The Top 12 Candy Melts Substitutes (2024)

Here are the top 12 candy melts substitutes, an easy recipe to make your own, and several yummy candied desserts you’ll love!

Candy melts are the perfect way to decorate sweet treats like cake balls, dessert bars, fruits, and pretzels.

You can even use them to make chocolate bark!

But what do you do when you run out and need a replacement in a pinch?

We’re sharing the top 12 candy melts substitutes to use in all your favorite recipes!

Candy Melts 101

Candy melts may look like chocolate, but they’re actually made from vegetable oils, sugar, milk powder, food coloring, and flavoring. And they don’t contain cocoa butter like real chocolate.

However, these faux chocolate melts, are the perfect candy coating for a variety of desserts and treats.

They’re ideal for melting because they don’t need to be tempered.

You can find candy melts in grocery stores, craft stores, and online. Wilton Candy Melts is one of the most popular brands.

Candy melts come in a variety of different colors. You can also mix together different colored chips to make your own custom colors.

Melted candy melts are used for dipping cake pops, coating dessert bars, decorating pretzels, and more. You can also use them in various candy molds like lollipop molds.

But, if your grocery store runs out, or you need a replacement in a pinch, you can use one of the easy candy melts substitutes below!

The Best Candy Melts Substitutes

1. Caramels or Caramel Sauce

You can use thick caramel sauce in place of candy melts for cake pops, dessert bars, and pretzels.

Caramel sauce won’t be as colorful as candy melts and the finish won’t be as smooth or shiny. But, it’s a delicious and easy replacement in a pinch.

Instead of dipping cake pops or dessert bars, use a knife or spatula to smooth on the caramel sauce as desired.

2. Thick Fudge Sauce

You can also use a thick fudge sauce instead of caramel melts. Fudge sauce will have a similarly smooth and shiny finish.

And it’s easy to dip or spread.

Use fudge sauce for cake pops, dessert bars, pretzels, and fruit.

3. Plain Chocolate Bars or Chips

Plain chocolate bars or chips are a great substitute for candy melts. You can choose your favorite type of chocolate as long as there are no add-ins like nuts.

You can also add a teaspoon of coconut oil, vegetable oil, corn syrup, or shortening to your melted chocolate to get the texture closer to candy melts.

White Chocolate

If you’d like to use white chocolate or white chocolate chips, you’ll need to be especially careful when melting them. White chocolate doesn’t melt as easily as other chocolates and it may seize.

To prevent this, try adding vegetable shortening or butter. And the best way to melt white chocolate is with a double boiler.

If you plan to add food coloring to your white chocolate, use gel or powder-based food coloring. Water-based food coloring can make the chocolate seize.

Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate is especially great for cake balls. But you can use it anywhere you would candy melts.

You can melt milk chocolate in the microwave or using the double boiler method.

Dark Chocolate

You can melt dark chocolate the same way you would milk chocolate. And you can use it for cake balls, dessert bars, pretzels, and fruit.

4. Compound Chocolate (or Baking Chocolate)

Baking chocolate is a low-cost alternative to real chocolate. It’s made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fats, and sweeteners.

The main difference between compound chocolate and regular chocolate is that real chocolate uses cocoa butter, and compound chocolate uses vegetable fats.

White baking chocolate is an especially good replacement for candy melts because you can add in food coloring to get colors just like candy melts.

Use compound chocolate anywhere you would candy melts.

5. Almond Bark

Almond bark is a similar substitute to compound chocolate. It’s made from fats, flavoring, and color additives. And it’s easier to melt and not as temperamental as regular chocolate.

You can find almond bark in baking supply stores or the supermarket and it comes in blocks or discs.

You can choose from milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate bark. Use it anywhere you would candy melts.

6. Couverture Chocolate

Here’s a fancy candy melts replacement to use if you’d like to really impress your guests.

Couverture chocolate is the best type of real chocolate for melting because of its high ratio of cocoa butter to cocoa.

It has a better taste and the perfect shiny finish. But, tempering is essential.

Most fine chocolate makers produce couverture chocolate, including Amano, Callebaut, Guittard, Lindt, and Valrhona.

You can find couverture chocolate online directly from the brand. Amazon even carries some of this fancy chocolate.

7. Frosting

Frosting is a good substitute for candy melts in a pinch. You won’t get as nice a finish as you would from real or compound chocolate. But, it’s delicious, easy to find or make, and you can color it.

Frosting is best for cakes and dessert bars.

Here’s how to make a simple vanilla buttercream frosting:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix the butter and powdered sugar with a spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.

Slowly mix in just enough milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable.

NOTE: If you add in too much milk and the frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.

8. Marshmallows

You can also use plain or colored marshmallows to substitute for candy melts. They’re a little tricky to work with because they can be really sticky. But, when it hardens, melted marshmallow has a similar finish to candy melts.

It’s a great coating for cake pops, pretzels, and popcorn.

You can also use marshmallow fluff as a substitute for candy melts.

9. Kinako Powder

If you don’t mind an exotic twist to your desserts, you can try kinako powder.

It’s made from soybeans, and you can mix it with sugar and heavy cream to get a texture similar to frosting.

You can use it to substitute for candy melts in the same way!

10. Powdered Sugar + Milk + Vanilla

You can also use a simple recipe of 2 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tablespoons of milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. This will create a thin, icing-like coating that’s great for cakes and dessert bars.

And, you can add food coloring to make bright-colored treats.

11. Yogurt

Here’s a healthy candy melts substitute! Yogurt! It has a similar look to candy melts when frozen. So it’s great for cold treats. And you can add in food coloring.

Just remember to keep your treats cool. At room temperature, the coating will only last for about 30 minutes.

For best results, place your cold desserts over a tray of ice!

12. Homemade Candy Melts

You can also make your own candy melts using the simple recipe, below:

INGREDIENTS

• 7 ounces white chocolate
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• Colors and flavorings of your choice

DIRECTIONS

Melt the chocolate at a low temperature using a double boiler. Then add your desired coloring and flavors. Pour the melted chocolate into a piping bag.

Form the chocolate to your desired shape and refrigerate to harden. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

FAQs

Yummy Recipes to Try

Easter-Themed Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts

Marshmallow Bunny Bait Popcorn

No Bake Birds Nest Cookies (Healthier Version)

Spooktacular Oreo Bats (no-bake!)

Ghoulish Nutter Butter Ghosts (no bake!)

More Like This

Have more questions about candy melts substitutes? Let us know in the comments!

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