How to Make Cotton Candy

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 24, 2022 Tested

Creating cotton candy in large quantities is virtually impossible without a machine designed specifically for doing so. However, you can make your own beautiful creations from threads of spun or pulled sugar, if you have some patience, know-how, and a few common household tools.

Ingredients

Hand-Spun Cotton Candy

4 cups/800 grams sugar
1 cup/40 ml corn syrup
1 cup/40 ml water
1/4 tsp./1.5 g salt
1 tsp/5 ml raspberry extract
2 drops pink food coloring

Hand-Pulled Cotton Candy

4 1/3 cups (1 kg; 2 lb 3.3 oz) sugar
2 cups (500 ml; 1.1 pints) water
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup (150 g; 5.3 oz) corn syrup
1 drop food coloring (optional)

Cornstarch

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Hand-Spun Cotton Candy

1
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Place 4 cups of sugar, 1 cup of corn syrup, 1 cup of water, and 1/4 tsp. of salt into the saucepan and stir the ingredients together until the sugar is melted. Use a pastry brush to wipe down the sides of the pan to keep sugar crystals from forming.
2
Clip on a candy thermometer and heat the mixture to 320°F (160°C). Then, pour the hot liquid into a shallow and heatproof container. Then, add the extract and food coloring that you're using and stir the ingredients well. Though this recipe calls for raspberry extract and pink food coloring, you can use any extract or food coloring you want.

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3
Line parchment over your work table. You can also spread it on the floor so it will catch any bits of falling sugar that may go over the table.
4
Spin the sugar. Dip the decapitated whisk into the sugar syrup. Hold it over the pot and allow the sugar to drip back into the container for just a second. Hold it about one foot (30 cm) above the parchment and swing it back and forth so that very thin strands of sugar begin to fall on the paper. Keep going a few more times until you've got a nice looking nest of spun sugar. Know that it won't look like the machine cotton candy you're used to.
5
Wrap the cotton candy around lollipop sticks. You should do this right away, or the sugar will get brittle and would bend around the sticks.
6
Serve. This is a dish best enjoyed immediately, but you can also seal it in air-tight containers to keep the moisture away from the cotton candy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Hand-Pulled Cotton Candy

1
Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Place 4 1/3 cups of sugar, 2 cups of water, 1 tsp. of vinegar, 1/2 cup of corn syrup and 1 drop of food coloring in the pan. Stir them together very gently so you don't end up forming any sugar crystals on the side of the pan.^{[1]
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2
Bring the mixture to a boil. Use a candy thermometer and watch it closely until it reaches 268°F (131°C). Then, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it gets down to 212°F (100°C).
3
Divide the candy evenly into four 1-quart plastic containers.
4
Remove it from the containers once it reaches room temperature. Do this by squeezing it gently while you carefully turn the container.
5
Sprinkle a generous amount of cornstarch on a baking sheet. The baking sheet should have sides.
6
Roll the candy in the cornstarch. Rub off any excess that you see.
7
Prepare the candy for pulling. Make a hole in the center of the candy. Use your thumb and forefingers to burrow a hole in the center of the candy. Then, use pressure to make the circle bigger, while the candy remains the same thickness around the rope you've made. Once the rope is long enough, twist it into a figure eight and bring both of the halves together.
8
Pull the candy. Hold the candy in both fists. Keep your front hand stable while your back hand pulls back gently. Rotate your hands around the candy and keep on pulling until the strands are nice and long. Keep pulling the candy at least 10-14 times.
9
Serve. Enjoy this delicious pulled candy while it's in good shape.

Community Q&A

Question

Do I have to use food coloring?

Community Answer

No, but if you want to make it more visually appealing, add food coloring.
Question

Will this work if I do not have corn syrup?

Community Answer

You can make a perfect substitute if you dissolve 1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar in 1/4 cup of hot water. Stir until it dissolves, and use in place of corn syrup.
Question

Will the pulled candy stay soft or become hard?

Kennedy Agnew

Community Answer

If you cover the cotton candy with cellophane or aluminum, it will stay soft.

Warnings

Remember to wear an apron, it can be very messy.

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Helpful 54 Not Helpful 14
Use extra caution when making spun sugar "cotton candy" by hand as it may be a dangerous activity. Failure to watch your pan could result in a fire.

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Helpful 49 Not Helpful 18
Do not make spun sugar "cotton candy" by hand when children or pets are nearby.

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Heated sugar can cause serious burns. Use caution. Temperatures are similar to those of oil used for deep frying, but unlike oil, the hot sugar will not run off of your skin as readily, instead coating it and continuing to burn until it is cooled. This means that you could get third degree burns if you're not careful. Third degree burns may require hospitalization and may be painful.

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Candy making is simple but precise work. Even a few degrees above or below the recommended will prevent threads from forming.

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