Candied Ginger Recipe
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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 they’re fabulous just to snack on! PLUS there’s the additional bonus of an amazing ginger simple syrup you’ll get at the end of the cooking process that is phenomenal in drinks!
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?
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 and apple crisps (see my Pineapple Mango Coconut Crumble with Candied Ginger)
- 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
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.
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try my Homemade Candied Orange Peel (or lemon, grapefruit and lime)!
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Candied Ginger Recipe
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!
Do you mean a pound or unpeeled ginger, or a pound of peeled ginger?
Hi Jenny, it’s a pound of ginger before it’s peeled.
I’m surprised that a half-cup of the ginger water is enough to boil the sugar and ginger slices for that long – especially uncovered. Seems to me that liquid would be gone pretty fast. Maybe the 1/2 cup is a misprint??
Sugar melts, thus becoming liquid.
This recipe is good!
Can I reuse the ginger syrup to make another batch? Do I need to add more sugar?
Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Teresa, thank you! The longer you cook a sugar syrup the harder it will become, to the point where it’s rock candy, so I don’t recommend reusing the syrup from the previous batch or you may end up with ginger that’s shatteringly hard!
So many people graciously take the time to share their recipes and I just want to say thank you for this INCREDIBLE recipe. This crystalized ginger is crazy good.
Folks if you think you don’t like store bought ginger just try this. We can’t stop eating it. So delicious, its definitely a new family staple. My only other comment is just be careful, sugar gets so hot so quickly its easy to burn the dish or worse burn yourself by accident. Thank you Kimberly, such a yummy delicious recipe!
Wonderful, Kia, thank you so much! :)
My wife and I have done this recipe a couple of times. We use a mix of Raw sugar and White. The larger crystals of raw sugar seems to speed up the drying process. Always have a bag of ginger in my pocket.
This recipe is perfect. Made it once and it came out amazing, now making a second time!
Thank you so much, Christine!
can this be made with 1/4 or 1/2 the amount of sugar? I need to keep sugar to a minimum in my diet. Also, has anyone chocolate coated the ginger afterwards?
Excellent recipe. I do recommend the baby or very young ginger, early fall was when I found it in NYc Chinatown.
$9 a pound, but more delicate, not so peppery,
extra push to 225 degrees. Needs the right amount of sugar to get there.
Did not use enough sugar the first time around.
The spicier the better, I say! Yummy 😋
Great result from this recipe.thanks
I used candied ginger in apple crisp. You can add it in before cooking or sprinkle it over the top before eating a slice. It is also tasty in oatmeal. I use baby ginger from my local farmer’s market, which requires no peeling and is as fresh and delicious as one can get. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi is it possible to use honey instead of sugar?
Hi Val, that will result in an incredibly sticky mess, I don’t recommend it.
I have a ton of frozen ginger. Will thst work for this?
I want the ginger to go with my sushi. If I omit the sugar, will that work?
You’re looking for pickled ginger instead.
Glad I found this, I’m opting out on the sugar coating at the end. Any advice to storing it that way?
Hi Susie, you can store it in a ziplock bag in the fridge or the freezer.
This is third time
It takes a bit of time
However I am retired
Couple of small slices before bed and
Zzzzz time
Read about this in health something
Check with my Dr
And some thing in ginger is relaxing and sleep inducing
Much better than sleeping pill
I’m so glad it’s been a help, Don, thanks for the feedback!
Anyone tried switching white sugar for brown? Or coconut? Molasses?
I used brown Swerve the 1st time, white Swerve the 2nd time. They are both very good. Brown does have a bit of the molassesy taste & the color was much darker as you might expect. Loved them both.
The sugar is for keeping the surface “dry” so the pieces don’t stick together. Molasses, brown or demerara sugar will therefore not be suitable for the job.
No sticking for me with brown or white swerve. Making this again, 3rd time. So delish! Thanks for the recipe!
Clarification: I used brown Swerve to boil ( sometimes white Swerve or both) but white to dust. Turned out great each time.