Halloween Popcorn Balls are a fun, festive, and easy recipe that kids and adults both love. Made with buttery marshmallows, crunchy popcorn, and festive add-ins like Reese's Pieces, pretzel sticks, and sprinkles, these homemade treats are perfect for parties, trick-or-treat gatherings, or just celebrating the spooky season at home. They're delightfully sweet, colorful, and the best grab-and-go snack for Halloween!
Why This Recipe is the Best
Halloween popcorn balls are chewy, crunchy, and packed with festive color from Reese's Pieces, sprinkles, and pretzels. They're simple to make, fun for kids, and guaranteed to be a hit at any spooky celebration.
For more Halloween recipes, try our Halloween Punch, Halloween popcorn, and Halloween Snack Chex Mix.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
These easy Halloween Popcorn Balls are easy to put together for any Halloween Party.
- Popcorn- Make sure to use freshly popped popcorn. You don't want stale popcorn, or the popcorn ball will be stale.
- Marshmallows- Use small marshmallows, which are perfect for melting quickly.
- Reese's pieces- These candies add the perfect Halloween color while adding a fun flavor. If you don't want the peanut butter taste, use Halloween M&Ms instead. The shells of the candy will keep the mixture from melting, unlike chocolate chips.
- Pretzel sticks- For a fun, crunchy, and salty added texture. It adds more depth.
- Sprinkles- While these don't add a lot of texture, they add the best festive colors.
How to make Halloween Popcorn Balls
Learn how to mix Halloween Popcorn Balls with these easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions.
- Pop popcorn, and break up pretzel sticks so they mix more easily together.
- Melt the butter and then add the marshmallows. Mix until the marshmallows are melted. Drizzle the melted butter and marshmallows onto the popcorn and pretzel mixture.
- Gently mix in the candies, popcorn, and melted marshmallows until well mixed.
- Form into balls, about the size of a baseball. You want to gently press the popcorn together, but not too hard to make it too compact.
Hint: Get creative with your mix-ins-candy corn, candy pumpkins, caramel M&Ms, or anything else you love will make these popcorn balls extra fun and festive.
Common Mistakes
When I first made these, I liked the idea of them being lighter and fluffier popcorn balls that aren't too compact. They immediately fell apart after I formed them. In order for these to stay in their popcorn ball shape, you need to form them into tight balls.
Top tip
For an extra festive touch, add a few drops of food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture right after removing it from the heat-neon green or purple makes the popcorn balls especially fun for Halloween.
Recipe
Halloween Popcorn Balls with Marshmallows
Ingredients
For the popcorn:
- 10-12 cups popped popcorn about ⅓ cup un-popped or 2 bags neutral flavored microwave popcorn
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 6 cups mini marshmallows
Mix-ins
- ¾ cup Reese's pieces
- ¾ cup pretzel sticks cut in half
- sprinkles I like to use candy eyeball sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare popcorn and set to the side in a large bowl with plenty of room for mixing. Prepare mix-ins and set aside. Spread a sheet of wax paper out on a clean work surface such as a counter.
- Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the marshmallows and stir until marshmallows are melted completely. Drizzle over the popcorn and stir to combine. Add the mix-ins and again stir to combine. I like to save a few candy eyeballs to place on the outside of the popcorn balls once they are formed.
- Form the popcorn into balls while the mixture is still warm. I like to make mine about the size of a tennis ball up to the size of a softball for large ones.
Notes
- You can use whatever mix-ins you'd like, have fun with it. Add some candy corn, pumpkins, caramel m&ms or whatever else you can think of!
- Feel free to dye the popcorn balls neon green or purple for a fun flair. Add the food coloring right when you remove the melted marshmallows from the heat.
Nutrition
For more Halloween fun, try our Halloween Chex Snack Mix and Halloween Popcorn.
Variations
- Candy Swap: Use M&Ms, candy corn, or mini chocolate chips instead of Reese's Pieces.
- Glove Hands: For a spooky twist, pack the mixture into a clean, food-safe glove, let it set, then cut the glove off to reveal "popcorn hands."
- Colorful Marshmallows: Use orange or green food coloring in the melted marshmallows for an extra Halloween vibe.
- Pretzel Crunch: Swap pretzel sticks for chocolate-covered pretzels for a sweet-and-salty variation.
Storing
Keep popcorn balls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you need to store them longer, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
Best Ways to Serve
Serve popcorn balls individually wrapped in festive cellophane bags for parties or trick-or-treaters. You can also arrange them on a platter with Halloween candy for a colorful centerpiece.
Andrea says
This is the easiest and best tasting halloween popcorn ball.