What Is Candied fruit and How Can I Use It?
Candied fruit rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 64 recipes to cook with it.
Key Points
- Fruit simmered in sugar syrup until saturated, leaving it glossy, very sweet, and firm enough to bake.
- Sold as chopped glace mix of dyed cherries, citron, and candied citrus peel for holiday baking.
- Stars in fruitcake, mince pies, panettone, stollen, hot cross buns, and Italian cassata.
- Skip cheap glucose-and-dye mixes; toss pieces in flour so they do not sink in batter.
- Keeps 6 to 12 months airtight in a cool cupboard, a year or more frozen.
What is candied fruit?
Candied fruit is fruit that has been simmered in heavy sugar syrup until the water inside it is replaced by sugar. The result is glossy and intensely sweet, with a firm chew that holds its shape no matter how long it bakes.
Most often you buy it as a chopped "glace" mix: cherries dyed red and green, diced citron, candied orange and lemon peel, and sometimes pineapple. The whole point is preserved sweetness and color that survive months in the pantry and an hour in the oven.
If you have ever picked the bright bits out of a slice of fruitcake, those bits were candied fruit.
How to Use Candied Fruit
Holiday baking is its home turf. It studs fruitcakes like Alaskan Sourdough Fruitcake and Ever-So-Easy-Fruitcake, fills the spiced filling of My Vegetarian Mince Pies, and dots the dough of Hot Cross Buns No. 3.
It reaches well beyond the English-speaking Christmas table. Italian baking leans on it hard, from the ricotta layers of Cassata Napoletana to panettone and stollen, and Eastern European cooks fold it into the molded Russian cheese dessert Paskha (Russian Cheesecake).
Chop it small before it goes in. That way each forkful gets a little sweetness rather than one chewy boulder, and whole candied cherries stay intact only when you want them as a shiny decoration on top.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Candied fruit lives among warm baking flavors like brandy, rum, almond, cinnamon, and citrus zest. It loves the company of nuts and other dried fruit, and a little goes into rich doughs built on butter and brown sugar.
The biggest mistake is buying cheap mix and judging the whole category by it. Bargain glace fruit is often little more than glucose syrup and dye, heavy on the bitter rubbery citron nobody picks around. Better brands taste of the actual fruit.
The second trap is sinking, the same problem heavy fruit causes in any cake. Toss the chopped pieces with a spoonful of the recipe's flour so they grip the batter instead of dropping to the bottom.
What to Use Instead
The cleanest swap is good candied citrus peel and candied cherries bought separately, then mixed yourself. You skip the cheap filler and get fruit you actually want to eat.
Dried fruit is the everyday substitute. Use chopped dried apricots, dates, raisins, or dried cranberries at the same weight; you lose the glassy gloss and some sweetness but gain real fruit flavor, and cranberries add a welcome tartness against the sugar.
To replace just the candied cherries on top, halved fresh or maraschino cherries work for decoration, though they will not survive a long bake the way candied ones do.
Buying and Storing
Read the label and choose mixes that name real fruit high on the list, not just glucose syrup and color. Drained weight matters too, since some tubs are mostly syrup. The pieces should be moist and pliable, never dried hard or weeping liquid.
Candied fruit keeps for a long time thanks to all that sugar. Sealed airtight in a cool, dark cupboard it stays good for 6 to 12 months, and often longer.
If it dries out and turns stiff, a brief steam or a short soak in warm water softens it enough to chop. Keep it away from heat and humidity, which make the surface weep and go sticky.
For the freezer, it holds for a year or more. Just let it come to room temperature before you chop so it does not shatter.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size unknown (100g)Quick facts
Where to find candied fruit: Candied fruit is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Candied fruit is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 脯
- British (UK) term
- Candied fruit
- en français
- fruit confit
- en español
- fruta confitada
How much does candied fruit weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
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Related
Fruits and Fruit Juices
Recipes using candied fruit
There are 64 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Orange-Banana Nut & Fruit Bread
Orange-banana nut and fruit bread layers candied fruit, raisins, and chopped nuts into a tender quick bread brightened with banana and orange juice. A holiday-style fruit loaf for gifting.
Rhubarb & Fig Jam
Old-fashioned rhubarb and fig jam, sugared overnight then boiled down with chopped candied peel for a deep, jammy preserve. Yields about 9 pints, perfect for canning season and homemade gifts.
Hot Cross Buns No. 3
Learn how to make easy, quickbread-style Hot Cross Buns that are yeast-free and require no kneading. The warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg paired with candied fruit highlights this biscuit-style hot cross bun.
My Vegetarian Mince Pies
Vegetarian mince pies with a suet-free, no-suet British mincemeat: dried fruits, ripe banana, almonds, brandy, and warm spice tucked inside flaky shortening pastry. The traditional Christmas pie, made meatless.
Awesome Yuletide Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yuletide chocolate chip cookies loaded with candied cherries, currants, pecans, and almonds. A festive holiday cookie with brandy flavoring and warm pumpkin pie spice that ages beautifully in the cookie tin.
Ricotta Torte
Classic Italian ricotta torte in a double-crust pastry with ricotta, cream cheese, candied fruit, and a splash of rum or brandy. Silky, not heavy.
Iced Ambrosia Drops
Spiced drop cookies loaded with raisins, candied fruit, dates, and walnuts, topped with a vanilla icing. A fruitcake-style cookie perfect for holiday gift giving.
Zucchini-Kuchen (Zucchini Cake)
An elegant German zucchini cake with coconut, candied cherries, rum, and lemon, lightened with whipped egg whites and finished in a glossy chocolate glaze. Baked in a traditional Rehruecken mold for a stunning presentation.
Spice Bread (Irish): [Aran Spiosrai]
Aran Spiosrai is a traditional Irish spice bread with raisins, candied fruit, golden syrup, and mixed spice baked low and slow in a loaf pan. It actually gets better after a day or two as the flavors deepen.
Christmas Tree Bread
Containing candied fruit and topped off with frosting, this bread is perfect as a small snack after dinner.
Italian Celebration Cake
Italian celebration cake with pound cake layers soaked in orange liqueur, filled with sieved ricotta, candied fruit, and chocolate chips, frosted with cocoa-mocha buttercream. No baking required.
Almond & Honey Cakes
These sweet and delicious cakes are filled with slivered almonds, honey and mixed candied fruit.
Vegetarian Mince Pies
Vegetarian mincemeat made with fresh pears, dried fruit, candied cherries, almonds, and a splash of whiskey. No suet needed. Spiced with allspice, nutmeg, and ginger for traditional Christmas mince pies.
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies with pecans, coconut, and orange peel made in a food processor. Drop, chill, and eat. No oven needed.
Vegetarian Mince Pies Ii
Vegetarian mincemeat with fresh pears, mixed dried fruit, candied peel, glace cherries, dates, almonds, citrus zest, and whiskey. A meat-free version of the British holiday classic.
Plunder Flechten
Plunder Flechten, a traditional German twisted pastry filled with candied fruit and cinnamon sugar, brushed with apricot preserves. Made from Plunderteig, an enriched laminated dough.
Caramel-Orange Buche De Noel Part 1
White chocolate orange buttercream for a holiday Buche de Noel, made with egg yolks, half-and-half, and Grand Marnier. Part 1 of a stunning Christmas log cake topped with toasted almonds and cranberries.
Saffron Cake
Traditional saffron cake with whole wheat flour, currants, candied peel, and nutmeg. A Cornish-style yeasted fruit bread infused with overnight saffron water for golden color and floral depth.
Plunder Hornchen
Plunderhornchen, German almond crescents made from flaky laminated Danish dough wrapped around homemade almond paste and candied fruit, baked golden and brushed with apricot glaze. A buttery bakery-style treat.
Sweet Iced Christmas Bread
A festive bread machine loaf studded with maraschino cherries, candied fruit, dates, and walnuts in a rich buttery egg dough. Holiday baking made effortless. One loaf, zero fuss.
Holiday Hermits
Holiday hermit cookies with raisins, candied fruit, walnuts, and oats spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. A chewy, old-fashioned drop cookie perfect for Christmas baking.
Kc's Fruitcake Drops
Fruitcake drop cookies with brandy, candied cherries, dates, candied pineapple, and nuts. All the holiday fruitcake flavor in a bite-sized cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.
Easter Simnel Cake
A traditional British Easter fruitcake with a hidden almond paste layer, golden raisins, currants, and candied cherries. Topped with 11 marzipan balls for the Apostles.
Christmas Tree Coffee Cake
Festive yeast coffee cake shaped like Christmas trees, studded with candied fruit and rolled oats. Pull apart the golden buttery balls for a stunning holiday brunch centerpiece.
Cannoli Cream Pizza
A no-bake dessert pizza spread with whipped ricotta cannoli cream, chocolate chips, candied fruit, and crushed pistachios. No oven needed for the topping, just chill and assemble.
Crunchy Chocolate Cake
No-bake chocolate cake with melted chocolate, butter, crushed cookies, candied fruit, cherries, and almonds. Refrigerate overnight for a dense, fudgy slice.
Rafiola Kokokarion (Coconut Pastries with Glaceed Fruit)
In a Cretan zacharoplasteion (sweet shop), we were so intrigued by these coconut pastries (among the newer breed) that I tried them at home. You can expect the potato pastry to be a bit difficult to manipulate, and you can also anticipate compliments on the results. Attractive and tasty, not excessively sweet.
My Vicorian Jewels(Mini Fruitcakes)
Victorian jewels mini fruitcakes: brandy-soaked candied fruit, raisins, and walnuts baked into tender two-bite cakes. A glossy jelly glaze gives each one its jewel-box shine. Holiday gifting star.
Christmas Orange Bread
A moist Christmas quick bread with orange juice, mashed banana, prune puree, candied fruit, raisins, and nuts, topped with a thin powdered sugar icing and glacé cherries. Freezes beautifully for gifting.
Mandelbreit
Mandelbreit is a Jewish almond bread sliced twice-baked style with three fillings: cocoa, walnuts, and candied fruit. Aging the rolls in foil for a week deepens the flavor.
Mama Crow's Raisin-Nut Jam Cake
Southern jam cake with blackberry jam, buttermilk, raisins, and pecans baked low and slow in three spiced layers. Topped with a boiled cream frosting that drips down the sides just like it should.
Italian Easter Bread
Sweet yeast dough studded with candied fruit, almonds, and anise gets braided into a ring with dyed eggs nestled in the twists for a stunning Italian Easter centerpiece bread.
Excellent Holiday Fruitcake
Holiday fruitcake with a pound of raisins boiled in spiced sugar syrup, mixed with candied fruit, walnuts, and warm spices, baked low and slow in a tube pan.
Our Family's Plum Pudding
Traditional British Christmas plum pudding with cognac-soaked dried fruit, walnuts, suet, and warm spices, steamed in a mold and served with brandy butter sauce. A Victorian holiday classic.
Lebkuchen Cookie Mix (From Germany)
Traditional German lebkuchen cookies with honey, molasses, almonds, candied fruit, and five warm spices. Soft, chewy spice cookies brushed with lemon glaze for a classic Christmas treat.
Holiday Cardamom Bread
My mother makes this Cardamom bread every Christmas morning. It's a real treat.
Cassata Napoletana
Cassata Napoletana layers thin sponge cake with cherry preserves, rich Neapolitan custard, chopped walnuts, and candied fruit. A no-bake Italian celebration cake that chills to set.
Maureen's Carrot Fruit Cake
Carrot fruit cake loaded with raisins, candied fruit, and pecans in a spiced batter. No eggs needed. Soak with rum or brandy and store for up to 3 months.
Scotch Bonet Pfeffernusse
Instead of being hard, dry spice cookies, these are soft, moist spicy cookies with a medium hot disposition. Their heat is derived from ground Jamaican Scotch Bonnet peppers.
Apricot Fruitcake
Traditional fruitcake loaded with dried apricots, golden raisins, candied fruit, almonds, and cherries, aged for weeks for deep flavor.
Panforte Di Siena
Traditional Panforte di Siena with toasted almonds, hazelnuts, candied orange peel, citron, cocoa, and honey syrup cooked to soft ball stage. A dense Italian Christmas confection.
Paskha (Russian Cheesecake)
Paskha: the traditional Russian Easter cheesecake, an unbaked pyramid of sweetened farmer's cheese studded with candied fruit, raisins, and almonds, served with a madeira-rum lemon sauce. Orthodox Easter in every bite.
Kahlua Eggnog Pie
Kahlua eggnog pie in a chocolate wafer crumb crust with a coffee-spiked custard filling lightened with whipped cream and meringue. A boozy, mousse-like holiday pie that chills overnight for effortless entertaining.
Classic Lebkuchen
Classic German Lebkuchen: spiced honey bars with almonds and candied citrus peel, glazed with lemon icing and dotted with cherries. Centuries-old Nuremberg Christmas tradition.
Christmas Jewels
Chewy molasses drop cookies loaded with candied fruit and warm spices like cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and allspice. These colorful Christmas Jewels look like stained glass on a cookie platter.
Crazy Quilt Bread
Quick loaf bread made with Bisquick, candied fruit, walnuts, and a hint of anise. Mix, pour, bake. A retro holiday bread that couldn't be simpler.
Miniature Fruitcake Jewels
Miniature fruitcake jewels are tiny muffin-tin fruitcakes loaded with candied fruit, red and green cherries, golden raisins, dates, and pecans, finished with a brandy glaze. Holiday gifting classic.
Peachy Bread
Peachy bread with sliced peaches, candied fruit, dates, raisins, walnuts, and mincemeat in a spiced brown sugar batter. A dense, fruit-packed holiday quick bread loaded with flavor.
Scottish Hot Cross Buns
Scottish hot cross buns with currants, candied citron, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon, finished with a sweet milk glaze. Traditional Easter baking with a Scottish twist on the classic.
