Easy Salt Water Taffy (KitchenAid Taffy)

If you love fresh saltwater taffy but hate the idea of all of that pulling and stretching, this is the recipe for you! This traditional taffy is pulled with the dough hook in your KitchenAid. No one will know you didn’t get a workout! 

The History of Salt Water Taffy

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane to see when and where this amazing taffy got its start. From Taffy Town: The History of Salt Water Taffy, we discover the following about taffy’s debut in society in the late 19th century:

Most food historians believe salt water taffy was invented in the early 1880s. The story begins with a gentleman named John Ross Edmiston. The owner of a small boardwalk postcard shop in Atlantic City, Edmiston hired a man named David Bradley to sell taffy alongside his wares. While Edmiston eventually fired Bradley, he kept the popular candy in his shop. One night, an ocean swell flooded his boardwalk shop. In the morning, Edmiston discovered all the taffy had been soaked in salty sea foam. 

During his cleanup, a young girl came into the store asking if he still had some taffy for sale. Jokingly, Bradley said that he had some “salt water taffy.” The little girl purchased the taffy and took it back to the beach to share with her friends. Her mother heard the name and instantly loved it, and thus the name “salt water taffy” was born. 

Taffy recipes don’t contain salt water (and definitely don’t have sea water from the Atlantic Ocean in them) but this recipe does have a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness.

Can I Make Taffy at Home?

There’s a famous candy shop in Galveston called La King’s. It’s been around for over 100 years. 

Whenever we drive down to Galveston (about an hour and a half from my house) we always make a trip to La King’s. If we’re really lucky, we’ll get there in time to watch the taffy being pulled on the big machines. 

I have some great memories of taking my grandkids to watch taffy pulls at La King’s. It’s fascinating to think that the hot syrup could become chewy, sticky taffy, loaded with flavor and it’s so much fun to witness the pulling process.

This recipe is much like that one, but I had to come up with a creative way to knead the dough. My upper arm strength isn’t what it needs to be, trust me. 

That’s when I came up with the idea for the dough hook on my KitchenAid. I use it to make Homemade Marshmallow Fondant and it’s about the same consistency as this taffy. So, I decided to give it a try. 

I used a recipe that I found at Yummly, but obviously changed things up a bit by adding the KitchenAid to the mix.

Saltwater Taffy Ingredients

You will find a full, printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this easy taffy. These are simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry right now. If not, they’re easy to find at your local grocery store.

• granulated sugar
• white corn syrup
• water
• salt
• corn starch
• flavoring oil, (your choice)
• food coloring gel (your choice)

How to Make Easy Saltwater Taffy

This comes together so easily. You’re going to marvel at how hands-off it is. 

Sift the sugar and corn starch together.

Place in a heavy saucepan. 

Add water, corn syrup, and salt. 

Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium. 

Simmer until sugar liquid reaches 260 degrees. You will need your candy thermometer for this.

Pour into your kitchenmaid mixer and allow to cool for several minutes. Add coloring gel and flavoring. 

Knead using dough hook for 10 – 15 minutes, stopping 2 – 3 times along the way to scrape the sticky taffy from the sides of the bowl. (Note: If you start this process when the liquid is still too hot it will take much longer to knead.) 

You want to pause the mixer from time to time to keep the motor from overheating. 

You’ll know the taffy is ready when the color lightens and the texture firms up. You should be able to handle it. 

Prepare a work space by spraying it with nonstick spray. 

Butter or grease your hands and remove taffy from the mixing bowl. 

Give it a few twists to work out any final air bubbles or lumps. 

Roll into ropes.

Cut into 1” pieces (or bite-sized pieces of your choice). Using greased hands, roll each piece in your palms. 

You can individually wrap your pieces if you like but I placed all of mine side-by-side and covered them with plastic wrap. 

Store at room temperature. Candy will stay good for a week or longer. 

I don’t recommend refrigerating or freezing this candy. 

What to Expect from this Taffy

This is a soft taffy, with plenty of texture. Despite its softness, it’s chewy, sweet, and pretty to look at. Best of all, this whole process was simple. 

The sugar syrup didn’t require much stirring. The KitchenAid did the kneading. What else could I ask for? 

I think this is such a simple process that I’m considering it in place of fondant for my next cake. I can’t wait to see how it works out. 

Variations on this recipe

Obviously, the easiest thing to do is to change up the colors and flavors. Here are a few of my thoughts on different flavors and colors: 

• Green gel coloring, spearmint flavoring
• Yellow coloring gel, banana flavoring
• Red coloring gel, cinnamon flavoring
• Blue coloring gel, peppermint flavoring
• Tan coloring gel, maple flavoring

Any of these would be great and you won’t even have to go to Atlantic City New Jersey to buy it! (Though, a trip to the Jersey shore does sound good right about now! Ocean City, anyone?)

Other Candies from Out of the Box Baking

Sugar Shards (Edible Sugar Glass): If you’re looking for a way to really jazz up your cakes or cupcakes, have I got a fun (and easy) recipe for you. These simple sugar shards will take your baking project to a new level! 

Copycat York Peppermint Patties: If you love the refreshing flavor of mint and enjoy rich chocolate, then I have a great recipe for you! These Copycat York Peppermint Patties are exactly like the ones you buy in the checkout line. . .but at a fraction of the cost!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles: Every now and again a simple recipe comes along that totally blows you away. This is that recipe. Whether you’re hoping to impress that special someone or simply come up with a delicious snack, these Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles will hit the spot!

Easy Homemade Turtles: If you love the combination of caramel, chocolate, and pecans, have I got an easy treat for you! These classic Turtles are a no-bake recipe. In fact, they’re easy that the kids can help you!

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.