Looking for a unique red, white, and blue recipe for the 4th of July? Here’s a fun recipe for festive popcorn using Jell-O as a flavoring and coloring agent.

If you’re looking for a unique red, white, and blue recipe to serve at a 4th of July party – or other patriotic event like Flag Day or Memorial Day – give this fun recipe a try.

About The Recipe: Patriotic Popcorn

Making candied popcorn at home is quite easy:

• Make a Jell-O-based candy mixture on the stovetop
• Pour it over popped popcorn
• Bake for 10 minutes to harden

The most fun part of this particular recipe is that it can be made in so many different colors and flavors.

If you’re not from the U.S. or your flag is a different color, you can still probably find a Jell-O flavor that will work.

What Colors/Flavors Can I Make?

You can make virtually any color/flavor of popcorn using Jell-O (or other brand of gelatin).

For red, you can use one of the following:

• Cherry
• Raspberry
• Strawberry

Blue is a bit trickier.

I used Blue Raspberry Jell-O (the only blue I could find) and the first batch turned out green.

I tried it again, adding some blue food coloring – and it produced the blue you see in the photos. 

What Kind Of Popcorn Should I Use?

While it’s cheaper to make your own popcorn at home, I like buying ready-popped bags of popcorn for this recipe. 

Why?

Because no matter how hard I try, I never manage to remove all of the unpopped kernels from a batch of homemade popcorn. 

While there still can be kernels in a bag of popcorn, it’s much less likely.

More Red, White, and Blue Recipes

I love making patriotic desserts for the 4th of July and similar events.

Check out this red, white, and blue ice cream recipe (no churn), this red, white, and blue fudge, and more affordable 4th of July recipes. 

More Cheap Popcorn Recipes

Popcorn is extremely budget-friendly and can be prepared in so many fun ways:

• Popcorn cake (pictured above)
• Popcorn Christmas tree
• Sea salt popcorn
• Chicago popcorn mix
• Popcorn salad
• More Jell-O popcorn ideas

Continue to Content

Red, White, and Blue Popcorn

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

I used Jell-O but feel free to use another (or generic) gelatin brand.

Print

Ingredients

For blue popcorn

• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3-ounce package blue raspberry Jell-O
• Blue food coloring (several drops - enough to make the right blue hue)

For red popcorn

• 8 cups popped popcorn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3-ounce package cherry, strawberry or raspberry Jell-O

Additional ingredients

• 8 cups popped popcorn

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Grease 2 cookie sheets with butter or cooking spray.
2. To make red popcorn: Place 8 cups popped popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Place butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, and red Jell-O in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until simmering. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour Jell-O mixture over popcorn and toss to coat. Spread onto one of the cookie sheet.
3. To make blue popcorn: Place 8 cups popped popcorn into a large mixing bowl. Place butter, corn syrup, brown sugar, blue Jell-O, and blue food coloring in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until simmering. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour Jell-O mixture over popcorn and toss to coat. Spread onto the other cookie sheet.
4. Bake the red and blue popcorn for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before breaking into pieces.
5. Once cool, place the red and blue popcorn into a large serving bowl. Toss in 8 cups of plain white popcorn and serve.

Did you like this recipe?

Please give it a 5-star review on the recipe card above!