Candied orange peel is an incredibly easy sweet fruity treat that can be used in a number of fun and fabulous ways! The strips of orange peel are simmered in a sugary syrup with a touch of vanilla then sugar-coated and dried. Snack on them as they are, use them to garnish your cocktails, or bake them into your favorite desserts or baked goods!
Easy Candied Orange Peels
If you haven't tried candied orange peels, better late than never! These bright citrus treats literally taste like candy because they are simmered in simple syrup until tender and sweet!
Sure, you could probably buy a bag of candied orange peels, but they are SO much better (and cheaper) homemade. Plus, they keep for a long time and can be used in all kinds of recipes from cakes to muffins and scones to cocktails!
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If you love candied citrus, you will love my recipes for candied lemon peel, candied orange slices, candied lemon slices, and my mixed peel holiday fruitcake blend!
🥘 Ingredients
There's not much to this recipe. All you need is water, sugar, salt, vanilla, and of course, oranges!
- Navel Oranges- 4 large oranges or 5 small ones.
- Water - 2 cups.
- Granulated Sugar - 1½ cups granulated sugar (plus more if you'd like to coat the candied peel in sugar before drying).
- Salt - ½ teaspoon.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 How To Make Candied Orange Peel
These take some time to dry, but the results are well worth the wait! Grab a vegetable peeler, sauce pan, and wire cooling rack and let's get started!
This recipe makes about 20 servings, but you could easily add more oranges if you'd like to make even more!
Peel & Simmer In Syrup
- Wash and slice. First, wash 4 oranges and carefully scrub them with a vegetable brush. Once clean, peel them with a vegetable peeler into 2-4" segments from top to bottom (press firmly with your peeler so you get an even layer of peel). If desired, you can then slice those segments into thin strips about ¼" thick.
- Make syrup. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add 2 cups of water,
- Place a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the water, 1½ cups granulated sugar, and a ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Simmer. Next, add the sliced orange peels to the syrup. Reduce the heat as needed and let the peels simmer for 15-20 minutes (just long enough that they become tender, but not so long that they lose their vibrant color). Be sure to stir every so often to ensure that all of the peels are equally exposed to the syrup.
Finish Until Softened Then Coat With Sugar & Dry
- Add vanilla. Remove the saucepan from heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the syrup then stir. Let the orange peels sit in the syrup for 5 minutes to soak up all the flavor. Meanwhile, place a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet of parchment paper or baking sheet.
- Coat with sugar. After 5 minutes, transfer the peels to your prepared cooling rack and let them dry for 20-30 minutes before tossing them in an additional (optional) ½ cup of sugar to coat.
- Dry. Return the sugar-coated orange peels to the cooling rack to dry fully at room temperature. This can take up to 24 hours (they should no longer be sticky to the touch). Store or serve when dried.
I like to dice my candied orange peels up and add them to baked goods like my blood orange muffins (you could even make candied blood orange peel). That's if we don't eat them all first! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Gently washing and scrubbing the oranges is important. Otherwise you risk being exposed to chemicals and pesticides that were used during the growing process.
- The easiest way to peel your oranges is with a vegetable peeler. If you use a paring knife, you may need to remove as much extra pith (white part of the peel) as possible. The pith will make your candied peel more bitter.
- If you don't like or don't have oranges, this recipe will work with other citrus. Such as lemons, limes, tangerines, or even grapefruit!
- Once your orange peels have fully dried, you can melt down some chocolate chips and dip one end of your peels in the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate cool and harden and you will have an extra special treat!
- To store: Store in an airtight container somewhere dark and cool (like a pantry) at room temperature for up to 1 month. *For candied orange that I plan on using soon, I store it in a mason jar. Otherwise I like to vacuum seal the candied orange in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber.
❓ Why Are My Candied Orange Peels Bitter?
Your candied orange peels are likely bitter because too much of the pith (the white underside of the peel) remained after peeling. It has a very bitter taste, so it is best to remove as much of it as you can.
❓ How Can I Use Candied Orange Peels?
There are so many ways! Candied orange peels can be eaten as a snack, mixed into trail mix, baked into muffins or sweet breads. They also make a beautiful edible garnish for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies. You can even use them to elevate your favorite cocktail (a candied orange twist makes a fabulous old fashioned)!
❓ Can I Dry Candied Orange Peel In The Oven?
There is a quick-dry method for drying your candied orange peel in the oven. Keep in mind that even this 'quick' method will still take most of the day to complete, and it may slightly alter the texture (but it's worth it if you don't have time to wait around).
Place the simmered peels on a lined baking sheet and pop them into a preheated oven at 200°F (95°C) for 1 hour. Then, remove them from the oven and transfer them to the cooling rack as in the original recipe. Allow to fully dry for another 5 hours.
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📖 Recipe Card
Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients
- 4 large navel oranges (or 5 small oranges)
- 2 cups water
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (plus more for coating if desired)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To begin, wash your oranges carefully with a vegetable brush. Then peel the oranges in 2-4" segments from top to bottom (press firmly with your peeler so you get an even layer of peel). Slice the segments into thin strips about ¼" thick if desired.
- Place a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the water, 1½ cups of sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add the orange peels. Reduce the heat as needed and let the peels simmer for 15-20 minutes (just long enough that they become tender, but not so long that they lose their vibrant color). Be sure to stir every so often to ensure that all of the peels are equally exposed to the syrup.
- Remove the saucepan from heat, add the vanilla, and stir. Let the orange peels set for 5 minutes to soak up all the flavor. Meanwhile, place a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet of parchment paper or baking sheet.
- After 5 minutes, transfer the peels to the cooling rack. Let them dry for 20-30 minutes before coating them in the optional additional sugar to coat.
- Return the sugar-coated orange peel to the cooling rack to dry fully at room temperature. This can take up to 24 hours (they should no longer be sticky to the touch). Store or serve when dried.
Notes
- Gently washing and scrubbing the oranges is important. If you do not, you consume the chemicals and pesticides that were used during the growing process.
- The easiest way to peel your oranges is with a vegetable peeler. If you use a paring knife, you may need to remove as much extra pith (white part of the peel) as possible. The pith will make your candied peel more bitter.
- If you don't like or don't have oranges, this recipe will work with other citrus. Such as lemons, limes, tangerines, or even grapefruit!
- Once your orange peels have fully dried, you can melt down some chocolate chips and dip one end of your peels in the melted chocolate. Let the chocolate cool and harden and you will have an extra special treat!
- To store: Store in an airtight container somewhere dark and cool (like a pantry) at room temperature for up to 1 month. *For candied orange that I plan on using soon, I store it in a mason jar. Otherwise I like to vacuum seal the candied orange in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber.
Kris says
If they don't dry all the way and are still sticky after two days, what can I do to dry them out a little bit?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
You need to keep drying the oranges until they're no longer sticky or tacky, either keep them in the oven a bit longer or you can set them on a plate in sunlight (if you have any of that this time of the year). Dehydrators are great for this too and can take up to a full 24 hours depending on the thickness of your orange slices. Hope that helps and thanks for asking!