Candied Orange Peel

Intro: Candied Orange Peel

In this Instructable, I will show you how to make candied orange peel or citrus peel. This easy candied citrus peel recipe is awesome and it's a great way to use those leftover peels that you most likely just throw away. Don't throw away the citrus peels, make candy with them! If I can do it, you can do it. Let's get started!

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Follow the easy steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both!

STEP 1: Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients:

• 3 medium oranges (or whatever citrus you want to use)
• 3 cups of water (710ml) (for boiling) done 2 or 3 times until bitterness is gone. (6 to 9 cups in total or 1420 to 2130ml)
• 1 cup white granulated sugar (may add up to 2 cups of sugar) (200 to 400g)
• 1 cup of water for simple syrup (247ml)
• Sugar for rolling the peels in

Tools:

• Pot
• Spoon
• Collander
• Knife or peeler
• Wire rack
• Parchment paper
• Sheet pan

STEP 2: Wash and Peel

Begin by washing the oranges really well with water. Then peel them use a knife to cut slits, or use a specific citrus peeler. Then cut the peels into long strips roughly 1/8th of an inch wide to 1/4th inch. It doesn't have to be exact.

STEP 3: Boil, Strain, Repeat

Now add the orange peels to a 3 quart or larger pot. Then add in 3 cups of water. Set the heat on the burner to high and bring the water to a boil. Boil the peels for about 8 to 10 minutes. Then pour them through a strainer and repeat the process a few more times, until they are no longer bitter tasting. You can even just let them boil a little longer, so you don't have to repeat it as many times. Make sure to blow on it to cool it before tasting it, it will be hot of course.

TIP: If you save the water, it makes a great base for drinks. :)

STEP 4: Candy Them

Now after the peels are no longer bitter. Add the cup of sugar to the pot along with 1 cup of water as well as the peels. Turn the heat down to medium. Time to make a simple syrup, 1 to 1 ratio, sugar to water. Bring the water to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Allow it to boil for about a minute, then turn the heat down to low, and add in the orange peels to the simple syrup.

Bring it to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. What will happen is the syrup will turn the orange peel translucent, and that is how you know it will be done. Stir occasionally, but you don't have to babysit and constantly stir the whole time while it is simmering.

STEP 5: Dry, Roll, Eat

Remove the candied peel from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs and place them on a wire rack with parchment paper under it, to catch the drippings.

TIP: Don't throw out the remaining orange-flavored simple syrup, it can be used to make yummy drinks.

Allow the candied orange peel to dry for about an hour on the rack. Then you can take them, with clean hands, and roll them in granulated sugar. They should be a bit tacky. Once rolled in sugar, place them back on the wire rack.

TIP: You don't have to roll them in sugar, you can dip them in chocolate, or leave them plain.

Allow them to dry on the rack for 4 to 6 hours, until no longer tacky. Enjoy!

NOTE: Store the candied orange peel in a bag or an airtight container in a cool dry place, like a pantry, and they will last a few weeks up to a month.

You can print the recipe here if you like.

STEP 6: Video Tutorial

Now watch those steps in action with this video tutorial. :)

Comments

[Handy_Bear]

Congrats on the Grand Prize! :D

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

Thank you so much!!

[joannaraphaella]

I added a vanilla bean along with the orange peels to the simple syrup! It tastes amazing

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

Awesome!

[FlorinJ]

Make sure you pick untreated oranges. Most oranges have their rind treated with chemicals to inhibit mold and rot, which can't be cleaned off completely by washing them. (You can eliminate some of the chemicals by soaking the oranges for 5 minutes in a solution of sodium bicarbonate, but not all of them, since those chemicals get dissolved in the waxy substance that covers the orange skin, and this substance doesn't come off easily.)

What I do with honey instead of sugar: mix them thoroughly after slicing with enough money to cover every bit of their surface, and then some, in a wide bowl. I then place the bowl in a well ventilated place for a few weeks, covered with a sieve or with some gauze, to keep insects away. I mix maybe once or twice a day - honey will run off in the beginning, until the orange peel dries some and starts to absorb the honey. If the slices start to look dry, I add some more honey.

Provided the orange peel is constantly re-covered in honey, it won't mold - honey is extremely sweet and prevents the formation of mold. During the few weeks they stay in honey the orange peel slices loose water and absorb honey. This way, they keep their tarty, acidic taste better than if cooked, in my opinion - they also stay chewier than if boiled. After they're well soaked in honey, and a tiny little bit dried out, I dip them in molten dark chocolate - quality high cocoa content chocolate, that is. To my taste, honey, cocoa and orange zest combined make a wonderful desert. Being a tiny bit chewier than boiled ones also helps with not gulping up all that you make in one go.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

hi there, the multiple boiling of the peels in the water gets rid of the wax and most of the chemicals/pesticides that may be on the peel, although it will vary where you live if they have pesticides on them or not. But yes, if anyone is worried about the peels, just buy organic untreated oranges, or of course fresh off of your own tree, haha. I never worry about it, though, but that is just me. Cool idea with the honey, although it sounds like it takes quite a long time to do it that way. I am too impatient, for that process, lol. Plus I already love the taste of these as they are. I also dip mine in chocolate on occasion, as I mention in step 5.

[FlorinJ]

You're right, it takes a few weeks. But once coated in chocolate, they keep for months. (They never get that old, but that's another story.)

[saleemshafi]

Anyone tried this with grapefruit? The rind is pretty thick and i wonder if that changes the process at all?

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

It definitely works with grapefruit! :) It may take another round of boiling, or just boil the peels longer at each stage, until there is not bitterness, or only slightly bitter, if you like a touch of bitter. :) Same process, no need to change anything else.

[slimshadyskip]

These look good. But I was wondering about the very last step, After rolling in the sugar. Is it really necessary to let Completely Dry for 46 hours? and could a food dehydrator be used to cut that time by quite a bit?

Thanks.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

Hi there, not 46 hours. :) 4 to 6 hours. Just let it dry until it is no longer sticky to the touch. It could be a little less it could be a bit more.

[Major Arcana]

I think this would be great for homemade fruitcake. This is all natural with no weird additives and bound to be more tender. Thanks for this entry

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

You are welcome! Yes it would be great in a fruit cake. :)

[BrianEV]

Is it important to remove the white inner part of the peal before candying? Your illustration shows thin skin oranges.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

Hi Brian, no need to remove the white inner part, called the pith. :)

[jannie.lloyd]

Thanks for this. I've often wondered how to make candied peel.

Other uses for peel. I grate my citrus fruit then dry it in the dehydrator and store in glass jars. Great for adding to cakes or spinking on breakfast cereal. I also add it to my nettle tea to help improve the flavour.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

You are so very welcome! Great idea drying it out as well! :)

[David R]

Great instructable. I handle a whole lot of citrus. Most of it, lemons, oranges in particular, have a coating of food grade wax on them. My very first step is to run cool water in a pan, and add a bit of vinegar to the water, stir, and put the citrus in the water vinegar bath. This generally gets the wax off the outsides pretty throughly. I dry each one individually with a Getty cloth towel. I find this greatly improves the taste. The water bath is just deep enough to cover the citrus. I roll them around in the bath and let them soak a bit.

[In The Kitchen With Matt]

Thank you! That wax does come off the peels during the boiling water steps. :) Wax is on apples as well. I talk about that in my caramel apples Instructable.

[1583803]

Hi my Name Olivia White and i like to bake and Cook things. And i bake it too