This Candied Orange Peel Recipe is a festive, sweet, and citrusy treat that's as beautiful as it is delicious. With just a few ingredients and a little patience, you can create glistening orange peel candy perfect for gifting, garnishing desserts, or snacking straight from the jar.
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Looking for more citrus recipes? Check out my delicious old-fashioned lemon squares, orange-cranberry muffins, lemon meringue pie with a graham cracker crust, and this tasty grapefruit cupcake recipe!
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple Ingredients: You only need sugar, water, and oranges-easy and budget-friendly.
- Perfect Texture: The peel turns soft and chewy while coated in sparkling sugar for a candy-like bite.
- Versatile Treat: Use as a topping for cakes, dipped in chocolate, or eaten on its own.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: These store beautifully and get even better as they dry.
What This Recipe Needs
- Oranges: The star of the recipe-use fresh, firm oranges for thick peels that hold their shape.
- Sugar: Sweetens the peel and creates that classic candy coating when dried.
- Water: Essential for simmering and softening the orange peels before candying.
- Optional Chocolate: Adds a decadent twist and pairs perfectly with the citrus flavor.
Substitutions
- Oranges: Swap for lemons, limes, or grapefruits for a different citrus flavor.
- Sugar: Try using coconut sugar or raw cane sugar for a deeper caramelized flavor.
- Chocolate Coating: Use white or dark chocolate to complement the citrus sweetness.
You may remember when I made candied cranberries, and these are actually very similar to make!
How to Make Candied Orange Peels?
- Step 1: Peel the oranges, then cut them into strips about ¼-inch wide.
- Step 2: Boil the peels in water for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.
- Step 3: Mix the sugar and water, then bring it to a boil. Add the orange peels and boil for another 10 minutes.
- Step 4: Remove the peels from the sugar water and allow them to air-dry or get sticky for a few hours or overnight.
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- Step 5: Toss the peels in sugar to coat.
- Step 6: Optional: Dip peels in chocolate and allow to harden for a delicious combo!
Expert Tips
- Scrape off extra pith (the white part) to reduce bitterness before boiling.
- Blanch the peels to soften them and mellow out the citrus bite.
- Toss the peels in sugar while slightly tacky - this helps the sugar stick perfectly.
- Dry completely on parchment or a wire rack after rolling in sugar to prevent clumping and ensure a crisp coating.
- Save the sugar water that you used and make some delicious homemade lemonade or sweet peach tea with it!
Variations
- Holiday Garnish: Use as edible decorations on Christmas cookies or my holiday cake! This would also look great on orange cupcakes and this gingerbread trifle!
- Citrus Mix: Combine orange, lemon, and lime peels for a colorful candy assortment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Just oranges, sugar, and water - simple ingredients that transform into a chewy, sweet treat.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or in the fridge for a month.
Absolutely! Dark, milk, or white chocolate makes an elegant addition and balances the sweetness.
If your peel tastes bitter, it likely still has too much pith - try blanching twice before simmering in sugar syrup.
Drying typically takes 6 - 8 hours at room temperature or overnight for best texture.
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months - just thaw at room temperature before eating.
Add to baked goods, sprinkle over ice cream, or serve alongside dark chocolate for a simple dessert.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out this Orange Smoothie, Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies, Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cake Dip, Gingerbread Man Recipe, Mint Julep, Christmas Fruit Salad, Easy Lemon Loaf, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, and this Pineapple Mango Salsa!
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Video
Candied Orange Peel Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 orange peels
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups sugar for coating
- 1 cup chocolate candy melts optional
Instructions
- Rinse oranges and peel. Scrape away any extra fruit that is still attached to the peel. Leaving the pith (the white part on the peel) is okay but may casue it to be more bitter.4 orange peels
- Slice peels into thin strips.
- Fill a medium sauce pan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Place sliced peel strips into boiling water a boil for 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.1 cup water
- Using a slotted spoon remove peels from water and place on a cooling rack.
- Dump the water from the sauce pan out and add 1 cup of fresh water and 1 cup of sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and the water is boiling.1 cup sugar, 2 cups sugar
- Add the boiled orange peels to the sugar water, stir and allow to boil for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon remove peels from the sugar water and place on a cooling rack. You can save the sugar water (aka simple syrup) and use it to make lemonade, or even my mint juleps!
- Allow to dry for 2 hours or overnight. Try to separate the pieces to allow maximum air flow.
- Toss candied citrus peels in sugar and enjoy!
- If you want to dip these in chocolate (which I highly recommend), simply melt chocolate candy melts in microwave, dip each peel piece and place on a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper). Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!1 cup chocolate candy melts
Notes
- Store any candied orange peels in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month!
- You can candy any citrus peel- try lemon, lime, and even grapefruit!
Sousa says
Gave it a shot because i have terrible luck making candy peels. Everything was looking good until "boil 1c sugar in 1c water then add peels and boil for 10 minutes" I ended up with caramel and a destroyed pot, tongs and spoon. 😭
Lisa Killian says
I wonder if you had the heat too high- maybe it was a roiling boil? Sorry you had such trouble, it always works great for me. For this or any other candied peel recipe you try, if you notice the sugar water solution getting too thick you can always add more water. Are you at high altitude by any chance? That could also affect the boiling point.