Cotton candy is one of those foods that you just associate with certain things.
For me, it’s all things summer.
Family picnics, birthday parties or going to a carnival passing through my town.
It’s right up there with fresh watermelon, hot dogs, barbeque and funnel cakes but there’s something about the fun, cloudlike texture and melt in your mouth taste that makes cotton candy truly special.
Believe it or not, cotton candy was created by the most unlikely of people, a dentist named William Morrison. In partnership with another man, a confectioner called John Wharton, the pair introduced the first machine that spun cotton candy at the World’s Fair all the way back in 1904.
A lot has changed since then but the delicious taste and the special place that cotton candy holds in many of our hearts hasn’t changed.
But one thing that has changed is that since that first sweet prototype are the sheer number of cotton candy flavors available today.
Long gone are the few basic flavors that many of us grew up loving. In fact, there are dozens and dozens of kinds to try ranging from sweet to savory and everything in between.
We’ve done the research so you can find just the right flavor for you!
Cotton Candy Flavors and Colors List
If you make your own cotton candy, it can be any color or any flavor that you like, but there are some popular commercial cotton candy products available that specialize in flavors that correspond with colors. Below, we’ve summarized them.
Black Cotton Candy Flavor
Although black cotton candy is one of the more rare colors you’ll find, it’s most commonly flavored with a very familiar and popular taste – black licorice.
Brown Cotton Candy Flavor
Another rare color you might be curious about is brown cotton candy. As you can guess, the flavors associated with it are often warm and inviting. Some examples include butterscotch, cake batter, caramel, hot chocolate, maple, pralines, root beer, toffee, and vanilla latte.
Blue Cotton Candy Flavor
Blue cotton candy is one of the most popular colors and the flavor most often associated with it is blue raspberry and occasionally blueberry.
Green Cotton Candy Flavor
Another favorite of many is green cotton candy, and it’s known to have many flavors. A few of the most common ones are mint chocolate chip, green apple, and lime.
Orange Cotton Candy Flavor
Bright and vibrant, the color of orange cotton candy is reflected in many of the juicy flavors associated with it. Some of the most popular ones are orange (obviously), creamsicle, mango and pumpkin spice.
Pink Cotton Candy Flavor
Without a doubt, pink cotton candy is the color most people associate with this iconic food and because of this, it has the greatest number of flavors available today. Those flavors include bubble gum, cranberry, peppermint, pink lemonade, red raspberry, strawberry, and watermelon.
Purple Cotton Candy Flavor
A seldom seen cotton candy color is purple but the flavor most often associated with it is quite popular – grape. You might also come across some specialty flavors including black cherry and plum.
Red Cotton Candy Flavor
Red cotton candy is usually flavored like the fruit with which it shares a similar color – cherries. Other flavors can include fruit punch.
White Cotton Candy Flavor
The puffy cloudlike appearance of white cotton candy can come in a variety of flavors. Common types you might come across are birthday cake, coconut, marshmallow, vanilla, and white chocolate.
Yellow Cotton Candy
The cheery color of yellow cotton candy has a number of equally bright flavors associated with it including banana, lemon, lemonade, mango, peach, and pineapple.
Twirl Cotton Candy Flavors
Twirl cotton candy is one of the most fun types since it often combines two well-loved flavors together. Some examples include banana split, caramel apple, chocolate covered strawberry, cookies and cream, frosted donut, peanut butter and jelly, and strawberry cheesecake.
| Color | Flavor |
|---|---|
| Black | Black Licorice |
| Brown | Butterscotch, Cake Batter, Caramel, Hot Chocolate, Maple, Pralines, Root Beer, Toffee, Vanilla Latte |
| Blue | Blue Raspberry, Blueberry |
| Green | Mint Chocolate Chip, Green Apple, Lime |
| Orange | Orange, Creamsicle, Mango, Pumpkin Spice |
| Pink | Bubble Gum, Cranberry, Peppermint, Pink Lemonade, Red Raspberry, Strawberry, Watermelon |
| Purple | Grape, Black Cherry, Plum |
| Red | Cherries, Fruit Punch |
| White | Birthday Cake, Coconut, Marshmallow, Vanilla, White Chocolate |
| Yellow | Banana, Lemon, Lemonade, Mango, Peach, Pineapple |
| Twirl | Banana Split, Caramel Apple, Chocolate Covered Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, Frosted Donut, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Strawberry Cheesecake |
Weird (and Unique) Cotton Candy Flavors
Lots of the flavors in our list and the colors associated with them make sense.
However, as the popularity of cotton candy continues to grow, so do the boundaries of flavoring.
Today, there are a number of unique flavors you can buy and try – if you dare!
Some of those weird cotton candy flavors include beer, bourbon, buttered popcorn, chai tea, champagne (peach and pink), chili pepper, cola, green tea, gin martini, gingerbread, Irish cream, jalapeno, Kona coffee, lavender, lychee, margarita, Merlot, pickle, Pina Colada, pizza, rose, and whiskey!