Candied Ginger

Candied ginger is a sweet and spicy homemade ginger candy that’s incredibly easy to make. This recipe will walk you through how to make candied ginger and how to use it once you’ve got it!

You’ll only need fresh ginger, sugar, and water to make candied (crystalized) ginger that tastes far superior to the stuff you can buy in stores. We’ll also help you one-up it… you could coat it with a dip or drizzle of melted chocolate.

Call it candied ginger, crystallized ginger, or ginger candy– they are all different names for the same thing!

It’s Homemade Ginger Candy

Why make your own ginger candy? You might be here because you love the storebought ginger chews, or you are in the midst of a fancy dessert and this is your garnish, or maybe you have some fresh ginger root on your counter that you need to use up.

Ginger candies have a variety of uses around the kitchen from cake decorations to cocktail garnishes and trail mix additions– candied ginger offers HUGE flavor to anything you add it to.

This doesn’t only bring the flavor, it brings the health benefits as well! Ginger candy is a shining alternative for those of you who want or crave something sweet but are after nutritional value.

Candied Ginger Recipe

Let’s talk about how to candy ginger. This is an easy 3ish step process that includes peeling & cutting the ginger, boiling in water, then boiling in sugar syrup. After completing these steps you’ll simply need to wait for the ginger to cool and to dry prior to storing it.

You only need fresh ginger, water, and sugar to make candied ginger in your kitchen at home!

First: Prepare the ginger

• Peel ginger pieces by using a spoon, scrape the side of the spoon back and forth across the papery ginger skin to peel it away.
• Cut the ginger to your preference, keeping in mind the pieces will decrease in size during the candying process. You can do long lengthwise strips, small circular coins, matchstick shaped pieces, small ‘nuggets’ or squares similar to ginger chews sold in stores, or blitz the peeled ginger in a food processor for small ginger pieces.
• PROTIP: Use a food processor with a slicing blade or a mandolin for perfect slices! Slices about 1/8″ thick will have a nice chewy texture- you can slice thinner if you prefer.

Second: Boil to soften

• After you have your ginger peeled and chopped, add to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes then strain and place back into the pot.
• This first boil helps to soften the ginger. It also benefits the final flavor as it helps to remove some bitter notes.

Third: Boil with sugar

• Add equal parts water and sugar until the ginger is just submerged and boil for an additional 10-15 minutes. A pinch of salt, too.
• The amount of water & sugar you need depends on the pot or pan you use to make candied ginger. To do this, add the boiled ginger to a pot then use a measuring cup to add water to the pot, counting how many cups you add. Once the ginger is covered in water, add equal parts sugar. Heat to boiling, then boil gently for 10-15 minutes.
• A wide pot is preferable to a small pot; this way the ginger pieces are spread out across the heat source in a shallow layer vs. a small pot where the ginger pieces will be piled on top of each other and might be very deep.
• ALSO: Keeping equal parts sugar and water (by volume) helps the ginger to candy correctly and not turn into hard candy, which is incredibly messy and very hard, not enjoyable to chew on. Stick to the 1:1 water to sugar ratio and you will be set!

Now, you can strain the sugary liquid into a container versus pouring it down the drain as this is GINGER SIMPLE SYRUP people! Use this to add flavor to a variety of things from cocktails, desserts, baked goods, and beverages!

After pouring the sugary ginger mixture into a strainer, shake the strainer to separate as much of the sugar syrup as possible. Place the strained ginger into a mixing bowl and toss with 1/4 cup sugar. Use a spoon or spatula to coat all ginger pieces in sugar.

Place the ginger in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper or a baking sheet lined with a drying rack and leave to dry. This can take anywhere from 2 hours – 24 hours depending on the thickness of your ginger pieces.

You can also heat your oven to 200* then turn off the oven and add the candied ginger on a baking sheet, leave in there for about 4 hours. Be certain to turn off the oven!!

How to store candied ginger: Once your candied/crystalized ginger is fully dry and no longer tacky on the surface place it in an airtight container. We regularly eat candied ginger so we store it at room temperature in the pantry– where it will keep for up to 3 months.

For extended storage, place your container of ginger candy in the fridge where it can last up to 6 months. However, the texture won’t be as soft and chewy when eaten cold straight from the fridge. Left at room temperature for several hours the candied ginger will warm and regain a lovely chewy texture!

Tips For Making Crystalized Ginger

Crystallized ginger is such an easy form of preserving fresh ginger and extending its shelf life. Making your own is also far less expensive than buying the ginger chews at the store.

You can make candied/crystallized ginger with any amount of ginger. The amounts listed in this recipe are a starting point, once you’re familiar with the process you can make much larger or smaller batches of candied ginger.

Here are some tips to making candied ginger:

• I like to peel the ginger! You don’t have to peel the papery skin off but if you leave it on you’ll be able to notice the papery, stringy texture on the final crystallized ginger.
• You can get creative with how you cut your ginger- you can do coins, long slices, finely diced ginger, or little chunks of ginger similar to the ‘gin gins’ you can buy at the store. The bigger the pieces, the longer they will take to dry.
• Use white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, or honey as the sweetener in this recipe. Different sugars will yield a slightly different final flavor.
• Put a spin on the flavor by adding a pinch of cinnamon, a few springs of mint or basil, a dash of vanilla extract, lemon juice or lemon zest to the sugar syrup!

Candied Ginger Uses

There are a variety of creative ways to use candied ginger! It’s a powerful home remedy for stomach issues and ailments but it’s also loaded with flavor.

If you’ve got crystallized ginger sitting in your pantry here are a multitude of ways you can put it to work in the kitchen:

• Use as a cocktail garnish
• Garnish cakes, cheesecakes, and cupcakes with candied ginger pieces
• Puree in a food processor and sift with a fine sieve or mesh strainer to use as a dusting or finishing sugar over baked goods
• Add to homemade trail mix and granola bars
• Candied ginger is amazing to add to everything pumpkin spice! Add to pumpkin scones, muffins, biscotti, and cookies for the perfect fall flavor boost
• Add to curries or stir fry dishes in place of fresh ginger
• Some folks use candied ginger as a natural remedy for seasickness, menstrual cramps, nausea, and morning sickness– in this case, simply eat a few pieces of candied ginger straight!

As you can see, there are numerous ways to use candied ginger! This a is phenomenal way to preserve and store fresh ginger for an extended period of time. It’s also incredibly convenient to have ginger ready in usable form– no peeling, chopping, or zesting required.

Fresh candied ginger will keep for up to 3 months at room temperature and 6 months in the fridge

FAQs About Candied Ginger:

1. What is candied ginger? Candied Ginger is fresh ginger that has been boiled in sugar and water then strained and dried. It’s a chewy, sweet, and spicy natural ginger candy.
2. What are candied ginger health benefits? Ginger is widely believed to help with a variety of stomach ailments– from nausea to seasickness to PMS and more.
3. What’s the difference between candied ginger vs crystallized ginger? There seems to be mixed opinion about this on the web– some think candied ginger and crystallized ginger are the same while others think crystallized ginger has been tossed with sugar after cooking and candied ginger has not.
4. How to store candied ginger? Store candied ginger in an air-tight container away from heat & light for up to 3 months. For extended storage for up to 6 months, keep in the fridge.
5. How long does candied ginger last? 3 months at room temperature and 6 months if refrigerated!

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