Popcorn Cake is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that’s great for parties! It has the perfect balance of salty and sweet – with popcorn, pretzels and marshmallows mixed with your favorite candy!

The Best Popcorn Dessert Recipe
This Popcorn cake is one of the most popular recipes on my site since 2009! Gooey, sweet and salty perfection!
This, my friends, is what you call a “Popcorn Cake”. If you’re not a little bit intrigued by this you might need to check your cool kid card at the door.
There is no way that you could frequent this little website of mine and not have the potential of this buttery, salty, sticky sweet cake dotted with M&M’s make your heart skip a beat or three.
This is “want to” food, not “have to” food. It’s a choice you make…
Like we all watch the news and weather because it’s best to know how to dress for the day, or who’s the vice president. But the Bachelor and the Housewives are pure “want to”. Get it?
This cake is the food equivalent to The Bachelor.
I mean, look at this gooey gorgeousness…

The execution is rather simple. Take a look…
You have popcorn, candy, pretzels and melted marshmallow…
Also don’t feel like you’re stuck with M&M’s and pretzels. Sub in chopped Snickers, or Kit Kats…or use potato chips instead of pretzels…or even Rice Krispies to give it some extra crunch!
How to Make No Bake Popcorn Cake
Remove any extra kernels from the popcorn that didn’t pop. Broken teeth aren’t cute y’all.



Then, just stir up the mixture…
And then press it into a lightly greased bundt or tube pan.

Press it down using a sprayed piece of parchment paper…

And let it cool for a about an hour, so it will slice nicely…

Then just invert the pan onto a plate and you’re done!
This is such a fun alternative to a cake at a party!

This has been one of my most popular recipes on the site since 2009 for good reason! Such a fun dessert!
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Popcorn Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Popcorn Cake is a super easy no bake dessert recipe that’s great for parties! It has the perfect balance of salty and sweet – with popcorn, pretzels and marshmallows mixed with your favorite candy!
Ingredients
- 2 bags of microwave popcorn, popped with unpopped kernels removed
- 2 cups M&M’s
- 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks
- 16 oz mini marshmallows (8 cups)
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Prepare a large tube or bundt pan by spraying with cooking spray.
- You start with 2 bags of buttered microwave popcorn in a large bowl.
- Pick out the kernels that didn’t pop.
- Now mix in 2 cups of M&M’s and 1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks.
- Now melt 1 stick of butter over low in a large saucepan or microwave.
- When melted add in a 16 oz bag of mini marshmallows (8 cups)
- Stir until melted and smooth and remove from the heat.
- Allow it to cool for about 2 minutes, while stirring constantly and then pour it over your popcorn mixture.
- Stir until all the ingredients are combined and then press into the prepared pan.
- Cover with foil and let your cake set for at least an hour to cool.
- When you are ready to serve the cake loosen sides of your cake from the pan by running a butter knife around the edges.
- Flip your pan over onto your serving platter.
- Your cake should come out pretty easily.
- You want it to cool completely so it will cut easily.
- Cover tightly and store for up to 1 day.
Notes
store airtight for up to 2 days. Best if eaten same day as made.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 384
- Sugar: 41.4 g
- Sodium: 111.1 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 60 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 25.2 mg
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Oh my HECK!!!! This looks so delish! I'm so going to make this (and probably eat the entire thing myself!!!)
This looks AMAZING! might have to make this, this weekend for my boyfriends homecoming party! =) So far all I have down for the food list are sweets… I'm thinking I need a little more substance in there too.
My favourite dirty snack is a bag of M&Ms thrown into a freshly-popped bag of buttery popcorn, so I'm going to have to try this!
What a clever idea. So much fun for the kids or adults who still think they are kids. 😉
I can’t wait to try this with my class at school! (:
The stuff that dreams are made of. 🙂
I saw something like this a couple weeks ago and just loved the idea! It's still on my "to make" list, and I think it might have moved up a few spots after seeing yours… It sounds so good! Happy Monday 🙂
How fun is that? Going to make this for my kids next month when they come to visit!
Ohh goodness that looks amazing!!! Definately something to eat while watching the Bachelor 😀 I hope he and the vampire make it…she's so freaky and he is such a dope…perfect match 😀
YUM!!
I made marshmallow treats quite some time back, they were a bit like this and were very yummy!! I bet this tastes AMAZING!!
I finally watched last mondays episode of the Bachelor, and seriously, they need to cut Brad a break. I was about to slap some fools around if I heard "are you ready to commit" or "are you sorry" one more time!!
How delightfully intriguing!