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!
I am in Seattle and I would try growing the ginger in a clay pot with a southern exposure, against a wall if you can, much like tomatoes since the ginger appears to like warmth.
I use crystallized ginger in an orange-ginger scone that is to die for and another favorite is in a pear-gingerbread cobbler recipe I found in Taste of Home a few years ago.
Wish me luck as I’m going to bake my own batch of crystallized ginger😊 Thanks for the recipe
P.s. Have people tried draining on a spatter shield??
Thanks for the tip, Linda, I’ll have to try that. And those scones and that cobbler sound heavenly! The spatter shield: The syrup is thick and my concern is that it will pool around the ginger instead of dripping through the small holes of the spatter shield.
Making crystallised ginger today, my house smells divine! I’m going to add it to my Lemon Poppyseed scone mix. I love grated ginger on salads and a hot cup of ginger and honey on these cold, winter days just hits the spot!
Your scone mix sounds heavenly, Jeanette, and great tip for the salad! Something my mom always made for us when we were sick with a cold was her “ginger decoction” with fresh lemon squeezed into it – it always seemed to do the trick.
Please share recipe for your lemon poppy seed scones.
So I think I got my quantities wrong the first attempt – is it 1/2 cup of the ginger water or 1/2 of the ginger water used in the first boil? Eek!
Hi Michele, they’re one and the same. You place the ginger in water, bring it to a boil and then measure out 1/2 cup of that ginger water to use in step 2.
Ah – since the original amount of water isn’t specified, I took out 1/2 of the water that I started with for my second boil. Makes sense now why it didn’t work! Thanks for clarifying!
Hi Michele, there’s no specific amount, just enough water to cover the ginger, so that will vary depending on the size of pot you use. And I realized I was a little clearer in my writeup in the step-by-steps pictures than in the recipe box itself and I apologize for that.
Great recipe, Kimberly! I’ve altered it for my own use but the fundamentals remain the same. I’ve been using a different recipe that actually crystallizes the ginger and the sugar completely but the ginger becomes too hard and I think it has a shorter shelf life. The only problem I’ve encountered is that the syrup seems to sometimes boil away before I get to 225 degrees. When it does that I’ve compensated by drying it a little in the oven at the lowest my oven will go, 170. Then it is fine. You should look for Hawaiian Ginger. It is quite abundant in the winter months as it is a winter crop here. Costco sells Hawaiian ginger here for about $7-8 for a 3 pound bag. In Hawaii we eat TONS of ginger. A side note, you need very young ginger for Japanese pickled ginger. Thank you again!
Thank you, Michelle, and thanks also for all the great tips!
I’ve used this as a garnish for my Ginger Bread Lemon cheese cake Dessert, every one loved it!
That sounds absolutely heavenly, Diane!
Hi Kimberly, Thanks for the recipe. I love Ginger. I’ve been adding Ginger to my smoothies or buying crystallized Ginger from Wholefoods. I was just visiting my boys, and they had gotten me a pound of Ginger form Wholefoods that I didn’t know what do it. The idea of making my own Crystallized Ginger Candies came to my mind, and I just saw your recipe. I’m planning to do it with Coconut Sugar.
Thank you for the recipe and I’ll let you know how it goes with Coconut sugar. I look forward to your pickled ginger recipe :)
Thanks again Kimberly.
Fantastic, Mina, I look forward to hearing how it turns out with the coconut sugar!
I have been looking for a good, simple straight forward recipe for candy ginger glad I found yours. It sounds absolutely great. I recently bought 500 gm from a major Super Market; I was shocked what they charged me, when regular ginger is 69 cents a pound in many stores. I will try your recipe. If you have recipe for ginger as the ginger served in Japanese restaurants with Sushi, I will appreciate that.
Thank you
Hi Justin, no kidding! As cheap as it is fresh it is crazy what they charge just to add a few cents of sugar to it. I know exactly what you’re referring to with the pickled ginger because my husband is a total sushi nut :) I’ve actually been planning on posting a recipe for that. It may not be for a while yet but thanks for the reminder!
I love to add a slice of crystallized ginger to a cup of either peach or plain tea!!
Great tip, Deanna, thank you!