Candied Orange Peel sweetens the colder winter days.
Vibrant healthier bites to snack on or to use in your cooking and baking. I show you how to make them from scratch!
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📕 What are Candied Orange Peels?
Candied orange peel is a wonderful way to turn something we usually throw away into something fragrantly delicious and decadent.
A frugal way to add fruity and sparkly sweetness to your afternoon cup of tea.
Oranges originated in China and ended up through trade routes on the European continent in Sicily.
The German term for orange "Apfelsine" is a testimony to the fruit's Chinese origins and means "Chinese Apple".
In medieval Europe, oranges were a luxurious exotic fruit from far away lands, which was prohibitively expensive.
Making candied orange peels originated in medieval Europe and was a way of using every last bit of that precious fruit and preserving its fragrant flavor for later use.
Several 16th and 17th-century cooking books include a candied orange peel recipe similar to the one below.
As with most things, homemade sugared peels taste much better than the store-bought versions and are more budget-friendly.
🍊 What Oranges to use?
You can use any kinds of oranges, such as blood oranges, navel oranges, or mandarin oranges.
Just make sure to buy organic oranges if you have the option as you will be consuming the peels and would want them to be free of any chemical residue.
Alternatively, if you do not have any access to organic oranges, scrub the oranges well under running water before using them.
🔪 How to make Candied Oranges?
You can easily prepare candied oranges at home.
Here is an overview on how it's done. The complete recipe with adjustable US and Metric measurement options is located further down in the recipe card.
Step 1
Wash oranges and peel orange skin.
Do not peel the white pith, that's bitter.
Step 2
Place orange slices into boiling water for 3 minutes. That's called blanching. Do that two times, discarding water and using fresh water each time.
Step 3
Add water and sugar to orange peel and simmer for 45 minutes. They will turn translucent.
Step 4
Strain orange skin pieces.
Spread them out over a parchment lined baking tray.
Step 5
Dry the orange skin for about 3–6 hours at a low temperature in your oven, 200 Fahrenheit or 100 Celsius. If your oven can do a lower heat setting, do that, and it can take 8 hours to dry.
Or even better, dry them in a dehydrator over a medium hot setting over night.
Step 6
When dried, toss them in granulated sugar to use as a snack. Or dip in chocolate or crumble them small to use in baked goods.
🍴 Uses
Candied oranges peels are an essential ingredient in European Christmas cakes and puddings and can be used in a variety of baked goods, such as cakes, muffins, and cookies.
Great examples are the Elisenlebkuchen cookies from Bavaria Nürnberg or in a Gugelhupf recipe.
My favorite use for candied orange peel is in an Orange Semolina Pudding.
It can also be used in granola, your morning muesli, or simply as a delicious accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee as it is or dipped in decadent dark chocolate.
You can even use candied orange peels to decorate a cocktail or a cup of hot chocolate.
🍱 Storing
Store the peel in an airtight container in a cool and dry place where it will keep for up to 3 months.
If you live in a tropical climate, it would be better to store the container in the fridge for the candied peels to last longer.
You can also freeze it to use later, though because the peel will get a bit soggy after defrosting this is only a good option if you are planning to use the peels for baking.
➕ Other citrus peel options
You can use the same process to candy the peel of other citrus fruit.
A visually stunning option would be to candy the pink peel of grapefruits, the bright-green peel of limes, and the zesty yellow peel of lemons.
Blood oranges, tangerines, clementines, and calamansi lemons also are wonderful candidates to be candied.
You can also use the same process to candy slices of citrus fruit and other fruit, like apples and pears.
For that, just slice the fruit into thin slices and follow the process described above.
Thinly sliced ginger also makes a wonderful candied ginger.
💭 FAQs
If using the candied orange peel in cakes and other baked goods, it is recommended that you cut it into small pieces that can be easily included in the batter. If you are going to use the candied orange peels as a snack or for dipping it in chocolate, the peel should be cut into long strips.
If you would like to create something special, you can use small cookie cutters to cut the rind into shapes such as hearts, stars, leaves, and glowers. A candied orange rind that has been cut into heart shapes and dipped into chocolate makes a wonderful homemade gift for a loved one on Valentine's Day.
You can easily substitute white sugar with unrefined brown sugar, jaggery, or coconut sugar, resulting in an added richness of flavor.
Sugar crystals have a unique property that is essential to classical candied citrus peel, which is hard to achieve using other products. However, you can modify the recipe and use honey, which will result in a softer and chewier rind texture. When using honey, make sure to consume the peels quickly as honey does not preserve the rind as long as sugar does. You can use coconut flakes to roll the candied rind in to recreate the crunchy texture and snowy look of sugar crystals.
You can also experiment with sugar substitutes and alternative sweeteners, such as Stevia. Just make sure to get the granulated form of the sweetener as that mimics best the texture and properties of regular sugar. You will have to experiment a bit with the different sweeteners and adjust the quantities according to your taste.
You can add ground spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and chili pepper while candying the peel to give it a deeper flavor profile and add some extra zing
Yes, keep the cut and trimmed peel in the dehydrator trays over high heat and dry until desired consistency is achieved (40-60 mins or more if you want a crispier texture).
👁️ More Orange flavors
📖 Recipe
Candied Orange Peel Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Organic Unwaxed Oranges
- Water to blanch + to cook ¾ cup (150 ml)
- 1 ⅔ Cups Sugar
Instructions
- Wash and scrub your oranges well to get rid of dirt etc. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the orange peel without taking off the white orange pit. We only want the orange colored skin!
- Keep a pot with some water to boil on the fire.
- Add the cut orange peel to the boiling water and keep in the water for 3 minutes to blanch. This will remove some of the bitterness of the orange peel. Then discard the water and repeat the same process by adding water again and cooking it until boiling hot for another 3 minutes. Discard the water again.
- Now to the orange peel, add the ¾ cups (150 ml) water and sugar together to the pot and keep on lower heat function. We want the orange peel now to simmer slowly for 45 minutes. Don't stir all to often with your spoon, just let it cook slowly and sometimes just swing the small pot so that nothing gets stuck on the borders.
- Now spread the candied orange peel pieces on a parchment paper and keep it to dry for a few hours in the kitchen or you can place it into the oven and dry the orange peel for about 4–6 hours at 200 Fahrenheit/ 100 Celsius. The longer you keep them to dry, the crispier they get, if you want them to be soft, keep them to dry for a short period. The whole point of drying is for prolonged conservation (as is the sugar), however, you can skip the drying process if you want your candied orange peels to be juicier.
- Store in an air tight container for further use.
Notes
- 20 servings = 1 jar (just an approximate)
I have a question: in the instructions you say to dry them in the oven under low heat for 6-8 hours buy then in the recipe, you say dry them in the oven for 20 min. Which is it?
Hi Gina, thanks for pointing this out. I fixed it altogether! 20 minutes is definitely wrong. So, if you want them to turn out softer, dry them for a shorter period at the lowest heat setting. If you want your candied orange peel to be crispier, keep them to dry longer. Out of experience, I can say that they will turn out crispier in the oven because most ovens have a minimum temperature of 200 F/ 100 C, while most dehydrators operate at half that temperature. Soft candied oranges are cut and used in cakes and cookies as in the Elisenlebkuchen, crispier ones can be coated with chocolate and enjoyed as a snack.
I have changed the time instructions to dry in the oven to 4–6 hours.
I want to give this five stars but for some reason that doesn't work. My husband has been making this for years. When I make my cookie trays for Christmas I put the Orange peel scattered among the cookies. Our grandchildren love the Orange peel and even though they are grown they still ask Granddad did you make the Orange peel? Thank you for sharing so many people can enjoy this beautiful simple treat.
Thanks, Carol for your uplifting comment, I appreciated it a lot today to know that you enjoy the recipe as much as I do. 🙂
I will be looking into the star rating issue, I'm sorry for the complications.
I used this recipe to make Lime, Grapefruit, Orange and Lemon candied zest and candied cherrys. This recipe is exceptional so thank you sooo much for sharing. I put the candy in the oven for only about 10 minutes. A happy medium to keep the zest a bit chewy.. Turned out great. I save the flavored sugar water for teas and
cocktails. You can also use the candied fruit in quick breads like date nut or to top off a meringue pie or cake.
Next, testing it's performance in jello shots. CHEERS!!
Cheers! =D
I love candied orange peel, but have never made it, and you have inspired me to. Thanks!
I have always wanted to make my own candied orange peel. Looks delish!
Fully informative recipe to make the candied orange peel.
I love candied orange peel. When I was growing up we had it as a dessert or a snack on its own. I've never made it myself but I've always wanted to try.
I love the idea of making my own candied orange peel, a great idea and gift. Would the same work for ginger?
Yes you can do that too with ginger but I think you can skip the cooking part with the ginger. However I have not tried it out for myself.
Can I just thank you to the moon and back for this?!? I've been wanting an easy-to-follow recipe for candied orange peels for years and couldn't find one! So excited and can't wait to try!!! {Finally!}
What a cute idea! I've never made candied orange peel before but it looks like a perfect thing for the holidays!
It is definitely the time of year for making sweets and candied peels! Yours looks delish Helene 🙂
This post is so full of info. Thanks for the tutorial. It's been eons since I made it and it's helpful to have the reminder. Thanks!
I've never made my own candied peel before but it's something I've always wanted to do, especially at this time of year. Can't wait to try this recipe!
I have never made my own candied orange peel. This looks so easy!
These are tinier (and look crispier!) than candied peels I've made in the past. Very cool, I'd love to take a crack at it!
Glad that I got to read this procedure for the candied peel.While on a trip to Thailand, we met the tribals who make and sell these candied peels and candied fruit bits.Loved them!
Why do all European recipes sugar centric? I struggle to find some Savory items in a bakery or a cafe.
Please come out with some non-sugar recipes.
Most bakeries focus on bread and not pastries in Europe, so bread is never sweet. Patisseries are made of cakes so that's a place where you will, of course, only find sweet baked goods etc. A Cafe or Coffeehouse is a place where you go to have coffee and that's mostly during breakfast or after a meal, so naturally cakes and all are sweet because savory dishes can be found in a restaurant. That's our tradition, and people do not go much for savory items while in a Cafe.
Also orange peel is a candy item and you really can't make candy without sugar as it needs to preserve for a long time. Sugar helps to preserve so that things don't get spoiled. The same goes for sweets in India, which by the way are way sweeter then anything you will ever see in a Cafe in Europe. Indians consume a lot of sugar compared to Europeans.
How long can I store it for? I am planning to use this in chocolate. So I am a bit concerned about its shelf life
Hi there, thanks for your question. We keep dried orange peels for months without issues. In that recipe it was dried more then usual so that I can keep it longer in storage. Store it in a dry environment, in a jar. If covered with chocolate or in chocolate use as soon as possible.
When I saw your candied orange peel pictures, all that came to my mind is the fragrance. I used to buy this from the store and thanks to you I can make it at home.
Lovely recipe !
I will have to make some next time when I get some organic oranges.
Hi Helene, Great directions. These candied orange peels look delicious, Do you think this would work with lemons too? Have a great week-end.
Yes the same works with lemons too or pomegranate or any other citrus fruit. They just need to be untreated. A lemon recipe version of the same will be posted here in a while.
My mom was slightly obsessed with candied orange peel As I child, it just didn't interest me. Now is a whole other story---I love it! I use it to garnish and enjoy just snacking on it. Yours looks fabulous!!!
I didn't like them as a child either. Tastes change over time. =D
I've bought plenty of candied orange peel, but never made my own. Something I should try! You make it sound so easy. And fun. 🙂 Good stuff -- thanks.
Hi Helene,
Thank you so much for dropping by my blog. While I was over at Cheri's, I saw your comment and meant to drop by for a visit. Marion, however, needed me to help her with something and I got distracted. It was wonderful to "see" you:)
I've only made candied orange peel once, and to tell you honestly, I'm not sure I did it properly. Oh, it tasted ok, but was a tinge bitter. I was worried I would find uses for it but I did. We liked it in cheesecake which was Marion's idea:)
Thank you so much cof sharing this recipe, Helene. I really should give it a try again. Your great directions will get me through:)
P.S. In answer to your question, yes, the five boroughs of New York are so diverse, sometimes just one block away from each other, that each area has its own way of cooking and preparing local dishes. I haven't been to many places abroad, but in New York it sometimes feels like you're visiting each corner of the world in culture and in food:) I hoipe you get to visit one day:)
How is Marion doing these days? 🙂
Well I think it depends on the orange you use and if it's a bit bitter, this isn't a problem because the bitterness disappears when you use the orange candy peels in other dishes. Otherwise you can cover them with dark chocolate too, and dark chocolate is a bit bitter as well and we still love eating it. In case you can just blanch them 3 times instead of 2 times if you prefer.
Mhhh, so fragrant! I love candied orange peel. I bet they'd taste great in a cake.
Cheers,
Rosa
Candied orange peel looks and sounds absolutely refreshing and divine. Lovely share. Can't wait to give it a go.