How to Make Sugar Glass 101

If you’ve never made sugar glass you’re in for a treat – literally.

The stuff is easy to make and can seriously up your dessert game.

I added sugar glass to my son’s Iron Man cake to make it look like Iron Man was breaking through the glass top of the cake. It turned out super cute and was fun to do.

So let’s get right into how to make it happen!

Introduction to Sugar Glass

• Sugar glass is a type of sugar art used for decoration and can be used as a base for other sugar art.
• It’s a unique decoration that looks like shards of glass.
• With this easy edible glass recipe, you can create awesome edible sugar creations at home.
• It’s so easy my kids were doing it with me!

Sugar Glass is easier to make than you think

The sugar “glass” is cheap, easy to work with, and simple to make. I

The stuff gets hot though, and can burn you so be extra careful with kids around. You likely have all you need to make it already in your pantry. I was at my sister’s house when I first made it so she had most of the ingredients we needed already on hand.

I added my sugar glass to this store-bought cake for an instant upgrade.

Candy Glass Ingredients

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of Karo corn syrup

Water

Some folks use cream of tartar as well but I never have

Candy Glass Tools

food coloring (optional)

candy thermometer (I think this is important!)

Silicone mold or Baking sheet/cooking pan (I used one with edges to contain the mixture)

cooking spray or shortening (I preferred the shortening).

flat spatula

Instructions

1. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray or coat with shortening. I used shortening and it worked well. I also tried a batch with aluminum foil covering the pan and I covered the foil with cooking spray. Either way worked.
2. Add water, corn syrup, and sugar to the pot and bring to a boil.
3. Stir gently as the sugar dissolves
4. The mixture needs to reach 300 degrees F, or very close to it.
5. Add food coloring (optional)
6. I highly recommend using a candy thermometer. I would have thought it was ready a lot sooner but the candy thermometer helped me reach the perfect temperature.
7. It took me about 15 minutes to reach 300 degrees F. Right when it starts to turn a light yellow, it’s ready. If you cook it much beyond that, the mixture will turn a dark yellow.
8. Immediately pour into candy molds or cooking pan. The mixture will start to harden in a matter of minutes.

Importance of the Thermometer

At first, I didn’t think we would need a candy thermometer. I thought I could eyeball it pretty easily. I’m glad my sister had one because I would have taken the mixture off the burner much sooner than it should have been.

The mixture really needs to reach 300 F or very close to it and that’s hard to know without the thermometer.

I did try one batch just eye-balling when I thought it had reached the right temperature, and my mixture never ended up hardening.

I think it never got hot enough. You can let it get as hot for as long as you like, within reason.

Work Quickly

If you want it to be clear though, you need to watch it because very close to reaching 300 degrees F, the mixture starts to turn a yellow color.

The longer you keep it on the heat after reaching the proper temperature, the more yellow it’s going to turn. It can happen quickly so be ready to remove it from the heat fast.

Work quickly because the sugar “glass” cools fast

I found it was easier to remove from the pan once you poured out the mixture if you started separating it with a flat spatula before it fully cooled.

A couple of sections of mine fully cooled and then it was really hard to get it out of the pan. It didn’t matter because we wanted the “broken glass” effect anyway but if you want to keep it in one full chunk that becomes difficult.

You could also use a pan lined with a silicon mat to make removal easier although any pattern on the mat will transfer to your candy glass. You could also line the pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Sugar glass

Sugar Glass

Breaking the Candy Glass

We made a few batches.

One without food coloring and one with a blue tone. My kids and I broke the candy “glass” and added it to my super simple DIY Iron Man cake.

You can use a clean small hammer or just break it with your hands. Whatever you prefer. It might break on its own just by pulling it out of the pan.

My kids and I used a spatula to get ours out.

Experiment with your Sugar Glass

There were lots of Breaking Bad references for all those Breaking Bad fans out there- while I was making this at my sister’s house. They apparently used this candy glass mixture for that show and others where people need to break through what appears to be glass. Those actors can’t be messing up their money makers so candy is safer!

I last minute decided to make a candy glass web around a small metal Spider-Man my sister had at her house. I think this would be really cute for a Spider-Man themed cake with a larger superhero figure as the centerpiece.

I may try that next! To make the web, I waited for the sugar mixture to cool slightly and then started to pull the mixture into long pieces and spun it around the Spider-Man to give it the web look. This would be fun to do with a cupcake.

I did this several times with long thin pieces of the sugar glass. Once the candy starts to cool it hardens fast so you have to be ready to work quickly!

Storing Sugar Glass – I probably wouldn’t

I think it’s best to use the sugar glass within a day or two.

It gets sticky and weird if you put it in the fridge and try to store it. I have read that some people have had success in freezing it although I haven’t tried to store it myself.

It tastes a lot like rock candy to me which I loved growing up. You can also always add flavor extracts to switch up the taste if you like.

Working with Sugar Glass

Tips and Variations

• You can add different colors and flavors to the sugar mixture to create different effects.
• Try adding blue food coloring to create a blue edible sugar glass. That’s how I made mine for my Iron Man Cake and I liked how it turned out!
• You can also add liquid glucose to the mixture to create a more stable sugar glass or flavored extracts to change the taste.
• Experiment with different shapes and designs using silicone molds.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• If you accidentally burn the sugar, you can still use it but it may be worth it just to start over.
• Just be aware that it may not have the same texture and consistency as the unburned sugar. Also the color will change to a brownish look.
• If the sugar glass becomes sticky, try using a small amount of royal icing to attach it to a surface.

Pin this Post and Save it For Later!

Conclusion

With this easy edible glass recipe, you can create awesome edible sugar glass at home.

How fun was that? You get to impress your friends with this sweet science project and have a fantastic treat for your next party or themed event.

If you like this post you might want to check out my DIY Batman cake.

If you try it out, I’d love to hear about your experiences or any creative twists you put on the recipe. So grab that sugar, experiment, and let your imagination run wild! Eat up and enjoy!

Erica Fox

Hi I’m Erica! TV news anchor and mom to 4 littles. I’m obsessed with creating those “wow” moments in life through crafting at home, cool travel adventures and special celebrations with loved ones. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!