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 ½ 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!
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)
- ½ cup water (120ml)
- 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ 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 ½ 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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Steph
Hi! This looks great but I’m supposed to avoid corn syrup. Do you think it could work with maple syrup or some other (cassava, brown rice, agave) instead? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Steph! Without having tried it I’m hesitant to say for sure, especially since candy can be really finicky. That being said, since it’s only 2 tablespoons I think it would be worth a shot. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Mike
My grandma use to make this for me and send it to me while I was stationed in Germany. Always looked forward to that package.
Dixie
The function of corn syrup in this recipe is to halt the formation of sugar crystals. if you’re VERY careful and stay vigilant wiping down the sides of the pan while being the sugars to a boil you could skip the corn syrup altogether. That being said you really have to get every single crystal of sugar off the sides of the pan just one will cause crystalization of the entire batch. Good luck!!
Thomas H Wedekind
Can you use egg beater whites for you sea foam recipe?
Sam
Hi Thomas! Typically egg whites in a carton say they don’t whip to stiff peaks, and you need stiff peaks here so I’m not sure how it would go. I haven’t tried it myself though. If you do try it I would love to know how it turns out.
Richard Hake
Chopped up marichino cherrys is another option instead of nuts. That is the way we made it when I was a kid.
Sam
Oh nice! Thank you for mentioning that, I’ll have to try it sometime 🙂
Lisa Hardgrove
I was just sitting here wondering if maraschino cherries would work. : )
Andrea
My husband’s grandmother made both Seafosm and Divinity. Her Seafoam was just like this – but no nuts. Divinity had all white sugar and chopped nuts.
I made yours, w/out nuts – perfect! And easy. Just be patient mixing all the ingredients at the end. It will work!
Laura
Hello. Since candy thermometers seem to be so unpredictable and unreliable, could you please describe how the candy should look at 255 degrees? Thank you.
Sam
Hi Laura! Outside of the notes in the recipe I would really recommend a thermometer here. It’s really the best way to go about it.
Deb Rogan
My mother did not have a thermometer & somehow she got this recipe to work. Her mantra about this recipe was –never make this in high humidity! Her recipe box was lost when she passed and haven’t seen this before. I will try your recipe, though will have thermometer in hand! Thank you 🙂
Sam
I hope it’s a success! 🙂
Terri Atwell
This is my 91 year old dad’s favorite recipe. His sister used to make it for him growing up and I have made it for him several times when I visit. It’s tricky in humid Florida, but he loves it so it’s worth it.
Sam
I am so glad he enjoys it so much, Terri! I’m impressed that it turns out well with all of that humidity. 🙂
Emma
Thank you for the recipe! I think I did something wrong at the end. Once you’ve poured the syrup into the egg whites, do you keep whipping it until it’s stiff peaks? Mine never made it that far, so I tossed in the pecans and kept whipping, but then it got extremely crumbly. They’re still delicious, but they’re definitely not the right consistency. Any advice or tips?
Sam
Hi Emma! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! Candy can be very tricky. Yes you will want the egg whites to be stiff enough to hold their shape after adding the sugar syrup mixture in. This can take several minutes to accomplish so patience is key. It sounds like you may have just needed to keep mixing after the sugars were added if they didn’t quite make it that far. I hope it goes better next time. 🙂
Mary
My grandmother’s would get crumbly too sometimes. I didn’t remember that until you mentioned it. Also, here’s was more brown. I’m wondering if she used either all brown auger or else dark Caro.
Sara Sparks
The recipe I have calls for all brown sugar in the recipe My mother taught me. This makes a great frosting . Cook until temp reaches 234 degrees. Beat until cool enough to frost cake. I am in trouble if I don’t take to all family reunions.
Lori
I can remember my grandmother making both divinity and seafoam but she always added a hint of green food coloring to the seafoam it was really pretty and tasted wonderful.
Sam
Now you know how to make your own to carry on the traditions! 🙂
Cheryl Benek
When I was a kid going to the beach meant we’d get sea foam candy that so many places on the boardwalk sold. Now you find only salt water taffy. I could never find sea foam candy since – just Divinity, which I figured must be the same. I can’t wait to try this and bring back those wonderful days.
Sam
I hope you love it, Cheryl! 🙂
Katelyn
Hey do you have a recipe for an really easy strawberry cake. I really need to know by Thursday. Also I tried this recipe and it was AMAZING 😉
Sam
Hi Katelyn! I do have this strawberry cake recipe! It’s not the easiest cake on the blog but it is delicious. I’m so glad you loved the sea foam!
Karen Butler
Oh, I love this recipe! It was spot on and made me so happy to replicate a wonderful memory of making it with my mom and 5 brothers and sisters! I thought I remembered the recipe, but I was happy to find this, since it was much better than my memory! Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that this recipe brought back so many wonderful memories for you, Karen! Thank you for trying my recipe. I am so glad that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Tom
Hi! My 94-year old mom was talking yesterday about how she misses the seafoam candy that her mother used to make on their farm all the time. I also remember “helping” Grandma to make it on several occasions. Mom never made it herself, so I did a search and up right away popped your picture and I’m thinking “YES!” that’s it!
Thank you so much for publishing this….I have a pile of egg whites in the fridge…and mom and I will attempt this tomorrow!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you came across my site and found a family favorite recipe, Tom! I hope that it turns out perfect for you! 🙂
Sharon
My grandmother and my Mother used to make this. However they had no nuts, was light brown, and taste like Maple. How do I change to get their look and taste of Maple.
Sam
I wonder if they used maple syrup instead of the corn syrup, but I’m honestly not sure.
Cathy
Try Dark Karo syrup. I remember my Mom making it this way.
Star
Sounds yummy and my husband grew up with Sea Foam Candy.
Question: can this recipe be made in a rainy region? I know divinity is difficult to make during the rainy seasons.
Thank you so much in advance,
Star
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Star! I haven’t experienced any issues, however, I am not certain how it will affect it where you are located. Keep me posted on how it turns out if you try it. 🙂
Kathy
I know my mom never made it if it was rainy or high humidity. It was my grandpa’s favourite and he always got it for Christmas. It’s so nice to see an actual Seafoam recipe; almost all recipes you see are Divinity. Enjoy!
Sandra Marshall
Just finished making this recipe for my best friend as a surprise for Christmas. She said her father used to make this for them. He hadn’t made it for years and recently passed. She couldn’t find the recipe. I’m hoping this is that recipe. Your instructions were perfect. I used a cookie scoop to portion them out. Worked perfectly. Was a little worried I would wear out the scoop spring but the Christmas angels were on my side! Can’t wait to see how they compare to her memories. Merry Christmas!🌲
Sugar Spun Run
What a sweet gesture, Sandra! I hope that it brings her so much joy and sweet memories of her father. Keep me posted. I hope that she enjoys the sea foam candy! Merry Christmas to you! 🙂
Pat
So nice of you to honor your friends father, by doing your best to bring the best memories to her about her father at Christmas. God Bless
LEA
I used your sugar cookie recipe the other day for our neighbourhood Christmas party for all the kids to decorate. It turn out fantastic the kids had a great time eating them
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the sugar cookies were a hit, Lea! I hope everyone enjoyed decorating them at your holiday party. Thanks for commenting. 🙂