Easiest Candied Orange Peel Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

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A totally foolproof, wonderfully easyCandied Orange Peel recipethat makes sweet and brightorangepeel candy – perfect for theholidays!

Easiest Candied Orange Peel Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (1)

Candied Orange Peels

The holidays call for a bit offlourish, don’t they?

Candied Orange Peelsare a terrificallyvibrant and deliciousway to add festive pizazz to Christmas co*cktails and desserts. Bright golden slivers of sugar-coated orange peels taste as wonderful as they look, and bring some impressive flair to nearly any drink or dish.

Most recipes for making candied orange peels from scratch seem trickier than necessary. They often use candy thermometers, and include watching (and watching… And more watching) for crystallization. No, thank you.

This easy recipe makes the BEST, sweetest orange peel candy, without all the fuss. The pieces aresoft and perky, with just the right hint of chewiness and light, sugary crunch.

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What Ingredients You Need

Our uncomplicated recipe for tangy Citrus Peel Candy includes only 5 simple ingredients:

  • Navel Orangesjust the peels so feel free to use the juice of the orange to make other holiday recipes, likeHoliday Wine Punch co*cktails(You can also use Valencia or Cara Cara oranges.)
  • Waterfor simmering the peels
  • Granulated sugarto create perfectly sweet candied orange peels
  • Vanilla– adds a deep earthy flavor to balance out the sweetness
  • Saltessential for the candying process

You can also use this same recipe for making candied grapefruit,lemon peel, or limepeels! Orange you glad to know? *wink*

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How to Make the Easiest Candied Orange Peels

Instructions…

This effortless recipe is great to make as a relaxing weekend or weekday evening project. Just follow these few basic steps for making cheery, citrusy-good orange peel candyfrom scratch at home in less than an hour!

First, prep the oranges by trimming off the tops and bottoms with a paring knife. Then use a vegetable peeler tocarefully peel the orangesfrom top to bottom, into 2-4 inch long segments. It helps to press the peelervery firmlyagainst the orange to collect a nice even layer of peel, omitting as much white pith as possible.

Once you’ve peeled all of the oranges into wide strips, cut the slices into thinner ¼ inch strips.

Next, place theorange peel segmentsinto a medium saucepan and turn the heat on to medium or medium-low. Add water, sugar, and salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. As soon as the water begins to boil, set a timer for 20 minutes. You want to cook the peels until they arejust soft, but still have their lovely vibrant color. (Using medium to medium-high heat will burn your peels quickly.)

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Meanwhile, prepare for the next steps: Add the remaining ½ cup sugar to a bowl and set aside, and set out a drying rack with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper under it.

Once the orange peels have simmered for 20 minutes, stir in the vanilla extract. Turn off the heat andlet the peels rest in the sugar syrupfor several minutes.

Then use tongs (or a slotted spoon) to move the orange peels to the cooling wire rack. Allow the orange peels to rest for at least 15 minutes to dry and cool. (This allows the excess syrup to drain off the slices.)

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Toss the cooled peels in the sugar to coat.

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Let the peels dry completely at room temperature. This should take another 30 minutes or so.

Store the Candied Orange Peels in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge forup to 2 weeks. Enjoy as a snack or as a decoration on cake or cupcakes.

Get the Full (Printable) Easiest Candied Orange Peel Recipe + Video Below!

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How Can I Enjoy Candied Orange Peel?

Eat these homemade candies right out of the container as a special treat, or serve Candied Orange Peels as agarnish on desserts and drinks.

Add a few toHomemade Chocolate Puddingfor a delicious chocolate and orange dish, or top thisYogurt Cheesecake with Orange Shortbread Crustto add an extra burst of citrus flavor.

Use pieces of orange peels to finish festive co*cktails, like anAperol Spritzor in aSpiced Manhattan co*cktail.

However, you choose to include, these homemade candies are sure to add some joy to your holiday celebrations!

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Looking for More Easy Candy Recipes?

  • Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries
  • Bourbon Salted Caramel Candy Recipe
  • The Tastiest Turkish Delight Recipe (Lokum)
  • Bourbon Candied Bacon Bites
  • Chocolate Toffee Christmas Crack Recipe

Check this candy’s printable recipe card below for the prep time, total time, and nutrition information including calories, protein, sodium, potassium, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.

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The Easiest Candied Orange Peel Recipe

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

A totally foolproof, wonderfully easy Candied Orange Peel recipe that makes sweet and bright orange peel candy – perfect for the holidays!

Servings: 20 servings

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Trim the tops and bottoms of the oranges. Then use a vegetables peeler to peel the oranges from top to bottom, into 2-4 inch segments. Press the peeler firmly against the orange to collect a nice even layer of peel. Be careful to trim off just the peel, not the white bitter pith. Then cut the wide strips into ¼ inch thin strips.

  • Place the orange peel segments into a medium saucepot. Set over medium to medium-low heat. Add the water, 1 cup of sugar, and the salt. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, set the timer and simmer approximately 20 minutes, or until the peels look soft, but still retain their vibrant color. (You don’t want them to turn brown, so set the stove just hot enough to hold the simmer.)

  • Meanwhile, place the remaining ½ cup sugar in a bowl and set aside. Set out a drying rack and place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper under it.

  • Once the orange peels have simmered 20 minutes, stir in the vanilla extract. Turn off the heat and let the peels rest in the sugar syrup for another 5-10 minutes.

  • Use tongs to move the orange peels to the cooling rack. Allow the orange peels to rest at least 15 minutes to dry and cool. Then toss them in the sugar to coat. Let the peels dry completely at room temperature. Then store in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

You can candy lemon and lime peels as well!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 71kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 59mg, Potassium: 47mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 59IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Candy, Dessert, Drinks, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: Sommer Collier

Making this recipe?Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!

This site contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase through them, we receive a small commission.

Easiest Candied Orange Peel Recipe | A Spicy Perspective (2024)

FAQs

How do you make candied orange peels less bitter? ›

Blanching peels

And those compounds dissolve in hot water, which is why blanching works so well. In fact, blanching reduces bitterness by 50%. Repeat the blanching step until the orange peels taste just slightly bitter. The bitterness won't disappear completely, but it should be tolerable.

Why are my candied orange slices bitter? ›

A: You may not have boiled your orange slices long enough in plain water to pull out the bitterness from the peel.

What is orange peel spice? ›

The outer peel of the orange, commonly referred to as orange zest, holds the highest amount of essential oils. To get the best flavor, and avoid bitter undertones, we only use the thin outer layer of tree-ripened oranges for our Spice Islands® orange peel.

How long to boil orange peels to get rid of bitterness? ›

Place orange peel in a sauce pan cover with a generous amount of water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes. Strain in a colander.

Why is my candied fruit chewy? ›

The sugar will be chewy if it hasn't been heated to a high enough temperature. The temperature we want to reach is hard crack. However, if you don't quite reach that you will get a candy shell at soft crack. At this stage, it will set, but with a stick in your teeth, chewy consistency.

Are candied orange peels healthy? ›

Candied Orange Peels are beautiful, festive, and are full of nutrients. The orange peel has more vitamin C than the actual fruit of the orange. Likewise, the fruit peel also has about three times as much the amount of Vitamin A, B-Complex, and minerals such as manganese, calcium, and zinc.

How do you take the bitterness out of oranges? ›

heat will draw out most of the bitter tasting. substances from the pith (bitter substances in the. orange pith are water-soluble). water-soluble).

What makes orange rind bitter? ›

What makes citrus bitter? A substance called naringin, that imparts the bitter flavor, is present in the peel, pith, membranes and sometimes the juice. The white pith just under the peel is especially bitter. If you juice any citrus and drink it immediately, you won't notice the bitterness.

How do you counteract bitterness without sugar? ›

Balance out bitterness with some fat.

Try using a cream sauce, milk, fatty cheese, olive oil, or similar fatty ingredients to help cover bitter tastes.

Why do people boil orange peels? ›

Orange peel tea is rich in vitamin C and flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties that can strengthen the immune system and help to prevent diseases like cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and the flu. Orange peel tea is also a great weight loss option, as it has excellent amounts of potassium.

Why do Chinese dry orange peels? ›

Dried mandarin peels are used to impart a bittersweet orange fragrance and flavor to braises and to a few famous dishes such as chenpi beef, orange chicken, tangerine peel fried pork ribs and Cantonese stir-fried clams (recipes from our affiliates).

What is the white powder on orange peels? ›

Fresh Orange Juice 🍊 😍For those wondering what the white powder on the outer layer of the fruit is? it's calcium carbonate powder and it's used to protect the fruit because the peel is very thin. It improves fruit storability and shelf life.

Is boiled orange peel edible? ›

Orange peels can be enjoyed raw in salads and smoothies, cooked to make orange marmalade, or zested to add a pop of orange color and flavor to foods.

What is bitter orange peel good for? ›

Today, various bitter orange products are promoted for heartburn, nasal congestion, weight loss, appetite stimulation or suppression, and athletic performance. Bitter orange is also applied to the skin for pain, bruises, fungal infections, and bedsores.

Can you drink boiled orange peels? ›

Orange peels are flavorful, aromatic, and loaded with nutrients. Fruit peels and rinds are excellent additions to tea. Steeping your orange peels with other ingredients in warm water will make a tasty tea that provides benefits to your health and wellness.

How do you fix bitter orange peels? ›

Also, after washing you should slice orange peels sliced ​​through boiling water to reduce the bitter taste of essential oil in oranges. You just need to catch boiling water and put the orange peeled into quills for 2-5 minutes, then rinse through cold water can be blanched several times to orange peel does not bitter.

How do you reduce the bitterness of oranges? ›

heat will draw out most of the bitter tasting. substances from the pith (bitter substances in the. orange pith are water-soluble).

How do you make bitter oranges sweeter? ›

It's the seeds that cause the bitterness. You can add little bit of salt and keep it in refrigerator for a while…then serve with adding honey and lemon juice..it works well.. Sometimes, if no peel inside, the taste is bitter, firstly you need to consider the orange is spoiled or not.

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