The BEST Popcorn Bar

Popcorn is not just for movies anymore! Whether you’re hosting a party, shower, game night, or even a wedding reception, a Popcorn Bar is a fun and interactive addition to any gathering. And the best part? It’s EASY to put together.

A popcorn bar is all about giving everyone the freedom to customize their snack. Let’s get into the ingredients and steps to set it up!

The Ultimate Popcorn Bar

A Popcorn Bar is an easy, affordable, fun addition to any gathering. Depending on the occasion, it can be elegantly tailored for a wedding reception or dialed down for a cozy family evening at home.

It offers both fun and flavor, and your guests will love creating their personalized popcorn blends. So, let’s get started!

How To Make A Popcorn Bar For A Party

1. Location: Find a spacious table or counter to set up your bar. Keep it easily accessible and offer enough space for guests to mix and match.
2. Popcorn base: Fill large bowls with your popcorn flavor choices: plain, buttered, and caramel.
3. Organize the mix-ins: Arrange them by type – savory, sweet, and healthy. This helps guests quickly find their preferred flavors and mix.
4. Serving: Place cones or cups at the beginning of the bar.
5.  Signage(optional): Use fun, decorative labels to name each ingredient. 

What To Serve On A Popcorn Bar

1. The popcorn:
   • Pre-popped popcorn: You can make it yourself or buy fun already popped flavors. Have at least one bowl of plain or lightly salted popcorn.
   • Alternatives: Consider kettle corn, white Cheddar popcorn, Chocolate Popcorn, Caramel Corn, or caramel-Cheddar popcorn for variety.
2. The mix-ins: Here’s where you get creative!
   • Savory: Cheese powder, garlic powder, dried herbs, nutritional yeast, ranch seasoning, etc.
   • Sweet: marshmallows, edible cookie dough, toffee, gummy bears, crushed candy canes, etc. (more ideas below!)
   • Healthy: Nuts (like almonds or cashews), dried fruits (like raisins or cranberries), seeds (like pumpkin or sunflower), banana chips, etc.
3. The tools:
   • Big bowls for popcorn
   • Smaller glass jars for the mix-ins
   • scoops or spoons
   • Cute paper boxes, containers, or cups for serving
4. The decor (optional):
   • Tablecloth
   • Fun signs or labels for each ingredient
   • Twinkle lights, candles, or other mood-setting accessories

Popcorn Bar Toppings

Here are our favorite Popcorn Bar toppings (featured in these photos):

• M&M’s
• Mini Reese’s Cups (we love the ones from Trader Joe’s)
• Crushed Butterfingers
• Broken-up pretzels
• Mini or coarsely chopped Oreos
• Mini Funfetti cookie dough bites
• Heath bits
• Crushed toffee
• Mini chocolate chips

Trademark disclaimer: This recipe refers to some trademarked brands:M&M’s, Reese’s, Butterfingers, Oreos, and Heath. We use these names for two reasons. 1) They’re high-quality products that we use in our test kitchens and 2)they create instant name recognition to illustrate steps in the recipe process. We respect trademarks and branding!

How do you display popcorn bags?

1. Popcorn stand: Use a small tiered cart or stand.
2. Basket or crate: Place bags upright in decorative baskets or crates.
3. Wall display: Hang bags on strings or fairy lights using clothespins.
4. Glass jars: Use tall, clear glass containers filled with popcorn. Provide scoops and bags on the side.
5. Pegboard: Attach hooks or baskets to display bags.
6. Metal buckets: Place bags in metal buckets of varying heights.
7. Personalized stations: Use named bags for events, doubling as seating guides.

What goes with popcorn at a party?

When hosting a party with popcorn, here’s a list of what pairs well with it:

• Beverages: Think sodas, lemonade, or Hot Cocoa (for colder months or movie nights).
• Savory snacks: Serve bowls of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts), chips (tortilla, potato, or vegetable crisps), or a cheese board with crackers, or veggies with Hummus or Guacamole.
• Easy Appetizers: Any type of Nachos, Sliders (Ham and Cheese Sliders, BBQ Chicken Sliders, Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders, or Grinder Sliders), Bruschetta, or this quick seven Layer Bean Dip.
• Something sweet: A big Fruit Salad or this Fruit Dip

More Popcorn Recipes:

• Popcorn Snack Mix
• Microwave Caramel Corn
• Oreo Popcorn
• Peppermint Popcorn
• Zebra Popcorn

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5 from 1 vote

Popcorn Bar

By Chelsea Lords

Popcorn isn’t just for movies! A Popcorn Bar is a fun, easy, and interactive addition to any party, shower, game night, or even a wedding reception.

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Equipment

• bowls for each type of popcorn and glass jars for toppings
• Spoons or scoops or tongs, for serving
• Popcorn boxes or containers for individual portions

Ingredients  

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Popcorn Base:

• ▢ Air-popped popcorn about 1 cup per guest, see note 1

Savory Toppings:

• ▢ Cheese powders
• ▢ Nutritional yeast
• ▢ Seasonings
• ▢ Broken-up pretzels
• ▢ Cheez-its
• ▢ Roasted chickpeas

Sweet Toppings:

• ▢ Chocolate chips any flavor
• ▢ M&M’s
• ▢ Crushed candies or chopped candies
• ▢ Toffee bits
• ▢ Heath bits
• ▢ Mini Reese’s
• ▢ Edible cookie dough bites
• ▢ Teddy Grahams or chopped graham crackers
• ▢ Mini KitKats
• ▢ Fruity cereals Trix or Fruit Loops
• ▢ Gummy candies
• ▢ Mike & Ikes
• ▢ Twizzler bites

Healthy Add-ins:

• ▢ Nuts
• ▢ Seeds
• ▢ Banana chips
• ▢ Dried cranberries
• ▢ Dried mangoes chopped
• ▢ Dark chocolate coated raisins
• ▢ Freeze-dried fruit
• ▢ Honey-nut cereal
• ▢ Coconut

Instructions 

• If you’re air-popping your own popcorn, do this first. Ensure it’s freshly popped and ready before guests arrive. Add popcorn to bowls, separating by flavor.
• Separate toppings by type: savory, sweet, and healthy. Use clear bowls or jars to display them so guests can see all their options easily.
• Place the popcorn in the largest bowl(s) in the center. Surround the popcorn with bowls of toppings, grouping them by type. Place the cups or cones at the start so guests can grab one, fill it with popcorn, and then move through the toppings.
• Label each ingredient, especially potential allergens like nuts. You can use small chalkboard signs, printed tags, or sticky notes.
• Encourage guests to mix and match, creating their unique popcorn blends!

Recipe Notes

Note 1: A couple of options:

• You can pop popcorn yourself or buy fun already-popped flavors. Have at least one bowl of plain or lightly salted popcorn.
• Consider kettle corn, white cheddar popcorn, chocolate-drizzled popcorn, caramel corn, or caramel-cheddar popcorn for variety.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information is for one cup of popped popcorn. Everything else will vary.

Storage: Store the popcorn in an individual sealed container, and keep all the toppings in separate sealed containers. Properly stored, popped popcorn will last for about 1 to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 0.3mg | Fiber: 1.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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