How to Make Candied Lemon Slices: Zero Waste Recipe

Candied lemon slices are incredibly easy to make, and can be eaten as is, or serve as a gorgeous garnish for baked goods. Learn how to make and use candied lemon slices here.

The process of candying fruit has been around since the 14th century and was used as a way to preserve fruit. Candying simply means to saturate the fruit in a heated sugary syrup to essentially replace the moisture in the fruit with sugar, allowing it to last longer. We’re going to show you two methods to make your own candied lemon slices. Once you get the hang of it, you can also use the following process for any citrus fruit – it’s that easy. 

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Candied Lemon Slices

Ingredients: 

• 2 lemons (locally-sourced, when available)
• ½ cup raw honey 
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice 

How to Make Candied Lemon Slices:

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the lemons into thin slices (¼ inch thick) and remove any seeds. 
2. Add honey and lemon juice to a frying pan and stir to combine. 
3. Add the lemon slices and cook over a medium heat – the mixture should bubble. 
4. Turn the lemon slices over a few times during the cooking process.
5. Once the liquid has reduced by half, the glaze will take on a golden hue and the peels should be nice and tender. That’s how you know your candied lemon slices are done. 
6. Remove the candied lemon slices from the liquid, and cool/dry on a greased wire rack (to prevent sticking) 
7. Rinse any dishes you used immediately to prevent the honey from hardening and creating a tough mess to clean later. 

Don’t throw away the remaining honey lemon glaze! It can add a delightful flavor to cocktails and teas, or muffins, cakes, and cookies. You can even use it to make homemade cough syrup. To save it, pour the remaining glaze into an airtight container, then allow it to cool completely before placing the lid on and storing it in the fridge. 

Vegan Candied Lemon Slices

If you’re looking for a vegan version of these delicious candied lemon slices, you’ll need to skip the honey. However, you still need to have the right consistency, so you can’t necessarily swap a vegan honey alternative in for the raw honey. You can make a simple syrup from water and organic cane sugar instead. The cooking instructions are slightly different, so let’s take a look: 

Ingredients: 

• 2 lemons, thinly sliced (¼ inch) & de-seeded (locally-sourced, when available)
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 cup water 
• 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice 

How to Make Vegan Candied Lemon Slices:

1. In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice. 
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer over medium-low heat, and add the lemon slices in a single layer. 
3. Simmer over low heat for 35 minutes, flipping the lemon slices once or twice throughout the cooking process. 
4. Once the lemons are slightly translucent, remove from syrup and place on a wire rack to cool/dry. 

Use the leftover lemon syrup the same way as the honey lemon glaze for items like pancakes and waffles, homemade funnel cakes, or other baked goods. 

Using and Storing Candied Lemon Slices

You can enjoy candied lemon slices and any other candied citrus in several ways:

• On their own as a tasty snack  
• Dipped in fair-trade or vegan chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt 
• As a garnish on a no-bake vegan cheesecake or Swedish chocolate cake 
• In homemade trail mix 
• As a sweet element in a salad
• To garnish cocktails like mulled gin or mulled wine 
• On top of tangy vegan lemon bars 

Storage Tips: 

• Allow the candied lemon slices to sit at room temperature for up to 24 hours before storing in an airtight container.
• Store the container in the fridge for up to a week. 

Read on: 

• What to Do With Orange Peels: Brilliant Reuse Ideas
• How to Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed – Step by Step
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