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Candied Ginger

Desserts, Food, Sweet
By Emma Chapman

Candied ginger I feel like ginger is one of those polarizing flavors. You either really like ginger or you don't. Right? Maybe it's just me. I'd have to say that I started in one camp, but over the years I've converted over to the Dark Side (the Dark Side being ginger lovers). Maybe my tastes have become more sophisticated over the years? Or maybe my taste buds have died? Depending on which side of the ginger divide you are on will probably determine which of these you think is true. 🙂Candied ginger I have to tell you this, though. Even if you are on the fence about ginger, if you are ever offered a piece of candied ginger covered in dark chocolate, I suggest you try it. Give in to the Dark Side. It's just delicious!

I love candied fruits and fruit peels (like grapefruit rind!), but some methods for making candy are better than others. I recently spent two weeks trying to make a candied pineapple (with a whole baby pineapple). The cookbook I was using made it sound so easy. It was not. It did not turn out. Big two-week-and-many-wasted-bags-of-sugar fail. Bummer.

This method is much faster and much more fool-proof (aka Emma-proof). It will also make your whole kitchen smell amazing in the process. Win-win.GingerCandied Ginger
Recipe and method adapted from David Lebovitz.

3-4 ginger root pieces (see mine above)
3-4 cups water
2 cups sugar

First peel and cut the ginger into very small pieces. I cut mine into matchsticks using my mandoline and a sharp knife. The thinner you cut the ginger the better it will candy, so don't be afraid to really go for it here. As always, any time you are working with sharp knives be careful. Don't work too fast; that's usually when accidents happen.How to make candied gingerPlace the prepared ginger in a small pot and fill with water just until it covers the ginger. Bring to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes. The water should be very brown. Drain the pot of the water and repeat with new water. Drain again once done.

Now fill the pot with the ginger, 2 cups water, and 2 cups sugar. Cook over medium/high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the mixture has reached 225°F (you'll need a candy thermometer for this). This took about 30-35 minutes for me. Once the mixture reaches 225°F, remove from heat. The ginger should look almost translucent.How to make candied ginger Let the ginger sit in the pot for at least an hour (or up to overnight). Drain and toss the ginger in sugar. I let my ginger sit in the sugar for a few hours before I sifted it out. The candied ginger will harden some during this stage, but it will still be chewy when eaten.How to make candied ginger Melt about 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips in the microwave. Dip the candied ginger in the chocolate and place on a sheet of wax paper until the chocolate hardens. To speed this up, you can pop the chocolate covered ginger in the freezer.Candied ginger If you don't eat it all right away, store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. No refrigeration required. I love the chocolate-dipped ginger as a delicious mini snack or after-dinner treat (it also makes your breath better if you eat something with a lot of garlic or onion). You can also chop up the plain candied ginger and add it to cookies, cakes, on top of muffins, or really any baked goods you might be making soon. Enjoy! xo. Emma

Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited using Stella, from the Signature Collection.

63 Comments

  • That’s a lovely sounding recipe, but why throw away the water? – there’s a lot of flavour being thrown away, and a couple of slight changes to the recipe would allow a ginger cordial or the basis of a ginger liqueur to be made at the same time for even more gingery goodness 😀

    Reply

  • This is awesome!

    I’m wondering about all the water that you pour out before the final round with the sugar- it seems like if it’s dark brown it must be taking some of the good stuff out of the ginger (i.e. the nutrients) with it. What do you think about saving that water and using it to cook with later? Like adding it to stir fries?

    Thanks for sharing!

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  • I love ginger, it’s one of my favourite flavours; I love the slight burn you get from a strong bit of ginger. And candied ginger is delicious, I love using it in cakes, I once made some ginger muffins with candied ginger, they were so yummy 🙂

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  • This looks awesome. I’m going to the store to buy some ginger right now!
    I’ve seen some recepies with candied ginger but i’ve never found candied ginger. New world ahead.
    The thing that I somentimes do with my family is having ginger water after the meals so I encourage you to drink the water of the first boiled ginger. We boild like 1 cm^3 per cup and in 10 minutes it’s yellow, so maybe you can drink it disolving it a little with water.

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  • I would definitely save the water used in the cooking process to use as ginger syrup, sounds similar to how I make it. Pour it in a glass of club soda and you have homemade ginger ale! This candied ginger looks so good too, never thought of dipping them in chocolate.

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  • Yumm! This sounds so interesting! In my house we put ginger in everything, but candied is a whole new idea! 🙂 You rock Emma, I always look forward to your creativity in the kitchen!

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  • Ginger root is a staple in my kitchen. I chop up a small piece and steep it in water or warm almond milk almost every night. The fact that it packs such a punch keeps me from drinking wine every night instead! I used to buy candied ginger and now I’m wondering why I never thought to make it myself! And dipped in chocolate = YUM!! Thanks for another great recipe!

    http://www.brookemeaganjones.com

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  • oh my YUM. this looks fantastic. i so love ginger but haven’t figured out a way to enjoy it as much as i would like, but this seems wonderful!! will definitely have to try.

    also if you’re a fan of ginger, try it in your brownies! had some when I was studying in England last semester– they were so great. now THAT would be a recipe to share. also in granola! yum. 🙂

    have a wonderful weekend! x

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  • mmm, this looks so good. I love Candied Ginger and was so happy to discover how easy it is to make yourself. And since Ginger Tea is made by boiling fresh ginger in water, I save and drink the water too! You can also save the sugar syrup and add it to soda water to make a homemade drink that’s a lot like ginger ale. So much gingery goodness!

    I’ve never tried the chocolate dipping part, which I imagine brings it to a whole new level. Must try it!

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  • This sounds so yummy! I have never tried candied ginger before 🙂

    Berrie-Blogs | Beauty Blogx

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  • I eat copious amounts of candied ginger…like…wayyyy too much. Worrying amounts. I’ve never made my own though, and dipped in chocolate?! I’d never eat anything ever again.

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  • I too have joined the dark side. I LOVE ginger. I’ve never thought to candy it before though! If you haven’t already, you should try Bhakti Chai, it’s probably the most amazing thing I’ve ever drank before. So comforting and GINGERY!!!! xx

    http://www.emgolightly.com/

    Reply

  • oh man this looks so good! I use to HATE ginger and then discovered candied ginger during some serious pregnancy nausea..the ginger totally helped ease it because of it’s strong taste. That totally converted me to “the dark side” ha! Thanks for sharing I can’t wait to make my own!

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  • Candied ginger is so yummy! The last recipe I tried totally bombed (it didn’t boil near long enough), so this looks perfect. I can’t wait to give it a shot.

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  • Look up a recipe for Gingerbread biscotti with candied ginger in it. You will be so glad you did! It is amazing and makes a beautiful and sturdy Christmas treat for giving.

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  • oooh scrumptious, it’s my mums birthday tomorrow and she loves ginger. a beautiful mess, you seem to have super powers yet again.
    also i know you guys work your socks off but will you be updating your menu tabs anytime soon with recipes and crafts ect soon?

    thanks again, honeybunchofoniontops.com

    Reply

  • I love ginger…yesterday my dinner was chicken with garlic, ginger, rosemary and olive oil…delicious! I´ll do this recipe, it looks so nice! have a nice weekend, kisses from Argentina!

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  • My helpful husband came home with a whole bag of ginger the other week cuz it was on the grocery list (he bought it like you’d buy apples!). Obviously, there’s no way any regular human can finish up a whole bag of ginger before it goes bad, so I stuck our lifetime supply in the freezer. So I’m wondering if this would work with ginger that’s been frozen and thawed.

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  • This is awesome! I’m one of those that love ginger, but I’ve never actually thought of having it candied! And then adding chocolate? Genius!

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  • I’ve never made candy before, and this could be the start! After moving from Korea I crave all things kimchi AND ginger! The flavor of ginger was used so frequently there. I’d love to see what you could do with the water after.

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  • I’ve had candied ginger before. It has the right amount of spice and sweetness to it. Top it with dark chocolate? OMG.. I have to try this!

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  • Ginger and dark chocolate are two of my Dad’s favourite things! I might make some for his upcoming birthday since it doesn’t seem too difficult

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  • Well I love candied ginger, but the microwave part is not so good. Better to toss the chocolate into a double boiler than to have unhealthy radiated (filled with radiation) dark chocolate. There is a good reason why Microwave ovens are banned in other countries! I do love your recipe though, you make it look super easy!

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  • Will definitely try as soon as I feel a little housewify (have the energy and time) again.. Sounds delicious! Even though I’m a different kind of ginger type 😉 Love ginger in my tea, can’t quite figure out how I feel about it with my sushi and definitely don’t want it as a surprise in food I normally knows how tastes 🙂

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  • This sounds great! But don’t drain the water/sugar/ginger liquid after removing the ginger pieces! The liquid is ginger syrup, which is delicious when added to club soda to make ginger ale (some gin in the mix is good too). The first time I made candied ginger was actually after making ginger syrup and wanting to use the leftover ginger pieces for something. I will definitely try them dipped in chocolate, that sounds delicious.

    Reply

  • This sounds great! But don’t drain the water/sugar/ginger liquid after removing the ginger pieces! The liquid is ginger syrup, which is delicious when added to club soda to make ginger ale (some gin in the mix is good too). The first time I made candied ginger was actually after making ginger syrup and wanting to use the leftover ginger pieces for something. I will definitely try them dipped in chocolate, that sounds delicious.

    Reply

  • Hi I’ve made this today it’s fab but I wondered if you use the left over syrup for anything if so what would you recommend x

    Reply

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