Homemade Mixed Peel

Or candied peel as it is more commonly known in the USA.

It's one of those pantry items that I only really make for the holidays or for specific recipes.  I don't buy it at the store because I find it's usually quite expensive, and I've always preferred homemade, it tastes so much better.

It's easy to make, and you can change it up according to your recipe needs.  Usually, I have a mix of orange and lemon, sometimes orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit.

For this batch I went with orange, lemon and grapefruit, and the mixed peel will be used for my Hot Cross Buns on Sunday.

Mixed Peel

Peel from a whole orange
Peel from a whole lemon
Peel from a grapefruit (I don't use the huge grapefruits, just one of the smaller ones, or half of a really big one)


I try to get just the peel and none of the white pith as it makes it too bitter for my liking.

Take all the peels together, and chop them up into tiny little chunks.  Some people like to leave the peel whole, that is fine too, but I prefer it finely chopped.

Take the chopped peels and add them to a saucepan.  Add water just to cover the peels, turn on the heat and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes.   Drain that water out, add fresh water to cover the peels and repeat the process.

Do that step 2 or 3 times.  The last time, don't drain the water, but add in 1/2 cup of sugar, stir well and let it simmer for a while until the peels turn translucent.  Depending on how much and the size of the peels you have in the pot, it may take anything from a few minutes to an hour to really get them translucent.

Remove the peels onto a plate.   Let them cool down a little, then sprinkle some sugar on to coat.

Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.  Mine usually last about two weeks, but I don't make a very big batch, usually just enough for the recipes that I'm using that day or week.