e. Sour Patch Kids
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan.
- Add the popcorn to a large mixing bowl.
- Add butter and marshmallows to a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring frequently, until just about completely melted.
- Pour marshmallow mixture into the popcorn and gently stir until well-coated.
- Fold in 1 cup M&M candies and sour gummies until well combined.
- Spoon into into prepared baking pan. With a wooden spoon or greased hands, gently press candy into popcorn mixture.
- Allow to cool (takes about an hour or two but you can speed up the process by refrigerating).
- Cut into bars and enjoy!
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Cindy says
Nice