White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

This white chocolate peppermint popcorn is one of my favorite ways to surprise my guests around the holidays. It takes just 15 minutes to make this treat from start to finish, and that’s a very lucky thing since everyone always wants more!

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

I have been making this lightly sweet white chocolate peppermint popcorn for over 10 years. And, still it remains one of my favorite treats to serve at holiday parties, even after all that time. Give me a bowl of peppermint popcorn with a London fog in the evening and I am one happy camper.

Full disclosure, I am most decidedly not a white chocolate kind of girl. Given my choice, it’s going to be dark chocolate 99% of the time, but for this peppermint popcorn combination? The chocolate simply has to be white, trust me on this.

At the first bite, you’re going to be surprised by how addictive it is. The white chocolate is creamy and sweet, melding to each kernel of slightly salty popcorn. And, the tiny bits of crushed peppermint candy? It adds the perfect layer of extra crunch and flavor.

One handful becomes two. And, suddenly we’re staring at an empty bowl, while only halfway through a game of euchre. But, that’s ok! Because my second favorite thing about this recipe is showing people in person how fast it comes together. “No, no, you don’t have to make more!”

Oh, but I do! 15 minutes later, there’s another diehard convert, saving this recipe for next time. It’s just that good. Besides, who wants to play games without the right snacks? We take both seriously here at my house. That’s why I make recipes like this ultra decadent peanut butter cup pretzel popcorn in the first place!

Now, I tend to consider peppermint more of a holiday flavor. So, when I make big batches of this popcorn, I inevitably find myself packaging it up as a homemade gift. And, if I’m feeling especially motivated? I bundle it together with another easy option like this microwave salted caramel popcorn.

White Chocolate Popcorn

As I mentioned earlier, for this popcorn, the chocolate simply must be white. Nine times out of ten, I prefer dark chocolate to white chocolate. The richness, the depth, the bitterness, all of them make me a huge fan. But, for this recipe? White chocolate popcorn is the winner, for me. White chocolate lets the peppermint comes through without contrasting flavors. This is the same reason why choose it over regular chocolate for these white chocolate and peppermint cookies.

And, texture-wise? I find that the cooled and hardened white chocolate is less crunchy or brittle. It has a noticeably creamier mouth feel and it balances the crunchy peppermint bits perfectly. But, don’t think that I will ever give up my beloved chocolate covered popcorn. I’m just saying that for this recipe, white chocolate won over my taste buds.

This tip keeps my counter from ending up covered in tiny, sticky peppermint bits. In general, I’m not a super fussy person, but I do need a tidy counter. I use this trick whenever I’m making peppermint treats like these snowball cookies with little candy cane pieces or this peppermint cocoa.

{originally published 12/5/14 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/17/25}