Candied Ginger
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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)!
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
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 have been eating some crystallized ginger I bought in a supermarket in France, it’s been hiding behind jars in the larder. I am eating it very slowly to try and make it last. I actually looked at the label today to discover it is dated 2013 !!! It still tastes great,but I am going to make some now, need to find organic but shouldn’t be too difficult as there are a few online organic products and box schemes in the UK. Jennifer.
I had to laugh out loud, Jennifer, because I can totally relate to that scenario :) So often when I purchase food gems during my travels and bring them back home, I’m so reluctant to use them that they just end up expiring! You’d think I would have learned my lesson by now but that still happens :) Have fun making your own candied ginger, I think you’ll find the effort is well worth it!
I forgot to add…
And I LOVE IT!
Fantastic, Penny, thank you! 4-5 pounds at a time is one large undertaking but I’m sure the effort is well worth it – thanks for the storage tips.
I make this recipe once a year using 4-5 pounds of ginger. After the cook I do place on a cooling sheet with parchment paper. I keep all the excess dried sugar and ginger crumbs – and there is quite a bit hopefully – in a jar in the fridge to add to nuts to make a muffin crumble topping. No matter what kind of muffins you make…chrystallized ginger makes them POP! I divide the cooled final product into smaller sizes and use a food saver to store in bags that I keep in the fridge all year…for gifts, snacking, recipes etc.
A copule Of months ago I trayed sweet ginger. I felt inlove inmidiatly. I have been looking for a recepie and this one looks great. I will do it tomorrow. Thankfull for sharing.
Thanks, Ari, let us know what you think!
Thanks for your comment on the organic ginger. My wife, from Vietnam found that using t non-organic ginger from our local market created a useless end result. She believes that the ginger, labeled product of USA, is actually Chinese. When she used the organic product the results were perfect. Perhaps there is a chemical additive responsible.
Thanks for the feedback, Steve, and I’m glad you enjoyed this, thank you!
I am so excited to try this! I have lots of food allergies and often have tummy problems, so I keep a jar of candied ginger by my bed. I’m just not a fan of how much sugar is on them. I wonder if making them myself I can cut out a little of the sugar and have a lighter dusting of sugar on them. If this works, I will have to make them for my mom! She will be thrilled!!
Hi Pam, you can cut back on the sugar but I would make smaller batches because it won’t keep as long before going moldy (the sugar also acts as a preservative).
Trying to figure out how to make this on my own, I discovered instead a wonderful ginger hard candy. Clean and shred the ginger boil it in a couple quarts of water to make a very strong tea. Strain out all the solids and return the water to the pot. Add sugar and corn syrup in the same proportions for making hard candy with the Loraine oils. Add a stick of butter and cook until hard crack, about 300 degrees. Pour out on lightly greased cookie sheet and when somewhat cooled, score it with a pizza wheel so you can break it into bite sized pieces. Coat with powdered sugar and put in bags or jars.
Awesome, Bob, thanks for sharing!
I don’t have a wire rock can I put it on my cutting board to dry?
H Eileen, yes you can do that. It just doesn’t get proper air circulation so once the top part is dry you’ll need to turn them over to ensure the bottom is adequately dried.