Beyond popcorn: Creative movie night snacks any college student can make
Hosting a movie night in your dorm or apartment comes with complications. Where will everyone sit? How should we choose a flick? Who has the Netflix login again?
Your snack selection, however, should be easy. Popcorn is a given, and you can even jazz it up with savory seasonings like Old Bay or garlic powder or concoct a sweeter situation with cinnamon and sugar.
But a makeshift concession stand that goes beyond the ‘corn can elevate your small-scale screening to something that will be the talk of the floor. Here are some creative movie night snack ideas that you can make in the smallest of cooking spaces.
DIY snack mix
Did you know you can make your own Chex mix with small-space appliances like the microwave or an air fryer? Personalize the typical store-bought party snack with your choice of pretzels, cheese crackers, peanuts, cereal and chips. Maybe throw in some M&Ms for some sweet and salty action.
Related: How to upgrade your college snack game
You can also amp up your house snack mix by adding seasoning on top. Buffalo Chex mix anyone? Or maybe salt and vinegar is more your speed. You can even make it a full-on sweet treat, like with this chocolate coconut Chex mix.
Loaded chips
Nachos are an obvious option for an easy dorm room movie snack. Top tortilla chips with shredded cheese or a jar of queso, and pop them in the microwave. Have some shelf-stable toppings like canned black beans, jarred jalapenos, and salsa on hand, and you’re set.
You can get creative if Tex-Mex isn’t what you’re craving. For a Mediterranean twist, swap in some pita chips, feta, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, banana peppers and kalamata olives. Or you could adapt these cacio e pepe chips for a dorm room as long as you have a microwave or toaster oven. All you need is kettle-cooked potato chips, grated Pecorino, and black pepper. Top your chips with the Pecorino and heat with your appliance of choice until the cheese is melted. Add the pepper and more cheese, and you’ve got yourself a fancy treat.
Chips & dips
You can’t go wrong here. Buy a variety of chips — from tortilla to wavy to pita — and complementary dips like salsa, French onion and hummus.
You can also easily make your own dips. Labneh only requires Greek yogurt and salt, but you can doctor it up with diced cucumbers, za’atar seasoning, red pepper flakes, olive oil and mint. Guacamole can come together with a few avocados, tomatoes and onions. Another simple and filling option for dipping is “cowboy caviar.” Combine black beans, black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, chopped jalapeno, chopped yellow bell pepper, chopped red onion, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and cumin.
Cheese & crackers
Speaking of fancy, why not assemble a charcuterie board? Slice up a baguette and set out some crackers. Get at least one soft and one hard cheese — nothing too smelly, given your small space. If you don’t have a fridge, make sure to get just enough for everyone so you’re not stuck with leftovers. Add a bowl of olives, grapes, dried apricots, cornichon, sliced salami and some packaged prosciutto to your assortment. Arrange and adapt your spread to fit your audience’s tastes.
Related: Yes, you can (and should) start prepping your meals for the week — even in your tiny space
Want charcuterie on the cheap? Spread cream cheese and hot sauce onto a tray of crackers. You can also sub out the cream cheese for goat or ricotta or swap hot sauce for jam.
Craveable fruit snacks
It’s never a bad idea to have a healthy-ish option on hand, and fruit can be a great way to appease the need for sweets in a more wholesome way.
For instance, you could make some apple nachos: Slice up a couple of red apples and melt about a quarter of a cup of nut or seed butter in the microwave. Drizzle onto your apple slices along with some honey, and then top with chocolate chips.
Related: 8 TikTok food hacks to help college students cook in any space
If you want to skip the prep work, buy a pre-made fruit platter. You can also provide DIY fruit cup ingredients like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pre-cut melon, pineapple slices, shaved coconut flakes and, of course, chocolate chips.
Build-a-bowl candy bar
Set up an assortment of candies and let your guests assemble their own sweet combos. Get a solid mix of fruity and chocolaty and sweet and sour to accommodate different candy preferences. Good options include gummies, Sour Patch Kids, Peanut M&Ms, mini candy bars, chocolate-covered raisins, Milk Duds, Swedish Fish and Sno Caps.
No-bake desserts
Take your sweet-tooth options up a notch with some simple desserts — no oven required. Dirt cups are a fun, nostalgic dessert that require about 10 minutes of prep. You know the deal: chocolate pudding mix, milk, Cool Whip, crushed Oreos and gummy worms. You can simplify it by grabbing the pre-packaged pudding cups.
There are plenty of other no-bake dessert options you could throw in the mix, like peanut butter bars, microwave Rice Krispies treats, truffles and even cookies.
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