Easy Halloween Popcorn Balls Recipe

Last Updated on December 25, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Looking for a Halloween popcorn ball recipe? You are going to love this Maple Walnut Popcorn Ball Recipe! Make a batch today and see why they’re a favorite.

Popcorn Ball Recipe

One of my favorite combinations of flavors is maple and walnut.  We have maple trees in our backyard that we let our next-door neighbor sugar for us.  

In return for sugaring the trees, he drops off a bunch of jars of maple syrup for us each spring.  There is nothing like the taste of real Vermont maple syrup whether it is on a stack of pancakes or added to popcorn balls and trail mix.

This Halloween popcorn ball recipe is an easy treat to make at home for the kids. We love making homemade Halloween Treats.

While we cannot hand them out to trick or treaters for safety reasons, we love having them for parties at home or for snacks.

The kids are always looking for snacks and these were fun to put together with a Halloween theme. You may want to try this blood red mocktail for Halloween.

What are popcorn balls made of?

Popcorn balls are made of popcorn and a sweet, sticky syrup to hold them all together. They can also have candy corn or another type of candy added in to give them a festive look.

You can use red and green for Christmas or orange and yellow for Halloween. Or, simply add walnuts and enjoy them year-round. Or, you could make Valentine popcorn balls with red cinnamon red hot candies. 

You could really do this same recipe with a variety of different flavors and add-ins.  I think that a vanilla almond popcorn ball would taste amazing too.

I really like this recipe because you do not need to use a candy thermometer. It’s easy and quick to make and absolutely delicious.

How long do popcorn balls stay fresh?

If you store these popcorn balls on waxed paper in a tightly-sealed plastic container, they should stay fresh for about a week. But, they are definitely best enjoyed right after you make them.

I like the use these Halloween popcorn bags. They stay closed to keep the popcorn balls fresh. You can add orange and black curling ribbon to the top to make them more festive for Halloween.

A local party store might have popcorn ball bags that have a Halloween theme like the ones I used. I couldn’t find them online when I looked.

Can I freeze popcorn balls?

Yes, you can definitely freeze the popcorn balls if you want them to last longer. You do need to wrap each popcorn ball individually rather than store it in one container.

Just wrap each popcorn ball in plastic wrap. And, then store the wrapped popcorn balls inside a large freezer bag and seal.

They should stay good for a few months this way. You could make a huge batch before the holidays and then add different types of candy or add-ins for each holiday. 

Why won’t my popcorn balls stick together?

If you’re wondering why your popcorn balls don’t stick together into a ball shape, you might be using the syrup while it is too thin.

You need to wait until it thickens so that it is thick enough to hold the popcorn pieces in a ball. I also find that it’s a lot easier to use a popcorn ball mold.

It’s also a lot easier on your hands since the popcorn balls with the hot syrup can be quite hot.

How to color popcorn balls

We don’t usually use food dyes in our foods because of health concerns. But, there are a variety of different natural food colorings available if you want to color your Halloween popcorn balls recipe orange or even black. 

Of course, half the fun is getting all of the fun themed Halloween decorations so make sure you look for a few skulls and Halloween treat bags while you’re at it.

More Halloween treats

• Bloody eyeballs
• Hershey Halloween treat ideas
• Banana ghost pops
• Monster Sandwiches
• Halloween yogurt bark
• Wicked witch fingers

You may also like:

• Indian Corn popcorn balls
• 6 delicious popcorn seasonings to make
• Halloween coloring pages
• Healthy Christmas treats for kids