How to Make Colored Popcorn Fit for Any Occasion

Red for your Valentine's date night. Green for St. Patrick's Day. Pink and blue for a gender reveal. Colored popcorn is one of the easiest ways to make any gathering feel intentional — and with your Popper and a few simple ingredients, you can pull it off three different ways.

Check it out:

How to Color Popcorn with Food Coloring 

A few drops of food coloring are all it takes to make colored popcorn, but if you also want it to taste as good as it looks, then here’s a recipe to follow:

What You’ll Need

• ½ cup kernels 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ tablespoon water
• ½ tablespoon butter
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Gel food coloring

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 250°F.
   
2. Preheat your trusty stovetop popcorn popper for 1-2 minutes, add oil and kernels, turn the crank to keep the popcorn from burning, and then transfer it to the baking sheet when popping slows to 1-2 seconds between pops. 
3. In a separate pot, combine butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and water over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3-5 minutes. 
   
4. Remove from heat and stir in the food coloring until you reach the desired shade. 
5. Working quickly, pour the mixture over your popcorn and use a spatula to coat it evenly.
6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Stir, then continue baking for another 8–10 minutes until the popcorn is dry to the touch. 
7. Remove from the oven, let it cool completely, and enjoy!

GOOD TO KNOW: We recommend gel food coloring over liquid. It gives you a more vibrant color with just a few drops and won't affect the consistency of your syrup.

How to Make Colored Popcorn with Jell-O 

Jell-O comes in all sorts of fun flavors and colors, so it’s the perfect thing to use for rainbow or multi colored popcorn.

What You’ll Need

• ½ cup kernels 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ tablespoons honey
• ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½  pack of Jell-O powder (or any gelatin mix)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 250°F. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Pop your popcorn following the instructions on our How to Pop page. Then pour popcorn into the baking sheet once popping slows. 
4. In a separate pot, combine honey, butter, and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the Jell-O powder until fully dissolved.
5. Pour the Jell-O mixture over your popcorn and use a spatula to coat it evenly.
6. Put the sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take it out of the oven and stir every 10 minutes.
7. After the 30 minutes are up, remove the popcorn from the oven a final time and wait for it to cool.
8. Break it into clumps and serve. 

How to Color Popcorn Using Kool-Aid

Another way to make colored popcorn is to use Kool-Aid. Like jello, it’s available in different flavors and adds a twist to your regular popcorn — in a good way.  

What You’ll Need

• ½ cup kernels 
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 Kool-Aid packet
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. Make stovetop popcorn, then spread the popcorn into the baking sheet.
4. Combine the light corn syrup, butter, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix until the butter is completely melted.
5. Allow the mixture to come to a boil for 3 minutes.
6. Take the saucepan off the heat and incorporate the Kool-Aid and baking soda. 
7. Pour the Kool-Aid syrup over the popcorn and use a spatula to coat evenly.
8. Bake the colored popcorn for 40 minutes. Take it out of the oven and stir every 10 minutes.
9. Once done, let the popcorn cool, break it into clumps, and serve!

More Tips for Making Colorful Popcorn

• If you want to make multicolored popcorn, pop a huge batch of kernels and separate them based on the number of colors you need, then follow the steps we outlined above.
  
  
• Remember to be careful when you’re pouring the mixture over the popcorn. It will be really hot! 
  
  
• For the most even coating, make sure your popcorn is spread in a single layer on the baking sheet before it goes in the oven. Crowded popcorn will give you uneven color and soggy spots.
  
  
• Colored popcorn is on the sweeter side, so you might want to add nuts, pretzels, or other salty mix-ins to balance the flavor out. 
  
  
• Store any leftover popcorn in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days — though in our experience, it rarely lasts that long.

A Pop of Color for Every Occasion

From Easter pastels to Christmas reds and greens to game day team colors, there's a color for every occasion! These three methods mean you'll never be short on options. 

Want more popcorn recipes and snack inspiration? Check out our blog — and if you don't already have a Popper, now's a great time to grab one.

FAQs About Making Colorful Popcorn

How do you add color to popcorn?

You can add color to popcorn using either food coloring, Jell-O, or Kool-Aid. The exact steps vary depending on the method you choose, but essentially, the coloring is added after the kernels are popped. You’ll have to mix it with butter to let it stick, and for best results, you need to bake the colored popcorn to make it crunchy. 

Can you just add food coloring to popcorn?

Food coloring needs something to bind it to the popcorn. A simple syrup made with butter, sugar, and vanilla extract works perfectly — it carries the color and adds a light, sweet flavor at the same time.