How To Make Ghost Popcorn Balls for Halloween!
Home » COOK » Recipes » Holiday Recipes » Halloween Recipes »
These awesome Ghost Popcorn Balls are a fun and tasty Halloween party treat! The easy-to-make popcorn balls are dipped in melted white candy and finished off with candy eyeballs. Everyone will love this spooktacular dessert!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Ghost Popcorn Balls
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required as well as understand the steps and timings involved.
If you are hosting a kid-friendly not-so-scary Halloween party, then this is a Fall party treat that needs to be on your dessert table.
If you’ve made Rice Krispies treats before, these popcorn balls are made in a very similar way using melted marshmallows and a few other ingredients.
And just because they’re called Ghost Popcorn Balls, you don’t have to make them into balls, you could shape them into more of a ghost shape if you like.
You could also use different colored candy melt wafers and candy eyeballs to make other Halloween critters!
Kids will love helping you to make these – just be mindful of hot melted candy.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
You may have some of the ingredients for this recipe in your kitchen already – the full list with measurements is found in the recipe card.
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon if available online.
- Lightly Buttered Microwave Popcorn – you will need 2 x (3.3oz) bags. Or you could pop your own corn kernels if you prefer.
- Light Corn Syrup – in the UK you could use Golden Syrup
- Mini Marshmallows
- Powdered Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy the best you can afford, it really makes a flavor difference!
- White Candy Melts Wafers
- Candy Eyes
- Tube of Black Icing Gel
This recipe uses American cups. They’re a handy piece of kitchen equipment to have along with a kitchen food scale. Having both in your kitchen means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog as I use both cups and weighted measures.
Melting Tips for Candy Melts
You can melt candy melts/candy wafers in the microwave or a double boiler, or if you plan on making lots of candy-covered treats in the future, I recommend investing in a Wilton candy melting pot as treat-making life is then so much easier!
Try this PME one if you’re in the UK, as the Wilton one is not available on Amazon.co.uk.
If you use the Wilton Candy Melting Pot, you can check out Wilton’s demo video on YouTube which is really helpful. They also give tips on how to melt candy melts in the microwave, as well as using the double boiler method.
The two most important things are
- Do not overheat – use an even melting temperature
- Do not add water – it makes the candy seize up and become unusable. Make sure the equipment used is completely dry, and avoid using utensils that retain moisture like a wooden spoon.
If you find that the candy is too thick, add vegetable shortening or (solid) coconut oil in 1 teaspoon increments, up to 1 tablespoon, and stir well.
Another reminder – do not add water. The very first time I used candy melts I managed to get water in the bowl and it was ruined. Learn from my mistakes! Additionally, do not use vegetable oil, butter, milk, or any other liquids as this will also make the candy seize up.
If you are using your microwave, test melt a small amount of candy melts first, to see how it works. You may need to adjust the temperature and time to suit your machine. Heat in 15-30 second increments, stirring the candy melts each time. They may not look melted, but they might have started melting from the inside. Stirring helps to distribute the heat.
More Recipes Using Popcorn
One of the hero ingredients in this recipe is popcorn, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Salted Caramel Popcorn Apples
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Popcorn
- Apple Pie Spice Popcorn with Bourbon Sugar Pecans
More Halloween Ghost-Themed Recipes
Looking for more ghostly treats for Halloween? Check these recipes out next:
- Haunted Halloween Ghost Cupcakes Recipe
- Rice Krispie Ghosts Treats for Halloween
- Candy Corn Ghost Cupcakes
How Do I Make Ghost Popcorn Balls?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, instructions, and demonstration photos. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Ghost Popcorn Balls
These awesome Ghost Popcorn Balls are a fun and tasty Halloween party treat!
Ingredients
- 2 (3.3oz) bags of lightly buttered microwave popcorn
- ½ cup light corn syrup
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup mini marshmallows
- 1 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Cooking spray
- White candy melts wafers
- Candy eyeballs
- Tube of black icing gel
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn according to the package instructions. Remove any and all of the unpopped kernels. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- Place the corn syrup, butter, mini marshmallows, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract into a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil.
- Boil the mixture, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
- Pour the corn syrup mixture over the popcorn. Stir the mixture with a mixing spoon that has been coated in some cooking spray until well combined.
- Let the mixture cool slightly, spray your hands with cooking spray, and form the popcorn mixture into 14 balls. Leave to them to set for 30 minutes
- Heat the white candy melts according to the package instructions.
- Dip the popcorn balls into the melted candy so that it covers all but the bottom of the popcorn balls. Set the dipped popcorn balls onto a parchment-lined tray. Place the tray of popcorn balls into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the candy has set, place a small dot of decorator’s icing on the back of two candy eyes, and place them on the front of each of the popcorn ball ghosts. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 90mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 1g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Quick & Easy Pepperoni Mini Mummy Pizzas
- Main Dish: Toxic Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe for Halloween!
- Beverage: Oogie Boogie Mocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!
This Halloween recipe idea features in Twinkl’s Halloween Activities for your Ghouls, Ghosts, and Goblins blog.
The post is part of the Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Check out Crafty October from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012 for awesome Halloween ideas and inspiration; including recipes, printables, crafts, and more!
