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These candied orange peels with honey are a refined sugar-free candied orange peel recipe where fresh orange peels are candied in honey. They are perfect to snack on or to use in other recipes!
I LOVE any recipe with candied orange peels inside of it. Chocolate and candied orange peels are a particular favorite and this flavor combination inspired me to try to make a healthier candied orange peel recipe.
All you need is 3 ingredients to make a refined sugar-free version of candied orange peels.
I used two different recipes for guidance. One from Bright Eyed Baker and one from Allrecipes.com.
Once I got the hang of what I would need to do, I created a version of Paleo candied orange peels made with honey instead of refined white sugar.
Why this recipe works:
- You only need 3 ingredients!
- You can make candied orange peels without sugar when you use honey.
- These are wonderful if you are following a Paleo diet.
- You can use these to cover in chocolate or make other desserts like this chocolate orange fudge.
- If you are avoiding refined white sugar, this is a good alternative.
Recipe Ingredients:
- Oranges– naval oranges are what I used.
- Honey– any kind of honey works.
- Water– bottled or tap water.
Step by step Instructions:
Step 1: Grab two fresh navel oranges. Cut ¼ inch off from each end of each orange, and “score” the peel/ rind into quarters.
- To score the peel, gently yet firmly press into the orange peel with a knife until you feel a bit of a pop and the knife goes through the white pith of the orange.
- Peel off the rind section by section.
Cut each orange peel into quarters, you should have 8 large pieces of orange peel.
Step 2: Cut the peels into ¼ inch strips.
Step 3: Fill a pan with water, put the strips of orange peels inside, and boil them for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, drain the orange peels and let them dry in a colander/ strainer.
Step 4: Put 1 cup of water and 1 cup of honey into a pan and bring the mixture to a boil.
Let this cook for 5 minutes on medium-high heat and then 5 minutes on medium heat mixing often to keep the bubbles down. The result is a golden syrup.
Step 5: Add the orange peels to the syrup and let everything simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes. Cook the orange peels until they became translucent.
Tip: Check regularly that there is sauce in the pan during the 45 minutes because if it runs out, the orange peels will burn.
Step 6: Remove the candied orange peels from the pan and let them dry on parchment paper for 10 minutes.
They dry surprisingly fast.
Recipe FAQs:
Gently yet firmly press into the orange peel with a knife until you feel a bit of a pop and the knife goes through the white pith of the orange. Don’t go deep enough to hit the fruit of the orange.
This process is much easier with oranges that have a thicker white part, or pith. Then peel off the rind section by section.
Because you didn’t boil them in water first. Step 3 of the instructions includes boiling them for 20 minutes prior to candying them.
You can dunk them in chocolate. You can add them to brownies, cookies or muffins. You can also eat them plain!
Other orange desserts you’ll love:
These Chocolate Orange Fudgy Brownies are my favorite chocolate orange dessert. It’s fudgy brownie amazingness but with an orange zing!
I love these Paleo Orange Cranberry Muffins. They are tart yet sweet and have a wonderful flavor.
Other candied citrus recipes worth checking out:
These Candied Lemon Slices from Running to the Kitchen are made with just 3 ingredients and look delish!
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Candied Orange Peels with Honey (Paleo)
Ingredients
- 2 navel oranges
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup honey
Instructions
- Cut ¼ inch off from each end of each orange. Then score the skin into quarters. Press gently yet firmly into the orange peels with a knife until there is a bit of a pop and you go through the white pith of the orange. Make sure to stop before hitting the orange fruit.
- Then, using your hands, remove the skin from the orange, including the pith (white part). You should have 8 larger pieces of orange peel.
- Cut the peels into ¼ inch strips.
- Put the strips of orange peels into a large pan, fill the pan with water and bring it all to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cook for 20 minutes, drain using a colander/strainer and set aside.
- Mix, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of honey in a large pan and heat on the stove top over high heat until the mixture boils ( about 1-1.5 minutes), then lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook for another 5 mins. Make sure to mix periodically at the start, and then to mix it often to keep the bubbles down. The result will be a golden syrup.
- Add the peels to the syrup and heat over low-medium. Let everything simmer for 45 minutes. (Check regularly to make sure that there is always a little bit of syrup in there because if it runs out, it will burn)
- The candied orange peels are done when they are translucent.
- Remove the orange peels from the pan, and lay them out to dry on parchment paper for about 10 mins.
Notes
- Gently yet firmly press into the orange peel with a knife until you feel a bit of a pop and the knife goes through the white pith of the orange. Don’t go deep enough to hit the fruit of the orange. Then peel off the rind section by section.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made candied orange peel for the holidays for years but decided to try honey instead of sugar, for a healthier version. Found your recipe, which looked perfect. Everything went fine, although it did take over 2 hours of boiling for them to turn translucent. I like to dip one end in melted chocolate and give these as gifts. Very well received!
What a great gift! I love dipping them in chocolate.