Use some candied citrus as a sugary sweet garnish on any of your favorite cocktails. It’s the perfect way to elevate any creation and it’s extremely simple to make!
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About this Candied Citrus Recipe
Fresh citrus slices may be a super easy garnish, but if you want to take your drinks and desserts to the next level then you’ve got to try candied citrus! The sugary coating takes away the bitterness of the citrus peel and makes a fully edible treat that is so enjoyable in a way that biting into fresh sour fruit just… isn’t.
You can use any of your favorite kinds of citrus to make these sugary sweet slices. For example…
- Candied lime slices are just perfect on top of a margarita or key lime pie bars.
- Candy lemon slices are the best garnish for Lynchburg lemonade or fresh lemon bars.
- Candied orange are perfect for orange poppy seed cake and blood orange mimosas are great for candied blood oranges.
- Grapefruit candy slices would be pretty atop a fresh Paloma cocktail!
It’s truly the perfect way to add just a little something special to your homemade cocktails and desserts.
I think my favorite things about candied citrus and dehydrated citrus is that I can make them in bulk ahead of time and then store for my next party. Then I don’t even have to think about buying garnishes for party cocktails! There are so many perks to making this easy treat.
More garnish recipes: Dehydrated Orange Slices • Homemade Rock Candy • Sugared Cranberries
Why you’ll love this recipe
Make this easy recipe and you’ll see what all the hype is about:
- The glittery sugar on candied citrus is the perfect way to elevate the presentation of your cocktails. Now things will look as good as they taste!
- This is a wonderful way to use up an abundance of citrus. You can just slice up all that ripe fruit while it’s in season and turn it into candied slices of fun!
- Candied citrus is super easy to make, anyone can do it. Even if you’re not experienced, you can make this fun garnish.
Tools & equipment
To make some candied citrus you will need a large bowl for ice water and a large saucepan for the candying process. Make sure you have a very sharp knife and cutting board to easily slice up your fruit too. A glass measuring cup is all you need to measure out the sugar and water as well.
You will also need a wire rack and a large baking sheet to complete the drying process. If you plan to store your completed slices, then make sure you have a large airtight container and parchment paper in case you need to stack them.
Ingredients
You only need a few really simple ingredients to make this sugary citrus. Here’s the list of everything you’ll need:
- citrus: You can have some fun here, because you can pretty much candy any kind of citrus fruit, from lemons to grapefruits. In the next section I have a list of different types you can try!
- water: For the best flavor, I recommend using purified or filtered water especially if your tap water tends to have a funny flavor.
- sugar: Simple granulated white sugar is all you need to make a syrup for a coating. You can also use extra sugar to dust a coating onto the finished product. I recommend this because it adds more flavor, texture, and pretty finish to your candied slices.
Types of citrus to candy
If it’s citrus, you can probably candy it!
- oranges (I like Cara Cara and Valencia, but navel works too!)
- blood oranges
- mandarins, tangerines and clementines
- kumquats
- lemons (I prefer Meyer lemons.)
- limes (Key limes, Persian limes and blood limes would all work great)
- grapefruit
Instructions
No matter what citrus fruit you plan to use, you can follow these step-by-step instructions to easily candy them:
Prepare an ice bath in a bowl before you start. Then bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add the citrus slices —cook for 2 minutes. Remove the citrus with a slotted spoon and place directly into the ice bath.
If needed, add more water, then toss it. Begin the syrup with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. This process is called blanching and it makes the citrus peels less bitter.
Add sugar to the water and stir until dissolved. Bring to a simmer and then add citrus slices in a single layer. Don’t stir, but you can use tongs to flip them if they begin to cup — this helps them lie flat.
Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the fruit part of the slices are thinned. Larger fruits like oranges and grapefruits may take longer than smaller ones like lemons, limes and kumquats.
Place a wire baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Then remove the slices from the syrup and place on the wire rack. Let cool completely.
If desired, you can coat the slices in sanding sugar or granulated sugar.
Allow to cool and dry completely and then transfer to an airtight container to store.
Tips & tricks
Check out these simple tips before making the candied citrus:
- If you plan to make oranges and lemons together, the lemons will get a more orange color. If you would prefer they stay their pale yellow shade, then make them first. You can do the oranges after the lemon slices are complete.
- The blanching process is very important, so don’t skip it. It will make the citrus peels less bitter.
- Cut the fruit into even slices. You don’t want some thick slices and some thin slices or they’ll all be different textures, and they will be harder to candy.
How to use candied citrus
There are loads of different cocktails, desserts and other recipes that you can use candied citrus in. I think these little slices are fantastic on top of tarts, cakes, bars and any other sweet treat that needs a pretty topping. Orange slices are so pretty on top of orange cupcakes.
Cocktails like this mandarin orange gin and tonic and a blood orange whiskey sour would pair wonderfully with a sugary orange slice. Lemons would be super tasty on the rim of a glass of honey mango lemonade or lemon champagne punch too.
If you’d like, dip these sugary candied citrus slices in melted chocolate for extra sweetness. This would be an excellent fruity addition to a charcuterie board. So many fun options!
FAQ
Any kind you want! Oranges, limes, lemons, tangerines, kumquats, grapefruits and key limes are all fantastic options. Choose whatever you want!
Yes, blanching the slices of fruit will help make it less bitter. If you skip this process, you may not like the flavor of the finished product.
More citrus recipes
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Candied Citrus
ingredients
- 1 orange sliced thinly
- 1 lemon sliced thinly
- 1 lime sliced thinly
- 2 ½ cups water divided
- 2 cups sugar plus more for dusting if desired
instructions
- Prepare an ice bath in a bowl.
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the orange slices and cook for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath. Do this for all the citrus you plan to cook.
- If needed, add more water, then toss it. Begin the syrup with 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. This process is called blanching and it makes the citrus peels less bitter.
- Add sugar to the water and stir until dissolved. Bring to a simmer.
- Add citrus slices in a single layer. Don’t stir, but you can use tongs to flip them if they begin to cup — this helps them lie flat.
- Cook for 30-40 minutes, until the fruit part of the slices are thinned.
- Place a wire baking rack on a baking sheet. Remove the slices from the syrup and place on the wire rack. Let cool completely.
- If desired, you can coat the slices in sanding sugar or granulated sugar.
notes
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