Candied Citrus Peel

This simple Candied Citrus Peel recipe transforms your leftover citrus peels into a delectable holiday candy! Give them as a fun homemade gift or chop them up for topping yogurt and cereal for yourself. If you’re feeling overly decadent, dip them in dark chocolate for a sweet treat perfect for gift giving!

Candied Citrus Peel

If there’s one thing I love more than cooking healthy food, it’s reducing my food waste. I could go and find some statistic to tell you exactly how much food the average American wastes each year, but in the essence of getting straight to talking about this candied citrus peel, I’ll just say that it’s a LOT. So while it would be a stretch to call this Candied Citrus Peel healthy, it’s great for turning what would be food waste into a delicious, delectable treat!

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To make this Candied Rainbow Citrus Peel you’ll need:

• 1 grapefruit
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 3 limes
• 2 cups sugar (+ more for coating)
• Water

Kitchen tools you’ll find helpful:

• Wire cooling rack
• Large saucepan
• Slotted spoon
• small cellophane bags (for gift giving)

The great thing about this recipe is it’s super adaptable. You essentially just need 3 cups of citrus peel, so you can use whichever fruit is your favorite. Serve them rolled in sugar, or dip them in chocolate and package them into holiday gifts. Eat them for dessert, or serve them chopped on your morning yogurt or oatmeal. The possibilities are endless!

Candied Rainbow Citrus Peel

This simple Candied Rainbow Citrus Peel recipe transforms your leftover citrus peels into a delectable holiday candy! Give them as a fun homemade gift or chop them up for topping yogurt and cereal for yourself.

5 from 2 votes

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Servings: 4 cups

1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 grapefruit
• ▢ 2 oranges
• ▢ 2 lemons
• ▢ 3 limes
• ▢ 2 cups sugar + more for coating
• ▢ Water

Before You Begin

*The purpose of this process is to remove a lot of the bitterness from the peel. The number of boil/drain repetitions totally depends on your peels (thickness, size), and your taste, but I found 3 to 4 repetitions to be about right.

Instructions

• Use a paring knife to slice just through the peel from the top to the bottom of your citrus, cutting into fourths or eighths, depending on how thick you want your candies to be. Gently peel off the skin (save the fruit for another recipe).
• Place all peels in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, then drain. Cover with cold water again, bring to a boil again, and drain. Repeat this boil/drain process 3 to 4 times, or until a small bite of grapefruit peel isn’t overly bitter.*
• Gently scrape off any mushy white bits that may be left on the inside of the peel.
• In a large pot, combine peels, 2 cups sugar, and 1 cup cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium/high heat, stirring occasionally, until the peels are translucent (about 40 minutes).
• Use a slotted spoon to remove peels and place them on a wire cooling rack. Let cool and dry overnight.
• FInish off candied peels by rolling in fine sugar. At this point, you can also dip half of each in chocolate.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few months.

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