Rock Candy is such a fun treat to make and eat for holidays, parties, or any fun occasion. Learn how to make rock candy at home (fast!) for something special you can make with the family. I chose to make a blue raspberry candy, but you can make any color or flavor you like with this easy homemade rock candy recipe!
Rock Candy Recipe
Learn how to make rock candy at home for parties, holidays, and special occasions. Such a fun thing to make with the family!
Making rock candy is surprisingly easy! I never thought I’d end up making my own candy, but this little DIY was so much fun. I wanted to make blue candy in honor of the Breaking Bad finale, and this recipe was just the thing.
It’s so simple to make a sheet of this hard candy, then smash it up into pieces. You can make larger pieces, or crush it up small, so it looks more like traditional rock candy. Really easy either way!
I made blue raspberry candy (which is a great flavor/color combo), but you can choose literally any color or flavor you want with this rock candy recipe. Follow the same simple method, and add in your preferred flavor extract and food coloring.
Making this rock candy at home is such a fun experience, and it makes a really cool party treat! Both kids and adults love this stuff!
Homemade Blue Rock Candy
This homemade rock candy recipe doesn’t require days of letting sugar crystals form around a stick…that sounds really cool, but we don’t have time for that!
This is a much faster way of making rock candy. We’re making sheets of hard candy (think jolly ranchers), then we can smash it and break it up into pieces however we want.
It’s so fun and so delicious. Plus it’s just quick and easy!
What is rock candy made of?
- Water
- Sugar
- Light Corn syrup
- Flavoring Extract (any flavor you want)
- Food Coloring (any color)
Blue Raspberry Candy
I chose to make blue candy this time, because I made it for the Breaking Bad series finale. It fit perfectly with the theme of the night and it was so fun! I also thought raspberry would be the perfect flavor.
You can choose any color and flavor combination you like!
- Make green candy for St. Patty’s Day (with a lime or sour flavor).
- Make orange and black rock candy for Halloween parties.
- Make red strawberry candy for summer days.
- Or just make your favorite flavor and color combo!
How to Make Rock Candy
This easy recipe shows you how to make rock candy sheets in about 20 minutes. It’s a fast way to make it, and you can make any color or flavor with this method.
Here’s a quick overview (check the recipe card for full details):
- Mix together all of the ingredients.
- Heat on the stove, stirring until it boils.
- Once it starts to boil, STOP stirring, and wait until the temperature reaches 300°F (you’ll need a candy thermometer for this).
- Remove from heat and let it cool just until bubbles stop breaking at the surface.
- Then pour it onto a baking sheet (lined with foil and non-stick spray), and let it cool completely.
- Once it has cooled and hardened (takes about 30-45 minutes), you can break it apart and eat!
Making Rock Candy (Top Tips!)
Here are some helpful tips on how to make rock candy at home.
How long does it take to make rock candy?
With this method, making rock candy takes only 20 minutes, plus cooling time (usually 30-45 minutes for it to harden).
How do you break up hard candy sheets?
- To turn the sheet of hard candy into small pieces, it’s easiest to use a metal mallet (like a meat tenderizer). Just hit the sheet with it until it breaks into pieces.
- If you want to make it look more like rock candy, place those pieces into a bag, and use a rolling pin to crush them up even smaller.
How do you stop homemade rock candy from sticking together?
Place the candy pieces into a resealable bag, pour in some powdered sugar, and shake it up to coat the candy. Do this before storing them, and they won’t stick!
How to store hard candy
The great thing about hard candy is that it really lasts! Well, assuming you don’t eat it all.
- Place the candy in an airtight container to store it (try the powdered sugar tip above!).
- Store it at room temperature, ideally in a pantry or cupboard where it’s slightly cooler.
- You can keep it for weeks!
Why isn’t my candy hardening?
If your candy doesn’t harden, even after sitting for a long time (it should only take 45 minutes, not much longer), it might be that your liquid never got hot enough.
It’s important that the temperature reaches 300°F while cooking the syrup. And the best (really only) way to make sure it gets hot enough is to use a candy thermometer to check.
This was such a fun recipe to make! I can’t wait to make different colors and flavors for holiday parties, and it will definitely be a fun thing to make for kids’ parties.
See the recipe card for details on how to make rock candy. Enjoy!
Be sure to try these other fun homemade sweets and treats:
- Candy Rice Krispy Treats
- Gingerbread House White Chocolate Bark
- Fantasy Fudge Recipe
- White Chocolate Lollipops
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup light corn syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tsp flavoring extract i chose raspberry, but there are tons to choose from!
- blue food coloring or any color!
- candy thermometer
Instructions
- mix all ingredients together and place in a medium saucepan.
- stir until boiling.
- after liquid begins to boil, do not stir until finished.
- once boiling, place candy thermometer in liquid and monitor closely. when liquid reaches 300 degrees, take off heat and set aside.
- allow to cool until the bubbles quit breaking at the surface of the liquid.
- pour liquid onto a foil lined (and non-stick sprayed) baking sheet
- allow to cool until fully hardened. you can then break apart to the size desired.
- TIP: I had a reader comment that a great way to keep them from sticking is shaking them in powdered sugar before sealing in an airtight container. GENIUS!
Nutrition
Just made this! And it is awesome and so easy! I will actually use this rock candy as the gems in my geode cake later this week! I used lemon extract in mine and it is delicious! Thank you!!
That sounds awesome!! I’m glad you enjoyed making this!!
How much food coloring did you use? Paste or liquid? Does the color change as the syrup hardens?
Thank you for any help.
I just did the eyeball test. It should pretty much stay the same as it hardens. Enjoy!
This was super awesome I hope it hardens for me if not it’ll be great for rock candy sticks.
How far in advance can I make this and how should I store it?
Hi Amy! I would say maybe one or two days so it doesn’t get sticky, and make sure its in an airtight container. Should be fine! Thanks for stopping by!
Becky thanks very much for this great recipe and helpful hints. The suggestion about checking the thermometer accuracy was right on in my case. My first attempt I made it I cooked it right to 300 degrees and it came out very sticky and flimsy. Upped it to 310 on my thermometer and it came out perfect. Thanks again.
Glad it worked out!!! Thanks for saying hi :)
Mom always shook it in powdered sugar so it didn’t stick together.
That is SO smart. I’m definitely doing it that way next time.
Hi, this is great! What kind of raspberry extract display you use?
So awesome! So glad you tried the candy and that it worked well. I can’t believe the show is over either…now what will I obsess about? :)
I agree!!! loved your recipe…I have never made anything like that before and you made it so easy!!
I can’t believe the show is over either. I might start watching it again from the beginning haha!
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe, I’ve tried it but unfortunately the candy didn’t harden, it’s been setting overnight and it’s still in liquid state. One possibility could be that as I did not have a thermometer, I let it boil for a few minutes and then set it aside to cool down. How long does it take from when boiling breaks till it reaches 300? Could this be the cause?
Thanks in advance for any suggestion you may have!
I would love to know the response to this question, I don’t have a thermometer for candy making either… thank you. xxx
Hey guys. This was my first (and only) time making candy, and the thermometer was a huge help. I think that probably was the issue, that it didn’t get hot enough to harden. Here’s a video I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBwnSZU5Vgo and an article that might help: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4779209_making-candy-thermometer.html Also the original recipe I used is linked in the text of the blog post and it might be helpful. Thanks for stopping by!!