How to Make Candied Lemon Peels – Learn how to candy lemon peels with this step-by-step tutorial. Easy candy recipe, only 2 ingredients required.
A few years ago I made an apple pudding from Sarah Josepha Hale, commonly known as “The Mother of Thanksgiving” in America. The historical recipe called for candied lemon peels. I’d never candied citrus peels before, so I looked at a few different tutorials online and read lots of reviews of recipes to determine the best way of going about it. After putting together the best aspects of each technique, I jumped right in and candied some peels.
Guess what? They turned out absolutely delish! I decided to post a tutorial here on my site. It’s a fun, economical food project that you can make with peels you might normally discard. They taste kind of like chewy lemon drops. My husband is addicted.
Now that I know how to make candied citrus peels, I’ll be setting aside my unused lemon peels and orange peels when I cook, reserving them for candying. Uncandied peels will last for about a week in an airtight re-sealable bag in the fridge. Candied peels will last for months, especially if you dust them in sugar. They’d make a super fun homemade food gift for the holidays… put them in a pretty Mason jar with a ribbon and a tag. You can dip them in white or dark chocolate for an extra special treat!
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How to Make Candied Lemon Peels
Ingredients
- 4 organic lemons
- 3 1/4 cups sugar, divided
- A saucepan
- 4 ounces white chocolate or dark chocolate (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the lemons into four quarters lengthwise.
- Peel the lemon flesh away from the peels. Reserve for another use.
- Use a small, sharp-edged spoon to scrape the tough fibrous parts off of the inner peel, leaving a thin layer of white left behind on the peel.
- Slice the peels into thin strips.
- Alternatively, for thinner and daintier decorative peels, you can use a serrated peeler to scrape yellow strips from the exterior of the lemon peel. Cut those peels into thin slices.
- Place the peels into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a rolling boil for 30 seconds.
- Drain the peels in a colander.Cover with water again. Bring to a boil for 30 seconds, then drain again in a colander. The boil and drain process helps to cook out any bitter flavor from the peels. You can boil and drain up to three times, but I usually only do it twice because the lemon flavor is weakened each time you do it.
- When you're finished boiling and draining, pour 4 cups of water into the saucepan along with 3 cups of sugar. Stir with a whisk while the water heats, till all of the sugar is dissolved.
- Add peels to the saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer. Let the peels simmer for 60-90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Different sized peels will take different amounts of time to cook. The peels are ready when they're transparent and easy to bite through. Err on the side of cooking them longer, if you're unsure... undercooked peels will have a slightly bitter flavor.
- Drain the peels. If you want to, you can strain the peels through a mesh strainer, letting the liquid stream into a jar. The leftover lemon flavored simple syrup can be used to flavor drinks and cocktails. It will be a thick syrup, and sugar crystals may collect in the jar over time. You can reconstitute the syrup by adding water and stirring over moderate heat if the syrup becomes overly thick.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the peels out in an even layer on the parchment. Let the peels cool for about 15 minutes until tacky to the touch.
- Pour 1/4 cup of sugar into a small bowl. Dip the peels into the sugar till coated. Sugar coating the peels will add sweetness and help to keep them from sticking together.
- Alternatively, you may let the peels dry as-is for a deeper yellow color and a gel-like texture.
- Place the peels back on the parchment. Let them dry for 2-3 hours longer if they are sugar coated, and overnight if they are not.At this point, you can serve them, or you can dip them in chocolate. For a batch of lemon peels, you will need about 4 ounces of chocolate (dark or white).
- Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave for 60 seconds, or until you can stir the chocolate to a smooth consistency. You can also melt the chocolate using a double boiler. Dip the candied peels one at a time into the chocolate, so they are coated halfway up the peel.
- Place the dipped peels on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them dry for 30-45 minutes.
- These candied peels make a great homemade gift. They will last in a sealed jar for a few months. If you're jarring them and giving them away, I recommend sugar-coating the peels to keep them from sticking to each other. Thicker peels are more candy-like, and taste similar to lemon drops.
- Thinner peels (using a serrated peeler) will dry curly and slightly crunchy. They're perfect for decorating daintier dishes like cakes and cupcakes.
- The chocolate-dipped peels are a personal favorite of mine. I especially like the lemon peels dipped in white chocolate.
RacerRex says
I’m going to blame myself rather than the recipe, since many others were pleased with the results, but both the end product and my experience was bitter. I had a really hard time scraping the pith – I went as far as I could without breaking the peels. I used a paring knife and spoon, but maybe a bristled brush would have served better. I then simmered for 2.5 hrs, until I thought the syrup was going to turn to candy, and still not all the peels were translucent. The peels were 1/4″ thick per the recipe. Maybe boiling/draining more times would have helped, but I won’t be trying this again to find out.
Cynthia Kamphefner says
These peels were simple to make but required a little bit of effort. I will definitely make them again. I decorated a lemon cake with them and they were a big hit with guests. I think I’ll try this method with orange peels, too.
Diana says
These are delicious! I am making ricotta pie for Easter, and plan to top with fresh whipped cream and the candied lemon peels! Can’t wait!!
Tara says
This is my new favorite recipe!! Thank you!! Question: how long will they keep in tupperware-type container?
Tom Mason says
I have been making Lemoncello for a while now and throwing away the lemon peels after they have been in the good vodka (Titos) for 2 weeks when I stumbled on this receipe. I skip the blanching and go strait to the boil in simple syrup and simmer for 90 minutes. Then sugar most of them. but just drying the the rest. Having previously been marinated in vodka. They are great both ways
Cynthia Kinsella says
Can you post your lemoncello recipe pls . I Love it in the summer keeping it in the freezer
MB says
Thanks for the great recipe and easy instructions. Really nice recipe 🙂
Epsilon says
Unfortunately, when I got done with it, I ended up with very very bitter Lemon Peels and followed the instructions to letter.
Tori Avey says
Hi Epsilon, that is strange. If you read through the comments you’ll see that others have had a much better result. Did you boil and strain the peels once, twice or three times? Only once can leave you with bitter peels. Twice usually takes the bitterness out. You can do it up to three times without losing too much lemon essence. You can actually taste a peel after boiling and draining to see how bitter it tastes; if it is still bitter, feel free to boil and strain again until the bitterness is removed. Good luck!
Nick says
I’ve been trying to find something like this for a few year now. Mother, rest her soul made some candied lemon wedges for me once. She took her method to the grave and I haven’t had a taste since. This looks the closest to what she made. I don’t know why but the end result was a disc shape. She used the whole lemon too. For the life of me I can’t figure out how she did it!
Sarah Dushkin says
Hi Tori,
Would the candied lemon peels come out as good if I use artificial sugar like stevia rather than real sugar?
Tori Avey says
Hi Sarah– I have not tried this with stevia, but I don’t think it will work because sugar has preservative properties that stevia lacks. I don’t believe it will “candy” the same way it does with sugar.
pam says
I made ginger candy for gifts and the syrup
Mary says
I am in the process of making limoncello and would like to use the peels for your candied lemon peels recipe. Do you think they would still be fine to use (even though they have been soaked in vodka)? I’m thinking the flavor may even be better…
Tori Avey says
Great question, Mary… honestly I’m not sure. Definitely worth trying!
laura says
i LOVE your site more and more!!!!!!!!! at this time of year psycopathy kicks in because three lemon trees, eight orange trees, and six tangerines are dropping all their fruit at once and the grapefruit still has 10 to 20 globes left. i truly hate waste and now i have something else to do with the trash cans full of citrus peel besides trying to compost them which takes a looooooonnngg time. my handicapped daughter can use a hand squasher to do the juicing and the lemon peels survived well enough to transform into delectable edibles with this magical recipe. thank you soooooo much!!!!!!!!!! the limones mexicanos are easier to handle than the meyers but i didn’t know if the thinner skin would be problematic in the sugar bath. nope, not at all they work great in this recipe and in the preserving with salt recipe as well, i did not alter either recipe and they are great.. thankyou again.
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Laura! I agree, it’s so nice to be able to use up those extra peels in a way that will be enjoyed by all. 🙂
Clara says
This was awesome. We’ve done watermelon rinds and wondered about orange peels (because we eat a lot of oranges LOL). My kids loved helping! We used the leftover orange syrup for sweet tea 🙂
RuthAdler says
For the past few years I have used chopped up candied peels, when I make my sweet Yom Tov challahs. (Kneaded into the dough along with raisins and dried cranberries)
It’s always a crowd pleaser
Ruth Adler says
Have you ever used the left over syrup to cook a second batch of peels? I wonder if this would work
Tori Avey says
Hi Ruth, it may work, but I would worry that the syrup might become overly thick with prolonged cooking. You may need to add some water to thin it out a bit if reusing. Also, be sure to boil the peels twice in clean water beforehand– don’t skip that step or you’ll end up with bitter peels.
Silvia Pollack says
My mother used to make these for Hannukah…also Ginger and other fruits…what was left ( when there was any left) was put into a metal tin with a fitting lid…more sugar added and stored for summer. I remember when she pulled out the tin and we was all surrounding the table picking the “BEST” pieces… What a feast it was. Thank you so much for bringing back memories and sharing a recipe that surely will stay in my family now 🙂
Tori Avey says
Such a sweet memory Silvia! Thank you for sharing <3
Brittney says
Tori, we loved these thanks for the recipe! I was wondering though, what could I use the syrup for exactly? I was thinking of slicing up the leftover lemons and making lemonade but I’m thinking the syrup might be too sweet. Any ideas you have would be great!
Tori Avey says
Lemonade would be great, but only use enough syrup to sweeten it to taste. I’ve also used it to sweeten drinks and cocktails for a bright, lemony burst of sweetness. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, no need to use it all at once. 🙂
Lori A says
My 10 yr old grandson and I made these today. He had an unexpected day off from school and we decided to make homemade lemon drops. The drops came out great! I hate wasting anything so we saved the lemon skins and made these candied peels. They came out perfectly! I flavored the sugar with lemon extract before dipping the peels. We had fun doing this. Next time we’re doing an orange. Thanks!
Tori Avey says
So glad this was a fun project for you both Lori 🙂
Ibbs says
its gr8….im trying dis..!!!
Eleanor says
I am going to try this with lemon peels. Thank you.