Candy Strawberries — The Classic Recipe
🍓 Classic Street Recipe

Candy
Strawberries

The irresistible Brazilian-style candied strawberries with a glassy sugar shell — crispy outside, juicy inside. Ready in under 20 minutes.

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What you need

Ingredients

🍓
Fresh Strawberries
500g / about 20 berries
🍬
White Sugar
2 cups (400g)
💧
Water
½ cup (120ml)
🍋
Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon
🎨
Food Coloring
Red — optional
🧂
Wooden Skewers
One per strawberry
Step by step

How to Make It

1
Prep the strawberries
Wash the strawberries thoroughly and dry them completely with a paper towel. Any moisture on the surface will prevent the sugar shell from sticking properly. Insert a wooden skewer into the stem end of each berry, pushing it about halfway through.
Pro tip: Leave the green leaves on — they make a beautiful handle and add a pop of color contrast against the glassy candy shell.
2
Make the sugar syrup
Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir gently until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring completely. Let the syrup cook undisturbed until it reaches 150°C / 300°F (hard crack stage). This takes about 10–12 minutes.
Pro tip: A candy thermometer is your best friend here. Don't have one? Drop a small amount of syrup into cold water — if it snaps and doesn't bend, it's ready.
3
Add color (optional)
Remove the pan from heat. If using food coloring, add 2–3 drops of red food coloring now and swirl gently to combine. Work quickly — the syrup will start to harden as it cools.
4
Dip the strawberries
Tilt the saucepan to one side to create a deeper pool of syrup. Holding the skewer, dip each strawberry into the hot syrup, rotating slowly to coat the entire surface. Let the excess drip off for 2–3 seconds before placing it upright on a parchment-lined tray.
Pro tip: Work fast and don't dip more than one berry at a time. The syrup hardens quickly and if it gets too thick it becomes difficult to coat evenly.
5
Let them set
Place the dipped strawberries upright on a sheet of baking parchment. The sugar shell hardens in about 2–3 minutes at room temperature. Do not refrigerate — the cold creates condensation that will dissolve the candy coating and make it sticky.
Pro tip: Serve within 2 hours for the best crunch. The candy coating softens over time as it absorbs moisture from the strawberry.
Before you start

Tips for Perfect Results

🌡️
Temperature is everything
The syrup must reach 150°C / 300°F (hard crack stage). Below that it won't set properly and the coating will be sticky instead of glassy.
🚫
Never stir after boiling
Stirring the syrup after it comes to a boil causes crystallization. The result is a cloudy, grainy coating instead of the beautiful clear glass shell.
🍓
Use room temperature berries
Cold strawberries straight from the fridge cause the sugar to harden unevenly and crack. Take them out 30 minutes before you start.
☀️
Avoid humid days
Humidity is the enemy of candy coating. On very humid days the sugar absorbs moisture from the air and turns sticky before it even sets.

Ready to make
the perfect batch?

Follow the steps above and you'll have glassy, crispy, beautiful candy strawberries in under 20 minutes.

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