Sugar Free Hard Candy Recipe

Use this easy, three-ingredient recipe to turn any sugar-free drink mix into low-carb, low-calorie candy with a sugary crunch! Sour apple, blue raspberry, strawberry lemonade…try it with all your favorite flavors!

This super-tasty, unique candy happened completely by accident. I was trying to make sugar-free lollipops, and over and over, they weren't coming out right.

Fast-forward through a few hours of lollipop disasters, and I was running out of ideas and ingredients. Just to see what would happen, I tried adding a packet of sugar-free fruit punch mix to the recipe. I'd recently added some to my two-ingredient strawberry sorbet, and it tasted amazing.

No lollipops, no regrets! I ended up making this AWESOME candy instead. Between the sweet, sugary crunch and INTENSE fruity flavor, it was the best low-calorie candy I'd tasted!

Now I make it on purpose, and keep it on hand in a few different flavors. I like how quick and easy it is to make, and I LOVE treating myself to candy without carb and calorie baggage!

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How Many Carbs And Calories Are In This Candy?

About 1.25g carbs and 3 calories per 1/4 cup. All of the carbs and calories come from the sugar-free drink mix, which is Crystal Light Lemonade in this example.

If you like your candy SUPER flavored and use more drink mix, it adds carbs and calories. But even if you use an entire pitcher-size packet of Crystal Light, the whole batch – a full cup of candy pieces – only has 10g carbs and 25 calories.

Sugar-free drink mixes vary in carbs and calories, so it's a good idea to check the nutrition info when choosing.

Does It Taste Like Low-Calorie Candy?

No! It tastes like it's made with real sugar. It gives your mouth a slight cooling sensation, like SweeTarts and Nerds. And it's definitely full of flavor!

If you love sour-candy goodness, try it with drink mix flavors like lemonades, limeades, grape, cherry, sour apple and orange. Depending on how much you add, it can really make you pucker!

If you want to play it safe, use the amount of drink mix in the recipe the first time you make the candy. If you want to try it more intense, add more mix to your next batch!

Is The Texture Like Sugar-Free Hard Candy?

No! It's awesome to crunch and chew. It looks like glass candy, but breaks apart easily.

Different brands and flavors of drink mix make the batches vary a little in texture. As you try different mixes, you might notice that the candy comes out slightly denser, crunchier, etc. Or you might not. To me, the differences are really subtle.

What's In It Besides Sugar-Free Drink Mix?

Erythritol and water. Erythritol is a natural sweetener that tastes almost exactly like sugar, but without the calories. The Calorie Control Council labels it as a zero calorie food that's safe for diabetics, and easy for most people to digest.

You can find it in most supermarkets, and on Amazon.

Can I Eat This Candy On Keto?

It depends. Erythritol is 100% keto-friendly, but many sugar-free drink mixes aren't. If you're on keto and you know sugar-free drink mixes take you out of ketosis, skip this candy. If you're someone who can stay in ketosis while consuming sugar-free drink mixes, use your best judgement.

Will It Cause Gas Or Bloating?

No! Some artificial sweeteners are known to be hard to digest, but not the ones in this recipe. Erythritol and the ingredients in most sugar-free drink mixes are very easy for most people to digest. I'm very sensitive to artificial sweeteners, and this candy's fine for me.

How Much Candy Does The Recipe Make?

About 10 oz. of candy. That's around a cup of candy pieces.

Is It Easy To Make?

Yes! You don't need to be an experienced candy-maker. You don't even need to measure the ingredients very carefully. Use a candy thermometer, and it's hard to mess up!

How To Make Low-Carb, Low-Calorie Sugar-Free Drink Mix Candy [Step-By-Step Instructions]

Step 1:

Grab your cooking equipment. You'll need a saucepan, cooking spoon, candy thermometer and measuring cups. You may also want to have a potholder or kitchen towel handy.

Grab a baking pan. This is where the candy will set. Any 8″ or 9″ square pan, cake pan, or pie plate will work. Metal, glass and silicone all work fine. It doesn't need to be non-stick.

Caution – don't use a plastic container! The hot candy will cause it to melt!

Put the baking pan within reach of your cooking space. You may want to protect the surface underneath with something heat-absorbing. A kitchen towel, potholder, trivet or newspaper/magazine will do the trick.

Step 2:

Get the ingredients ready. You'll need one cup of erythritol, half a pitcher-size or two single-serve sugar-free drink mix packets, and a third-cup of water.

Step 3:

Red-colored candy mixture, sitting in a saucepan on a stovetop. A candy thermometer is clipped to the side of the pan.

Get ready to cook the candy. Combine the sugar-free drink mix, erythritol and water in the saucepan. Place the saucepan on the stove.

Clip a candy thermometer onto the saucepan. Make sure the tip of the thermometer is near the bottom of the pan, but not actually touching the bottom.

Watch this short video for the basics of using a candy thermometer. It's really easy!

Step 4:

Red candy mixture boiling in saucepan. A candy thermometer is clipped inside the pan.

Make the candy. Raise the heat to medium-high. Stir the mixture until it starts to boil, then stop stirring.

The candy mixture will spatter the inside of the saucepan and the thermometer, but almost none should spatter onto the stovetop. If it does, clean up is easy with a little dish soap and water.

When the thermometer reads just under 290 degrees, take the saucepan off the burner and turn the heat off.

Pour the candy into the pan. It's very hot at first, so use potholders if you need to move the candy before it sets.

Step 5:

Let the candy set. When it starts to set, a pattern like you see in the picture will skim over the surface. As it continues to set, some parts may look cloudy. Both are normal, and don't effect the candy's taste or texture.

The longer it sets, the easier it is to break into large pieces without much crumbling. For best results, let it stand for an hour, or more. I actually made the blue raspberry batch below a week in advance.

I'm usually super-impatient, and want some candy NOW. If you are too, I have good news: it'll be hard enough to break some out to eat in 30-40 minutes.

I usually to crack out a few pieces for instant gratification, then let it alone for a few hours before breaking up the rest.

Step 6:

Break the candy up. An easy way to do it is to smash it in the center with the handle of a kitchen knife.

Slide the knife underneath any loosened candy and lift it out in sections. Break it up however you like, or leave it in larger pieces for storage.

The only thing to watch out for is breaking the candy up too fine. You want pieces that are easy to grab and pop in your mouth.

How To Store The Candy

Keep it in a cool, dry place. It doesn't need to be stored air-tight. Plastic zipper bags and lidded containers are great, but paper bags and fold-over sandwich bags work just as well.

The candy stays fresh for at least two months if it's adequately stored.

3 ingredient low carb low calorie candy

3-Ingredient Sugar-Free Drink Mix Candy (Low Carb/Low Calorie Candy)

Use this fast and easy recipe to turn any sugar-free drink mix into low-carb, low-calorie candy with a sugary crunch! No candy-making experience required – just a candy thermometer!

Cook Time 10 mins

Setting Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Servings 4 1/4 cup servings

Calories 3 kcal

saucepan
cooking spoon
candy thermometer
measuring cups
8" or 9" square baking pan, cake pan, or pie plate

1 cup erythritol
2 single-serve sugar-free drink mix packets or half a pitcher-size packet
1/3 cup water

Combine the sugar-free drink mix, erythritol and water in the saucepan, and place it on the stove.
Clip a candy thermometer onto the saucepan. Position the tip of the thermometer near the bottom of the pan.
Raise the heat to medium-high. Stir the mixture until it starts to boil, then stop stirring.
When the thermometer reads just under 290 degrees, take the saucepan off the burner and turn the heat off.
Pour the candy into the baking pan to set. For best results, let it set for an hour or more.
Once the candy has set, break it up by smashing it in the center with the handle of a kitchen knife.
Slide the knife underneath the candy to loosen it from the pan. Break into smaller pieces as needed.

Nutrition Info:

Per 1/4 cup serving: approx. 5 calories; 0g total fat; 0.7mg sodium; 1.5g total carbohydrates; 0g dietary fiber; 0g sugars; 0g protein

Nutrition calculations provided by MyFitnessPal.

Nutrition values vary, depending on the sugar-free drink mix used in the recipe. These calculations are based on two single-serve packets of Crystal Light Wild Strawberry Energy Drink Mix.

Keyword candy, drink mix, easy, low calorie, low carb, quick, sugar-free

$Make EASY Low Carb, Low-Calorie Candy You\'ll LOVE With Sugar-Free Drink Mix!$