These Marshmallow Popcorn Balls are sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy. And they’re soft enough to pull apart with your fingers. Incredibly perfect, and such an easy recipe!
Admittedly, I can be a bit of a popcorn ball snob. I learned very early on that many popcorn balls are densely packed and hard as rocks = so hard to chew! So I came up with a delicious, easy-to-eat solution. Marshmallow Popcorn Balls! They are incredibly delicious and so much fun, and you don’t need a candy thermometer to make them!
Why These Popcorn Balls Are My Favorite
My inspiration for this marshmallow popcorn balls recipe comes from my aunt Roxie’s popcorn cake. She was famous for it, making it for every birthday, holiday, and random celebration. (See more about Roxie’s cake at the end of this post, after the recipe card.) The cake was perfection in terms of both texture and flavor, almost like an old-fashioned popcorn ball and a chewy Rice Krispie treat had a baby!
- Soft and chewy. Unlike traditional popcorn balls, this recipe gives you a treat that’s crunchy and chewy, and soft enough that you can just pull it apart with your fingers, one delicious bite at a time.
- No candy thermometer needed. When I was young, I remember Mom making traditional popcorn balls for Halloween. She used a candy thermometer, which took a bit of know-how to get the temperature just right. If the candy syrup wasn’t cooked long enough, it didn’t want to hold the popcorn together – and if it was cooked too long, the balls would be like eating hockey pucks. Well there’s no need for all that stressin’ with this easy recipe that uses marshmallows!
- Perfect for parties. If you add the optional gumdrops, you can use colors to coordinate with the holiday, season, or party theme. I love adding orange gumdrops for Halloween, or red and green for Christmas!
For more crispy-chewy impossibly delicious treats, try my Oreo Fluffernutter Rice Krispies Treats and Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats too!
Enjoy!
What You’ll Need
This is the best kind of treat: you only need a handful of ingredients to make it! Scroll down to the printable recipe card to find the exact ingredient quantities and full recipe instructions.
- Popcorn – I recommend stovetop or air-popped popcorn, as the artificial butter and salt in microwave popcorn will change the flavor of your marshmallow popcorn balls. I always look for white kernels, as I like that pure white popcorn!
- Miniature marshmallows – Make sure they’re fresh for the best soft, chewy texture.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter for the binding mixture and for rubbing onto your hands as you form the popcorn balls.
- Peanuts – Dry roasted and salted peanuts are optional for some extra crunch and salty contrast.
- Gumdrops – Or gumdrop fruit slices; these are also optional, for some fruity flavor and additional chewiness. I usually make these popcorn balls for fall gatherings or Halloween, so most often use orange gumdrops. But you can use whatever color you like!
How to Make Marshmallow Popcorn Balls
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making these super fun marshmallow popcorn balls. (If you’ve got kids in the house, be sure to enlist them to help!)
- Pick over the popcorn. Remove all the unpopped kernels.
- Make the marshmallow binder. Melt the butter and marshmallows together in a pan set over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat once the marshmallows are almost but not completely melted.
- Add the marshmallow binder to the popcorn. Pour half of the marshmallow mixture over the bowl of popcorn.
- Fold together. Fold the marshmallow binder into the popcorn. Then pour the rest of the marshmallow binder over the mixture and fold again.
- Add the (optional) mix-ins. If you’re using the peanuts or orange candies, add those and fold again.
- Form the popcorn balls. Grease your palms with the remaining butter and roll half-cup portions of the popcorn mixture into balls.
- Cool. Set the popcorn balls on parchment or waxed paper and let them cool completely before serving, storing, or wrapping.
Tips for Perfect Popcorn Balls
Marshmallow popcorn balls are incredibly easy, but a few simple tips will help you make sure they turn out perfect every time!
- Be sure to get all those unpopped kernels out. This is important! When you’re eating popcorn out of a bowl, the kernels naturally sink down to the bottom. But once you stir in sticky marshmallow, those kernels will stick to the popcorn and biting into them isn’t fun!
- Use a BIG bowl. You’ll need ample room for folding the marshmallow mixture and popcorn together.
- Use gentle pressure for forming the balls. If you press the popcorn balls super tightly, they’ll be harder to eat (and just harder in general). Lightly pressing them together is best!
More Mix-In and Variation Ideas
There are so many ways you can put your own spin on this marshmallow popcorn ball recipe! Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Leave out the mix-ins. Like the photo above, this gives you the purest form of marshmallow popcorn balls. For those who don’t like nuts in dessert, this is the way to go!
- Brown the butter. For a more sophisticated flavor that adults will appreciate, let the butter brown before adding the marshmallows. The little brown bits add nutty flavor to the popcorn balls.
- Make them extra-festive. Add candy eyeballs for a spooky Halloween treat, or fold in colorful sprinkles, M&Ms, or other candies.
- Give them a drizzle. Melt dark, milk, or white chocolate and drizzle it over the marshmallow popcorn balls once they’ve cooled. If you use white chocolate, you can tint it with food coloring for a little extra flair. Just know that holding this treat in your hand will be a bit messier.
- Add some fruity marshmallows. Use regular white marshmallows for the binder. But then, after stirring together the popcorn and binder, fold in some of those colorful fruit-flavored mini marshmallows. They’ll add a fruity flavor and some extra chewiness. You can also do this with regular marshmallows.
How to Store
Store these marshmallow popcorn balls individually wrapped in plastic wrap, or in an airtight container with parchment or waxed paper between the layers. They’ll keep for up to a week.
More Fun Treats To Make With Marshmallows
- Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies
- Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispies Puffs
- Peanut Butter Truffles – with marshmallow and krispies
Marshmallow Popcorn Balls
Ingredients
- 14 cups popped corn (stovetop popcorn or air-popped is best – I like to use white popcorn kernels)
- 10 ounces miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup unsalted butter, plus another tablespoon for greasing your palms when rolling the balls, if desired
- 1½ cups dry roasted and salted peanuts, optional
- 1½ cups diced orange gumdrops or orange slices, optional
Instructions
- Place popped corn in a very large bowl, removing any unpopped kernels.
- In a medium pan over medium heat, melt ½ cup of the butter and all the marshmallows, stirring frequently. Take care to not let the marshmallows scorch – if needed, turn the heat down a bit. When the marshmallows are almost fully melted, take pan off heat and stir to finish melting completely.
- Immediately pour half the melty marshmallow mixture over the popped corn, then fold gently to coat the popcorn.
- Pour the remaining marshmallow mixture over the popped corn and fold again to coat completely.
- Optional mix-ins: Add the peanuts and fold again. Evenly sprinkle the orange pieces over the top, then fold to fully incorporate.
- While mixture is still warm, lightly grease your palms with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Gather up a generous half cup of marshmallow popcorn mixture (or make them bigger if you like) and press together gently yet firmly to mold into a ball shape, about 2½'' to 3" in diameter. Do not compact them too tightly, or they will be hard to eat once set. Aim for balls that are held together as lightly as possible, and they will be much more enjoyable to eat!
- Place on parchment paper or waxed paper to cool.
- To give as treats, wrap each cooled popcorn ball in plastic wrap or place in a small clear treat bag and tie with a festive ribbon. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Remembering My Aunt Roxie’s Famous Popcorn Cake
My aunt Roxie was such a dear to mail me her original Popcorn Cake recipe cards, a handful of special family photos, and a lengthy letter telling of all the celebrations this cake has witnessed over the decades. Roxie’s mom (upper right photo) started making these cakes in an angel food cake pan for her grandchildren’s birthdays. The cakes were so popular that Roxie starting making them, too. The recipe became part of her family’s birthday celebrations and holidays…green and red gumdrops for Christmas, orange for Halloween, green for St. Patrick’s Day, and red for Valentine’s Day.
When Roxie serves the popcorn cake, she does not cut it. She expects her family and friends to just pull off as much as they want. Roxie was fun like that. And I have to agree…pulling out a handful of sticky, marshmallowy deliciousness is just part of the experience!
This post was originally published in 2012, then updated in 2025.
Any idea how long these would store if they were each wrapped individually and tied with a ribbon? I need to make hundreds of them so I need to make them in advance, but wondering how far ahead I can start! These look fantastic!!!
Hello Jen – these are going to be best when they are as fresh as possible. If it were me, I would think if they were made a couple days ahead of time, they would be just fine.
I love everything about this post…your posts, the history of the Popcorn Cake, and of course, your recipe. This is the stuff that is so important to document and share….was such a fun post to read.
Ahhhh…thank you so much, Brandie. :)
OH wow!!!! How many fabulous memories are in this post!?? I loved these birthday parties – and that popcorn cake! Thank you for taking the time to document this fun part of family history. :o)
These look delightful! I’ve never actually made a popcorn ball but they look really easy and I know my lil pumpkin would LOVE them! Could I substitute candy corn for the orange slices? This substitution might send my hubby over the edge in love with this treat! :-) Thanks so much!
I think candy corn would work just fine in these. I would just stay away from anything that melts easily, because of the warm marshmallow mixture & forming the balls with your hands. Please let me know if you try it!
So fun! I love all the sweet additions!