Thank you to New Seasons Market for sponsoring this post!
Making your own candied orange peel and candied lemon peel is super easy and the difference between homemade and store-bought is absolutely mind-blowing! Leave the store-bought stuff on the shelf because NOTHING compares to homemade, it’s incredible!!
How To Make Candied Orange Peel and Candied Lemon Peel
If you’ve never made your own candied orange peel get ready to be absolutely dazzled!
January celebrates the ushering in of citrus season! I always get excited to see the fresh crops pour into the produce section of my local grocery stores and roadside fruit stands. I LOVE practically anything with citrus-flavored and love experimenting with news ways of using the full range of citrus fruits.
There’s a dazzling variety of citrus on the market, more than most realize and each have unique flavor elements. Just to give you an example, here are a few varieties of just orange and tangerines alone: Bergamot, blood, Cara Cara, Hamlin, Seville, Valencia, clementine, enCore, Fairchild, Fremont, gold nugget, honey, Kara, Lee, Murcott, Page, pixie, sunburst and satsuma. Wouldn’t it be fun to have each of these side by side and taste each one for comparison? Not to mention the different varieties of grapefruit, lemons, limes and other forms of citrus like kumquats, tangelos, pummelos and unique fruit (aka, ugli fruit). New Season Market on Mercer Island, WA recently had a taste testing event featuring many these varieties – so fun!
Today we’re going to make delicious use of a portion of the citrus fruit you may normally discard by making candied citrus peels. Think of these delightful sweet treats like citrus flavor on steroids!
While candied orange and candied lemon are the the most commonly used, candied grapefruit and lime also have a delicious place in the mix and I’m going to demonstrate the process using those as well.
There are a few reasons you should make your own: 1) The store-bought stuff is generally not organic. 2) It’s made with chemicals. 3) It’s not fresh. 4) Most of it tastes bad. Like really bad. I regularly have readers request recommendations for good brands of candied citrus and the best recommendation that I can offer is make your own! Because once you do and taste the difference, you’ll never buy it again.
The good news is, it is SO easy to make your own! And it keeps for a long time, especially if you freeze it. The flavor is 100% better than store-bought and will bring your baked goods to life.
So that leads us to the question of how do you use candied citrus?
- As garnish for pies, cakes and cupcakes
- Chopped up and added to cookies, cakes, muffins, cupcakes, scones, etc.
- Sprinkled over ice cream or yogurt
- As garnish for citrus-flavored drinks
- Finely chopped and added to streusel topping for muffins and cakes
- Dipped in chocolate for an elegant sweet treat (dip candied orange peels in chocolate to make orangettes, a classic French confection)
- and whatever else your imagination can think of!
Let’s get started!
Select the best citrus fruits possible and give them a thorough scrubbing and washing. We’re not sticklers about buying all of our produce organic, but we do stick to organic for certain items that are highly sprayed and/or waxed. And in the case of citrus fruits, if I’m using the peels for zesting or candying, I use and recommend organic.
Slice both ends of the orange. Cut the peel on each each into 4 or more vertical segments, depending on the size of the fruit. Peel off each segment of rind.
Note: You can remove a some of the white pith, though not necessary. The white pith has a bitter flavor, so keep that in mind, but also keep in mind that the thinner your peels the harder/more leathery they will be. The purpose for blanching the peels (boiling in water and discarding the water) is to eliminate some of the bitterness. If leaving the pith on you can repeat the blanching procedure 2 or 3 times to reduce the bitterness.
The process is the same for any citrus fruit.
Slice the peels into 1/4 inch wide strips.
Keep the peeled citrus for eating, cooking or juicing.
Boil the peels in water in a pot for 15 minutes. Drain the peels in a colander, rinse and then drain again. Discard the water from the pot.
**Note: To further reduce the bitter flavor repeat this step.
Add the sugar and fresh water to the pot and bring it to a boil. Boil it for a couple of minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the citrus peels, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peels become translucent and the liquid becomes lightly syrupy.
Use a slotted spoon to remove a few of the peels at a time and let the excess syrup drip off for a few seconds. Place the hot, wet peels in the bowl of sugar and toss to coat.
Spread the candied citrus peels out on a wire rack to cool and dry completely, 1-2 days.
Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, the candied citrus peel will keep for at least a month. They’ll keep even longer in the fridge and for a few months frozen. (I usually keep them in a ziplock bag in the freezer and then conveniently grab whatever I need.)
Note: If you find your candied citrus peel gets hard after a while don’t worry – they will soften up beautifully as they bake in whatever recipe you add them to!
Note: To keep the candied peels even softer you can limit the drying time, skip the final sugar coating step and put the peels in a ziplock bag and either refrigerate or freeze them.
Finally, DON’T DISCARD THE CITRUS SYRUP! This is a wonderful citrus-flavored simple syrup to add to your drinks for a wonderful kick of citrus flavor!
Enjoy!
Here are a few of our recipes that use this deeeelicious homemade candied orange peel and candied lemon peel!
- German Stollen
- German Lebkuchen
- Traditional English Mincemeat
- Traditional English Eccles Cakes
- Scottish Dundee Cake
- Aachener Printen
- Italian Panettone
- Welsh Bara Brith
Be sure to also try our homemade Candied Ginger!
PIN ME!
Candied Orange Peel and Candied Lemon Peel
Ingredients
- 3 Valencia or Naval oranges and 4 lemons (can also use the equivalent of grapefruits, Meyer lemons and limes, or any citrus of your choice, thoroughly washed and scrubbed (as citrus is highly sprayed, I recommend using organic)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Fine granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
- Slice both ends of the citrus fruits. Cut the peel on each each into 4 or more vertical segments, depending on the size of the fruit. Peel off each segment of rind. (You can remove a little of the white pith, though not necessary. The pith is bitter but the blanching process below will help reduce the bitterness. Note that if you remove the white pith, the thinner the peels are the harder and more leathery they will be when they’re candied.) Slice the peels into 1/4 inch wide strips. (Keep the peeled citrus for eating, cooking, juicing, etc)
- Boil the peels in a pot of water for 15 minutes. Drain the peels in a colander, rinse and then drain again. Discard the water from the pot.Repeat this process one or two more times to reduce the bitter flavor.
- Add the 1 cup of fresh water and the sugar to the pot and bring it to a boil. Boil it for a couple of minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Add the citrus peels, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peels become translucent and the syrup becomes lightly syrupy.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove a few of the peels at a time and let the excess syrup drip off for a few seconds. Place the hot, wet peels in a bowl of sugar and toss to coat.
- Spread the candied citrus peels out on a wire rack to cool and dry completely, 1-2 days.
- Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, the candied citrus peel will keep for at least a month. They'll keep even longer in the fridge and for a few months frozen.Note: If you find your candied citrus peel gets hard after a while don't worry - they will soften up beautifully as they bake in whatever recipe you add them to!Note: To keep the candied peels even softer you can limit the drying time, skip the final sugar coating step and put the peels in a ziplock bag and either refrigerate or freeze them.
Notes
*If you'd like to make more candied citrus peel, simply increase the amount of water and sugar by the same 1:2 ratio. *** ***NUTRITION INFO BELOW IS FOR THE ENTIRE BATCH (NOT PER SERVING)
Nutrition
Thank you to New Seasons Market for sponsoring this post.
Kitten says
Hi Kimberly! I made this last year and it was fabulous. I’m getting started on my holiday baking and plan to make the candied ginger this year as well. My question is whether or not I can re-use the syrup from the candied peel to candy the ginger. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Oh, that sounds like a terrific idea, Kitten, please let us know how it turns out!
Jo Fanshawe says
Thanks Kimberly, I paused my baking project to make candied peel as had citrus waiting to be used, so why head out to buy some? It worked well but I’m writing to suggest a delicious way with the left over oranges and the syrup. Simply slice the oranges into 1/4 in rounds and layer in a dish. Put some of the syrup into a small jug or cup and add a good splash of Cointreau or Grand Marnier liqueur if you have it or any other orange compatible liqueur, stir then pour over the sliced oranges and chill fo a few hours. Delicious with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream
Ava Marie Hayes says
I’m a 64 yr old Canadian women who Loves Baking & reviving the traditions of my beloved mother, who constantly spoiled us with her amazing baking skills, all taught by her mother and grandmother. Cannot wait to both make my own Candied Citrus Peel & Your Mincemeat Recipe. Thank You for sharing your recipes and tips. I used Candied Citrus Peel I bought in a store and it had ZERO taste and have nev bought it again!! A complete waste of money. I’m looking forward to surprising friends & family with your Mincemeat Recipe & incorporating your Candied citrus peel into some homemade Stollen, Hot Cross Buns, etc.. There’s Nothing as good as Homemade with Love. Many thanks for keeping Traditions Alive!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you for sharing those thoughts, Ava. I think you’ll be very impressed by the flavor this homemade candied peel imparts to baked goods. I like to make a big batch of it and freeze it in ziplock bags so I have it on hand whenever I need it. Happy cooking! :)
Beth Wright says
I haven’t tried this yet but I am excited to find a recipe for candied fruit and a recipe for stollen. My Nanna, who was the grandchild of German immigrants who settled in Ripon, Wisconsin and spent most of her life in Madison, would always come visit our family at Christmas when we lived in Michigan and later Pennsylvania. I was very young, third grade and younger, when she helped us string popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree and and let be me and my sister who was one year older put together the stollen.
I can still picture when she kneaded the dough and spread it out on our kitchen counter in this huge circle. We then got to help her stud the dough with precise rows of the chopped candied fruit. After baking it, she would frost it with a very thin layer of buttercream frosting and decorate it with holly leaves drawn with some of the frosting to which she added, with the small cinnamon candies as holly berries, and add a sprinkling of the tiny silver balls — I think just for sparkle!
I loved this whole process and I loved the bread (bread-o-holic here!) and the frosting and the candies on top but I HATED the candied fruit. And I hated how it looked so pretty but tasted so nasty. I didn’t like the texture but I really didn’t like the taste.
Many decades later, I learned what that candied fruit that you buy in a plastic container in the grocery store really is. No wonder it’s bitter because it’s grapefruit and at the same time hyper-sweet, and colored with all sorts of nasty chemicals. I finally figured out why I always hated fruitcake, too.
I am excited to have this recipe and I will try it at Christmas. I live in the Florida Panhandle where many of my friends have citrus trees and I will be planning some myself this year. People are always giving me citrus fruit if they don’t bother to spray. Too much trouble!
I’m also excited to try your marzipan recipe because that was a favorite of my Mom’s and I didn’t realize it was a German thing. I always thought it was Italian. She was the daughter of my Nanna who made the stollen so that may explain why she was fond of marzipan. I was always fascinated by all the different little fruit shapes in the assortments she got occasionally.
So I’m not really saying anything about your recipes but just how glad I am you’ve posted them because I think they will help me retrieve some of my heritage at a time when I’m the oldest person left in my immediate family at the age of 60.
There’s one more thing I wanted to say which is actually why I got on here to comment. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people write about naval oranges as though they have some relationship to the Navy. I wanted to let you know that they’re actually navel oranges because they have a structure that someone thought look like our navel, aka belly button. Now you know!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Beth, thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories. I’m so glad you found my site. YES, this homemade candied citrus peel is a total game changer and I think you’re going to be absolutely “wowed” once you’ve tried it in some baked goods. I think you’re going to really love our marzipan and Stollen recipes too. It’s wonderful that you’re exploring and enjoying your heritage via cooking. I’m excited for you try all of these recipes and look forward to your feedback when the time comes!
Phyllis Swonk says
I always save peels in the freezer until l have a big batch. Works fine. Phyllis
Connie wybrow says
Used candied peels in my cranberry orange bread. Out of this world. Chopped them up fine and it turned out so, so, so delicious. Love this recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds fabulous, Connie, yum! So glad you enjoyed the candied peels, thank you!
Tammy says
Hi love this recipe. Just wondering what the secret is to keeping the sugar on the strips. Because of the heat mine absorbed the sugar. Yours has a lovely visible amount of sugar remaining.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tammy, I just double roll them. You can also wait until they’ve cooled down a bit and then roll them. But usually I don’t roll them in sugar at all since I just chop them up and use them in baking.
Toni Wasik says
Thanks for the detailed instructions and explanations. Do you think it’s possible to save peels in the refrigerator for, say, a couple weeks while you collect enough to candy?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Toni, I’m not sure how soon they’ll start developing mold so I would just keep a close eye on them.
VB Lum says
What about freezing the peels until you have enough? Has anyone tried that? I have some tangelo peels that smell wonderful but not enough for a batch yet.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, that should work fine!
Bill Kinder says
Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I blanched three times and what I did to speed up the process was to have another pot of water boiling so I could strain,rinse and into the the next pot without waiting for the water to boil. It took me too long to remove the orange flesh from the pith, due to inexperience, I’m sure there’s a faster way! Have to hide these and make a bigger batch(grapefruit) next time! I gave a 5 star rating, I had trouble with getting the stars to stay lit, so just in case!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Bill, and thanks also for the tip!
Pete Whitaker says
I made this for Stollen and Lebkucken, and it was a real hit with the family in Nürnberg. It is true that this recipe is a game changer, and I will never go back to store bought peel. I added a red grapefruit and one or 2 limes, which brought wonderful colour and taste. My only comment is that next time I will definately make double or triple. Once I have it, I can’t wait to eat it and it is gone far too fast. I was diligent in trimming excess pith, and after reading one or two other comments, I did a first boil for 7 minutes in water, then again with fresh water for 15 minutes, and I had no bitterness. Clumping of the sugar coating was a bit of an issue, but I put it down to my beginner’s experience. Next time I may leave more pith on, and skip the sugar coating step. But that’s just me, I have an English palate, and love the bitter/ sweet combination. Is it only expats that love English marmalade in Germany?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Excellent, Pete, thanks so much for the feedback!
Beth says
Question, I see recipe calls for 2 cups sugar. Is one cup for syrup (would be 1 to 1 with water for simple syrup) and the other cup for coating? Or 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water for syrup? Recipe doesn’t specify.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Beth, the 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar are added together in step 3. The last ingredient, “fine granulated sugar for coating”, is separate.
Sanika says
I was having trouble with the final sugar coating part until my brain turned on and said, “why aren’t we using chopsticks?”. It was so much easier to remove the peels from the sugar syrup, mix them around in a bowl of sugar, and place them on a tray to dry out, rather than using a slotted spoon. I’m so excited to use these candied peels for the stollen recipe!
Jo says
This is amazing! I got to this recipe from the Lebkuchen link, and I am so glad that I did. I used a bag of grapefruits that a colleague gave me and fresh lemons from the tree. These made enough for the Lebkuchen as well as a tin full over (and enough to snack on whilst I was waiting for them to fully dry…)
I’m also loving drinking the syrup, and turned the leftover pulp and citrus infused sugar into citrus jelly.
This will be my go-to recipe for using up citrus from now on.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Jo, thanks so much for the feedback and great idea making the citrus jelly!
Robin says
Really good. Love your recipes. This one has to pass the “sweet” test because neither my husband nor I like sweets. My Aunt Marilyn used to make this every year for her mother’s (my grandmother) Stölen recipe. Your recipes for the Marzipan, Stölen, and the Candied Citron is the closest I’ve ever come to that best of German Christmas. Thank you! Saw a post about it not setting up and another about the sugar coating clumping. We’re about to endure another Atmospheric River. I placed the drying candied citron in my oven with the light on. It’s just warm enough to enable the drying without being effected by the storm. The sugar for the coating does clump. Of course! I’m placing wet citrus strips in it. I simply shook each strip before placing it on the rack. Worked fine. Again. Thank you! Let you know about the Stölen and Marzipan after New Years.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Robin, and I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about the Stollen and Marzipan!