TikTok’s “Popcorn Salad” Might Just Be Your New Go-To Snack

If you thought popcorn was the perfect snack before, just wait until you hear about TikTok’s newest #FoodTok obsession. Creators on the social media app are upgrading the movie theater treat by adding their favorite candies, chocolates, and crunchy bites and calling it “popcorn salad,” because, well, why not. The best part is, the new trend is salty, sweet, and simple, which means there’s pretty much no reason not to try it.

#FoodTok is known for creating a lot of, er, unique snack combinations like cheese-covered pickles and ice cream wrapped in Fruit Roll-Ups, but luckily the popcorn salad craze features a mix of ingredients that we can all get behind. You might have even made it before without knowing.

According to the tag #popcornsalad on TikTok, which has over 5.9 million views as of March 28, all you need to make popcorn salad is popcorn, some sweet treats, and a pair of salad tongs to toss them all together. (You can use your hands if you need to, but that kinda defeats the purpose of the whole “salad” thing.) Plus, you can add as many candies to your popcorn salad as you want, including chocolates, peanut butter cups, marshmallows, sour gummies, and more. It’s basically every kid’s (and adult’s) dream salad, and TikTok is totally here for it.

Many people, including creator @zoe_billins, choose to make their popcorn salad all about the sweets. For a date night upgrade, the TikToker made the dessert for two with an assortment of sweet snacks, like Kinder Bueno Eggs, Sour Patch Kids, and Cadbury Crunchie Rocks.

Meanwhile, other popcorn salad enthusiasts are putting their own spin on the snack by adding a mix of sweet and savory treats. Singer/songwriter @mollyjburch took this combo to the next level with what the creator calls the Molly Burch Snack Bowl, which includes Flaming Hot Cheeto Balls, Cheez-Its, barbecue Kettle Chips, M&M Peanuts, Sour Patch Kids, and Red Vines.

If you prefer your salad to lean more on the savory side but don’t want to use Flaming Hot Cheetos, there are tons of ways to make it work. Instead, you can add other salty fixings such as pretzels, potato chips, or nuts.

For a more ~sophisticated~ popcorn salad recipe, TikToker @alectreffs used treats like chocolate chips, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, coconut peanut butter cookies, crunchy caramel bites, and a peanut butter drizzle on top to create a snack that’s just as ‘Gram-worthy as it is delicious. Oh, and don’t forget the sea salt popcorn and sweet and salty kettle corn mix for the base.

It’s unclear who actually coined the term “popcorn salad” on TikTok, but whoever did deserves a big “thank you” from the clock app users, because it looks like the simple treat has become a lot of peoples’ new go-to bite. TikTok user @theoneandonlycatherine is one of the snack’s many fans, and uses everything from cashews to dark chocolate hazelnut to make the “dorm snack recipe.” We love a hyper fixation snack.

There are dozens of different popcorn salad variations on TikTok, so whether you like your bites to be sweet, savory, or a mix of both, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. It’s the perfect snack for all your movie-viewing parties, or even just a night in with your besties.