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.
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.
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:
- Baked in pies, cakes, muffins and cupcakes (see my Stollen, Figgy Pudding, Lebkuchen, Dundee Cake, Bara Brith, Barmbrack, Eccles Cakes, and Panettone)
- Added to Scottish Shortbread, cookies, and scones
- Sprinkled over ice cream or Homemade Greek Yogurt
- Added to Healthy Homemade Granola
- As garnish for citrus-flavored drinks
- Use in traditional English Mincemeat
- Baked into waffles and pancakes (see my Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles)
- Dipped in chocolate for an elegant sweet treat (dip candied orange peels in chocolate to make orangettes, a classic French confection)
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.
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!
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.
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!
Enjoy!
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Candied Orange Peel
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 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. *Note: Tossing them in sugar and letting them dry is only necessary if you're storing them at room temp for an extended period of time. They can be used immediately in any recipe that calls for them. And any leftovers can be put in a freezer bag/container and frozen as is until the next time you need them.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’d like to make more candied citrus peel, simply increase the amount of water and sugar by the same 1:2 ratio.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet January 9, 2017
Hi, I’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!
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.
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.
May I save peels throughout the year in the freezer then candy them at the holidays.
You sure can, Kerri!
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.
Hi Kitty, I don’t see why you couldn’t make “boozy” candied citrus peels. Or boozy marmalade for that matter :)
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!
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!
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!!
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.
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.
Thank you for your response. I am going to give it a whirl today. I will let you know how it turns out.
I recommend erythritol. It tastes and browns the closest to real sugar in my experience.
Sugar slowly replaces water in the cells while heating, and preserves the fruit that way. Bacteria need water to live, and you’ve removed most of the water in the process. Substitutes will not do any of that. You’ll get sweet boiled peels, that won’t have the same texture, and they’ll spoil fast. Sugar is crucial, but not because of its sweetness.
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. :-)
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.
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.
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!
Can you save fresh peels in the freezer until you get enough to make candied peels? Or will that affect the final product?
Hi Kelly, yes you can do that, no problem.