Make homemade Candied Orange Slices to enjoy during the holiday season or anytime. They come together with only three ingredients – oranges, sugar and water. Enjoy them on their own or on top of cakes, cupcakes and more!
It’s relatively easy to make candied orange slices from scratch. You only need three ingredients including water.
These chewy candied orange slices taste just like the ones you can find at Trader Joes and other food stores. But instead of buying them at the grocery store, you can make them at home.
Use them to decorate desserts, as a garnish on a cheeseboard or a sweet holiday gift for friends and neighbors. Or simply enjoy them as a sweet treat!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can make this recipe using fresh oranges any time of the year.
- Candied fruit is the perfect edible gift or garnish for desserts during the holidays.
- It’s an easy recipe with only 3 ingredients!
Ingredients You Need
This recipe comes together easily with just two ingredients and water!
- Oranges: Although you can use any kind of orange or tangerine for this recipe, clementines or mandarin oranges are the preferred choice because they are smaller oranges and have a sweeter flavor. You can also use blood oranges, valencia oranges, navel oranges and cara cara oranges.
- Granulated Sugar: The granulated sugar is necessary to make these “candied.”
- Water
Kitchen Tools Needed
In addition to the ingredients, you will need a sharp knife or mandolin, saucepan, liquid thermometer or candy thermometer and a wire cooling rack set over a large baking sheet.
How to Make Candied Orange Slices
Although it is a multi-step process, the process to make candied oranges is relatively simple. The longest part is waiting for the oranges to dry.
- Boil the oranges in water: Carefully slice oranges into 1/4-inch slices. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add the orange slices and boil them for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool. Boiling the oranges helps remove any bitterness in the peel and rind. The ice bath prevents the oranges from cooking any further.
- Heat the water and sugar to make the simple syrup: Discard the boiled water and add 1 1/2 fresh cups of water to the saucepan along with the granulated sugar. Set the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally as the sugar dissolves and reaches a temperature of between 200-215 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the orange slices to the sugar mixture to candy the oranges: Add the orange slices and let the syrup return to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the orange rinds are slightly translucent. Gently stir the oranges every 10 minutes to ensure they are evenly coated.
- Dry the oranges: Remove the saucepan from the heat and use a fork or slotted spoon to transfer the slices to a wire cooling rack set over a large baking sheet. Arrange them in a single layer. Immediately sprinkle the tops with a bit more sugar if desired, then allow them to cool and dry for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. A wire rack helps any excess sugar syrup drip off of the oranges, but if you don’t have a wire rack, you can just use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry the oranges.
If you want even more sugar on the oranges, you can coat them in more sugar after they dry.
Recipe Tips
- Make evenly sized orange slices, not too thin or thick. If you slice them too thick, they will take longer to dry. If they are too thin, they will not hold their shape. 3-4mm thick is the ideal thickness. You can use a mandolin to slice to the preferred thickness.
- Use small oranges: While you can use any type of orange for this recipe, smaller sized oranges are preferred. Smaller oranges result in a sweeter flavor and better texture.
- Don’t skip steps! This recipe works because each step is important for the entire process. Boiling the oranges on their own removes the bitterness is the orange peels, while the ice bath helps keep them firm. Skipping any steps in the process will yield varying results.
- Cover the candied oranges in chocolate. Yes, chocolate makes these orange slices even better. Melt chocolate and dip half or the entire whole orange slice in the melted chocolate. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let the chocolate harden. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate works great!
- Use lemons or limes to make other candied citrus slices. You can use this recipe with any citrus fruits. Make candied lemons or candied lime slices too.
- Enjoy them in a variety of ways. Use these candied oranges as a garnish on a fun cocktail with ice cream or layered on your favorite sweet treats.
Storage
You can store these in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. However, if keeping them longer than a week, it is best to store these in the refrigerator or freezer.
Did you try these candied orange slices? If so, please leave a review and recipe rating below.
Easy Candied Orange Slices
Ingredients
- 4 small oranges, (clementines or mandarin oranges are best)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water, plus more for boiling
Instructions
- Carefully slice the oranges into 1/4-inch slices. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan set over high heat. Add the orange slices and boil them for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool.
- Discard the boiled water and add 1 1/2 fresh cups of water to the saucepan along with the granulated sugar. Set the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat and stir the mixture occasionally as the sugar dissolves and reaches a temperature between 200 to 215 degrees Fahrenheit. (Use a liquid thermometer to check the temperature.)
- Add the orange slices and let the syrup return to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the orange rinds are slightly translucent. Gently stir the oranges every 10 minutes to ensure they are evenly coated.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and use a fork to transfer the slices to a wire cooling rack set over a large baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle the tops with a bit more sugar if desired, then allow them to cool and dry for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
I’m saving that wonderful orange syrup for tea…these are yummy