Candied Grapefruit Peel
Transform bitter grapefruit peels into a sweet snack with this easy candied grapefruit peel recipe. This candied peel is great on its own as a healthy snack or used in baking. Reduce food waste by preserving the peels as a candy!
Servings: 21 servings (3/person)
Calories: 37kcal
Ingredients
- 3 large grapefruit preferably organic
- 3 cups filtered water plus extra for blanching
- 3 cups granulated sugar plus extra for rolling
Instructions
Prepping the Grapefruit
- Clean: Soak the grapefruit in a large bowl of hot, soapy water and scrub them well to remove any wax or other residues. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a towel.
- Juice: Use a sharp knife to split the grapefruit in half crosswise. Juice them with a large citrus press or reamer, and reserve the juice for another use.
- Scrape: Use a grapefruit spoon (one with serrated edges) to scrape out the flesh and membranes left behind in the grapefruit halves. Discard the pulp.
- Slice: Cut each half into four pieces, then slice each piece into 1 cm strips.
Blanching the Peels
- Boil: Fill a large Dutch oven with enough water to cover the peels, then bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium, add the peels, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Shock: Immediately drain with a skimmer and shock them in a bowl of ice water to halt their cooking.
- Repeat: Repeat the blanching and shocking another 4 times for a total of 5 blanchings. Do not skip this step, as it is crucial to removing bitterness.
Candying the Peels
- Simple Syrup: Rinse out the pot, then pour in the filtered water and add the sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is simmering.
- Simmer: Drain the peels and add them to the syrup. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until they are translucent and soft.
- Drain: Use the skimmer to drain the peels, then spread them on wire racks set over rimmed cookie sheets to catch any drips of syrup.
- Dry: Bake at 180°F for 1 ½-2 hours, checking halfway through. They're done when they're mostly dry but still tacky. Alternatively, you can let them air dry, which can take from 8 hours up to 3 days.
- Roll in Sugar: Once they have dried out, roll them in extra granulated sugar to reduce stickiness. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place or in the freezer.
Notes
- Blanch the peels 5 times before simmering in the sugar syrup to prevent a bitter result.
- Keep the sugar syrup left over from simmering and use it to sweeten mocktails, tea, or in poke cakes.
- Don't want to dry them in the oven? Air dry instead. Depending upon the humidity, it could take as few as 8 hours or as long as 1-2 days.
- Roll in sugar while still tacky to reduce stickiness and to have a better presentation.
Nutrition
Serving: 3pieces | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.01g | Fat: 0.03g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 0.4IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.01mg
