DIY Christmas Popcorn Tins

Give the gift of DIY Christmas popcorn tins at the holidays. They’re easy-to-make, inexpensive gifts that spread holiday cheer far and wide with a mixture of sweet and salty treats.

There is nothing like receiving a popcorn tin for Christmas. Or Christmas in July.

Okay, maybe it’s kind of a dumb gift, but if you’re a popcorn lover? (Like me!) They’re a perfect gift. So thoughtful!

My dad used to bring one home from work at the holidays, and my siblings and I always fought over them. That’s when I fell in love with holiday popcorn tins.

It’s always so hard to decide how to ration out each compartment. I always take a little of each. Butter, then cheese, then caramel.

Christmas popcorn tins make great gifts, but they can really add up. You can spend anywhere from $10 on a cheap one to $60 on a fancy name brand popcorn tin. That adds up!

Look, I know it’s easy to run to the store and grab a popcorn tin as an easy gift. I don’t judge. (And I’d happily eat one, thank you very much.)

But if you want to save yourself a trip to the store (who doesn’t?) and if you are into saving money (who isn’t?), then making a few DIY Christmas popcorn tins is a great gift you can put together for under $5 each. 

How? Buy, or reuse, your own empty Christmas tin and pop your own popcorn! I like to use shallow cookie tins rather than the big cans, because it’s less popping for me but still a great gift.

And you don’t even have to give them for Christmas. They make great gifts for teachers or for housewarming gifts.

What flavors of popcorn go in a Christmas popcorn tin?

Traditionally, you’ll find most holiday popcorn tins are filled with a trio of butter popcorn, caramel corn and cheesy popcorn.

• Butter popcorn: Butter is classic, but it’s a good base for the additional flavors. Movie theatre butter popcorn is the best.
• Cheese popcorn: Cheddar cheese popcorn is, well, cheesy and it’s finger-licking good, too.
• Caramel corn: The caramel popcorn adds a sweet and crunchy touch to combat all that savory.

But there are so many other flavors of popcorn you can incorporate into a homemade Christmas popcorn tin.

Gourmet popcorn tin flavors

Aside from the traditional popcorn tin flavors of butter, caramel and cheddar, there are so many other flavors you can use to customize a popcorn tin.

Try a mixture of one sweet flavor and two salty for the ultimate crunchy combo, or go all-in on three flavors of either all-sweet or all-savory.

Sweet popcorn ideas

There are tons of sweet options you can use in your DIY popcorn tins.

• Puppy Chow Popcorn — Popcorn coated with chocolate and peanut butter and dusted with powdered sugar, like the classic holiday snack mix (also known as muddy buddies).
• Chocolate Cake Popcorn — Flavored with two kinds of melted chocolate, this one is also dusted with colorful sprinkles.
• Bourbon Caramel Popcorn — Sea salt and bourbon add complexity to the typical caramel popcorn flavor.
• Cookies + Cream Popcorn — White chocolate and Oreo crumbles make for a sweet mix.
• Moose Munch Popcorn — A mix of chocolate and caramel popcorn that is sure to please anyone.

Savory popcorn ideas

Sweet always goes well with salty. You have lots of choices besides butter and cheese flavors for popcorn.

• Olive Oil Popcorn — Simple can be better with popcorn, as this one is just flavored with olive oil and sea salt.
• Chipotle Lime Popcorn — Zesty and a little spicy, this one packs a mean punch. Or crunch?
• Pizza Popcorn — Popcorn mixed with herbs, garlic and parmesan cheese and tastes like everyone’s favorite pie.
• Herb Butter Popcorn — Buttery popcorn gets a mix of herbs for a savory snack.
• Pesto Popcorn — Basil pesto flavors this popcorn for a summery spin.