This Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel recipe is delicious any time of the year. It makes a wonderful gift to give, tastes delicious in baked recipes, and is yummy to snack on.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel
- Ingredients
- Kitchen Tools

Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel

Hi Everyone! Did you know that I love making my own candied lemon (or any citrus really) to snack on?

I love that you can make a huge amount of this Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel in your own home kitchen instead of paying a lot for the same amount in a candy store.

I made 2 versions for the photos pictured, an air-dried version that is tossed in sugar, and an oven-dried version that is not tossed sugared (but sweet from the sugar-cardamom syrup it’s cooked in).

I go into more detail about how you can customize the recipe in the recipe card below.

Cardamom is a lovely spice that you can find in the spice aisle of your grocery store.

I use them to make Rum Babas from time to time and the subtle floral essence complements the lemon flavor very well.

This Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel can be customized further by adding different spices (like cloves, if you wish) or skipping the cardamom to make plain Candied Lemon Peel.

This recipe would be so great to give in jars to family or friends, especially for any upcoming holidays 🙂

It’s simple to just double or triple the recipe if you wish to make a large batch.

Ingredients

3 lemons, seeds removed, washed and cut in 1/4 inch long slices
8 cups cold water, or more as needed
2 cups white granulated sugar, or more, if doubling or tripling the recipe
1-2 cardamom pods

FOR TOSSING (OPTIONAL)

1/4 cup white granulated sugar, for tossing when peel is dry, optional

Kitchen Tools

Measuring spoons and cups
chef’s knife
cutting board
large mesh strainer
citrus squeezer
2-cup wet measure
large pot, with lid
air-tight storage container with lid

Web Story

I like to snack on the lemon peel with coffee or while watching a show (instead of potato chips) and it’s a nice alternative to conventional candies.

I used a Dutch Oven with a clear lid to cook them in because it’s large enough to make a double or triple batch.

I like that it has a clear lid so I can see if the water is boiling.

Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

This Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel recipe is delicious any time of the year. It makes a wonderful gift to give, tastes delicious in baked recipes, and is yummy to snack on.

Ingredients

3 lemons, seeds removed, washed and cut in 1/4 inch long slices
8 cups cold water, or more as needed
2 cups white granulated sugar, or more, if doubling or tripling the recipe
1-2 cardamom pods

For tossing (optional)

1/4 cup white granulated sugar, for tossing when peel is dry, optional

Instructions

In a medium-large pot or Dutch oven, bring water and cut lemon peel to a boil. When the water is boiling, drain the lemon peel using a colander, do this 2 more times with fresh water each time (a total of 3 times).
Combine 2 cups fresh water with 2 cups white granulated sugar in the same pot. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar in the water and then reduce the heat to low. Stir in the lemon peels. Simmer until the white pith is translucent and turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel in a Jar with Sugar Syrup

You can store the peels in the sugar syrup in a jar if you want them to be wet. If you want to do this, I suggest straining the syrup to remove any seeds or cardamom pods. I suggest using mason jars for storage and keep them in the refrigerator.

Dried Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel (with Sugared option)

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. You can clip down the paper on the edges with binder clips to keep the paper in place. Place the drained lemon peel in rows on the sheet evenly spaced out. (You can reserve the lemon cardamom sugar syrup in a jar to use for another recipe if you with or discard.) You can allow the lemon peel to air dry which can take several hours depending on the heat and humidity in your home. To dry them more quickly you can preheat the oven to a LOW setting, 250 degrees F. Allow them to dry in the closed oven for 45-60 minutes depending on how dry you want them. Make sure you check on them periodically so they do not over dry. After they are dry to your desire, toss them in 1/4 cup (or more. if needed) white granulated sugar. Store in air-tight containers/mason jars at room temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

This Candied Lemon Cardamom Peel can be customized further by adding different spices (like cloves, if you wish) or skipping the cardamom to make plain Candied Lemon Peel.

You can make this recipe to your liking in terms of chewiness and I would suggest, just testing out the lemon peel as it dries to it gets to the perfect desired chewiness.

I would suggest not adding the sugar when the lemon peel is still wet because it causes the sugar to crystallize – unless, of course, that’s what you are going for.