Homemade freeze dried skittles are a perfect camping snack. On-the-go, lightweight, and packed with sweet flavor. It’s basically everything you’d want in a bag of candy. The price tag, however, is usually not so convenient. By making this recipe at home, you can enjoy the deliciousness of freeze dried skittles anytime for a fraction of the cost.
Those with a sweet tooth probably understand the appeal of skittles, those brightly colored candies that shouts out their flavor. Now, you can make your own at home! It’s easy, inexpensive to make and great for gifts. Let’s look at How To Make Freeze Dried Skittles At Home. As we’ll see, it’s exactly what the name states.
Table of Contents
Take your Skittles and separate them out into individual colours
Materials:
– 4oz of Skittles (or any other small, colourful candy)
– A vacuum chamber (you can build one)
– An electric stove
– Foil
– A powerful heat gun
– A large metal bowl
Method:
There is a very simple method to freeze dry Skittles at home. You will need a domestic freezer and some special equipment, but you can be guaranteed that the process is child friendly.
Take your Skittles and separate them out into individual colours.
Place each colour in a separate container, such as a plastic cup or a small bowl. It is important that none of the colours are touching each other at this stage, otherwise they will mix together when you put them in the freezer.
Place the containers in your freezer for 24 hours. After this time, the Skittles should be frozen solid.
Remove the containers from the freezer and carefully tip each colour into your freeze dryer one by one. Leave the freeze dryer to do its work for five days. Once this time has passed, your Skittles should be fully dried out and ready to enjoy.
Place the Skittles onto a non-stick baking sheet, so they’re not touching each other
Freeze-drying is a method of food preservation that removes 98% of the food’s moisture content. The freeze-dried product is lightweight and has an exceptionally long shelf life. Freeze-dried foods are rehydrated simply by adding hot water. Freeze drying fruits and vegetables helps preserve their flavor, color, shape, and nutrition. It works by first freezing the food, then reducing the surrounding pressure, and finally raising the temperature to remove the ice by sublimation. This process locks in freshness without requiring large amounts of preservatives or additives.
Step 1: Lay Out Skittles
Place the Skittles onto a non-stick baking sheet, so they’re not touching each other.
Step 2: Put in Freezer for 24 Hours
Place your baking sheet into your freezer for at least 24 hours. Freezing time may vary depending on how frozen you want your Skittles to be.
Step 3: Pour Skittles onto Paper Towel
Pour your frozen Skittles onto a paper towel and let them thaw for about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Add Food Coloring to Water
Add food coloring to distilled water in a bowl and set aside until Step
Put the tray into the oven and LEAVE IT THERE. Unsupervised. For as long as it takes to completely dry out the Skittles. Mine took 16 hours
1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut your Skittles in half.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side down. Place the Skittles candies on the foil, cut sides up, arranged in a single layer and making sure there’s at least 1/4 inch of space between each piece of candy. (You’ll be stacking them later.)
4. Put the tray into the oven and LEAVE IT THERE. Unsupervised. For as long as it takes to completely dry out the Skittles. Mine took 16 hours, but I’ve seen reports of people doing this in their ovens overnight or even just leaving it in while they go to work for the day (though I’m a little nervous about that).
5. When they’re done, they should look like this:
6. Stack them vertically in groups of two or three (you can eyeball this). If you have any super-thin pieces that turn out fragile, use those as spacers between your thick stacks so they don’t break apart when you stack them.
The completed freeze dried Skittles will be very light in weight, but with a hard outer shell that crunches like candy when you break it open
The completed freeze dried Skittles will be very light in weight, but with a hard outer shell that crunches like candy when you break it open. Despite their delicate appearance, the candies are surprisingly durable and can be transported without much worry of crumbling or breaking. They make a great addition to any party favor bags, trail mix, or just as an interesting treat to snack on. If you want to give them as gifts, consider packaging them in clear treat bags tied with ribbon and print out some custom labels to stick on the bags.
Once you have your pans prepared you will place them inside a home freeze dryer and start the processing cycle. The time required for this process can vary greatly depending on your equipment and the amount of food being dried at one time. The
Finally
Freeze dried foods like freeze dried fruit and vegetables are easy to make in a home freeze drying unit. Skittles can be made by drying the candy in a food dehydrator, but most of us do not have these. Here is how to make them at home with minimal supplies needed.