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Candied orange peel might be the easiest and most addictive DIY baking extra you can make. Strips of orange peel are simmered until soft, then cooked in a sugar syrup until glossy and transparent, then tossed in sugar for extra crunch.

Once upon a time, I bought bags of this from a local spice shop. It was imported from France, and silly me, I happily forked over like $6 for a tiny baggie. At some point it dawned on me that I could probably candy my own oranges at home. I have never looked back.

I always make a batch of candied orange peel for my Christmas baking, and I usually have to hide it. Otherwise my kids will find it and I won’t have any to add to my favorite cookies. I once made a batch before a birthday party, making the tactical error of setting the rack to dry where the kids could see it. I started noticing in the “before cake time” portion of the festivities that a few pieces were missing. Word spread quickly because by the end of the party, I had just a handful left!

This is mostly a hands-off recipe, so you can make it casually while you’re doing something else.

It’s great for eating out of hand, dipping in chocolate for an easy no-bake gift, adding to biscotti, Florentines, your favorite muffins, some actually good fruitcake, as a gorgeous cake garnish and more. I love it so much in a thin slice on top of mini seed cakes or carrot cake mini cakes.

So grab an orange or two and let’s candy some peel.

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Easy candied orange peel

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boiling orange peel and candied orange peel

What is candied orange peel?

Candied orange peel starts with strips of orange, peeled straight off the fruit. From there the peel is simmered in water until soft, then drained and cooked in sugar syrup until it’s glossy and has absorbed the syrup.

Usually in baking, we only use the zest of citrus fruits, meaning only the colored rind on the outside of citrus fruits.

With candied orange peel (or candied lemon peel, lime, grapefruit etc.) you use the pith as well. Pith is the spongy white part that’s between the zest and the juicy segments of the fruit. While you can candy just the outer zest, the pith adds a chew to the candied orange peel that adds a really fun textural contrast.

The pith also adds a little bit of bitterness. We don’t eat enough things that are bittersweet, and it’s a crying shame because the contrast between the two flavors is really intriguing.

Ingredients for making easy candied orange peel

You’ll love this because you only need two things to make some candied orange

Oranges: preferably organic since you’re eating the peel
Sugar: granulated

Equipment needed

You don’t need anything fancy here!

Knife: to score and cut the peel into strips.
Skillet: to cook the peels.
Strainer
Tongs: to toss the peels in syrup.
Bowl or pie plate: to toss the finished peels in sugar.
Parchment paper or a wire rack: to dry the peels

Process for making easy candied orange peel

Score: use a knife to cut through the skin on an orange in quarters.
Cut: peel the orange, then cut each quarter into 1/4″ wide strips.
Simmer: cover the orange peels with water, then simmer them for about 15 minutes. Strain and change the water and repeat the process. This will help remove excess bitterness from the pith.
Weigh: strain the softened peels, then weigh them on a kitchen scale. Measure out the same weight of sugar and half that weight in water in the skillet you’ve been using.
Make the syrup: stir the sugar and water and let it come to a boil.
Candy: toss the peels in the syrup, then keep cooking them until the peels have absorbed most of the syrup.
Sugar: carefully use tongs to pull out a piece of candied orange at a time and toss it in fresh sugar.
Dry: Shake off the excess sugar and set the peels to dry on either a wire rack or a piece of parchment overnight.

Candied Orange Peel

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Author: Elizabeth Farr
Total Time: 9 hours 10 minutes
Yield: about 3 cups

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Description

If I could write a love letter to one baking ingredient, all the beautiful words would go to candied orange peel. With just 2 ingredients, you’ll have something that instantly makes everything you bake that much extra. Be careful though; once your household discovers you can make it, you might have to store it in an undisclosed location!

Ingredients

Scale

2 unblemished oranges of any type, preferably organic
Sugar (weighed later after boiling the peels)

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Instructions

Wash and dry the oranges, then score the peel with a knife into quarters.
Peel the orange along the score lines.
Chop the peel into 1/4″ wide strips.
Set the peel in a large skillet, then cover with water.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, pour the peels in a strainer, then repeat the simmering process which will remove the bitterness in the pith and helps the peel soften. You can repeat this step a third time, though I like a little bit of bitterness in the orange to help contrast with the sweetness.
Strain the peels, shaking off all the excess water. Dry out your skillet.
Set a bowl on top of a gram scale and weigh your peels.
Measure sugar equal to the weight of the peels, and half that same amount of water (for example, if you had 100 grams of peels, use 100 grams of sugar and 50 grams of water).
Mix the sugar and water in the skillet, then turn the heat back on to medium.
When the syrup is boiling and all the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat down to low and toss in the peels.
Turn the peels over in the syrup with tongs until they’re well-coated. Keep turning the peels over periodically until the peels have absorbed all of the syrup. This will take at minimum 10 minutes, but it depends on how many peels you’re candying.
Meanwhile, pour sugar into a pie plate and set a wire rack inside a sheet tray.
Once the peels have absorbed almost all the syrup, turn off the heat. If the sugar starts to caramelize, turn off the heat immediately or the peels can burn.
Pick out a couple pieces of peel at a time and toss in the sugar. Separate out pieces from each other, then set on the wire rack. Take your time here, making sure that the pieces aren’t too clumpy or stuck together. You can squeeze off any extra syrup/clumpy sugar if it seems a piece is covered with too much sugary goo.
Let the orange pieces dry overnight on the rack.
Store in a jar for 2 weeks if you’re not using right away.

Notes

How to use candied orange peel:

- Easy homemade gift: Pop this in a jar with a ribbon for an easy homemade gift.
- Muffins and quick breads: chop peel into small pieces for glorious bittersweet flavor.
- Luxury topping: it’s so so good on oatmeal or a smoothie bowl.
- Florentines: my actual favorite Christmas cookie. I use Nick Malgieri’s recipe from Chocolate.
- Garnish: Cut thin strands for topping any type of cake. They’re especially lovely on carrot cake.
- Dip in melted chocolate: you’re welcome.
- Eat it plain!: A couple pieces after dinner will more than satisfy your sweet tooth.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 1 hours
Category: Baking building blocks
Cuisine: French

Now that you’ve made it, what to do with candied orange?

Use candied orange peel just like you’d use any other dried fruit. I will caution you that it is intense. Play around with it and see if you like it. You may find that you need way less to flavor a baked good than a regular dried fruit.

I think of candied orange as a flavor booster–that is something that I’ll use in small amounts to boost the overall flavor of a recipe. The only exception is when I make Florentines, which is hands down my favorite cookie. I use Nick Malgieri’s faultless recipe from Chocolate where the peel IS the star.

Here’s some good ideas for how to use your candied orange peel:

Muffins: Chop it finely and add a handful to these Whole wheat Strawberry Muffins or Mini Banana Breads.
Cakes: Cut slivers for the top of an elegant cheesecake or carrot cake.
Cookies: wonderful to add to biscotti (no need to chop!), Florentines
Pies: mix some chopped peel in some Vanilla Pastry Cream and pop it in a ready made graham cracker crust for an easy pie.
Salad: weird but true, cut up a little bit in a carrot salad or any salad you’d use dried cranberries, and you’ll get a nice sweet contrast you’d never expect.
Main dishes: Throw some candied orange peel in chicken salad, braised chicken thighs with olives and oranges, pot roast, Moroccan tagines or even a little in Heidi Swanson’s green lentil curry soup.
Rice: I love a little bit chopped finely in an herby rice pilaf in place of raisins.
Drinks: Toss a piece in a hot toddy when you feel that scratchy throat coming on. It’ll also make an elegant garnish in mixed drinks or tea for some added flavor.
Easy homemade gifts: Pop your homemade candied orange peel in a jar with a ribbon and you have an almost instant homemade gift. Dip it in chocolate and let it dry, and now you’re the best gift giver you know.

Whether you eat it straight off the drying rack or fancy it up in your favorite curry, there’s no wrong way to enjoy candied orange peel. What will you do with yours?