In this study a rapid and easy method was developed for the quantification of phthalates in sugar and sweets, which enables the investigation of a large number of samples. Different parameters like the extraction approach, the extraction solvent or the number of repeated extraction steps were investigated and optimized. The developed procedure consists of a liquid-liquid-extraction of an aqueous sample solution in ethanol followed by an extraction with cyclohexane. Two subsequent extraction steps are carried out to yield the maximum amount of phthalates contained in the sample. Following method validation, 22 samples (sugar and different sweets) were measured. All samples, with the exception of one phthalate-free jam sugar, contained phthalates in low concentrations.