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Candied Orange Peel

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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!  This candied orange peel recipe can be used to make any variety of candied citrus peel, including orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit.

candied orange peel recipe lemon how to make homemade citrus

Why You Should 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.

candied orange peel recipe homemade how to make lemon citrus

How to Use Candied Orange Peel

There are so many delicious ways you can use candied orange peel and any candied citrus peel variety, whether orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit.  (Be sure to also try my Candied Ginger). Here just are a few ideas:

candied orange peel recipe homemade how to make candied lemon peel

Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Let’s get started!

*NOTE:  The process is the same for making any kind of candied citrus peel.

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.

citrus fruits

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.

slicing the rind off

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!

slicing off the rind

Slice the peels into 1/4 inch wide strips.

candied orange peel recipe homemade how to make candied lemon peel

Keep the peeled citrus for eating, cooking or juicing.

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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.

homemade candied orange peel lemon grapefruit lime citrus citron recipe how to make

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.

how to make candied orange peel

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.

candied orange peel recipe

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!

Tip:  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.

candied lemon peel recipe homemade how to make candied orange peel

Orange Simple Syrup

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!

orange simple syrup

Enjoy!

candied orange peel recipe homemade how to make candied lemon peel

Candied Orange Peel

Candied citrus peel is easy to make yourself, contains no chemicals or additives, and tastes MUCH better than store-bought!
4.97 from 228 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Candy, condiment, Ingredient
Cuisine All
Servings 10
Calories 53 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 large oranges (can also use the equivalent of lemons, grapefruits, limes, or citrus of your choice, thoroughly washed and scrubbed; organic is recommended)
  • 2 cups granulated 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 theyโ€™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 can be frozen for several months.
    Yields roughly 8 ounces of candied citrus peel depending on peel thickness.

Notes

* 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!
*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.
*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!
*If you’d like to make more candied citrus peel, simply increase the amount of water and sugar by the same 1:2 ratio.
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Nutrition

Calories: 53kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 72mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 88IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 17mgIron: 0.1mg
Keyword candied lemon peel, candied orange peel
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 9, 2017

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




4.97 from 228 votes (153 ratings without comment)

338 Comments

  1. Is the water from the blanching process safe to drink? I expect it’s probably bitter, so I’d love to try using it in tea or lemonade or something. I’ve used this recipe a few times and love it, but I’m trying to eliminate waste (hence looking for recipes for candied peels in the first place!).

    1. Hi Annie, yes you can use it as you would any flavored simple syrup by doing what you mentioned – adding a little to lemonades, teas, or other beverages to both sweeten and give them a flavor boost. The syrup will keep in the fridge for many months.

  2. These are fabulous, and went fantastic in the Christmas pudding that we made off your site! More importantly, we had leftover appeals, and they were very popular. I have one question. I’m hoping to save up peels instead of just straight peeling all of my citrus in the house. So I was thinking of freezing the peels. Would you freeze them before or After blanging them? Or would you suggest not freezing them?

    1. Wonderful, Kim, I’m so glad that you made both recipes, thank you! YES, you can absolutely freeze the peels and you can freeze them without blanching them first. It’s a great way to “collect” peels until you’re ready to candy them.

  3. My mother in law told me my father in law loves stollen. I decided to try making it this year for Epiphany. I made the candied peels exactly as directed and they’re so good! We’re putting the leftover syrup near our bar. My kids (ages 4-16) all tried the candied peels and really liked them!

  4. I made this, with lemon & orange peels. These ARE good, but I did not end up with any citrus syrup. These have a very nice fresh fruit taste.

  5. I’m planning on using this recipe, then making your stollen, and am wondering if I need to let the candied peel dry for the 1-2 days, or if I can use it in the recipe right away.

  6. This is the second year in a row that I’ve used this recipe and it’s great. The one hiccup I’m having is in coating the peels with sugar. Last year I tried regular granulated sugar, and this year I’m trying extra fine grain granulated sugar, and in both cases I’ve had the issue where my peels get a very thick sugar shell, to the point where I have to crunch it and peel it off for the peels to really be usable. I tried both a bowl for tossing and a plastic bag for shaking and had the same issue. I also do it in batches and reuse the same sugar to coat multiple batches. Do you have any tips to mitigate this issue or something I should be doing differently?

    1. Hi Jacob, I recommend allowing more of the excess syrup to drip off the peels before tossing them in the sugar. Alternatively you can skip the sugar tossing entirely but let the peels dry as instructed and then put them in a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer. Since I use my candied peels almost exclusively for baking (as opposed to dipping/eating) where they just get chopped up anyway, that’s the way I prefer to do it most of the time.

  7. Have you any cake recipes for the syrup please? How long does the syrup last also please in a sterile glass jar? Just made double batch so obviously bhave lots of syrup and lots of yummy
    fruit to put in stollen. Used oranges, lemons, lines and grapefruit. Thankk you.

  8. This is the BEST recipe I’ve found for candied peel, which is my family’s favorite holiday treat. You’re absolutely right that removing too much pith, and leaving just the zest, makes them too tough. But yours – and one blanching – are just right.
    One tiny correction: They’re “navel” oranges, because of the look of the end opposite the stem, like a “belly button”. But not your fault. More than half the groceries now mark them as Naval Oranges, as if they come from the Navy, instead of Navel Oranges.

  9. These are just wonderful & I made the German Stolen with them along with home.ade almond paste & it is absolutely delicious! Thank you!!

    1. Additional question: Can you make different fruits with same batch of sugar water? If so, what would be the best order of operations?

  10. Hi,

    Silly question perhaps. I’ve been wanting to make Aachener Printen ever since a trip to Aachen a few years ago. They were so good! I saw your wonderful recipe and am working on gathering the ingredients. Of course, I want to candy my own citrus peel and saw this recipe. In the printen recipe, you add only candied orange peel, not lemon. In this recipe, you use oranges and lemons. Can I use just oranges or do I need the lemons for a difference in flavor perhaps? Thanks.

  11. Do you know how many grams of candied peel this recipe yields? Iโ€™m getting ready to make your stollen recipe and wondering how many batches of this one do I need for that. Thank you.

    1. Hi Elena, I haven’t measured the outcome but one batch of orange and one batch of lemon lemon will get you close enough and if you have any leftover you can freeze it or use it in another recipe.

  12. Hi, first of all thank you for the recipe! It has gone pretty well so far but I’m up to the drying stage and I’m wondering, where do you leave them to dry for 2 days without attracting vermin? If I left candied peel out on the counter overnight in NYC, there would be unwelcome guests within hours! I’m going to try an oven on low but would love to hear other suggestions.

    1. Hi Niamh, I’ve never had problems with vermin but you can absolutely put the rack of candied peel in the oven as a protected area. Either leave it in there to dry on its own (without the oven on) or provided your oven has the ability to be set very low you can add some low heat.