Candied Ginger
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Make your own homemade candied ginger, also known as crystallized ginger! The flavor is WAY better than store-bought, much fresher and more vibrant. It will bring your baked goods to life, plus it’s fabulous just to snack on!
Homemade Candied Ginger
Have you ever come across a recipe calling for candied ginger but passed because you didn’t have any, couldn’t find any in the store, or just didn’t want to bother trying to find it? Or have you thought about making it yourself but weren’t sure how or figured it would be too much work? Well this is for you!
If you like candied ginger just wait until you’ve tried homemade. The flavor is worlds better – so much fresher with a stronger, more vibrant flavor. And if you don’t care for candied ginger, you’ll be converted once you’ve tried it in a few recipes. It adds such a great to a variety of baked goods.
Because it’s so fresh, and you know the source, you can also reap the health benefits of ginger, something that’s been used medicinally for centuries. And while you obviously want to eat candied ginger in moderation because of its sugar content, if you’re going to indulge your sweet tooth this is a much better alternative than straight up candy, right?
Candied Ginger Recipe
Let’s get started!
Generally you want to use young, small ginger roots because they’re less woody/more tender. But medium-sized will work just fine as well. I recommend organic if possible.
Peel the ginger and slice it thinly and evenly. You can either do it by hand or use a mandolin. I highly recommend the Swissmar Borner Mandolin.
If you slice it paper thin the result will be crunchy crystallized ginger, but you also don’t want it too thick. 1/8 is thick is about right. You’ll need about 1 pound of sliced ginger.
Place the sliced ginger in a medium-sized pot and cover with water and just a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the ginger water and then drain the sliced ginger (you can also keep the ginger water for tea or a tonic).
Place the reserved ginger water and sugar in the pot.
Add the sliced ginger, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The mixture will become somewhat thickened as the sugar turns to a syrup. Simmer until a candy thermometer or instant read thermometer reads 225 degrees F. You don’t have to use a candy thermometer but it sure makes it a lot easier than guesswork.
Once the ginger mixture has reached 225 F drain the ginger immediately while hot. Use a colander over a bowl so you can collect the drained syrup. Don’t discard that syrup. This recipe produces a delicious by product: GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP! Add a teaspoon or two to your drinks for a refreshing ZING!
Lay the ginger slices out on a large cooling rack over a cookie sheet, separating the individual slices the best you can (this is the more tedious part of the process). Let the ginger sit for 2 hours so they’re sticky but not wet (you want the sugar to be able to adhere without dissolving).
Toss the pieces in a bowl of sugar to coat all sides. Lay the crystallized ginger back on the cooling rack to sit overnight to dry. Note: If you’re in a place with high humidity you can also dry these in a food dehydrator or in the oven on the very lowest temperature setting (you may need to keep the oven door cracked open).
Store the crystallized ginger in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Because it’s cooked and sugar and then coated with sugar, it will keep for several months.
This makes roughly 2 cups of homemade candied ginger.
Feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed.
How to Use Crystallized Ginger
Candied ginger (aka crystallized ginger) is not only a yummy snack on its own, it’s a versatile ingredient that will liven up so many dishes. Here are just a few ways that you can use your homemade crystallized ginger:
- Added to banana bread, and Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Baked into cakes, cupcakes and muffins (see my Preserved Lemon Ginger Pound Cake)
- Added to Scottish Shortbread, ginger snaps, sugar cookies, Whole Grain Molasses Cookies, and Cornish Fairings
- Added to pear, apple, and other crisps (see my Pineapple Mango Coconut Crumble with Candied Ginger, Rhubarb Crisp and Peach Crisp)
- Baked into waffles and pancakes (see my Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles)
- Stirred into Healthy Homemade Granola
- Stirred into Homemade Greek Yogurt
- Sprinkled over ice cream
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try my Homemade Candied Orange Peel (or lemon, grapefruit and lime)!
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Candied Ginger
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh ginger root , preferably young/smaller roots, sliced about 1/8 inch thick (by hand or use a mandolin – it's much easier)
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- extra sugar for coating
Instructions
- Place the sliced ginger in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the ginger water and then drain the ginger slices.
- Place the sliced ginger back in the pot with the reserved ginger water, sugar and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until the temperature on a candy thermometer reads 225 degrees F.Drain the ginger in a colander over a bowl to catch the syrup (see Note).
- Lay out the ginger slices on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet, separating the slices the best you can. Let cool for 2 hours (you want them sticky but not wet so that the sugar will adhere without dissolving).Toss the ginger slices in a bowl of sugar so they are coated all over. Place the ginger slices back on the cooling rack to sit overnight. Note: If you're in a very humid area you can dry the candied ginger in a food dehydrator or in the oven set to the lowest temperature (you may need to crack the oven door open.)
- Store in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Will keep for several months. It can also be frozen for at least 6 months.This makes roughly 2 cups of candied ginger.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 5, 2015
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!
Old Friends Farm in Amherst, Massachusetts been growing organic ginger for years, it is excellent, only available from Aug. through Nov., there are several other growers to in the U.S. The ginger is more perishable then what we get at the grocery store but freezes extremely well. I get some when I can find it and prefer it because it is not as fibrous. I particularly love it in a triple gingerbread I make and I love it in a bread and butter pickle recipe. Good luck growing it, I remember that it takes quite a while to start sprouting and you will love what you can do with the stalks, flavors soups, stuff it in a roasting chicken to give it an unusual twist, just remove the stalks, you cannot eat them they are to fiborous, similar to lemon grass only with that lovely ginger flavor. Maybe I will start a pot of ginger myself.
Those are great ideas for using the stalks, Sue, thanks for sharing. I would think if Massachusetts can grow ginger it should work just fine here in WA. We’re going to give it a go. Perhaps we can compare results down the road? :)
Nice post, I make a very similar recipe. I use it in a triple gingerbread recipe. Good fresh Ginger is hard to come by, yours looks amazing. I grew some a few years ago, an experiment to try to keep it fresh. Half submerged the ginger in potting soil, put it a sunny window. The ginger stayed great, new knobs started to form, and some very long green stalks grew. I used the stalks in something. Love your photos and info on saving the syrup, like a dummy first time I made it I threw it out, did not make that mistake again.
Thank, Sue! We’ve been wanting to try growing our own ginger for a while and are planning on giving it a go this year. Nearly all of the ginger sold in grocery stores in the U.S. comes from China. Even most of the organic ginger I’ve seen comes from China. Why doesn’t the U.S. produce it’s own?? Crossing my fingers it grows successfully here in western WA!
There is organic ginger grown in the U.S.!! Kaui Organic Farms grows its own organic ginger. Unfortunately, they only sell wholesale in bulk to businesses. So the only way to purchase it would be to find a business that buys it from them and will re-sell to you.
That is the problem with making my own crystallized ginger, I don’t want to buy ginger from the store that comes from China, even if it is organic. Many stores in California in 2015 were named in a lawsuit because they violated CA Prop. 65 by failing to label ginger candy and crystallized ginger that all came from China with a lead content warning. So I have only been buying organic crystallized ginger that comes from Fiji. It is expensive at $14/lb, but it is the only way I can enjoy eating ginger without having to worry about brain damage from consuming lead. The next time I go back home to Hawaii I will buy some organic Hawaiian Ginger and then I will try your recipe to bring back to the mainland with me.
I have a lot of stomach problems as well as indigestion/heartburn. The candied ginger gives me relief very quickly.
For sure, Betty, ginger is amazing for that purpose!
Betty,
If you eat half a cucumber your acid indigestion will be gone in about 15 mins. Better than any acid reducers I have used and I have used them all. Give it a try!
I made a batch of this yesterday!! Yes, it was definitely a little time-consuming laying all the pieces out on the rack to cool, but now I have a big beautiful batch of crystallized ginger that smells and tastes divine! So worth it! Thank you!
Yayyyy!! :) Thanks so much for the feedback, Katherine! We’re still savoring my previous batch and I’ll be making another batch before long :)
I use crystalised ginger so rarely that I buy small jars of it when needed. I do, though, grate raw ginger into a cup of hot water with the juice from half a lime and a spoonful of honey as my morning drink.
That sounds like a healthy drink, Toffeeapple! One of my favorite remedies for a cold or the flu is to boil ginger root in some water along with a couple of cinnamon sticks and then squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, stir in some honey, and drink it good and hot. If I do that during the early stages of a cold it almost always scares those cold bugs away! :)
Girl! Add a shot of rum and you got one dlicious hot toddy!
Thx foenthe recipie. Look forward to making candied ginger…and maybe that hot toddy as well…. Lol!
Awesome! Thanks, Nanu!
This looks amazing. I tried making candied ginger a few years ago – a complete failure, I threw everthing away. I think following your recipe will bring me better results.
Oh no, Adina, that’s always so frustrating! Yes, I think you’ll be very happy with the results. Really the best way to guarantee great results is to use a candy thermometer. No guesswork involved.
I made this once, many years ago (in the 1980s) following directions from Sunset Magazine. They had you boil the ginger and change the water at least half a dozen times, to cut the heat of the ginger (it was still hot – flavor was still strong). For people who are concerned about the strength of the ginger flavor, I recommend doing it with the water changes. I’m really glad you posted this. I’d forgotten all about making my own candied ginger. My favorite way to use it is in a recipe called Triple the Ginger Cookies that I found on Allrecipes.com many years ago. My favorite cookie ever!
That’s a great tip, Susan, thanks for sharing! And now I’m going to have to try those Triple the Ginger Cookies :)
Thank you jesusan, I found the ginger really strong. I will try your recommendation and throw the water a few time.
I saw a similar recipe when I lived in germany. In that one it had to be boiled in a half bottle of wine. Then an equal weight of sugar was added and it was futher coooked. Then drained and dried in the oven, while the wine syrup reduced slightly. There were then cycles of coating and drying the ginger (in the syrup). Even with slightly fibrous ginger it produced very tender ginger that lasted circa one year (if not gobbled up).
This is the same process I use for making candied orange and lemon rind, because their flavors are so strong. For ginger I like it strong and don’t change the water, I like the tea and the “free” simple syrup
Can i combine lemon slices and ginger at the same time
I can’t even tell you how happy I am to see this recipe!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
You’re welcome, Cori! I’m happy that you’re happy! :)
I had crystalized ginger from china before but it didn’t have sugar on it. It had salt instead. I loved it but can’t find it anywhere. I’m thinking of trying this recipe and replacing the sugar with salt. Do you think this would work?
Hi Laurene, sugar and salt are both preservatives so yes, salt will work.
Yes, thank you so much.
You just saved me about 50 dollars a month – that’s how much my family consumes. Was buying bags at costco until they stopped carrying it.