We always love adding to our Disney food galleries!
From Margaritas to Ice Cream to Creme Brulee and more, we’re always collecting options and photos to share with you. And we quickly realized that there was one salty snack missing from our gallery list! What’s a trip to Disney without at least one bucket of Popcorn?
I think Disney popcorn is some of the best popcorn anywhere, and while newfangled snacks and treats will come and go, the classics will never go away.
You’ll find carts selling popcorn all over Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as in some of the resorts that also draw visitors, like Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. But there’s even more variety to it than that, so we’ve put together this handy gallery to showcase all the great popcorny options available!
You Never Get Tired of Disney Popcorn!
We’re going to share with you some of our favorite popcorn and popcorn-related goodness, but be sure to let us know your favorites or anything we don’t mention in comments below! Also, please keep in mind, especially in regard to menu items that include popcorn, that menus are constantly changing, so you may not always see these items when you visit a restaurant.
Disney Popcorn: A Classic
In need of some popcorn at Disney? You never have far to look. In fact, if your first stop is Magic Kingdom, you encounter a popcorn stand as soon as you set foot onto Main Street USA! Some of our readers say that Disney popcorn is the best-tasting in the world — and who am I to disagree?
Disney Popcorn!
And another great bit of news — Disney popcorn is vegan and gluten-free! Popcorn is naturally devoid of gluten. But the kernels are popped in a combination of coconut, corn, and canola oil, and are seasoned with kosher salt, so there are no animal products used. (Disney cautions that because the popcorn is prepared in outdoor locations, there is potential for cross-contamination. When in doubt of a food’s ingredients, be sure to ask for an ingredient list.)
Souvenir Buckets
If you think the fun stops with the snack, well…then let me show you something completely awesome. In addition to the crunchy goodness, you can also amass a completely fabulous collection of souvenir buckets should you be so inclined.
Collect different ones from each Disney park! Here’s one from Animal Kingdom, featuring Mickey and Minnie in cute safari gear, and Asia in the background!
Collect Souvenir Popcorn Buckets from All of the Parks!
Specially-themed souvenir buckets are one of the coolest (and probably most profitable) things that Disney comes up with, snack-speaking. Normally, there’s a tie-in to a season or a special event, but sometimes, you’ll find them for no particular reason other than a fun souvenir opportunity. Plus, these hook onto the stroller, so it’s a perfect snack to keep dipping into throughout the day.
One of our recent favorites is the R2D2 Popcorn Bucket. This little guy arrived in time for Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios a few years ago. But these days you can pretty much always find him at the Studios, and in Tomorrowland in both Disney World and Disneyland.
We’ve seen him house corn dogs as well as Kids’ Power Packs and churros, but the caramel popcorn looks good to me!
R2D2 Popcorn Bucket
Another adorable entry for popcorn bucket collectors is the Dumbo Popcorn Bucket that we’ve been seeing in Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland and in Disneyland!
Unlike many of the souvenir buckets, which actually serve to hold the popcorn, this one is more like a carrying case for the standard paper cartons. But how great is it that you can repurpose it as a carryall after the popcorn is gone? (Note that Dumbo’s ears are prone to breaking in your luggage on the way home!)
DUMBO!!!!
Mickey, of course, makes pretty regular appearances, too. For Halloween, you’ll find Mickey dressed up as a ghost!
Mickey Ghost Popcorn Bucket
There are also less stylized seasonal souvenir buckets in the Fall and at Christmas as well. Here, Mickey and Minnie are all dressed up for Trick or Treat! I see Hidden Mickeys…
Halloween Popcorn Bucket
The Christmas season isn’t to be outdone. We’ve seen Mickey dressed up as Santa.
Santa Mickey Popcorn Bucket at Disney's Hollywood Studios
But my favorite has to be this adorable Snowman Mickey. This one may have been retired last year, but we’re hoping for a comeback!
Mickey Snowman Popcorn Bucket
Caramel Corn
To begin a conversation about Disney’s take on Caramel Popcorn, we must head West! To Disney California Adventure, where it’s the stuff of culinary legend.
Caramel Corn at Disney California Adventure
What sets California Adventure’s caramel popcorn apart is that it starts as regular, buttery Disney popcorn, and then the caramel is lightly applied. So what you end up with is a perfect salty-sweet balance.
You can see from this photo that the corn actually looks very buttery, with just a touch of caramel color. It’s SOOOOOOO good!
Caramel Corn
You’ll only find this option at California Adventure (there are two stands — one on Paradise Pier and one over by Soarin’). And sadly, this method isn’t employed anywhere that we’ve seen at Disney World. But there’s still some great caramel popcorn available back East — it’s just different.
Here’s close up of the caramel popcorn at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, peeking out of the top of that cute Mickey Santa souvenir bucket we showed you earlier. (MICKEY BRAIN CORN!)
Caramel Popcorn at Disney's Hollywood Studios in a Christmas Souvenir Bucket
But beyond the kiosks and carts, a couple of counter service snack spots also have a claim to caramel popcorn fame.
Big Top Treats has only been open for a short time, but it’s already a favorite destination of caramel popcorn enthusiasts! And it’s fun to watch the CMs make it from scratch right before your eyes!
Big Top Treats Caramel Corn in Magic Kingdom
But we’ve saved the best Disney World caramel corn for last.
Making Caramel Corn at Epcot
Head over to Karamell-Küche in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion for beautiful, freshly-popped corn enrobed in a thick layer of rich Werther’s caramel.
Caramel Popcorn from Karamell-Küche
This is a swoon-worthy snack, I’ll tell ya! And it really is my favorite caramel popcorn in the World. It’s a must-try!
Cozy Cone Popcorn
We were so excited to see all of the new and extremely fun menu items at the Cozy Cone Motel when Cars Land opened in Disney California Adventure last year. And an entire cone devoted just to flavored popcorn?? Sign me up!
Popcone at Cozy Cone Motel
Two specialty flavors, like Dill Pickle, and Cheese, are available each day.
Popcorn and Beverage Options
With an extra kick of salt and a sour dill and vinegar flavor, this one was a winner when we sampled it!
Dill Pickle Popcorn at Cozy Cone Motel
And you can get your snack in standard Cars Land cartons or Lightening McQueen souvenir containers.
Disneyland Popcorn Cart Roastie Toasties
So of course, we all love the fun snacks and treats that you find in Disney World and Disneyland. But at the end of the day, it’s the little details that really set the parks apart. And one of my favorite pieces of “added magic” are the Roastie Toasties throughout Disneyland.
These little guys give busy cast members a hand by cranking the old-fashioned popcorn makers, and they are always themed to represent the part of the park where they’re located. Here’s the Main Street U.S.A. cart…
Main Street U.S.A.
…And the little dude that’s helping out there!
Main Street Popcorn Man
At Toon Town, there’s a similar cart, offering freshly popped corn.
Toon Town Popcorn Kiosk
The Roastie Toastie here is an engineer.
Toon Town Popcorn Engineer
Tomorrowland has its own popcorn cart as well, with a decidedly futuristic vibe.
Tomorrowland Popcorn Kiosk at Disneyland
But the Rocketeer helping to tend the popcorn is definitely vintage!
The Rocketeer Roastie Toastie
Can you guess who might be lending a hand outside of the Matterhorn?
Popcorn Cart Near Matterhorn in Disneyland
None other than Harold, of course!
The Matterhorn Popcorn Yeti
And over in New Orleans Square, it looks like one of the ghosts just may have escaped from the Haunted Mansion.
New Orleans Square Popcorn Cart
Or maybe he’s just looking for a few recruits to join him!
Haunted Mansion Popcorn Ghost
There’s so much variety in the characters that Imagineers have dreamed up. It’s a lot of fun to walk around the park just to take note of details like this.
Gourmet Movie Popcorn
Recently, the AMC Theater at Downtown Disney underwent a major overhaul to its concessions. Now, in addition to getting standard movie fare and drinks, you can get a huge array of snacks, hot food, and specialty drinks.
The theater also offers Gourmet Popcorn.
Gourmet Popcorn at AMC Pleasure Island Theater
Choose your flavor — caramel, cheese, or kettle corn — and then spruce up your corn by adding in other ingredients. You can choose from nuts, candies, cookie bits, and other items you’d find on an ice cream topping bar. In fact, the popcorn counter shares space with the ice cream counter, so the toppings do double duty.
Gourmet Popcorn -- Caramel Corn with Add Ins
You end up with a mix that’s entirely your own and freshly made. That sounds pretty great, I’m thinking.
Pre-Packaged Popcorn
Sometimes the sheer amount of popcorn variety in the parks amazes me. As if all of this weren’t enough, you can also find pre-packaged, flavored options!
So far, we’ve found a savory Cheddar Cheese Popcorn for those of you prefer a straight savory experience.
Cheddar Cheese Popcorn
And then there’s Chocolate Caramel Popcorn. This one comes in a handy family size. They must have known that sharing would be required!
Chocolate Caramel Popcorn
It’s always fun to see inventive flavors, like Cinnamon Toast Popcorn!
Cinnamon Toast Popcorn
Confetti Popcorn, with its crazy colors, is beautiful and would be perfect for noshing on while you’re watching the parade go by.
Confetti Popcorn
There’s also packaged Caramel Corn available, too.
Packaged Caramel Corn
The packaged Kettle Corn comes in handy since it isn’t sold anywhere fresh in the parks anymore. This stuff is at every farmer’s market I go to! Wonder why it hasn’t hit the kiosks yet?
Packaged Kettle Corn
We tried the Chocolate Cheddar Popcorn and it wasn’t our favorite.
Chocolate Cheddar Popcorn
But if you like savory-sweet combos, you might really appreciate this one!
Chocolate Cheddar Popcorn Close-Up
Not only are pre-packaged popcorns great for grabbing a snack that can be partially consumed and tucked away for later (a little easier than a paper carton anyway), but they also make terrific take-home souvenirs.
You can also sometimes find other flavors here and there, like chocolate mint and cookies and cream! Never a dull moment in the popcorn aisle. 😉
Popcorn in Menu Items
For a while, popcorn on foods seemed to be an extremely hot trend in culinary circles. We saw it pop up (ha!) on menus all over the resort.
Some of the items are still available as we publish this, and a few have rotated off the menu — most likely due to a change in seasons. Still, we thought it would be fun for you to see the inventive ways Disney chefs have used this fun ingredient!
One real winner is the Trio of Concession Sweets at Flying Fish. In addition to a Cherry Limeade Popsicle and a Peanut Butter Whoopie Pie, there’s a delicious Popcorn Mousse, topped with Caramel Popcorn. Rich and buttery mousse is totally the way to go!
The Corn and Smoked Cheddar Soup, topped with popcorn, has been available at the Wilderness Lodge restaurants at various times. You may find it on the dinner menu at Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Corn and Smoked Cheddar Soup
Even ultra high-end Victoria and Albert’s joined the craze for a bit with this Pork dish, garnished with popcorn.
Victoria and Albert
The Wave…of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary is currently offering a trio of sorbets for the hot summer months. But one fun dessert option they featured in the past was a Gelato Trio. Popcorn Gelato? Yes!
The Wave Gelato Trio -- chocolate rocky road, peanut butter and jelly, and popcorn
And when you can’t decide between caramel corn and a cupcake, you don’t have to! Drop by Big Top Treats in New Fantasyland and pick up a Caramel Corn Cupcake!
Caramel Corn Cupcakes at Big Top Treats
Popcorn lovers — and I totally number in that group! — I hope you enjoy the many faces, flavors, and containers of popcorn that Disney brings to you. A seemingly inexhaustible list of popcorn options should keep the enthusiast in your group busy for the entire visit!
What is your favorite Disney popcorn option? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!
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Mickey Brain Corn – ROFL!
(sigh), so many choices and not enough time. Let me see, do I have enough snake credits?
I’ve never bought popcorn at Disney! I have been there at least 15 or 20 times, and I love popcorn, but it just never occured to me! Probably because I was trying to save my appetite for our next meal, or I was still too full when I saw the carts. WDW portions are so big, I am never hungry for a snack! But since we will be on the dining plan this trip, and snacks are included, I definately will give the popcorn a try. If nothing else, I have to get close enough to the carts to see those little guys that turn the crank. Another one of those “stop and smell the roses” things at Disney that people will miss if all they do is run from ride to ride. Thank you for a great (as always) article.
I love the souvenir buckets featuring the parks…I think they are a good value and are made in the USA to boot! The lids fit perfectly and also have a little hook that attaches to the handle when the lid is off.
And all for about $5!
Another benefit of the collectible popcorn buckets (of which I have many!) – They keep the popcorn fresh for days (if it lasts that long!) I even use them at home if we don’t finish a bag of microwave popcorn. I’ve kept fresh baked cookies in them, too. The food doesn’t get that plastic-y taste, like when you store it in other plastic containers.
At Disneyland, standard cylinder popcorn buckets are $6, boxes are $4. My kids love popcorn, and the buckets are nice because we can put a lid on the popcorn and leave it in the stroller while we are on rides. We bring an empty bucket with us, and then buy a box to fill the bucket. FYI- one box fills a bucket, with an inch to spare.
If you’re at Disneyland and want an R2D2 bucket, I suggest getting your droid at the Tomorrowland Terrace for $12, which includes a kids powerpack (goldfish, yogurt, apples, string cheese, and a drink) rather than at a popcorn cart for $12. The powerpack alone is $5-6, and R2D2 doesn’t hold a full $4 box of popcorn.
I always get popcorn at least once, and usually more than once, while at WDW. Mostly I just get a box at one of the popcorn stands. But that caramel corn at Epcot’s Germany pavilion is calling my name. Next trip for sure.
Looove the carmel corn at DCA!! It really is the best. And I always grab a bag of the chocolate carmel corn for the ride home. Thanks for this fun post!
Cant wait to try the carmel corn at Epcot .. the Karamell-Küche was being built last time we were there so i was like 2 or 3 weeks too early… yum yum …
The popcorn gelato at The Wave was awesome, I wish I could have had a trio serving of it alone!
oh my god
i lost how many pocorns we ate last time
like 4 or 5 buckets every park lol
what do they do to add color?
is it flavacol or something?
Im still trying to reach a close taste
I loved the chocolate cheddar popcorn last year but could not find it anywhere last march-april…did you buy it lately or is it an old pic ????
Please give me hope for our october trip 🙂
Ugh, thanks AJ! I was finally getting over my disney popcorn depression (DPD) but now it’s back with a vengeance! 🙂 Only 64 more days until I get my fix!
I will have to try popcorn our next trip too! The caramel corn looks delicious!
Well, what about Tokyo Disney? The indisputable king of Disney popcorn? They have CURRY and STRAWBERRY flavour, for goodness sakes! And you should see the souvenir boxes (SO CUTE!!!!!)
My favorite popcorn was California Adventure’s black pepper popcorn. Wish they had it in DisneyWorld!
With the popcorn theme, I just have to mention the Popcorn Soup we had aboard the Disney Fantasy cruise ship last fall. Sounds strange but it tasted sooo good.
I wish I could enjoy popcorn more… it gets stuck in my teeth!! 🙁 Oh well.
I am still kicking myself for forgetting to get the Dumbo popcorn bucket on my last trip in May!! This was just a reminder! LOL!
I have a picture of Oogie Boogie as a Roastie Toastie in the cart outside of the Haunted Mansion when it is decked out with the Nightmare Before Christmas theme! Let me know if you want it for adding to your collection.
Not at WDW or Disneyland(never been) but on the cruise line is a fantastic popcorn option! Besides the delicious packaged, flavored popcorn a available before shows, Animators Palate features a delicious buttered popcorn soup! The soup has a yummy creamy texture and comes with caramel corn to sprinkle on top! It is fabulous! We encountered this soup on our cruise on the Fantasy but I imagine it is available on the Dream and maybe the Magic as it receives upgrades this fall. Anyone going on a cruise I highly recommend this delicious soup that is brought to you!(you do not order at animators the first night with the show, you receive this soup and an appetizer trio and then pick an entree and dessert). It is fabulous as is the show!
I start each trip by getting a souvenior bucket. The bucket handle can be popped off and attached to your stroller or purse/backpack strap. My popp-ed corn is then fresh for as long as I need it to be. I bring the bucket home and it does hold snacks and keeps them fresh or I also use to house small toy parts of my daughters.
The BEST FLAVOR popcorn ever was at Cozy Cone last year and was a spicy sweet flavor. It was wonderful and I dream about it still. Wish I could make at home.
When I got the R2 bucket at HS in December I was rather disappointed in the caramel corn I got. It was rather bland & appeared to have been sitting for a while. But then I’ve been spoiled by the fresh stuff from Kuchen.
Sue, I was thinking the same thing since I found my pic of Oogie cranking from 2004 the other day.
I am OBSESSED with popcorn..literally eat it almost every day.
I wish WDW had popcorn like Tokyo Disney does. Their flavors are so fun and all the guests are carrying the buckets which are way cuter than ours. We saw so many different ones.
I think it’d be great if we had fresh cheddar popcorn here or maybe ranch. My fav from Tokyo Disney was definitely the Strawberry. yum!
Dumbo’s ears didn’t break for us =D
Dumbos ears fold down!! Just pull them out a bit and they flip down! Safe flight back to Alaska for him that way:)
Eileen… Thanks so much for the tip about Dumbo’s ears folding down! I wanted to get one on my upcoming trip, but was wondering how to get it home with those ears!
Hello!
We found a new-to-us flavored popcorn cart in Epcot in front of the Imagination Pavillion. They sold three flavors (in addition to regular popcorn): cheddar cheese, sour cream and chive, and buffalo and blue cheese. You could get either a box or the standard plastic bucket for about a $1 more than regular popcorn. Also, they would mix and match flavors. We loved the sour cream and chive combined with the buffalo and blue cheese so much – we bought a bucket, put the lid on it, carried it on the plane and used it for a Super Bowl snack last week!
“Disney cautions that because the popcorn is prepared in outdoor locations, there is potential for cross-contamination.”
Well, that’s depressing news to us Celiac sufferers — if it made sense! I mean, I can understand Disney always wanting to cover its legal tush, but what exactly does that warning mean — that someone could walk by with a stalk of wheat and “magically” (it IS Disneyland, afer all) pose a threat?
I don’t get how an outdoor location can cause a potential for cross-contamination. I didn’t have a problem on my last visit a few years ago; hopefully that continues…
thg: I’m trying to duplicate the Disney popcorn taste, too. If you hit on sonething, please share. (In my quest, I’m only as far as mushroom corn kernels and hot air poppers.)
How many calories are there in the classic box of main street popcorn?
WORST decision Disney has done!!! I understand things are done for “PROFIT” – However, the old popcorn was the BEST Popcorn we have ever tasted! The Pop Secret is TERRIBLE! We have given them second chance after second chance and as season pass holders, we have tried them over and over, and EVERY TIME the Pop Secret has tasted burnt, and has a ton of flaky pieces in it, and the taste? NOT even close. We understand profit… but from here forward, what use to be an easy 5-6 bags a day for us has now become ZERO!! TERRIBLE decision Disney, TERRIBLE!!!
Does anyone know what the highest right image is on the classic popcorn paper bag? My little sister got a stuffed animal popcorn and she didn’t know what that image was.