This Grinch Christmas Nougat Candy is the perfect no-bake festive treat that puts a spin on a very popular Christmas candy. It makes a great Christmas gift and will be a huge hit at holiday parties!
You may be familiar with the Christmas Tree Nougat candy you can buy in-store and if you’re thinking it’s one of the worst Christmas candies of all time, you are not wrong (at least in my opinion).
Luckily, this homemade Christmas nougat is different. It is sweet, chewy, soft and delicious. We made it in Christmas colors to capture the essence of the holiday season.
Think of this sweet treat as candy similar to a chewy fudge or a chewy caramel. It has a chewy texture but not a weird texture. It’s sweet but not too sweet and it looks great in gift boxes for gift giving.
Give this Grinch Christmas Nougat recipe a try and I am sure you will love it!
Looking for more Grinch recipes? Try our Grinch Mimosa, Grinch Cookies, Grinch Punch, and Grinch Fudge.
If you are looking for more Christmas candy recipes, try our Christmas Tree Pretzels or our Nut Free Christmas Brittle.
Helpful Tips:
- Oil-based food coloring is necessary for this recipe. Water-based dyes will seize the chocolate, ruining the recipe.
- Moving quickly for this recipe is highly recommended. Having all your ingredients and prep finished before starting makes the process much easier.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. This will last quite a while due to all the sugar, and I have yet for it to go bad or change texture while being stored properly, even after a month. Of course, it always tastes best when fresh.
- If you use older marshmallows that are no longer light and fluffy, the nougat will still be fine, it will just be a little tougher in consistency.
- The mixture, right before you place it in the pan, is sticky and a bit of a pain. You’ll probably be left with a bit stuck to the bowl, but just know that’s normal.
- I highly suggest Nestle or Ghirardelli as the choice for the chocolate chips. Cheaper brands just don’t melt right.
- If you want to skip the oil-based food dye, you can use green candy melts. It’s important to note that the nougat will turn out a bit lighter than the shade of the candy melts you choose. These vibrant green candy melts tend to be my favorite for Grinch-themed recipes.
- If you want a more neon-ish color, you can always grab a bottle of lime oil-based green food coloring. It’s not as easy to get, and pricier, but you can always use it for other fun projects as well!
- If you can only find the multi-colored gumdrops, it will take about 3 boxes to get enough red. The Dots brand carries an all reds box of gumdrops all year round. There are three shades. I only use the two darker shades because the last shade looks pink, not red. I used two boxes total.
What You Need to Make Grinch Nougat Candy
- Mini Marshmallows – Make sure these are the white mini marshmallows not the colored
- White Chocolate Chips
- Red Gumdrops, quartered
- Unsalted Butter
- Green Oil-Based Food Coloring
You will also need:
- 8×8 Baking Pan
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Knife
- Dry Ingredient Measuring Cups
- Rubber Spatula x2
- Parchment Paper
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
How to Make Grinch Christmas Nougat Candy
This Grinch Christmas Nougat Candy is so easy to make. You will need to work fast so the candy doesn’t set but once it’s made, you pop it into the fridge and let it set overnight.
The hardest part of this recipe is having the patience to wait to eat it but trust the process, it will be worth it.
Grinch Christmas Nougat Candy
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Mini Marshmallows 16 oz
- 1 ¾ Cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Red Gumdrops quartered
- 2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- ¼ Teaspoon Green Oil-Based Food Coloring
Instructions
- Be sure to quarter your gumdrops before anything else.
- Next, line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and very lightly spray the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place the white chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, pausing every 30 seconds to stir the chips whether they’re melted or not, so they don’t burn or overheat.
- Once the chocolate is nice and smooth with no lumps, set aside.
- Immediately add the marshmallows and butter to a large mixing bowl (if your butter is from a stick, make sure it’s at least in two pieces and not one large one for better melting).
- Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stop and stir and place back in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir until the butter is fully melted and mixed in.
- Add the green dye to the marshmallow mixture and stir until no more color streaks appear. If you would like a bit more color, add more dye a bit at a time. Each brand is different, so ¼ teaspoon is just a starting point.
- Add the chocolate on top of the marshmallow mixture and stir well.
- Add ¾ of the quartered gumdrops to the mixture and fold in.
- Place the bowl back in the microwave for about 15 seconds, stir well.
- Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly (I sometimes use a rubber glove with a bit of nonstick spray on it to do the last part).
- Lightly press the remaining gumdrop quarters on the top of the nougat.
- Place in the fridge and let rest overnight, or for about 8 hours.
- Slice into ½-inch squares and enjoy!
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.