The peak of 20th century food technology and the highlight of any space museum gift shop is astronaut ice cream. The crispy, airy confection was once a popular novelty dessert, but its star has faded. But astronaut ice cream walked so a trendy new treat could run: freeze dried candy.
TikTok has been buzzing about freeze dried candy, with millions of users following creators dedicated to the trend. Users on CandyTok share time lapses of the freeze-drying process, experiment with different sweets based on follower suggestions, and film mesmerizing ASMR content with the candy.
Business is booming on the app too, with creators selling their own freeze dried candy on TikTok. But if these TikToks aren’t part of your algorithm and you’re just now learning about them from the Gen Z people in your life, you may have some questions.
What exactly are they? How are they made? What do they taste like? Should we be buying them from people on TikTok? We have all of those answers and more.
What Is Freeze Dried Candy?
The name is fairly self explanatory—freeze dried candy is simply candy that has been freeze dried. It’s the same process used to make the fruit at the bottom of your Starbucks Refresher. Freeze drying is an extremely effective preservation technique, which is why it’s used to make shelf-stable foods in doomsday meal-prep kits.
Freeze drying differs from standard dehydrating in several ways. Both remove moisture, which prevents bacterial growth and decomposition. Dehydrating achieves this by heating foods so that its natural water content evaporates. Freeze drying, on the other hand, relies on a process known as sublimation.
Rather than liquid water evaporating, sublimation freezes the moisture into a solid state before directly converting it to vapor. Because water takes up more space when it’s frozen, it leaves behind larger air bubbles when the moisture escapes. This translates into a starkly different texture compared to simple dehydration.
Dehydrated foods, like fruit leathers, have a chewy and almost tough texture. By contrast, freeze dried foods are light, airy, and crispy. Freeze dried foods create a fun and unique eating experience, which is why the process is being applied to candy.
How Does Freeze Fried Candy Taste?
The freeze drying method typically concentrates the flavors of the original food. But for the most part, freeze dried candy will taste like the fully hydrated candy. Treats that are commonly freeze dried include Skittles, peach rings, gummy worms, and Starburst.
The texture is the primary appeal of eating freeze dried candy, but some people find that the products are harder to chew and can get stuck in their teeth.
Where Should I Buy Freeze Dried Candy?
Several independent vendors sell their own freeze dried candy on TikTok and other online retailers. Some social media users, however, have taken issue with the high price markups. Five-ounce bags of freeze dried candy can be sold at upwards of $10, which is significantly more than the same candy costs in its original form.
But as the demand for freeze dried candy grows, brands are beginning to pop up in major retailers. And many of the products are available at a lower price, include more nutritional information on the packaging, and can be purchased at a physical store.
