A recipe for old fashioned Sea Foam Candy! Sea Foam is a light and airy candy that has a dreamy texture that strikes me as a cross between marshmallows and meringues. It’s very similar to Divinity, but there are some subtle differences between the two.
Like the potato candy recipe I recently shared, this Sea Foam recipe also came from my grandmother. It’s a tried & true classic and is perfect for making and sharing around the holidays.
Today we are rounding out our week of candy with a recipe for Sea Foam Candy!
So far we’ve adventured through the following candy recipes:
Some of you might be thinking that today’s recipe looks an awful lot like Divinity candy, and you’re not wrong. However, I’ve decided to keep today’s recipe separate from Divinity for a few reasons.
Originally even I thought today’s recipe was going to be called Divinity and not Sea Foam. If you google “Sea Foam” online, you actually end up with a lot of recipes that look just like my Honeycomb recipe.
However, my grandmother’s recipe, clipped from an old, faded magazine, distinctly reads SEAFOAM right at the top. Sea Foam and Divinity look identical and call for the essentially the same ingredients and nearly the same method, though. So what’s the difference?
What is the Difference between Sea Foam and Divinity Candy?
For one thing, Sea Foam uses a combination of white and brown sugar, while Divinity uses just white sugar. Not that big of a difference there, though sea foam does have a slightly richer (ahem, better) taste.
A more key difference is that while both recipes use corn syrup, Divinity uses much more than my grandmother’s Sea Foam recipe does. It’s believed that Divinity was actually invented by Karo Syrup as a way to sell more of their product. Because my Sea Foam recipe uses only 2 Tablespoons of corn syrup as opposed to the 1/2 cup that many Divinity recipes use, I didn’t feel that it would be right to call this recipe Divinity.
This difference in corn syrup also causes Divinity to be a heavier candy, while Sea Foam is lighter and airier. Because of these differences, though subtle, I didn’t feel right calling today’s recipe Divinity, and you can expect a more true-to-form Divinity recipe from in the future.
How to Store Sea Foam Candy
Sea Foam Candy makes a great edible gift because it will keep for up to several weeks. For best results, be sure to store your candy at room temperature in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
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More Candy Recipes You May Like:
Sea Foam
Ingredients
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed 200g
- 1/2 cup water 120ml
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 heaping cup chopped pecans or walnuts* toast whole then chop 70g
TOOLS
- candy thermometer I linked to the one I use in the recipe notes below
- pastry brush
- electric mixer I like to use my stand mixer, there is a lot of mixing required in this recipe and I'm not sure that it could be done by hand without an electric or hand mixer.
Instructions
- Place egg whites in the clean, grease-free bowl of stand mixer (you may use a large bowl and an electric mixer instead, but there is a lot of mixing required and even using a hand mixer will be an arm workout). Set aside.
- In a medium-sized, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine sugars, corn syrup, and water.
- Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Use a damp pastry brush to wipe down sides to keep sugar crystals from forming.
- Once your sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to come to a boil, stop stirring and attach your candy thermometer.
- Continue to cook to 255F (124C) but once your mixture reaches about 240F (115C), keep an eye on your temperature but return to your egg whites in your stand mixer. Add the salt and use a whisk attachment to beat your egg whites and stiff peaks form** -- this can take several minutes even on the highest speed. Be sure to pay attention to your syrup on the stovetop, and let your stiff peak mixture sit while you wait for that to reach 255F.
- Once syrup reaches temperature, remove from heat and drizzle in a slow, thin stream into the bowl with your stiff peaks while beating on high speed Be careful, go slowly or there will be some splatter! You can start on low speed and gradually increase the speed to high as you are adding the syrup.
- Continue beating the mixture until it holds its shape. the mixture will become glossy and very thick, and this will take several minutes. Beat until it is stiff enough to hold is shape when the whisk is raised from the mixture.
- Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to stir in your vanilla and chopped nuts.
- Use a pair of lightly buttered spoons to drop the mixture by 1 1/2 Tablespoon-sized portions onto a wax or parchment paper lined tray, swirling each drop into a peak.
- Let the tray of Sea Foam stand until it is completely dry, this could take several hours or it may even need to sit overnight.
Notes
How to Store Sea Foam
Store candy at room temperature in an airtight container for up to several weeks.Nutrition
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Jackie K says
My great grandmother had recipes for potato candy and sea foam. She was raised in PA by the Amish. She handed the recipes down to my mother and we make them for Christmas every year.
Sugar Spun Run says
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Jackie! 🙂
Marcia Coe says
Your recipe is almost exactly like one I got from Great granmother but it does have 1/2 cup of corn syrup in it
Sam says
Love those recipes from grandma! Was yours called Divinity or Sea Foam?
Kia says
I followed this recipe to a T and when it came time to scoop the mix onto the wax paper it just melted…I mixed it for nearly half an hour and couldn’t get any peaks to form.
Right now I have it spead across the sheet hoping it’ll harden and I can break it into pieces like toffee, but I don’t get why I couldnt get any peaks or shape.
Sam says
Very frustrating! If you couldn’t get stiff peaks then most likely the bowl or paddle/whisk had a small bit of grease or moisture on it, or if even a teeny tiny bit of egg yolk was mixed in with the whites it could also keep them from whipping up properly.
Melanie Frishkorn says
Finally I’ve found a recipe that comes as close as possible to my grandma’s sea foam candy. She would dye hers green and place a single walnut on top of each one. I have missed this taste for years. Thank you for finding it.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that my Sea Foam recipe came close to the flavor of your grandmother’s. I hope that it brought back many great memories. Enjoy! 🙂
Tausha Belanger says
I made this recipe last night and they have been drying for 12hrs now but are still sticky.My stiff peaks were there and my final mixture was and still is glossy.Im not sure what went wrong.I used a digital thermometer and brought it up to 255.Maybe I should of gone 5-10 higher? It’s a brand new thermometer this was the first time I used it.Also would it be okay to add a pinch of cream of tartar to my egg whites?I also have meringue powder.Would that make any difference in the final product?My daughter wants me to make these for her Christmas recital.So glad I did a test run and didn’t wait till the night before to try them for the 1st time!
Sam says
Hi Tausha! I haven’t tried with cream of tartar or egg whites, but was there any humidity while you were making the sea foam (like was it raining by chance?). I’m wondering if the stickiness is due to humidity.
George Diggins says
My Mom would make seafoam for devils food cake which is really a great combo. Her icing would dry with a crust on it. How do you get it to crust like that, she has been gone for years unfortunately.
Hope you can help
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, George! The Sea Foam Recipe is a candy. If your mom used to use an icing similar to this in texture, my guess is that it would have been a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I am working on a recipe for that and will let you know when it posts. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful. 🙁
Pat Simons says
Hi
The seafoam i am looking for, it didn’t have nut in it. It was light n fluffy n tinted green.
High school homemade candy sales.
Any ideas?
Sam says
This can be made without nuts and it is often tinted green or pink (in fact, my grandmother’s recipe had the food coloring as an option), so this might actually be what you are looking for.
Rebecca says
My mother’s recipe didn’t call for nuts or coloring, but my mother-in-law’s did (nuts). Also, theirs was slightly beige instead of snowy white due to the brown sugar. One more thing, could the recipe have called for a smidge of vinegar, or am I confusing recipes?
Sugar Spun Run says
Vinegar is not needed for this recipe. 🙂
Scot says
This is not sea foam toffee. Sea foam toffee you pour into a pan, then when it hardens you hit it so that it breaks then you take the pieces and dip them in chocolate.
Sam says
Hi Scot, in my family this is sea foam. I think you are thinking of what we call Honeycomb. If you read my blog post I touch on this a bit 🙂
Leslie says
No, it’s not sea foam toffee. It’s sea foam candy, and was my late Mom’s favorite. She made it often (with a hand-held mixer!)
Linda Riego says
This looks like a great recipe. I can’t wait to try it. I love seafoam but have not had it for many years. Recipes I have tried in the past just did not taste right. I have loved your recipes that I have tried. Thanks!
Sam says
I hope you love this one too, Linda! 🙂
Martha Capps says
My mother made this at Christmas and always tinted it pink. She has been gone many years, so my granddaughter and I are going to make this fir the family. Thanks for the recipe
Sam says
You are very welcome, Martha. I hope you love the recipe. What a good memory to make with your granddaughter <3
Tenal Garcia says
I’ve never tried to make sea foam candy but you make it sound easy and oh so yummy so thanks for sharing. I’m definitely going to try it! I think it’ll be fun to have my two granddaughters help me, great Christmas memories!!😊😋
Sam says
I hope you love it! Let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Linda Raustad says
My Grandmother would make Ses Foam Candy every year for Christmas. I loved it. Growing up at the Jersey Shore there were times I would see Sea Foam blowing on the Beach. Thanks. This brings back so many wonderful memories.
Sam says
Thank you so much, Linda. 🙂
Payne Dayna says
Hi-I’m a 66 year old seasoned cook and I love your blog. I’m always learning new things. You know “old dog-new tricks”… do you think you could add food coloring to this recipe? I know divinity is very fragile but didn’t know if anyone had ever tried to color this recipe.
Sam says
I do definitely think you could add food coloring! I would add it when you add the vanilla extract and nuts. I hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for following along with my blog, I really appreciate it 🙂
Brian Lee Meeker says
My mother used to put a little green food coloring in around Christmas time …
Didn’t affect the texture or flavor .. Just go sparingly ..
Made recipe and turned out perfect… It’s an absolute must to beat in power mixer until it loses gloss and starts to get stiff .. you’ll know it when you get there …
Sam says
So glad to hear it turned out so well for you. Thanks for commenting, Brian!