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.
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 45-60 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
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 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the peels become translucent and the syrup becomes lightly syrupy (on a candy thermometer this will be be approximately soft ball stage).
- 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 or a ziplock bag with sugar in it and toss/shake 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.Yields approximately 8 ounces of candied citrus peel depending on peel thickness.
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
kitty says
I read your recipe for candied citrus peel with interest. I had a bumper crop of valencia oranges this year and the peels ended up in my compost pile. I have permamnet access to 40+ lemons. I made limoncello again and just finished draining the liquid from the peels. I’m half drunk from inhaling the fumes (120 proof alcohol). Im saving the peels (sturated with sugar and alcohol and was wondering what to do with it.
Would it be possible to make candies dried citrus peel? (the peels is very thinly zested.)
I thought maybe marmalade?
Ay suggestions.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kitty, I don’t see why you couldn’t make “boozy” candied citrus peels. Or boozy marmalade for that matter :)
Margret says
Made this and YES it IS WAY WAY better than store bought, fun and easy to make, frugal too! We preferred it without the extra sugar coating as it’s already sweet plus the orange flavour is more intense, but to each their own taste! I wasn’t precise enough about the strip widths – my mistake, it would have been better if the pieces were more uniform. Will try this with other citrus too. THANK-YOU for a terrific recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Margret, thanks so much for the feedback! Uniform sizes isn’t necessary, especially if you’re using them to just chop up and add to baked goods. So glad you enjoyed them!
Margret says
Second try and another delicious ‘mistake’ – lemon peel this time, rushing before dinner and I undercooked it so it’s still quite soft BUT it’s still SO delicious that even my husband who really isn’t crazy about lemons is really enjoying it too! The softer texture would still be great in baking or as a garnish – and the intense flavor is wonderful. I’m even going to try a bit in a savory dish for that lemony hit. Definitely will keep making this as it ticks so many boxes! Thanks again!!
Stephanie D Carlson says
Would it be possible to use a sugar alternative for this recipe? I did make it with the sugar but it is so sweet and I am trying to cut back on my sugar intake. Had the idea to maybe do this with sucralose but wanted to ask first if this is something you have tried before I give it a go.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stephanie, you’d have to research the particular sweetener you’re using but I’m pretty sure that no alternative sweetener is going to be able to firm up the way regular sugar does and my worry would be that you’ll end up with dripping wet peels instead of candied peels.
Stephanie D Carlson says
Thank you for your response. I am going to give it a whirl today. I will let you know how it turns out.
Will W says
I recommend erythritol. It tastes and browns the closest to real sugar in my experience.
Kim says
Stephanie, you could try an experiment doing this with palm sugar or even maple sugar crystals. Still sweet, lower glycemic values, and not fake chemicals of artificial sweeteners. Not sure if Stevia comes in a crystal form, but if it’s dissolved in the water, it would still make sweet candied peels, just without the texture of crystals. Hmm… I may try to do this, myself. :-)
Vicki says
Hi, I grow cedro in a pot in London and always have so many this time of year, I hate to waste them. Will definitely try your recipe this year. In past attempts the peel is delicious but the syrup always goes off quickly. Any tips on how to best store it? And how long you’d expect it to last?
Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Vicki, the syrup is very acidic from the citrus peel and all the sugar so it will keep a long time in the fridge, probably about as long as marmalade – as long as there is no mold on it and it doesn’t smell funny…. Alternatively you can also freeze it.
Claudia says
Hi, great recipes!
do you have an idea how much raw fruit peel it is in grams? (The 3 oranges plus the 4 lemons) Thank you!
Kelly McCarley says
Can you save fresh peels in the freezer until you get enough to make candied peels? Or will that affect the final product?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kelly, yes you can do that, no problem.
Mike s says
I made the candied lemon and orange peels for the stollen recipe – all turned out terrific . Everyone enjoyed them !
One question. A few of my lemon peels turned out really tough – What did I do wrong ?
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Mike, thank you! I’m not sure why only a few would be tough and not the rest. Usually if the peels are tough it’s because too much of the white pith was cut off from the outer peel or the peels simmered for too long. It sounds like it might have been the former.
Kevin says
Hey, my peel came out super mushy and wet. I’m trying to dehydrate them to save them but they still seem too soft. Any idea what I did wrong?
Thank you!
-Kevin
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kevin, it sounds like the syrup didn’t get up to temp. It needs to get up to soft ball stage (235 F). At this point I would recommend freezing them in a ziplock freezer bag and you can still use them for baking.
Angelika (Angie) Riggall says
Hi Kevin. I had the same problem when I first used this recipe years ago. Freezing works just fine if you’re planning on using your peel in baking. If like me, you had other plans for some of it, the moisture was a problem. I wanted to dip my peel in chocolate so it needed to be dryer. I found this method worked for me.
1.Leave your peel on their drying racks and
2.Set your oven to warm (around 100 degrees F)
3.Once your oven reaches temp, turn it off and place your sugared peel in the oven. 4.Let sit for an hour and test it’s dryness. If it’s still too wet, repeat as needed.
You can also leave the peel in the cold oven overnight after warming it and it will continue to air dry. Not ideal and having to wait is a pain it the butt but it works. The things we do for Christmas!
Diana says
Is it alright to leave some of the fruit on them?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Diana, the fresh fruit won’t preserve as well and is more likely to get moldy.
N says
I use the syrup to make cranberry sauce. It’s wonderful!
Angelika (Angie) Riggall says
First off, let me thank you again for sharing all of your amazing German recipes. I’ve been making them for years now and some are so popular that I get requests from family to ship clear across the country. As to this peel recipe, I’d like to share a little tip for those out there that are in my position and find it hard to collect enough just before the holidays. (there’s only my husband and I left in the household)
I start collecting my citrus peel earlier in the year by preparing it up to the cleaned and sliced stage. I then dehydrate it and seal in airtight bags and stick it in the freezer for good measure. When it comes time to start baking, i put the amount of frozen peel I want into a pot of cold water and let it sit overnight. I then continue on with your recipe as is, only making sure to boil and rinse it twice before getting to the sugar boil. I just make sure I adjust the amount of water/sugar water to cover the peel completely. Has worked well for me and we now don’t have to binge on fruit in December.
Happy Holidays! ……………..Angelika
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Angelika, it makes me so happy to hear that! :)
Jo Olson says
You can also after candied peels have dried dip into Chocolate; AMAZING!
Kellie Kopischke says
It’s been a few years since I’ve made candied citrus, but I’m going to make your recipe and use it for making a white bark with dried cranberries and pistachios. It’s a delicious sweet and salty addition to our Christmas cookie plates! And then I will use the syrup in some sort of punch for Christmas Eve. Thank you for the recipe and Merry Christmas!
Marge Shenk says
Hi, I made these yesterday and we love them! Time-consuming, but so delicious! A technical question – I found that after about half of the peels had been sugared, the sugar in the bowl had become moist, from bits of the syrup that hadn’t drained completely, and started sticking to the remaining peels in bigger clumps. It seemed impossible to have every drop of syrup drip off. Advice? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Marge, thank you! I’d recommend using the method of placing them in a ziplock bag with sugar and shaking them.
Nyree says
I have just made candied peel for the first time ever using this method and it is delicious, now I just have to stop myself eating it long enough to use in stollen and lebkuchen. Thanks for the recipe, it has been added to my list of favourites.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Nyree! I hope you enjoy the Stollen and Lebkuchen!
Marie Gage says
Hi Nyree! I have been looking for an authentic recipe for lebkuchen for years. My great-grandparents made it and added it to a huge box of homemade cookies for a gift for us every Christmas. Can you please share the recipe you like?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Marie, Nyree can chime in as well, but many of my readers make this candied peel to use in my Lebkuchen and Stollen recipes that I link to. Here’s my Lebkuchen recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/traditional-nuernberger-elisenlebkuchen-german-lebkuchen/. And my Stollen recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/