Isomalt

Isomalt is a sugar alcohol made from sucrose that is used in sugar-free candy and clear sugar decorations.

Isomalt: Clear, glass-like pieces of cooked isomalt in a shard shape, transparent with a smooth glossy surface.
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Isomalt is a polyol, or sugar alcohol, described in the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets as a colorless, odorless hydrogenated disaccharide developed in Germany in 1957. It is used as a sugar substitute, with properties similar to sucrose but about half the calories, and foods made with it can be labeled sugar free.

In the pastry shop it is best known for sugar work. It can be cooked, pulled, blown and poured like sugar, and it stays clear and resists humidity and browning better than ordinary sugar, so decorators use it for showpiece ornaments, glass-like shards and hard candies.

Like other sugar alcohols, it can cause digestive upset if eaten in large amounts.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Isomalt, ckbk (Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Darra Goldstein)