Fruity Candy Popcorn, AKA: Jell-O Popcorn is a fun twist on candied popcorn. Ironically, the first time I was introduced to candied popcorn made with Jell-O, was in Brazil. As you might guess, it’s not a traditional local food there! My friend Kim suggested we make this because we happened to have all of the ingredients in our very bare cupboard. I had never heard of such a thing, and I thought it was the strangest idea ever! We mixed up sugar and butter and Jell-O mix and in just a few minutes we had a rainbow of fruity smelling mixtures ready to be poured over fresh popped popcorn. It was delicious! We shared some with the locals and quickly the word spread that the American girls made crazy popcorn treats with Jell-O! That next week we were asked to make several hundred popcorn balls for a big church event and they were quite a hit.
It seems like I post some sort of popcorn concoction on every theme week we do so I thought this was appropriate! I love things like this because they’re so quick and easy and when you’re done you have a lot to share. You can experiment with different colors and flavors and see what you like. I have to say that strawberry is my family’s favorite, and it’s one of the most vibrant so it’s always a safe one to go with. Sometimes the lighter colors get little dark specks in them, but they still taste great! You could make an entire rainbow and layer it in a glass bowl for great party food, or this packs up perfectly for giveaway treats. This is definitely a kid-tested (and approved!) recipe.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Popped popcorn – Plain, air popped popcorn is all you need here, but if buttered is all you have, it will work in a pinch.
- Butter – Always use real butter if you can!
- Light corn syrup
- Granulated sugar
- Jell-O mix – You’ll need the small box of Jell-O (3-3.5 ounces). Do not use sugar-free, as the sugar is what creates that crunchy candy coating.
How to Make Fruity Candy Popcorn
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil or parchment. If using foil, spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside. Place the popcorn in an extra large mixing bowl.
- Place butter and syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jello and stir to combine.
- Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so it just simmers. Continue simmering for 5 minutes. You’ll start off with a mixture that’s sometimes thick (depending on the flavor, see note at end) and as it cooks the sugar will dissolve and it will become a little more liquidy.
- After the sugar mixture simmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over popcorn in bowl. Be careful, it’s super hot!! Mix right away and keep stirring so everything gets well coated. Spread mixture onto prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Pop in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. I’ve noticed that some flavors of Jell-O have more mix than others. For example, the strawberry is usually much thicker than the lime. If you notice this, you might want to bake the mixture for a few minutes longer to make sure it gets cooked all the way.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temp. Then break into pieces and enjoy! You can certainly eat this un-baked as well and it’s just soft and gooey, but definitely bake it if you’re going to pack it up for giving, or serve it as party food so it will be light and crunchy.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished Fruity Candy Popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- My favorite containers for goodies like this come from the dollar section at Target. Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby usually have a great selection as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is a great treat to make a day or two ahead of when you need it, as long as you store it in an airtight container or package.
Yes, however I recommend doing it in batches simply because there’s so much popcorn to stir and coat.
Fruity Candy Popcorn {AKA Jell-O Popcorn}
Ingredients
- 8 cups popped popcorn
- ¼ cup butter that’s half a stick
- 3 tablespoons light corn syrup honey is a good substitute
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 small box Jell-O (3-3.5 ounces), any flavor not sugar-free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil or parchment. If using foil, spray lightly with non-stick spray and set aside. Place popcorn in an extra large mixing bowl.
- Place butter and syrup in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until butter is melted. Add sugar and Jell-O and stir to combine.
- Increase heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat so it just simmers. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
- After the sugar mixture simmers for 5 minutes, immediately pour over popcorn in bowl. Be careful, it’s super hot! Mix right away and keep stirring so everything gets well coated. Spread mixture onto prepared pan and spread out evenly.
- Pop in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let cool to room temp. Then break into pieces and enjoy! You can certainly eat this un-baked as well and it’s just soft and gooey, but definitely bake it if you’re going to pack it up for giving, or serve it as party food so it will be light and crunchy.
Notes
- Store finished Fruity Candy Popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- My favorite containers for goodies like this come from the dollar section at Target. Craft stores like Michael’s and Hobby Lobby usually have a great selection as well.
Questions & Reviews
i made Lime and Cherry today and was surprised that it really did taste yummy. I bagged it up mixed together in Christmas treat baggies to have for long car rides this Christmas. Thanks for another great recipe!
Just finished 4 batches for my daughter’s b’day–I learned some things! 1. TOTALLY worth the effort. 2. Spray everything you use with Pam (for easy clean up) and 3. Grape flavored Jello looks brown/mauve. Tastes great, but not as pretty as green, red and orange!
Jello is pretty much my favorite thing in the world! I’m always excited to discover new recipes where I can use it. I accidentally made it with a whole stick of margarine…oops. It wasn’t as crunchy, but it was still super good!
Tried this tonight for a 4th of July treat for the kids and I absolutely love it I can’t believe I have always stuck to plain ol carmel corn…this is soon to be a favorite of mine and the berry blue jello is great on the popcorn 🙂 thanks for posting this and I will be sharing the recipe
Jennifer
Okay, so when you make these into popcorn balls, do you still bake them?
Has this recipe ever been tried using sugared Kool-aid powder instead of Jello powder? I have a friend who is opposed to eating gelatin. We’re discussing whether the gelatin actually adds something to the recipe, or if the Jello is mostly for the coloring, flavoring, and sugar.
I just made this with strawberry and cannot wait to try all the flavors. It will be a staple in my house now,LOL!
Made this today with Smart Pop Microwave Kettle Corn and Strawberry Jello. I could have easily eaten all of it myself, but I held back and saved some for the rest of the family. A new favorite – thanks!
I love this recipe and how ironic that you are doing it this week! I always love making it for the 4th of July. I do white popcorn and then blue rasberry jello and then a red jello (usually strawberry) so then it’s all patriotic. It’s what I make as our treat when we go to the fireworks!
and now I see this is an old post! DUH! That’s what I get for following the link from FB! 🙂 Carry On.
to answer your question, (that I deleted from my email and can’t get back!) yes the blue is more of a teal than a true blue but it still works for me. I’m pretty easy to please and everyone seems to get the red, white and blue theme. 🙂
I love all your recipes and especially all these popcorn ones. I have an addiction to popcorn and this is not helping 🙂
I have made jello popcorn before and recently needed to make some to match school colors for a party. I needed just clear to = white but I still wanted a flavor that mixed well with the other colors and flavors. I made your recipe exactly but used plain gelatin with vanilla extract in it and it turned out wonderful! Thanks for all your Best Bites!