How To Make TikTok's Watermelon Popcorn Recipe For A Barbiecore Snack

Watermelon sugar... popcorn? The new viral trend to hit the foodie side of TikTok involves an unlikely pairing of buttery popcorn and fresh watermelon, promising results that are sweet, juicy, and pink. Unlike candied popcorn, which usually relies on caramel or molasses for the sweet coating, Watermelon Popcorn method uses the natural watermelon sweetness as popcorn flavoring — and as a bonus, it adds a pretty pink-red hue to the fluffy snack. Here’s how you can make TikTok’s Watermelon Popcorn recipe at home for themed movie nights and pink parties.

The simple, three-step recipe is pretty easy to whip up, but some of it isn’t exactly intuitive. At first, it might seem strange to fry watermelon with oil and salt. There were a lot of viwers on TikTok expressing their confusion over combining butter, oil, and watermelon juice under @theadleyshow’s TikTok. One commenter wrote, “What in God’s green earth” (@dabislittle_ember), while another begged the question, “What in the Orville Redenbacher is going on here?” (@holldoll78). But, hey, don’t knock it until you try it. You may find yourself scrolling through the hashtag #WatermelonPopcorn, looking at the pretty pink popcorn, and singing, “I just wanna taste it, I just wanna taste it...”

To make the Watermelon Popcorn, you’ll just need a big pan or deep pot, and a stove top to pop the kernels in just a few minutes. You don’t even need a fancy popcorn popper machine, kernels, or oils — instead, just empty a spare microwave popcorn bag into the pan with watermelon, as shown in @reacttex’s TikTok. While the popcorn fries, the watermelon will reduce down, release all those tart juices, and get infused with the oil, transferring the combo of flavors to the popcorn when it pops. TikTokers who’ve tried the recipe suggest chopping the watermelon into medium to small chunks, and breaking up the pieces once they’re in the pan so that the sugary sauce blends seamlessly while everything cooks.

How To Make Watermelon Popcorn From TikTok

What you’ll need:

• 4 tbs vegetable oil (or another frying oil)
• 1 cup popcorn kernels
• 1/2 of one small watermelon, cut into coarse pieces
• 1/2 stick butter
• Dash of salt

1. In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil on high to prepare for frying.
2. After a few minutes, add in popcorn kernels, butter, salt, and chopped watermelon. Stir to combine, breaking up the water melon with a spoon.
3. Cover pan with lid and wait for the popcorn to pop. Remove from heat once popping sound slows down and all the kernels have been popped.
4. Serve and enjoy.

If you want to really up the sugar high, you can sprinkle regular sugar over the top of the popcorn while it’s still hot, ensuring it creates a caramelized coating. Since it has a gorgeous color, which you can make more saturated by increasing the amount of watermelon you include, Watermelon Candy Popcorn is a great bite for themed parties. You can serve this up for a Christmas movie marathon, make it a part of a colorful feast along with other viral TikTok recipes, or even as a pink snack for Valentine’s Day. You can also bookmark this recipe for peak watermelon season in the summer, and pair it with a refreshing watermelon beverage for BBQs and pool parties. It’s also giving #Barbiecore, so grab this aesthetic bite for the next time you’re craving something that tastes as sweet as it looks.