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!
I need to make candied cherries. Can I use this recipe too?
Hi Rita, for the most part yes, but there are some differences. I’d recommend looking up a recipe that’s specifically for candied cherries.
I normally don’t like people leaving comments before making a recipe, but I had to let you know that I had read a couple other recipes before I saw you had one. When I saw yours I knew I would find the the best one, and I can tell I was right. How you peeled the fruit. The boiling. are so much better then the other recipes. And both of them had me let the peels cool before putting in the sugar, which did not make sense. I am sure this will be exactly what I need for my Swedish Saffron wreathe
Thank you for the compliment, BlarneyTalker, I hope your candied peels are a success!
If I’m going to use it in a Dundee Cake, should I skip rolling it in sugar after it’s cooked?
Hi Michael, yes, there’s no need to roll the peel in sugar. Happy baking!
Used it in my mincemeat recipe last year and ate it as it is.
Turned out great. Takes a while to make but, well worth it. Better than store-bought.
I agree 100%, Susan, so glad you enjoyed it!
I made my citrus peel for the first time, yesterday, and I’m so happy with it. Waiting for hazelnuts , and then will make my lebkuchen!
That’s so exciting, Carol, I hope you enjoy the Lebkuchen – happy baking! :)
Thanks for this recipe. I’m in the process of making your Traditional Christmas Pudding and it requires candied peel. You’re right! The candied peel is easy to make, tastes much better than store bought and is a fraction of the price. I can’t wait until Christmas to eat the Christmas Pudding!
Fantastic, Beth, I’m so happy you made and enjoyed it! It’s going to make all the difference in the flavor of your Christmas pudding and anything else you use it in. Merry Christmas!
I used this recipe in the past and it came out great, but I’m getting ready to start it again (for Stollen) and I realize that I don’t know how much to make. What is the yield on this recipe?
Hi Steve, I haven’t measured the weight of the finished candied peels and it will also depend on the size of the citrus fruits you use. Choose large oranges and lemons and it will probably yield pretty darn close to what you need to make the stollen).
Could this be used in Fruit cake?
Absolutely, Joine, and I 100% recommend it for that purpose!
Can you use a dehydrator to dry the fruit? I plan to use the pros in a cookie
Hi Christina, these aren’t “dehydrated”, they just need to sit out for a while to allow the wet syrup to dry. You can do that in a dehydrator if you prefer, just be careful not to actually dehydrate the peels or they will become very hard.
Hello, I am excited to try this! I can’t let them sit out to dry (ants!) so I will try a short stint in a cool dehydrator or cooled oven to finish them.
My mom used to make these as a special treat for the holidays. She would put them into a container and we were instructed not to touch before Christmas but we couldn’t help it! I can’t find her recipe which breaks my heart but these were pretty close! We always save some for cutting up and putting into the syrup with the juice we saved to make orange marmalade! Good stuff!
My hands shake a bit so pealing my fruit can be tricky sometimes. I use a straw when making my Orange, Grapefruit, lime or lemon peels. Yea I wash my glasses afterwards so the plastic lenses won’t get ruined. But the straw gets me nice almost equal sizes.
Thank you I have been using your recipe over a few years now. I love it I will also add
You can also cut them after boiling or after candying but it is messier! (but storing them larger is also a possibility as sometimes having the fruit in larger slices, and cutting when required preserves more of the flavour!)
Thank you I love this recipe. I have revisited your recipe several times and have really enjoyed it, especially the syrup in my cooking and on pancakes.
I’ve also found further recipes for using the highly fragranced water that is discarded for cleaning etc.
Plus I’ve made a habit of buying organic citrus fruits knowing they are not sprayed whenever I want to eat them. I also use this method of peeling now so I can put any of the peels straight in the freezer until I’m ready to make my candied peel. I do similar when I have squeezed a lemon/lime. or had Pomelo/or blush grapefruit. Now I can do this when I have enough not in the Christmas rush!
Thank you so much, Nicola, I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed this recipe and appreciate the feedback!
Hi. We really enjoyed these, it tasted great with the citrus smell intact but minus the bitterness. Thank you.
Thank you, Fathima, I’m happy you enjoyed them!
How long can you store the candied peel? And, how is it best to store them?
Hi Laura, my preference is to toss the peels in a ziplock bag and freeze them. They last “forever” that way and you can conveniently take out whatever you need when you need it.