Abstract: The present invention pertains to a method for preparing a hard candy containing from about 1% to about 35% fruit juice, by weight, which comprises the steps of (a) providing a vacuum cooker having a cooker coil, an atmospheric chamber, and a vacuum chamber; (b) forming a sugar syrup having a moisture content from about 0.1% to about 5%, by weight; (c) heating the sugar syrup in the cooker coil to cook the syrup; (d) passing the cooked sugar syrup from the cooker coil to the atmospheric chamber; (e) admixing fruit juice with the cooked sugar syrup in the atmospheric chamber to form a fruit juice-sugar syrup mixture; (f) passing the fruit juice-sugar syrup mixture from the atmospheric chamber to the vacuum chamber to remove excess water; and (g) removing the fruit juice-sugar syrup mixture from the vacuum chamber and forming the fruit juice-sugar mixture into desired shapes of hard candy. This invention also pertains to hard candy containing fruit juice prepared by the inventive method.