An easy recipe for candied orange peel, with step-by-step photos. Use them in your favorite recipe, dip them in chocolate for a sweet treat, or give them as homemade gifts!
Quick Note: This is an updated version of a post that originally appeared on Bright-Eyed Baker in 2012. Updates include new text and photos, as well as some details added to the instructions for clarity.
The Holidays are here!
I honestly can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by, especially in these last few months. I have a couple more (brand new) recipes to share with you all before the year is over, but since this is *the season* to make and gift alllll the candied orange peel, I wanted to re-share this recipe first.
In case you’ve never heard of Candied Orange Peels before, they’re exactly what they sound like: strips of orange peel that have been cooked in a sugar syrup til they’re soft and chewable, and then (optionally) rolled in sugar for an extra sweet finish. They have a strong orange flavor that really shines in baked goods like bread and scones, but taste equally as good on their own (especially dipped in chocolate!).
These take a bit of time to make, but the process is simple, and a lot of the time is hands-off. They also make a great homemade, edible gift for the holidays, as so many of you have told me you’ve used them for over the years!
So, are you ready to do this? Let’s dive in!
How to make Candied Orange Peel, step-by-step (with photos):
To begin, rinse 3 navel or valencia oranges. (You can use more, like I did for these photos, but you’ll want to increase the other ingredients accordingly.)
Cut the top and bottom off each orange and score the skin into quarters.
Remove the skin (both the peel and pith – the white part), and cut into strips about ¼″ wide. Wrap the oranges in plastic wrap to store for other use.
Place the strips of peel in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water.
Blanch the peels: Set the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drain the water from the peels. Cover with fresh water and repeat this process at least twice more.
This removes the bitterness that orange peel naturally has; you may want to blanch the peels 4-5 times to ensure no bitterness remains. Once done, drain the water for the last time and transfer the peels to a bowl while prepping the sugar syrup.
In the same (now empty) saucepan, whisk together 2 ¼ cups sugar and 1 ⅛ cups water.
Return the saucepan to the stove and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the mixture cook for 8-9 minutes at a constant simmer, adjusting the heat as needed to make sure it doesn’t boil.
Add the orange peel and cook just until the whites (pith) are fairly translucent, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a simmer and prevent boiling. For me this takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour on medium-low heat, but every stove and pan is different so it’s a good idea to check on them every 10-15 minutes. If necessary, swirl the pan occasionally to make sure that all of the peels get covered with syrup. Avoid stirring, as this will cause crystallation.
(Note: In the below photo, the syrup was just on the edge of getting too hot and starting to boil. You’ll want to keep the simmer slightly lower.)
Drain remaining syrup from the peels, setting aside for another use if desired. Toss the peels in a bowl of sugar to coat (optional), and then transfer to a drying rack to dry. Once dry, store in an airtight container.
If desired, you can also dip them in chocolate for an extra treat!
Ready to make more candied treats? Here are a few other favorites:
Brown Sugar Candied Walnuts – just 5 minutes and 3 ingredients to make this sweet, crunchy treat.
Candied Pecans – Another easy, candied nut recipe that’s also perfect for holiday gift-giving!
Candied Kumquats – The sweet-tart combo of sugar and kumquats is so good, and these only take about 20 minutes to make!
PrintCandied Orange Peel {gluten-free}
An easy recipe for candying orange peel, with step-by-step photos. Use them in your favorite recipe, dip them in chocolate for a sweet treat, or give them as homemade gifts!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hr 9 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hr 39 minutes
- Yield: 1–2 cups peel 1x
- Category: candy
- Method: stovetop
Ingredients
- 3 navel or valencia oranges
- 2 ¼ cups (15 ¾ ounces) granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 ⅛ cups (9 ounces) water
Instructions
- Rinse the oranges. Cut the top and bottom off each and score the skin into quarters.
- Remove the skin (both the peel and pith – the white part), and cut the skin into strips about ¼″ wide. Wrap the oranges in plastic wrap to store for other use.
- Blanch the peels: Place the strips of peel in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the saucepan on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drain the water from the peels. Cover with fresh water and repeat this process at least twice more. (This removes the bitterness that orange peel naturally has; you may want to blanch the peels 4-5 times to ensure no bitterness remains.) Once done, drain the water for the last time and transfer the peels to a bowl while prepping the sugar syrup.
- In the same (now empty) saucepan, whisk together the sugar and water. Return the saucepan to the stove and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let the mixture cook for 8-9 minutes at a constant simmer, adjusting the heat as needed to make sure it doesn’t boil.
- Add the orange peel to the syrup mixture and cook just until the whites (pith) are fairly translucent, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a simmer and prevent boiling. For me this takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour on medium-low heat, but every stove and pan is different so it’s a good idea to check on them every 10-15 minutes. If necessary, swirl the pan occasionally to make sure that all of the peels get covered with syrup. Avoid stirring, as this will cause crystallation.
- Drain remaining syrup from the peels, setting aside for another use if desired. Toss the peels in a bowl of sugar to coat (optional), and then transfer to a drying rack to dry. Once dry, store in an airtight container. These keep well for at least a few months in a cool, dry place.
Notes
Method adapted from Food Network
Keywords: candied orange peel, candying orange peel, candy orange peel, food gifts
Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2019-2020
Gina says
These tasted great! But mine ended up more like a hard orange candy than the normal texture of candied orange peel. Do you know what I could’ve done wrong? I’d like to make this recipe again but hopefully with better results! Thank you!
alexandra says
Hmm, my thought is that you may have cooked the sugar too long before adding the peels. If you have a candy thermometer, you can monitor the temperature. It should reach 230 to 235 degrees (thread stage). If you don’t have a thermometer, you can google the thread stage for visual cues to look for. Hope that helps. :)
Gina says
Thank you, I’ll make sure to keep that in mind next time I make them!
Sweetcheeks says
Tried these but blanched them 3 times before actually simmering them for an hour, delightfully sweet and tender. I’ve just done chillis the same way, oh wow, they were fantastic.
★★★★★
alexandra says
So glad you liked the recipe! Candied chili peppers sound VERY intriguing. :)
Sweetcheeks says
Never blanched the chillis, sliced and deseeded then poached the same as the orange peel, delicious, served them with a raspberry cheesecake that had a bar of chilli chocolate smashed up in it with Green & Blacks Raspberry Velvet pieces on top. Outrageously delicious. The orange peel btw was for a dark orange chocolate cheesecake, I chopped some up and put it in the cheesecake mix with a bar of Godiva blood orange chocolate, then half dipped the orange peel in the same chocolate for the topping.
alexandra says
Wow you are so creative! These desserts sound delicious.
Stephen Levin. says
The recipe is excellent. The only addition I would make is to let the candied orange peels air dry for a day or to harden a bit; otherwise they will be a bit too moist and soft.
alexandra says
Thanks so much! Happy to hear the recipe worked well for you.
Nancy says
Excellent recipe. No changes needed. Agreed that it takes a day to dry out.
Thank you for such a great recipe.
★★★★★
alexandra says
So happy to hear that!
Wen says
I just made these and I could literally feel my Grandma looking over my shoulder. I felt 7 again. Wonderful! Thank you!
★★★★★
alexandra says
I love this so much. Thank you for sharing!
Suzanne Pearson says
This is the third time I’ve made your Candied Orange Peels.. but today I made a lemon pie with freshly squeezed lemon juice. I didn’t want to waste the lemon peels, so I made your recipe but substituted the oranges for lemon peels. It turned out wonderful, and just as addictive. My hubby and I hoard these peels every time we make them! One for Him, One for me. The only time I can sneak in an extra is while I’m making them! Thank you for posting and updating your wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
alexandra says
Haha I love this! So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed the recipe. :)
Tweets says
Its 8 in the morning n I’m leaving for office just say your recipes and pictures….somehow made me feel fresh and cheerful. Definitely will try them
★★★★★
alexandra says
Thank you so much!
Anne Keogh says
Made it and it’s delicious. Will be lovely as an extra on my cupcakes ? and also as a decoration on the frosting of carrot cake whose frosting incidentally is orange. Looks lovely too in jar in my kitchen. Thank you!
alexandra says
So glad you liked them!
RAQUEL CRISTOBAL says
I’m making this today for the first time,
I hope it will come out right.
Khay says
I use Natsu Mikan,instead of orange,and it come out just perfect,
Aideen says
What is the shelf life of the candy orange peel?
alexandra says
I would say at least 6 months
Denise Eastin says
Tried this recipe two days ago. For the most part, I was happy with the results. I’m glad you mentioned the ‘two tablespoons of syrup’ left in the saucepan at the end of cooking. I had to cook the rinds about 2 hours for the same result. I guess I was cooking at too low of a simmer. I did sugar them in fine sugar once they were dry.
★★★★
alexandra says
Stoves can be finicky depending on what type you have, etc., so it’s always best to look for the visual cues as opposed to just going based on timing. :)
Michael says
I think it’s great. And it’s just like my mom did grapefruit peel. I have an old gas stove with pilot lights so the oven stays very warm. I dried mine on parchment there and it was great! Thank you for sharing this with us, Alexandra!
★★★★★
alexandra says
So glad you liked the recipe!
Schatzi says
Making these sugar free with monkfruit sweetener and looks like I’ll have candied peel to put in my Italian baked goods! Easy peasy recipe to follow and adapt. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
alexandra says
Did it work with monkfruit? Would love to know!
Schatzi says
I used Lakanto 1:1 monkfruit sweetener and it worked well for my baking needs. Bagged and froze the rest and used some (chopped fine) in a cranberry sauce, which my family loved.
I might make it with powdered monkfruit sweetener next time just to see how it works.
I am loving my sugar-free lifestyle, inflammation in my body has been minimized dramatically!
mike says
I forgot to mention, after the last step of letting the peels drain on a drying rack I give them a light coat of granulated sugar by tossing in a bowl with sugar. They no longer stick together and keep forever! In my house forever is a day or two lol!
alexandra says
I can’t recall why I didn’t include that step in the recipe but I agree that tossing them in sugar is the way to go. At some point I’d like to update this post – I’ll have to mention that when I do. :)
mike says
I was taught how to make candied orange rind 20 plus years ago. I then did the same to pink grapefruit rind and fell in love with the tart and sweet combination.
Mike in Maine
★★★★★
Elaine says
Sounds like just what I was looking for. Ty
Emma says
I tried this out today with a cara cara orange- I was worried as it was happening that it didn’t smell as strong as I expected but they turned out great!
★★★★★
Rosa says
I use a potato peeler to remove the peel. You wont have to trim the pith.
★★★★
Kim M Lizee says
I always thought that the more pith left on the peel, the more bitter the finished product would be…
alexandra says
The pith does contribute bitterness which is why the peels are blanched multiple times before being candied.
Damia says
I needed a candied orange recipe for my orange chili chocolate, and this was perfect! It imbued my chocolate with a subtle flavor that did not over power the spices, and brought a brightness to the dark chocolate. Thank you very much!
★★★★★
Nathalie says
My daughter made these for me for Christmas. They are simply delicious. We eat them as a snack or dessert. Healthier than candy with vitamins. We’ll be making these again and again. Stores well in a pantry.
★★★★★
alexandra says
Love this!
Deb says
I have made these several times to use as a garnish on dreamsicle cupcakes and for gifts. The only change I make is to coat them with granulated sugar before drying.
alexandra says
I have done this as well. :) Def a good touch!
Joanne says
Can you double the recipe?
alexandra says
I think you probably could with a large enough pot.
Wendy Goicochea says
Wonderful recipe and it came out great. I have bought candied peel in Candy stores dipped in dark or light chocolate.
That is what this batch is destined for.
Merry Christmas all.
Michele Helton says
I used to buy candied orange and lemon peel until I found this recipe! So easy and my family’s heirloom Christmas recipe tastes even better. Thank you!
★★★★★
randy says
Anyone have a recipe for calamondin skins?