Candied orange peel is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 55 recipes to get you started.

What is candied orange peel?

Candied orange peel is strips of orange rind that have been blanched to tame the bitterness, then simmered slowly in sugar syrup until they turn soft, translucent, and chewy. The peel drinks up the syrup, so each piece is sweet through and through.

Underneath that sweetness sits a bright, slightly bitter orange edge that keeps it from cloying.

You buy it diced for baking or in long strips meant for dipping in chocolate. Either way it keeps the perfume of fresh orange in a form that survives months in the cupboard and an hour in a hot oven.

It is the grown-up cousin of the dyed glace mix, all citrus and no filler.

How to Use Candied Orange Peel

Baking is where it earns its keep. Chopped fine, it flecks holiday cookies like Alsatian Christmas Cookies and the spiced Swiss Basel Honey-Spice Cookies (Basel Leckerli), and it perfumes rich breads such as Homemade Candied Orange Peel Bread and panettone.

It is the backbone of fruitcake, going into Merry Christmas Fruitcake and many others, and it is the signature note inside Italian pastries like Sfogliatelle Napoletane and the ricotta filling of Italian Cheesecake with Candied Orange & Lemon Peel.

For a finishing touch, leave the strips long, half-dip them in dark chocolate, and let them set on parchment. They make an easy candy and a striking garnish on cakes or a cheese board.

Making Your Own

It is one of the simplest things to make from scratch, and homemade beats most store versions. Cut the peel from oranges into strips, then boil them in fresh water three times, draining each time, to pull out the harsh bitterness.

Then simmer the blanched peel gently in equal parts sugar and water until the strips go glossy and translucent, usually 45 minutes to an hour. Lift them out and roll in granulated sugar, then dry on a rack for a day.

Save the leftover orange syrup. It is intensely flavored and goes straight into cocktails or a glaze for the next cake.

Pairing and Substitutes

Orange peel sits naturally with dark chocolate, almond, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and warm spirits like brandy and Grand Marnier. The bitterness keeps it from cloying, which is why it cuts through dense, sugary bakes so well.

If you are out of it, candied lemon peel is the closest swap, a touch sharper and less floral. In a pinch, fresh orange zest plus a little extra sugar gives the aroma, though it brings none of the chew, so use about half as much.

The classic mistake is leaving too much white pith on the peel. Pith is where the bitterness lives, so scrape the strips fairly thin before candying, or buy a brand that has trimmed it.

Storage

Keep candied orange peel in an airtight container in a cool, dark spot. It stays good for about 6 months at room temperature and closer to a year if you refrigerate it, since the sugar does most of the preserving.

Tossing the pieces in a little extra sugar before sealing keeps them from clumping into one sticky mass. If they do dry out and stiffen, a few seconds of steam or a short warm soak brings the chew back.

For long keeping, the freezer holds it for a year or more. Bring it back to room temperature before chopping.

Quick facts

Where to find candied orange peel: Candied orange peel is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

蜜饯橘皮

British (UK) term

Candied orange peel

en français

écorces d'oranges confites

en español

cáscara de naranja confitada

Recipes using candied orange peel

There are 55 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 55 recipes

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