Make this festive chocolate covered popcorn recipe with just 3 ingredients! Kids and adults love this sweet and salty treat.
Jump to RecipeThis post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associates and through other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a link – at no extra cost to you. We only promote products we actually use and truly love!
It’s your lucky day! This festive chocolate covered popcorn recipe is one of the best easy green desserts for St. Patrick’s Day. You can make this no-bake sweet and salty treat with only a microwave, and it’s ready to eat in one hour. So if you forgot you signed up to bring dessert to your kid’s school this week, you’re going to want to make this last minute St. Patty’s Day dessert!
This was one of my favorite treats growing up; my mom would always make chocolate covered popcorn for Christmas. This year I figured, why not enjoy it for all the other holidays? With endless possibilities thanks to white chocolate and food coloring, this simple dessert should be a staple at all holiday parties!
Our Kelly green version of chocolate covered popcorn is just one way to make this recipe festive for St. Patrick’s Day. But there are tons of other creative ways you can color and serve this treat for a day of Irish fun! Keep reading to learn how to make chocolate covered popcorn and get inspired for how to serve it.
St. Patty’s Day Chocolate Covered Popcorn Recipe Ingredients
You just need 3 ingredients to make this easy St. Patrick’s Day dessert:
- Yellow popcorn
- White chocolate chips or baking melts
- Green food coloring
We have this glass microwave popcorn popper, so we typically just buy kernels from the store. But you can also use traditional microwave popcorn for this recipe if you prefer.
When it comes to coloring white chocolate, oil-based or powdered food coloring works best. This is because they can bind with the oils in chocolate, resulting in a smooth and silky texture. Water-based food coloring can cause white chocolate to seize, so avoid using it if you can. (If it’s all you have, you can still make this recipe – just note it will be more difficult to stir the chocolate into the popcorn).
How To Make Chocolate Covered Popcorn
Here’s how to make chocolate covered popcorn in just over an hour using only the microwave:
- First, microwave the popcorn until it’s popped – we use this microwave popcorn popper and it pops in about 2 to 2.5 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the popcorn on it. Let it cool for a few minutes, then pick out and discard any unpopped kernels.
- Next, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring vigorously every 30 seconds to encourage even melting.
- Immediately add a few drops of green food coloring, and stir to combine.
- Then, pour or dollop the chocolate over the popcorn and gently stir to coat the popcorn in chocolate. This step takes some patience, as you don’t want to stir too aggressively (this will break the popcorn).
- Once the popcorn is well-covered in chocolate, spread it out into a single layer on the baking sheet and let it set at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Finally, gently separate any large chunks of popcorn into smaller pieces and serve or store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.
It’s important to separate out and discard the unpopped kernels so that they don’t get hidden in the chocolate – you don’t want to accidentally eat these!
Note that if you use a water-based food coloring, the white chocolate may seize up once you stir it in. This is because the oils in white chocolate don’t mix well with water. But don’t worry – you can still make this recipe even if your chocolate seizes! The chocolate will just be a little more difficult to stir into the popcorn since it will want to clump together. Check out the FAQs section below for more tips on this.
Chocolate Covered Popcorn Recipe FAQs
How long does chocolate covered popcorn last?
When stored properly in an air-tight container at room temperature, chocolate covered popcorn stays good for up to 1 week. It does taste best when it’s freshest, so we recommend enjoying it within a few days.
What’s the best way to color white chocolate?
Oil-based food coloring works best for coloring chocolate, since it mixes well with the oils found in chocolate. You can also use powdered food coloring.
If you only have water-based food coloring available, you can still make this recipe – just note that the chocolate may seize, which will make it more difficult to mix into the popcorn.
What do I do if my chocolate seizes?
Don’t panic! This recipe will still work. Dollop it evenly over the popcorn, then try to stir the popcorn so that you’re guiding any uncovered pieces of popcorn into the chocolate (not the other way around). If the chocolate has seized, it will not be as fluid, so you may have to use the back of your spoon to spread it around a bit on the parchment paper. Then you can push the popcorn towards it, and scrape the chocolate off of the parchment and onto the popcorn.
It will take a little bit of patience and gentle stirring, but eventually you can still get the popcorn fully covered in chocolate!
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways to customize this recipe for your St. Patty’s Day parties! Here are just a few ideas:
- Use yellow food coloring to make a “pot of gold” – repurpose a black cauldron from your Halloween decorations and fill it with the popcorn
- Make 3 separate batches – white (uncolored), green, and orange (mix red and yellow food coloring) to represent the Irish flag
- Make all the colors of the rainbow and arrange the popcorn in a rainbow shape on a serving tray
- Experiment with different amounts of green food coloring to achieve a lighter or more vibrant shade
The possibilities really are endless!
Why You’ll Love This White Chocolate Covered Popcorn Recipe
This festive chocolate covered popcorn is one of the best no bake desserts for St. Patrick’s Day that both kids and adults will love! It’s sweet and salty and simply irresistible – once you try a piece you won’t want to stop eating it.
Make this easy green dessert for your St. Patty’s Day shindigs this weekend and let us know what you think of it by rating, commenting, and sharing below!
Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
Like this recipe? Don’t forget to share it and follow us on Pinterest!
St. Patty’s Day Chocolate Covered Popcorn Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons yellow popcorn kernels
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 8 drops green food coloring oil based
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Microwave the popcorn in a popcorn maker for about 2 to 2.5 minutes. Then, spread the popcorn out onto the baking sheet and let it cool for a few minutes, just until you can safely handle the kernels.Separate out and discard any unpopped kernels.
- Then, melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring vigorously every 30 seconds to encourage even melting.Immediately add green food coloring and stir to combine.
- Pour the chocolate over the popcorn and gently stir to coat the popcorn evenly. Then, spread the popcorn out into a single layer and let it set at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Finally, gently separate any large chunks of popcorn into smaller pieces and serve, or store for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
Looking for kitchen inspiration? Head over to our shop to see what we cook with every day, plus recommendations for foodie gifts and eco-friendly products.