Learn how to make easy candied orange peel recipe with detailed step by step pictures. Quick and simple candied orange peel recipe that doesn’t use a ton of sugar!
Easy Candied Orange Peel recipe is a simple and quick way to make homemade candied orange peel. For most of my festive bakes, I love using candied orange and in the past, I resorted to store-bought stuff. I have forever wanted to make this at home and I don’t know why I thought it would be difficult. I started off wanting to dehydrate the orange peel, without any sugar but soon realized that the peel would be quite bitter. So I did the next best thing – stewed the orange peel in sugar syrup until it was soft and then dried them up. There is very less sugar in the recipe and it is full of orange citrus flavor. It works well with any orange based or Christmas bakes but also can be used as garnish in teas/cocktails/mocktails or ice cream desserts.
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Key Ingredients
Orange Peel is the main ingredient for making this recipe and we only want the thinnest top most firm orange part of the peel.
Sugar is used for making a simple syrup which is then used for cooking the orange peels.
For full list of ingredients and exact measurements, check the recipe below.
Tips & Important Notes for Making Candied Orange Peel
This is one of the easiest and simplest recipes that can possibly never go wrong. There are a few tips and notes to make it right, do follow them if you are giving this recipe a try!
The orange peel should be as thin as possible and without the underlying white/cream layer. Using a sharp peeler can easily help with this.
Use firm juicy variety of oranges with thick skin like Valencia oranges. If you use Kinnow or Nagpur oranges it doesn’t work very well as the skin is soft.
It is important to cook the orange peel until they are soft and has absorbed all the sugar syrup, else the peel might taste bitter.
Always dry the stewed orange peels at room temperature on a parchment paper until they are crisp & dry.
Substitutions & Variations
Feel free to increase the amount of sugar depending on your taste preferences.
It is optional to first stew the orange peels in plain water first to remove some extra bitterness but I find that the orange flavor is lost to an extent by this process.
It is optional to coat the stewed orange peels in additional sugar and this is especially recommended if you are planning on using the candied orange peels as a garnish.
Storing & Serving Suggestions
Candied Orange Peels should be stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for upto a few weeks. It can be used in any baked goods like fruit cakes, Christmas cakes, cookies or any orange flavored dessert. It can also be used a garnish or topping with ice creams or cocktails/mocktails. It also works wonderfully well to make orange flavored tea!
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Easy Candied Orange PeelRecipe with Step by Step Pictures
First peel off the oranges using a sharp peeler carefully without getting the white/cream layer underneath.
In a bowl add ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water. Let it boil and sugar dissolved.
Add the candied orange peel and mix well.
Cook on low flame covered for 20-25mins, stirring occasionally.
Continue to cook on low flame until almost all sugar syrup has been absorbed by the peels. Remove from heat.
On a wire rack lined with parchment paper, spread the candied orange peels to dry out at room temperature.
When it is dry, it should be non-sticky and hard.
Store in an airtight container for upto a few weeks in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the amount of sugar as per taste preferences.
- It is optional to coat the candied orange peel in extra sugar once removed from heat.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
📖 Recipe
Easy Candied Orange Peel
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
- Orange Peel from 2 Large Oranges ~¾ cup
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
- First peel off the oranges using a sharp peeler carefully without getting the white/cream layer underneath.
- In a bowl add ¼ cup sugar and ¼ cup water. Let it boil and sugar dissolved.
- Add the candied orange peel and mix well.
- Cook on low flame covered for 20-25mins, stirring occasionally.
- Continue to cook on low flame until almost all sugar syrup has been absorbed by the peels. Remove from heat.
- On a wire rack lined with parchment paper, spread the candied orange peels to dry out at room temperature.
- When it is dry, it should be non-sticky and hard.
- Store in an airtight container for upto a few weeks in the fridge.
Notes
- Adjust the amount of sugar as per taste preferences.
- It is optional to coat the candied orange peel in extra sugar once removed from heat.
Rani
Going to put the peels in a pot with the sugar and water and start cooking now. Thanks.
Ramya
Awesome! 🙂