The Challenge
“How can I get the best results from isomalt?”
Isomalt has a big draw for sugar-free hard candies and beautiful sugar glass. Whether you’ve worked with sugar before or not, it can be deceptively easy to work with – and we often get questions from home cooks and culinary professionals for how to get the best results.
Melting Isomalt vs. Melting Sugar
One of the primary advantages of isomalt over sugar is that it can be heated and melted in a pan without water.
Simply heat in a heavy-bottomed pot until all the granules melt. At this point, the isomalt is free to use however the recipe calls for. There’s no need to add water that would just be boiled off later.
Compared to regular sugar, isomalt’s lower melting temperature allows for a crystal-clear, crackable ‘glass.’ While sugar can also be turned into a glass, the high temperatures mean the sugar will also start to brown.
Isomalt has a different taste than traditional sugar, at only 45% to 65% relative sweetness compared to granulated sugar. It’s best used when the end product needs that glass appearance and enjoyable ‘crack.’ For sugar-free sweetness in other recipes, such as gummy candies, consider a different sugar-free alternative such as sorbitol.
Thanks for your question!
Chef Scott Guerin
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Comments (51)
December 1, 2018 2:56 pm
i purchase a bag of isomalt to make glass for a gingerbread house . can you please tell me how to use it in this form
December 3, 2018 10:45 am
Hi Jennifer, you would need a mold that is the size of the glass pane that you can pour the melted isomalt into.
December 9, 2018 4:37 pm
Do you know how long the glass will last using Isomalt?
December 13, 2018 9:48 pm
We’ve never timed it officially but it will be a long time.
September 7, 2019 11:51 am
I don’t want to buy isomalt granules. I want to make them. How can one make them? I don’t need to know how to prepare it. Shabbat shalom
September 9, 2019 9:27 am
The granules are created through an industrial manufacturing process. We’re not aware of a way for home cooks to make them.
December 16, 2018 1:44 pm
Hi, I’m trying to make a snow globe with isomalt. Can you give me any tips as to how to mold and more importantly how to unmold the isomalt since all my attempts have been unsuccessful.
December 17, 2018 9:35 am
We haven’t used isomalt for snow globes personally since we prefer the gelatin snow globes. Without more information it’s hard to advise on this, but typically a silicone mold makes most unmolding endeavors much easier.
January 13, 2019 12:53 am
What temperature does the isomalt need to reach when melting it down before pouring into a large mold for a window pane prop?
January 14, 2019 9:37 am
You should heat the isomalt to 338F. Check back soon! We’re releasing a WTF Isomalt next week. 🙂
February 13, 2019 6:36 pm
Hi love the site. Can I microwave isomalt to melt it down?
February 14, 2019 4:15 pm
Thanks Milly! You can microwave Isomalt in 30 second increments so it does not burn.
March 19, 2019 10:13 am
Great information! I would like to make a store glass window for my cake, and have a tiny LED light inside. Will the heat from the LED light melt the Isomalt? I made a scuba mask once using melted hard candy as glass, and it melted all over the scuba diver’s face (just from being in the fridge). So I’m a little worried….
Any advice you can give would be wonderful, thank-you!
March 19, 2019 10:18 am
Unless your LED light can heat up to 145 it won’t melt the isomalt.
March 22, 2019 9:51 am
I have some isomalt powder and was told I could use it instead of sugar or erythritol for sugar free pastries. Do I just follow the recipe and for sugar I replace it with isomalt? or do I use less than what the recipe calls for? I’m diabetic and would like to try making pastries using sugar substitutes. Thank you and hope to hear back from you soon! 🙂
March 22, 2019 10:53 am
Hi Carmen, you can use isomalt in a 1:1 replacement for pastry but keep it mind it has a different taste than traditional sugar, at only 45% to 65% relative sweetness compared to granulated sugar.
March 22, 2019 11:45 am
oh ok.. thank you! Appreciate the reply 🙂
March 31, 2019 8:13 pm
Can I melt the Isomalt in the oven to make a window for a piñata cookie or a stain glass cookie?
Thanks!
April 1, 2019 9:52 am
Yes you can you’ll just have to make sure it melts into the mold that you want.
April 14, 2019 3:29 pm
Hi. I am making a sheet of isomalt that I will then draw a sort of stained glass image on for the top of a cake. Can I use royal icing for my “leading” or do you have another recommendation?
April 15, 2019 10:22 am
Hi Jennifer, Royal icing should work fine for this, just know that the moisture will melt some of the isomalt so it will need to be dried well.
November 5, 2019 8:28 am
Hi. I make bubbles with isomalt (blowing it) but it turns sticky immediately by normal room humidity. What I do wrong? And another question. Do you know the trick blowing isomalt without lamp?
November 5, 2019 4:25 pm
Hi Marla, we don’t have any experience with blowing isomalt unfortunately. It seems like the issue is with humidity, and to control humidity the best way to is to store your cooked isomalt in a container full of food safe silica gel packets.
April 19, 2019 10:15 am
Hi, i want to make wave shards from isomalt. How to do that?
I baked it between Silpat, but it turned out too brittle and sticky.
Pls help..
April 22, 2019 3:42 pm
We’re not very familiar with ‘wave shards’. Can you provide some examples or links?
June 9, 2019 9:43 pm
I have Modernis pantry isomalt. Do I need to add water or just by itself? Also, I’m making a sculpture piece for my cake which needs to be refrigerated. Will the refrigerator affect the isomalt sculpture? What is the recommended storage?
June 10, 2019 9:54 am
You do not need to add water to the Isomalt before melting. Isomalt can be melted directly in a pan, but if it is being added to granulated sugar we suggest adding water. The water helps prevent the sugar from seizing. The proper storage would be a cool dry place, a refrigerator has too much moisture for the isomalt.
June 14, 2019 7:13 pm
What’s the trick to get isomalt to hold up in high humidity
June 20, 2019 10:32 am
Isomalt is water soluble but unfortunately we have no solutions to keeping it from absorbing water.
July 12, 2019 6:57 pm
Can I use isomalt in a chocolate shoe mold, I want to make a clear Cinderella slipper for a cake. Will it melt the mold.
July 15, 2019 9:55 am
This would depend on the mold. We recommend checking with the manufacturer.
August 6, 2019 7:47 pm
Hi, can you tell me if i can make fruit skewer with isomalt? And can they stayunder artificial light for 6 hours at 28*C temperature?
August 7, 2019 10:57 am
Do you mean coating them with the isomalt? You can coat the fruit with the isomalt until its melting temp
October 27, 2019 2:08 pm
Hello. If I use isomalt in the oven how long does it take to melt and at what temperature and how long should I leave it in the oven to consider a hard crack candy? Thank you
October 28, 2019 11:44 am
Melting time will depend on your oven and temperature, it will melt at 145.
November 7, 2019 1:06 pm
Hi. We want to make an isolmalt structure with gingerbread. We made a small sample and it’s still sticky. How do we make it non sticky? Thank you
November 8, 2019 9:33 am
If you are using water to melt it this will result in sticky isomalt, If it is melted without water it shouldn’t be sticky at all unless it’s left out in a humid environment.
November 15, 2019 3:57 pm
How do you figure out how much isomalt you need for a project? We are looking at making “stained glass windows” for a Gingerbread Church.
November 15, 2019 4:03 pm
Go with 1KG if you’ve never done it before. Since it keeps so well if you have any left over you can always use it again next year.
November 17, 2019 8:46 pm
Hey there, I’m wondering if I can make an isomalt wall of glass. I’m trying to make a backdrop for my “Coco” gingerbread house and I’d like to do two sugar walls with lights between them. Do you think it would work if I made it thick enough?
November 18, 2019 10:44 am
Yes, this is possible if you create a rectangle of isomalt that is thick enough.
November 19, 2019 3:17 pm
Thank you! I am wondering in your opinion if I made the walls 18″ x 18″ or so would they support themselves without cracking? Is sugar a better option? Or would you try and do ice cube walls built up? I appreciate your help.
December 6, 2019 8:06 pm
I am new to sugar work. I looked at your isomalt video, while interesting, it was not a good instructional video for first time users. You need instructions on your site, packaging, and a beginners.
December 7, 2019 9:15 pm
I want to make a very thin isomalt colored glass for a dessert how can I do this
December 9, 2019 11:32 am
Just add food coloring to the isomalt after you melt it and spread it in a thin layer to harden. You may find it difficult to color the entire glass evenly as isomalt in its liquid form is very viscous
December 23, 2019 12:18 am
Hi, can you place the isolmalt crystals directly into a mold and bake it? What temperature would the oven need to be to ensure it melting ?
December 23, 2019 2:47 pm
Yes if you put it into an oven it will still melt. Melting temp is 338 degrees
November 26, 2020 1:56 am
Hi I was wondering if you could use Isolmalt together with crushed hard candy when you are making stained glass window. Would it help the candy from weeping later.
December 2, 2020 12:16 pm
The isomalt should work with the crushed candy for stained glass but we haven’t tried it ourselves
October 28, 2021 3:36 pm
Do I pull is the same as regular sugar for ribbons, flowers etc to get that satin look ?
November 1, 2021 10:14 am
Yes it will work in the same way as sugar, as long as it is kept at the correct temperature