Styling and Photography By Laurie Mosco

The hottest trend in candy right now is actually cold! Freeze-dried candy.

Don’t let the name fool you. Freeze dried candy isn’t actually cold. It’s the process of freeze drying beloved packaged and bulk candy items for a distinctly different candy.

Even though there’s a lot of buzz around it and new players keep entering the space, there’s still an air of mystery around Freeze-dried candy.

Mystery no more. We’re answering your most burning questions about this cool, trending treat.

Why is Freeze-Dried Candy Gaining Traction Now?

Freeze-drying is nothing new. The process has been around for some time and can be traced back to the 13th century. What’s driving the craze now is social media. 

We can’t precisely pinpoint the exact TikTok post. But the #freezedriedcandy has had more than 2 million views (Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery). We can see why. 

The change to a freeze-dried candy is very visual. The candies look completely different after the process (more on that later). Since it looks so different, viewers are dying to see people try it. Once they see the review they just have to try and experience themselves.

How does Freeze-Drying Candy Offer a Unique Experience?

To best understand how a candy is changed by the freeze-drying, it’s best to understand what’s happening during the process.

Whether it’s a smaller at-home business or a larger manufacturer, a Freeze-dryer machine is the first step. This can be also done at home with dry ice too but not recommended.

Unlike dehydration that uses heat to take out the moisture, here the product is frozen and the ice crystals are turned from solid into a gas. (North Slope Chillers)

There are essentially 3 stages to the freeze-drying process:

1. Freezing:  The candy is carefully frozen, controlling the size of ice crystals made.
2. Sublimation: This is a fancy science term for turning the solid ice crystals created during the freezing into a gas. During this point the temperature on the frozen item is slowly raised to help the process. That’s how the majority of the moisture is taken out and helps to create the signature crispy texture.
3. Desorption: In this stage the temp is raised a little more to get out the last of the water.

By taking out the moisture, particularly for candy, the item tends to expand and gets a light, airy, crispy texture. That means that what was once gooey and chewy is now crispy. Hard candy that you couldn’t bite through is now like an airy cloud.

If the candy has a shell, it looks like a burger with the shells as the top and bottom bun.

Who’s into Freeze Dried Candies?

With social media driving the freeze-dried candy craze, the majority of those buying it are the younger crowd (TasteCooking.com).

But Gen Z are not the only ones that find freeze-dried candy appealing. Many members of the older crowd are drawn to it candies too. But it’s not to be in on the social media trend. It allows them to still enjoy the gooey and hard candies they loved in childhood without risking broken teeth (TasteCooking.com). 

And both groups are willing to purchase freeze dried candy at a premium. While the original might only costing a few dollars, consumers willing to pay $5 – $10 for a freeze-dried version of the same candy.

What are Some of the Best Candies to Freeze-Dry?

Even with freeze-dried candies being soo popular, there are still some that are more sought out than the rest.

Based on Google Search Terms, the following are the most searched Freeze-Dried Candies (in no particular order):

• Skittles®
• Jolly Rancher
• Peach rings
• Starburst®
• Sour Skittles®
• Nerds® Clusters
• Gummy Worms

While the major brands haven’t started freeze drying their candies just yet, there’s still a lot of up-and-coming companies doing it on a small scale to sell at farmers markets and on their website. There are also larger mid-size companies selling to specialty retailers everywhere. Wherever they purchase, consumers are craving freeze-dried candy and we don’t see that cooling off anytime soon.

Shop the Freeze-Dried Trend

Our assortment of wholesale candy in bulk is made for Freeze Dried Candy Businesses