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, and I mean NOTHING compares to homemade! Use this method to make any kind of candied citrus peel.
How To Make Candied Orange Peel
If you’ve never made your own candied orange peel get ready to be absolutely dazzled!
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 candied peel: 1) The store-bought stuff is generally not organic and citrus fruits are highly sprayed with pesticides and fungicides. 2) It’s made with a lot of 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 to 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.
How to Use Candied Orange Peel
And this applies to all varieties of candied citrus peel. Here are a few ideas:
- 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!
Candied Orange Peel Recipe
*NOTE: The process is the same for making any kind of candied citrus peel.
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. Candied grapefruit peel, candied lemon peel, candied lime peel, candied mandarin or clementine peel…they’re all delicious!
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. If you’re making a large batch it’s easiest to place the sugar in a ziplock bag and shake the peels in it.
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!
Use your homemade candied orange peel in some of our favorite recipes:
- German Stollen
- Traditional English Christmas Pudding
- German Lebkuchen
- Traditional English Mincemeat
- Traditional English Eccles Cakes
- Scottish Dundee Cake
- Aachener Printen
- Italian Panettone
- Welsh Bara Brith
- Irish Barmbrack
Be sure to also try our homemade Candied Ginger!
Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients
- 3 Valencia or Navel 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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 9, 2017
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
I sure wished I lived in the Seattle area! And love the looks of these candied citrus peels. So pretty!
Adina says
Perfect looking peel! I have actually never liked the bought candied citrus peel, but it never occured to me to make my own, I just left it out of every recipe that required some. I think I would like to try this.
eat good 4 life says
No way. This recipe is the bomb. I must do this with my kids ASAP.
Jessica | The Novice Chef says
These look like a perfect treat!
Brandy | Nutmeg Nanny says
This is so much easier than I would have thought! What a great idea!
Mallory says
I needed this at Christmas when I attempted to make some candied orange peels to sprinkle on my lebkuchen. The recipe I used was slightly different and I ended up with a sticky disaster. I guess this is a sign that I should try again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Mallory, yes! I just linked my Lebkuchen recipe to this candied citrus post. Nothing compares to using homemade citrus peel in Lebkuchen!
Care'n says
Kimberly, thank you! I’ve been intimidated for 25-years studying various recipes to make Lebkuchen for my German husband (Nuremberg) and your recipe was worth the wait! Perfect in everyway, including simplicity, and we just ate the first three fresh from the oven and dipped. Seriously, who can wait! THANK YOU tomorrow is his birthday and what a gift!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Care’n, I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Lorrie Aceto says
Hi Kimberly, could you send me the recipe? I can’t find the link.
I can’t wait to try the candied fruit.
Thanks Lorrie
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lorrie, yes, here’s the recipe for the Lebkuchen: https://www.daringgourmet.com/traditional-nuernberger-elisenlebkuchen-german-lebkuchen/
katerina @ diethood.com says
I absolutely love candied peel! And these look amaaazing!! Thanks!
Anna says
The recipe ingredient list states 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water. Your directions state water to sugar ratio is 2:1 which is the opposite of the ingredient list.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Anna, I couldn’t find that reference in the directions but I saw it in the recipe notes. Yes, that should be reversed like the ingredients list states. Thanks for catching the reference in the notes section.
Ashley @ Wishes & Dishes says
Citrus season is the best! Loving this!
Sandi G says
I love citrus season. I love your use for rinds…they look so good when they are candied.
Nicole Hood says
Fantastic! Great way to use everything!
Cookin Canuck says
I haven’t had a chance to visit a New Seasons Market yet (hoping for one to open up on eastside Seattle), but I’ll have to make a trip to the Mercer Island location. I know my family would love these candied peels!
The Food Hunter says
I’ve always wanted to try this…I need to buck up and do it.
Kelly @ Nosh and Nourish says
So interesting! I never knew the process, with boiling, simmering, etc. I’m definitely going to try this!!
Alyssa | EverydayMaven says
Love this so much and I have to pop over for the citrus tasting – it sounds so great!!
Erren says
I loved reading through this! And the photos made me feel so refreshed, I love fruit!