How to Make Hand-Spun & Hand-Pulled Cotton Candy

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.

How to Make DIY Cotton Candy

Combine the ingredients and heat them in a large saucepan to 320°F (160°C). Add flavoring and food coloring. Cut the top off a whisk and dip it into the sugar syrup. Swing it back and forth over parchment paper to make thin sugar strands. Then, wrap it around a lollipop stick and enjoy!

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

Download Article

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.
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.

Advertisement
You can also spread it on the floor so it will catch any bits of falling sugar that may go over the table.
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.
You should do this right away, or the sugar will get brittle and would bend around the sticks.
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

Download Article

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]
X
Research source}
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).
Do this by squeezing it gently while you carefully turn the container.
The baking sheet should have sides.
Rub off any excess that you see.
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.
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.
Enjoy this delicious pulled candy while it's in good shape.

Video

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

Do I have to use food coloring?

Community Answer

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

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 25 Helpful 66
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.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 29 Helpful 91
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.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 19 Helpful 54

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Keep cold water nearby (or work near a sink) in case of burns.

Thanks
Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
Surround work area with waxed paper, parchment, or newspaper, for easy clean up.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
A few drops of essential oils stirred in at the last minute can be used to flavor your creations.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 7

Show More Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

Clean the leftover mix in the bowl by scrubbing the inside with dish soap immediately, or it will get hard and be harder to clean.

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

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

Thanks
Helpful 55 Not Helpful 16
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.

Thanks
Helpful 50 Not Helpful 19
Do not make spun sugar "cotton candy" by hand when children or pets are nearby.

Thanks
Helpful 50 Not Helpful 21
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.

Thanks
Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
Candy making is simple but precise work. Even a few degrees above or below the recommended will prevent threads from forming.

Thanks
Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1