Looking for a fun and colourful snack to add to your next kids' party? Rainbow unicorn popcorn is a great addition and really popular with the kids. Pick your child's favourite colours and add as many mini marshmallow or other sweeties to it as you wish.
Apart from the small amount of sugar syrup, it doesn't rate too badly in the health department either, compared to other snacks. You can leave the additional sweets out to make it even healthier.
For more fun recipes suitable for childrens' parties, have a look at these easy Mars bar slices, this impressive Rice Krispie cake or this popular recipe for coconut ice.
What's to love about this recipe
- Ideal for kids' parties
- Healthier snack than some other options
- Fun to make and to get the kids involved with
- Pick any of your favourite colours
- Add any variety of small sweets to it, or leave it out completely
- Easy to portion into individual cupcake holders, paper bags or small popcorn boxes
Jump to:
Key ingredients and substitutions
Microwave popcorn - We use microwave popcorn simply because it's so convenient. You can absolutely make the popcorn from scratch too with corn kernels.
Food colouring - Gel food colouring is hands down the best in terms of colour vibrancy and the variety of colours you can choose from.
We have used the following Wilton colours in the photo above:
- Pink
- Violet
- Cornflower blue
Sugar and water - Used to make the sugar syrup which we will add the colours to and ultimately colour the popcorn with.
Mini marshmallows - We mix these in with the unicorn popcorn, but you can use any small, colourful sweeties, like smarties, M&Ms etc. Ideally use sweets that compliment the colours you chose for the popcorn.
How to make multi-coloured popcorn - Quick summary
- You will need several vessels - A large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, small bowls to colour the sugar syrup in and some medium bowls in which you will colour the popcorn in.
- Pop the popcorn in the microwave according to package instructions. Allow it to cool completely.
- Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Melt the sugar over a medium heat and reduce down until the syrup starts to thicken.
- Divide the syrup into the small bowls and colour each one with your chosen colours.
- Pour a couple of tablespoons of the first colour into a medium bowl. Add some popped popcorn and quickly toss it around to pick up the colour. Careful not to soak the popcorn in the syrup otherwise it might soak up too much liquid and make it soft.
- Spread the coloured popcorn onto the parchment-lined baking tray. Repeat for the remaining colours.
- Leave the popcorn to airdry for about 3 hours.
- Toss the colours together and mix with mini marshmallows or sweets of choice.
Storage
The popcorn is best consumed within 2 days. After two days it will go stale. Keep in an properly sealed airtight container.
Not suitable for freezing.
Top tips
- Mise en place is important for this recipe, in other words, gather what you need and have everything in place before you start.
- When colouring, start off with a small amount of coloured syrup and toss well. The more liquid you add the more it will affect the texture of the popcorn. Be patient and keep tossing before adding more syrup. The colour does transfer the more you move the popcorn around.
- I find it works best to toss the popcorn with the coloured syrup using your hands. You can use gloves if you want, but good quality food colouring usually washes off well under the tap.
- If you have a draughty area in your house, leave the tray with popcorn in that area to help it dry quicker.
- Be aware that coloured popcorn will be ever so slightly softer than uncoloured popcorn, this is to be expected.
Serving suggestions
Extras to add:
- Dust the popcorn with edible glitter using a large fluffy brush
- Add any other sweets apart from mini marshmallows, or leave it out for a healthier option
Colour options:
Adjust the colours to your child's preference, or the colour scheme of the party. Here are some ideas:
- Camouflage popcorn - shades of green, khakis and oranges
- Halloween popcorn - black and orange
- Under the sea - blues and greens
- Valentine's - red and pink
- St Patrick's day - shades of green
- Superman - blue and red
- Hulk - green and purple
- Batman - black and yellow
- Iron Man - blue and black
- Wonder Woman - red, blue and yellow
- Thor - blue, black, yellow and red
- Spiderman - blue and red (and black)
- Captain America - red, blue and white
- Ariel - green, purple and orange
- Jasmine - Turquoise
- Aurora - Purples
- Belle - Yellows
Serving vessel ideas:
- Serve in cupcake cases
- Tied up, plain, transparent piping bags
- Small popcorn boxes
- Paper bags
- Large glass bowl (to see the full affect of the colours)
More ideas for children's parties
Recipe
Rainbow unicorn popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 packet microwave popcorn - like Butterkist (60g) in the UK, or Act II (2.75 oz) in the US
- 120 grams sugar
- 120 grams water - 100ml
- food colouring of choice
- mini marshmallows - multi-coloured
Instructions
Get your stuff together
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper - You will use this to dry the coloured popcorn on
- Get together some small bowls, one for each colour you want to use.
- Have your food colouring ready with some toothpicks to transfer the colour from the jars to the syrup (if you're using gel colour)
- Also get some medium sized bowls ready in which you will combine the popcorn and coloured syrup in, one for each colour
Make the popcorn
- Pop the popcorn in the microwave according to packet instructions and set aside to cool completely
Make the sugar syrup
- Place the sugar with the water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Let the sugar melt, stirring every once in a while. Turn the heat down to low if it's boiling too fast.Once the sugar has melted, allow the mixture to gently simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the syrup starts to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to cool down slightly
- Divide the sugar syrup into small bowls, one for each colour you would like to use. Add the food colouring to each bowl and mix well
Let's colour some popcorn!
- Start with your first colour. In a medium sized clean bowl, pour the coloured sugar syrup into the bottom of the bowl. Don't add too much at first, about 2 tablespoons.
- Throw some popcorn on top of the coloured syrup. Working quickly and using your hands, toss the popcorn around in the syrup. Don't let it sit on top of the syrup as it will make the popcorn soft. You can use gloves if you want, but most good quality food colouring will wash off straight awayIf you feel you need more colouring, you can add some more and toss again. Always be mindful of adding too much liquid. Toss the popcorn really well before adding more, the colour does transfer more the more you move the popcorn around in it
- Once you're happy with the colour, spread the popcorn out on the parchment lined tray to dry
- Repeat the process for each colour
- Leave the popcorn to air dry for about 3 hours. If you have a draughty area in the house, this will be ideal to leave your tray in
- Toss all the colours together in a big bowl and add some coloured mini marshmallows. You can also add other sweeties of you wish. Enjoy!
**Nutritional data disclaimer**
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is calculated by a third party and we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We try our best to give you the most accurate information, but we do not take responsibility for errors that may be present. Also, the nutritional value of the recipe may change depending on the exact brands and products used. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalised advice on your dietary needs.
Nutrition
For food safety advice, including guidance on food allergies
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