Topping Ideas for the Perfect Popcorn Bar

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I LOVE to host – parties, get-togethers, dinners, birthdays, holidays, you name it. It’s my thing. One of my favorite easy entertaining ideas is to create a bar – not the drink kind, but a help yourself to all these amazing snacks kind of bar. I’m famous for a chip bar, bowls full of different chip varieties. When my daughter wanted to have some friends over I thought a gourmet popcorn bar would be perfection. 

A popcorn bar covers all the bases – salty, sweet, savory, sour. There is literally something for everyone if you get your popcorn topping selections right. I even polled the audience to gather as many yummy ideas as I could for this fun event. I have a free printout for you of all the toppings you can think of! That way you can take it to the store with you and really be prepared.  I hope it helps, and if you know of some goodies I left out, tell me in the comments! 

I started off with plain microwave popcorn in large bowls. It is easy to replenish if needed. You could add flavored popcorn to the lineup, but I wanted a blank slate for the kiddos.

Next we assembled little bowls for all the possible popcorn mix-ins. I found layering them on a large tray was easy for organizing. 

For serving we used napkin lined plastic serving trays, they are so fun and lighthearted. 

At first the kids were shy, sticking to what they knew best. As the night progressed they ventured further into the new offerings and encouraged each other to try new things. I would say the popcorn bar was a huge success and SO SIMPLE to throw together. Any time you have a gathering and are unsure what to serve, think about how to make it fun with lots of self serve and options. You’ll find you hit everyone’s taste buds just right AND it is great conversation to see how your friends go about doctoring their food!

 

We also had a S’mores tray because the kids went and sat by the fire! The gang was all teenagers, so mom wasn’t allowed to snap pictures  – you know I would have loved to! I also should have got a picture of the tray AFTER the kids left to show you how much they ate and what the favorite toppings were, but I didn’t think of that until now! It’s safe to say the popcorn bar was a hit though! There was very little left. 

I hope this fun list of popcorn toppings helps you entertain with ease. Remember it’s always about the friends, family and togetherness… the rest is just minor details! Enjoy.

Download Your Popcorn Topping Idea List Here!