Learn how to freeze dry candies and assemble your own gift baskets, unique gifts for holidays and Christmas, and just for fun. There are many different candies that you can use for this process, and you can also use homemade candies and marshmallows as well. There is lots of room to experiment with freeze dried candies, especially when making them just for yourself, or gifts.
Freeze dried candies are a more recent development, and somewhat of a fad. The candies that are freeze dried become crisp, often airy, and have a complete texture change. The familiar flavors are still there, but the texture is very different. Many people like freeze dried candies, and you can learn how to make freeze dried candies, and avoid the exorbitant surcharge and potentially stale or crushed candy from shipping. All you need is a freeze dryer (or vacuum oven, but the freeze drier is more versatile for homesteaders, gardeners, and people who want to be prepared).
First up, a freeze drier is different from a dehydrator. Both remove water from foods, both help with food preservation and long shelf life. But, a freeze dryer holds frozen food in a vacuum while the moisture is extracted under moderate heat, while a dehydrator just applies heat and air movement. The vacuum effect is what keeps freeze dried food fresh looking and makes it more versatile to hydrate and use like fresh food. A dehydrator gives you leathery food that takes long soaking to hydrate and never really loses that chewy “has been dried” texture. A freeze drier gives you crunchy, airy food that re-hydrates nearly identical to fresh, or frozen, food.
What kind of machine do I need to make freeze-dried candy? You need a freeze drier.
A freeze drier is an expensive piece of equipment, but has many uses. You can use it to freeze dry eggs, milk, meat, entire meals, leftovers, candy, vegetables, and fruits. And, as long as things are relatively low fat, the shelf life is amazingly extended. With fully air tight containers or bags, and oxygen absorbers, you have food that can safely last for decades. This “astronaut food” is awesome for long term storage, and is surprisingly versatile for emergency kits, hiking, backpacking, and more. All you need to hydrate it enough for dinner is boiling water.
If you already have a dehydrator, or want a dry storage option that’s less expensive than a freeze dryer, check out this dehydrating overview.
How to Freeze Dry Candy:
You will need a freeze dryer for proper freeze dried candy, the cooler and dry ice trick may make “dried” candy, but it won’t have the pop or airiness of properly freeze dried candy. Also, the cooler and ice trick won’t properly desiccate fruits or vegetables either.
- Start with setting up your freeze drying machine according to the manufacturer’s specifications. You can also prep candies to get the “freeze dried” feel with a vacuum oven. However, a vacuum oven and freeze drier have different purposes. I’ve used a freeze dryer, I have not used a vacuum oven.
- Prep your freeze dryer trays with parchment paper.
- Fill trays with your candy of choice, hard shelled candies can be close together. Gummy type should have 2″-4″ expansion room, and hard candies should have at least 1″ expansion room, make sure each candy type has enough space. The dryer works best if all trays have the same type of candy on them, though sometimes you’ll get different results on topmost or bottom most trays compared to center trays.
- Do not pre-freeze. A machine like the Harvest Right freeze dryers, has a candy mode that can be enabled for candy specific preparation. Otherwise, set up to skip the pre-freeze cycle, and immediately start the heat and vacuum cycle of the freeze dryer.
- Candy should be run for 4-6 hours to ensure full dryness. While candy may puff or expand early in the cycle, it should still be run through at minimum 6 hours for hard candies, and 8+ hours for gummy candy. Again, candy will dry faster than fruits or vegetables.
- Once candy is dry, it should be packed into airtight containers, solid walled jars and mylar bags are the normal packing. Add a desiccant packet if you live in a warm or humid climate to help the longevity of the candy in storage. Jars should be vacuum sealed, and mylar should be sealed when possible.
- Do Not use an oxygen absorber with candy, the heat generated by oxygen absorbers in mylar bags can deflate the candy.
Why Should I Freeze Dry Candy?
Candy makes a fun gift, and freeze dried candy can make a very unique and special gift that is difficult to replicate. While many people are selling freeze dried candies, once you learn how to make freeze dried candy, you can make unlimited and special gifts while controlling the quality.
There are many fun candy-like items you can try as well. Marshmallow fluff, flavored with jello, and pipped or molded and then freeze dried makes fun and cool sweet-treats. Homemade peanut brittle can be freeze dried into amazing fluffy explosions. Almond Roca is another option, just add chocolate after it’s freeze dried. Homemade hard candy can also be freeze dried.
Of course, nature’s candy is also a great option. Nothing beats a summer fresh strawberry, and catching that sweet ripeness at it’s peak, and preserving it too, can’t be beat. Peaches are another personal favorite, alongside strawberries, they are just too good. And these delicious treats are perfect for gifting, storing, and even for hiking or emergency snacks.
Lastly, it’s fun. There’s something almost magical about seeing the sugars change in the vacuum chamber and then they’re crunchy and amazingly sweet candies. If you have a freeze dryer, then freeze drying candies is just fun.
Best Candies to Freeze Dry:
If you want to use commercially available candies, here are some easy ones to start with.
Skittles: Pour onto the tray and run without freezing. Skittles pop easily and are a good starter candy. Crunchy skittles are fun to eat, and freeze dried skittles don’t last long around toddlers.
Jolly Ranchers: Usually recommended to cut in half or thirds, these hard candies expand a lot and are semi-fragile once dried. Run with a bit of heat if possible. Peppermint candies and warheads are run the same way, but usually not cut.
Gummy Bears: Avoid gummy candy with corn starch in the first 4 ingredients. Keep gummies at room temperature, and slightly stretch them before putting on the tray. A slight warm can sometimes help them puff evenly, but too much heat can make them over-puff and explode. Trial individual brands as some work better than others. Other gummy candy like gummy worms, gummy nerd clusters and ropes, and peach rings can also work. freeze-dried peach rings can be difficult to get to pop correctly, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different brands, pre warming them a bit, or stretching them before processing.
Salt Water Taffy: You can also make your own taffy. Taffy is often cut into halves or quarters, and can be run similar to hard candies. Taffy is a fairly simple candy to dry, and usually fairly fool-proof. Freeze dried starburst is an option slightly similar to taffy, but usually dries hard vs. fluffy.
Marshmallows: Any marshmallow can freeze dry, not all marshmallows will fluff in the drier, most just get hard and get a similar texture to those tiny hot chocolate marshmallows or to Lucky Charms marshmallows. Toddlers love them though, and they stay solid in hot chocolate longer than fresh ones. Marshmallow fluff is also a good option, some people mix it with Oreo filling to make fluffy Oreos in the freeze drier.
Most chocolate items won’t freeze dry due to the high fat content. But, some chocolate containing candies will “pop” in the dryer, despite the chocolate becoming a puddle. Caramel M&Ms, Milk Duds, and Charleston Chews can be freeze dried, but viability is hit and miss for how well they’ll pop.
Other Freeze Dried Treats
As mentioned above, formed marshmallow fluff or just dollops of flavored marshmallow fluff freeze dry into beautiful marshmallow like crunchy treats. Homemade candies can dry beautifully, making for very unique and special gifts for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions.
You can use a freeze dryer to make your own yogurt melts and yogurt bars for babies and toddlers. These can be made cheaper in the freeze drier than they’re available in the grocery store, and considering how fast toddlers can go through them, homemade are always a more economical and healthy option. Bonus, you can avoid allergens too. My freeze dryer is 100% gluten free, which does reduce a few things I can make, but makes what I make safe for my family.
I’ve made eggnog bites for Christmas and holiday season, and they are wonderful and tasty. I’ve also made hot chocolate bites, and gluten free cheesecake bites.
You can even freeze dry ice-cream! Either as small scoops, or some people will freeze dry the entire ice-cream sandwich. Astronaut ice cream is a super fun treat (bonus, it doesn’t melt!). And can be extra fun for kids learning about space.
Non-Candy Items:
If you’re concerned about the cost of a freeze drier, remember that it’s for so much more than just candy. I’ve freeze dried over 40 dozen eggs from my chickens, and these fully dried eggs will keep for at least ten years, or longer.
You can freeze dry milk and it reconstitutes the same as dry milk powder, without the burnt taste. Which means you can take advantage of sales of easily perishable items, like eggs and milk, and freeze dry the excess for later. This helps shield you from food inflation, at least for a time.
All fruits and vegetables can be freeze dried, as long as the skin is punctured for berries or grapes. This helps preserve garden produce and fruit harvest longer, and can keep nutrients better than just canning or just dehydrating.
You can freeze dry entire meals, or leftovers from meals, and have quick to re-heat and reconstitute dinners. This is great for traveling with allergies, or for camping and hiking. If camping or hiking, freeze dried food stored in mylar bags has less scent print for critters, so your food’s less likely to attract bears.
You can freeze dry items like strawberries, bananas, blueberries, pineapple, kiwis, mangoes, and cantaloupe. Then, when they are dried, you can dip them in chocolate for chocolate covered fruits. The freeze drying process really preserves the flavor of the food, and even though chocolate can’t be freeze dried, it still can be used in connection with freeze dried treats and delicious fruits.
FAQ
Can you freeze dry candy at home?
Yes, as long as you have the right machine you can make regular candy into freeze dried candy at home.
Is it illegal to freeze-dry candy?
No, the process of home freeze drying is not illegal even if used on candy. Selling or re-selling on the other hand depends on your local regulations, cottage laws, and other governing body. Advertising freeze dried candy with the TM brand name can also be problematic, but using brand-name candy for your own use, or private gifts, is not illegal.
Can a dehydrator be used to freeze dry candy?
No. A dehydrator cannot be used to freeze dry candy, as it does not have a vacuum pump or a freeze cycle. A dehydrator is still a great food preservation tool, but it is not the same as a home freeze dryer.
Troubleshooting:
If candy is still gummy after a run, you can add extra dry time. If your machine has cycled back into “freeze mode” candy may have to warm up, or trigger dry mode again, to get candy feeling crisp.
If candy deflates after processing, when in storage, there are a few reasons it could happen. One, you left the container in direct sunlight or in a warm location. While candy should be stored dry, it should also be stored somewhat cool. Direct heat or sunlight will melt the sugars in the candy, causing it to collapse and deflate.
There is high humidity. High humidity can cause candy to deflate as well. Use a silica packet in each container of candy if you live in a humid environment. Avoid using oxygen absorbers with candy as they can generate heat which causes the candy to deflate as well. Make sure to store candy in mylar or glass, and avoid standard freezer bags.
Back to You:
If you are using a freeze dryer, what is your favorite candy or fruit to process? What new thing would you like to try, or like me to try?
If you’re considering getting a freeze dryer, what other questions do you have?
Leave a Reply