Candied Citrus Peels
We love making candied citrus peels. In our last couple dessert posts we finished off the desserts with a couple different candied citrus toppings. Candying citrus is a great, very easy way to “classy” up a dessert. Give it a little eye appeal.
candied citrus peels recipe
You can use whatever citrus you like, grapefruit peels, mandarin peels, orange peels, lime peels. Most times we will use the same fruit that is in the recipe, but occasionally will use something that will give a bit of contrasting pop in color on top of the dessert.
It doesn’t matter if you are candying the peels of zest or slices of citrus, the candied citrus peels recipe technique is basically the same. The only change is if we are candying citrus slices, we will cook them for just a bit longer. Everything keeps quite nicely, so you can make them days ahead of time, or make more than what you will immediately need, then save the rest for another purpose.
They are best after a few hours of drying, but in pinch you can use them almost right away. As an added bonus, you are left with a delicious citrus syrup that you can save and use for brushing your sponge cakes, in cocktails or to top off a batch of morning muffins. Have fun with these candied citrus peels!
What Citrus Can You Use for Candied Peels?
You can use almost any citrus. Our favorite are orange, lemon, tangerine or mandarin. It’s a great way to use up the whole fruit! Rather than waste the rinds, put them to good use!
Cut the citrus peel swaths into 1/4″ strips.
toss with sugar
Candied Citrus Peels Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Oranges or other citrus of your choice (you can do more than 1 kind at once)
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Sugar , plus more to coat finished peels with
Instructions
- With a vegetable peeler, peel length wise in a continuous strip, the rind from the citrus. Remove any white pith from the inside of the peel (we scrap with a knife blade for this.)
- Bring 1 part water to 1 part sugar to boil in a saucepan (for zest of two oranges we’ll use 2 cup water, 2 cup sugar.)
- Add citrus peels and boil over medium for 30-45 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid (now a tasty citrus syrup for other culinary delights.)
- Pour about 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Toss candied peels in sugar, then separate and allow to air dry on a sheet of foil.
Hey you two. I tried this your way and Jen’s this weekend. I like the more intense flavor of the peel alone, and using less sugar, but the peel really curls up when it’s cooking. That’s not *really* a problem, but it doesn’t look like yours and it takes a long time (days!) for them to dry because they get syrup trapped in the rolled-up parts. Any suggestions?
More important, do you think I can re-use the simple syrup from one batch to make another batch? The Sergeant brought me a giant bag of Meyer lemons.
That was really wonderful, the pics are really fabulous and the recipe is simply delicious, thank you for sharing it.
Wow! This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I love candied citrus peel but what a time consuming, tedious job. I was thinking by using a vegetable peeler I could eliminate all the boiling and scraping and I found your recipe. Can’t wait to try it. I live in a neighborhood full of citrus trees and always have an extra bag handy for lemons oranges, etc. when I’m walking my dogs. I will let you know how my attempt works out if I can figure out how . Not very computer savvy. Thanks in advance, Melinda
This looks so simple but handy to have. Once we move to our new place, I think I’m going to make some too. I bet it’d be great in a sazerac or old fashioned.
I came back to let you know that I used your tips to candy my first lemons for a photo last week, backing TWD coconut thins and I linked you because your technique was described too beautiful to repeat. Thanks again.
I love it!! Thanks for the info!!
these look like they could make some many things beautiful. Plus I love to eat sugared citrus peel.
Just yesterday, I was thinking I should candy some citrus, but I’ve never done it before. Thanks for the beautiful photos and technique. Love your blog. See you on twitter.
Great photos! I love the combination of colors. Almost reminds me of a pack of skittles (minus the purple ones).
Joy – Too much fun indeed.
Hélène – Thank you very much.
Heather – Thanks!
Simply…Gluten Free – Thanks Birthday girl!
Asianmommy – It’s a nice little eye candy that tastes good too.
susan – Next time! Thanks for the compliments.
Thanks for visiting everyone! Sweets and treats for all! Todd.
i used up a few citruses the past weekend. i should have saved the peels for this! love the photos.
Thanks! What a nice way to spruce up a dessert.
Oh I just love to come here and visit, just a treat for my eyes!