You can make these candied lemon slices easily and decorate your cakes, tarts and other baked goods or simply enjoy these delicious treats as snacks.
Today I am republishing my old post from Jan 15, 2017, with extra information and new photos.
Candied lemon slices are delicious edible treats that you can enjoy as snacks or you can take your desserts to another level by decorating them with these candy lemon slices.
The steps are very easy; you need to slice the lemons very thin, make a syrup and let the lemon slices simmer in the syrup until the slices are translucent. Then you can dry them in the oven (my preference) or at room temperature.
Ingredients you’ll need
You can find the exact quantities at the bottom of my post, in the recipe card.
- Lemon-You can use 2 medium lemons. This recipe makes 16 slices but actually, I get 9-10 pieces from each slice. As I don’t want them to overlap in the pan, I use 16 slices.
- Sugar-I use granulated sugar to make this candy.
- Water-I use water to make a simple syrup but I also use it in my optional step: blanching. You can read more about below why I prefer blanching.
Optional Blanching Step
I made these candied lemon slices without blanching many times but once I made them, the rinds of the lemons were hard to bite so I decided to add blanching as an optional step.
Blanching is usually done to avoid bitter taste but I don’t find it necessary for the candied lemon slices, so here I add this step to avoid hard rinds, just in case.
Step by step instructions
First I wash the lemon. I cut two ends and slice the rest into ⅛ to ⅙ inch (3-4mm) thick slices either with a chef’s knife or a serrated knife. Then I gently remove the seeds.
If you cut the slices thinner than this, the centers will almost disappear as they will boil in syrup in the next step. So I don’t suggest cutting any thinner than ⅛ to ⅙ inch (3-4mm). If you like, you can carefully use a mandoline slicer to cut the slices evenly.
If you want to blanch the lemon slices, now is the time. I suggest doing it to soften the rind for the reasons I mentioned above previously.
To blanch the slices, I place them in a large pan, cover with enough water and bring them to a boil at medium heat. I reduce the heat to medium-low and let the slices simmer for 5 minutes.
While the slices are simmering, I fill a large bowl with cold water and ice.
After 5 minutes of simmering, I remove the lemon slices with a slotted spoon and place them in ice-cold water. This step is to avoid the lemon slices cooking while I am preparing the syrup in the next step.
I start making the syrup by placing water and sugar into the same large pan over medium heat and stirring with a spoon/spatula until the sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar dissolves, I add the lemon slices and let them simmer at medium-low heat without stirring for almost 22 minutes or until the slices become translucent.
Usually, around 22 minutes, there are many mini bubbles on top of the slices and this is when I remove the pan from the heat. Don’t let the syrup turn into a dark color as it gives a bitter taste.
I use tongs to remove the slices, let the excess syrup drip off back into the pan and place them on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
I dry candied lemon slices in the oven at low temperature for 1 hour. In some cases, you can use these slices soft. You can check frequently asked questions below to check how I use them.
Alternatively, you can dry them at room temperature for almost 24 hours but I find the oven method more practical.
They will be a little sticky to the touch in both options.
I hope you find the instructions helpful, make and enjoy these candied lemon slices!
You can store the slices at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you store them as layers, you should place parchment paper between the layers to avoid sticking.
After you make these candied lemon slices, you can place them on top of your cakes or other baked goods to decorate while they are still soft.
If you want to serve them straight on top of a mousse or other desserts, you should let them dry.
You can enjoy dried candy as a snack.
Or, you can cover the dried slices with granulated sugar and enjoy them as a snack or garnish your desserts this way.
Also, you can dip the dried slices into your choice of melted chocolate and serve as a snack or garnish your desserts this way.
Definitely! I use them to sweeten my tea. It gives a light lemon flavor.
You can flavor your plain yogurt with this syrup.
I use honey in my healthy lemonade but you can use this simple syrup as a base of your homemade lemonade. You’ll need to squeeze fresh lemon juice and combine it with the syrup and add extra water. If you search the internet, you can find lemonade recipes with simple syrup.
Other lemon recipes you may enjoy!
I love hearing from you! If you try this recipe or my other recipes please leave a comment and give a star rating!
Candied Lemon Slices
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 240 grams (1 cup) water
- 210 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the lemon well. Cut into ⅛ to ⅙ inch (3-4mm) thick slices with a sharp (chef's) knife, serrated knife or a mandoline slicer. Remove the seeds gently.
- Optional: If you prefer to blanch the lemon slices to soften the rinds, place the lemon slices in a pan, cover with enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boils, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. While it is simmering, fill a large bowl with cold water and ice. After 5 minutes, remove the slices with a slotted spoon and place them into ice-cold water while you prepare the syrup.
- Put the water and sugar in a medium pan and place it over med-low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- When the sugar dissolves, add the lemon slices. Let the slices simmer without stirring at medium-low heat for 22 minutes or until they are translucent. Around 22 minutes, there should be many mini bubbles on top of the slices and this is when you should remove the pan from the heat. Don't let the syrup become dark in color as it will give a bitter taste.
- Take the slices from the pan with tongs and let the excess syrup drip off back into the pan. Place the slices on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Dry them at low temperature – 200°F(95C°) for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can dry them uncovered at room temperature; it takes almost 24 hours to dry. They will be little sticky to the touch in both options.
Notes
If you want to serve them straight on top of a mousse or other desserts, you should let them dry.
You can enjoy dried candy as a snack.
You can cover the dried slices with granulated sugar and enjoy them as a snack or garnish your desserts this way.
You can dip the dried slices into your choice of melted chocolate and serve as a snack or garnish your desserts this way. How to use this syrup that is left in the pan? You can sweeten your tea. It gives a light lemon flavor. You can flavor your plain yogurt.
You can use this simple syrup as a base for your homemade lemonade. You’ll need to squeeze fresh lemon juice and combine it with the syrup and add extra water. If you search the internet, you can find lemonade recipes with simple syrup. I don’t add the calorie information as most of the syrup is left in the pan. So it wouldn’t be the right estimate. If I would assume that I use all the syrup, it would be 52 calories per slice.
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