How to make Sugar-Free Cotton Candy.

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After making some sugar-free cotton candy with the Nostalgia Cotton Candy machine, I couldn’t wait to share it with you. This is great for young diabetics and a perfect addition to birthday parties, family picnics and family fun days.

Sometimes finding diabetic-friendly candy and treats can be hard. Not just at Christmas and Easter, but every day. This is p[articular;y challenging with diabetic children. Being able to make sugar-free cotton candy, is a huge bonus. What diabetic child doesn’t want to enjoy the same thing as non-diabetic children?

How to make Sugar Free Cotton Candy (Candy Floss)

How to Make Sugar-Free Cotton Candy – Using the Nostalgia Cotton Candy Machine

Set the Nostalgia Cotton Candy machine up on a flat surface according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The machine has suction cup feet, which will hold it securely in place during the spinning process. Set it up on a clean, smooth, flat surface, with the suction cups pushed down so they will stick and hold the machine securely in place.

Push the bottom bowl of the cotton candy maker securely onto the base (as seen below) The bottom bowl should be straight and resting on the bottom of the spinner.

Attach the bowl cover. Line up the small nibs and push down. You will hear the lid snap into place.

Prepare the candy

Once you have chosen sugar-free hard candy to use in the cotton candy machine, break the candy into small pieces.

The easiest way to break the candy is to place it in a small ziploc bag and hit it with a rolling pin or mallet. Do this on a hard flat surface that will not be damaged. I use a silicone baking mat on the cement floor of my garage to avoid damaging my kitchen counter.

If making multiple colours or flavours of cotton candy, divide it into different Ziploc bags according to colour.

I don’t recommend using whole candy in the cotton candy machine, the smaller the pieces are, the quicker the process will go and the cotton candy will be fluffier.

Start Up the Machine

• Plug the cotton candy machine in and turn it on.

• Allow the machine to heat up for 10-15 minutes.

• Once heated, turn the machine off.

• Divide the candy pieces in half and place them in the extractor head (half on each side) Use the scoop to place your broken candy into the extractor head. Take caution as the extractor head is hot. Use the scoop provided.

Ensure you have it all inside the extractor head channel and not on the top of the spinner.

• Turn the machine back on. The extractor head will immediately start spinning.

• When you see the Cotton Candy web forming and coming to the top of the rim of the plastic shield. Rotate the plastic cone or a thick skewer over the top of the rim, collecting the cotton candy onto the cone/stick.

Cleaning the Nostalgia Cotton Candy Maker

Make sure that you have spun out all of the candy before turning the machine off.

Clean-up is super easy. (check out the image below of the extractor after spinning is complete)

Place the plastic bowl and the plastic cover in hot soapy water and let sit for a few minutes. the candy or any of the cotton candy fluff that may be stuck inside will slide right out into the hot water,

When the machine has cooled down, wipe the top of the extractor spinner with a hot soapy cloth. Do not pour water into the machine.

If you didn’t spin out all of the candy before shutting the machine off, you may have bits of candy stuck inside of the extractor. Just pick them out when the machine is completely cooled. (make sure it is not hot)

Helpful Tips and FAQs

Can you make sugar-free cotton candy using Splenda sweetener?

No, when cotton candy is made the sugar needs to melt and then be spun. Splenda does not melt the same way as sugar due to different chemical compounds.

Using sugar-free candy to make sugar-free cotton candy.

Hard, sugar-free candy can be used to make sugar-free cotton candy. Break the sugar-free hard candies up into small pieces or crush them. Place the crushed sugar-free candy into the Nostalgia cotton candy machine, after heating up and use the cones to wrap the spun sugar or floss.

It’s super easy and tastes amazing.

Choosing sugar-free candy.

For the best results use fresh hard candy. Old candy can become sticky and soft. The stickier the candy is the harder it is to use. Jolly Rancher makes a Sugar-Free version of their hard candy, which works well. Choose the fruit-flavoured hard candy for the best-tasting Sugar-Free Cotton Candy.

Isomalt can also be used. The Isomalt nibs or clear discs work best. If you have never heard of Isomalt or never used Isomalt before, it is a great product, used to make sugar-free candy. It is sugar-free and can be melted and flavours added to it and poured into moulds. Isomalt is what is in the SUgar-Free Jolly Rancher candy.

You can also purchase a ” rel=”nofollow sponsored”>Sugar-Free Hard candy kit from Nostalgia.

The kit includes extra paper cones and an assortment of sugar-free hard candy, some non-sugar-free candy, flossing sugar and paper cones. Perfect for everything you need for a party or when you want paper cones.

Using Isomalt

Isomalt is a sugar-free sugar substitute that is made from beets. It is used in candy making, and making sugar sculptures and sugar-art pieces for decorating cakes.

Isomalt is available in granulated, crystals and tiles. When using isomalt to make Sugar-Free Cotton candy, it is best to use the Isomalt tiles.

Isomalt can be melted and re-melted which makes it very baker-friendly. Isomalt tiles come in a variety of colours. The red or blue tiles are nice and vibrant for cotton candy making.

What type of candy can not be used to make Sugar-Free Cotton Candy?

Hard candy that has a liquid center, hard caramel candies, jelly beans, gummy candy or any other soft candy is not suitable when making Cotton Candy,

Can you buy Sugar-free flossing Sugar?

No, you can’t. Flossing sugar is made from pure sugar, but you can buy sugar-free Cotton Candy kits from some sellers. Sugar-Free Cotton Candy kits are not easy to find and they can be costly. They are made using isomalt, so you can easily make your own.

The cheapest way to make Sugar-Free Cotton Candy is to use sugar-free hard candies.

Carb Comparison to Sugar Cotton Candy

2 Ounces of regular cotton candy made with sugar has approximately 56 grams of carbs, which are pure sugar. There are no nutritional benefits to cotton candy, just sugar.

If you make sugar-free cotton candy you can reduce the carbs to 15 grams, depending on the candy that you use to make it.

This would be great at a school fun fair or fundraiser. Being able to provide a diabetic child with some sugar-free cotton candy. As a parent, who spent many years volunteering at schools and sports clubs, I think that this is a brilliant way to make sure the diabetic kids are 100 percent included.

Nutritional values of Sugar-Free Cotton Candy

The Jolly Rancher sugar-free Candy that I used has 35 calories and 15 grams of carbs in 4 candies. Just add up the number of candies that you use to calculate the carbs and calories for your sugar-free cotton candy.

Disclaimer -This post may contain affiliate links. When a purchase is made through our links, The Naked Diabetic may receive a commission, at no cost to you.