Candied Lemon Slices - How to Make

In this post on candied lemon slices, I am going to share with you my recipe for making candied lemons cooked in sugar syrup that are not only delicious but are also super easy to make.

You only need 3 simple ingredients to make these delicious citrus fruit treats i.e. lemons, sugar and water. Cooked in simple sugar syrup, you can make your own lemon candy in no time at all!

And even more than that, these treats make the most gorgeous decoration and lovely garnish for your cakes, cupcakes and other treats.

This post is an extension of my candied lemon peels recipe, where I share my method of making candy out of just the lemon peel. It's a great way to use up the lemon peel which we often discard after juicing lemons.

This candied lemon recipe is pretty similar to that one, except that I use whole lemon slices for this recipe. The lemon slices are cut into thin round strips and cooked in sugar syrup over low heat until the lemon slices become translucent and deliciously soaked in thick sugar syrup. These candied peels are then left to dry overnight, and they are then good to be enjoyed.

Unlike the candied lemon peels, I do not coat my lemon slices with sugar after cooking them in syrup. You can always give them a coating of granulated sugar if you like.

The candied lemon slices are a great way to use up extra lemons at home. The candy is sweet and sour at the same time and are perfect for any lemon lover. I often make these candied peels to decorate cakes. Without any sugar-coating, the translucent and glistering candied lemon slices make a really beautiful topping and decoration on any treats.

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How to Make

Ingredients

• Lemon
• Sugar
• Water

Preparing the lemons and making the sugar syrup

1. Wash and dab the lemons dry. Place them on a clean chopping board and slice them into thin slices, about 2mm or 3mm thick. Remove the seeds.
2. In a large saucepan or a large skillet, add water and sugar.
3. Place it on the stovetop and turn on the heat to medium heat.
4. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Cooking the lemon slices in syrup

1. As soon as the sugar is dissolved, add the lemon slices in, one at a time, making sure they do not overlap on one another.
2. Turn the heat to low.
3. Place the lid on the pan.
4. Let the lemons simmer in the sugar water (syrup) for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, take off the lid and turn the lemon slices over.
5. Let them cook over low simmer again for another 15 minutes. At this stage, the lemons should have turned translucent. If not, let them simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. At this stage, keep a close eye on the sugar syrup as it may caramelize.
6. Remove the candied lemon slices, one by one, and place them on a baking sheet or parchment-lined tray. You can also place them on a wire rack first to let any excess syrup drip off, but it is not absolutely necessary. Place them apart and make sure they are not touching or overlapping as it will be difficult to separate them once the syrup sets.

Let the candied lemon slices rest at room temperature (uncovered) overnight. I place them in the oven as it is the safest place to keep them uncovered. The left over syrup in the pan can be used as a lemon simple syrup in drinks or other treats. Dilute with some water if it has thickened too much.

Storing the candied slices

• Once set, the sugar syrup on the slices would have set, however, the candied lemon slices will still remain tacky.
• If not consumed or used immediately, keep them in an air-tight container. To avoid them from sticking to each other, place each slice in between parchment paper squares.
• The candied lemon slices are best kept refrigerated in an airtight container and can last for at least 3 to 4 months.

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Notes

Wash the lemons well

• The key ingredient in this recipe is lemons. This recipe is best made with fresh lemons. You can use any regular lemons. Meyer lemons would work great for this recipe too.
• Since the lemons in this recipe are cooked with their skin intact, and with all the pesticides and wax being used on commercially produced lemons, it is important that they are washed well before using.

How to slice the lemons?

• For best results, slice lemons is with a sharp knife. You can also use a mandolin if you want. Whichever way, take note to ensure you slice them thinly, about 2mm to 3mm thick.
• Too thick slices will take a longer time to cook and soften, and too thin might leave you with nothing much to munch on. And, to ensure the slices cook consistently and uniformly, it is best that they are cut in the same width (uniform slices).
• Also, it is best that you remove any seeds you see in your lemon slices before cooking them. It is easier to remove the seeds while the lemons are fresh than when they are all cooked and syrupy.

The best pan for cooking the lemon slices

• When cooking the lemon slices in syrup, it is best that they are placed in a single layer in the syrup rather than on top of one another. This will ensure they don't stick to one another and cook consistently.
• For this reason, a wide saucepan would be a better choice than a smaller one. If you are not able to find one that is wide enough such that your lemon slices end up overlapping, it is still ok. All you need to do is make sure you keep turning them around every 5 to 10 minutes so that all the slices get equal opportunity to cook on all sides.
• Also, when using a wide pan, the tendency for the sugar syrup to thicken quicker is high due to the larger area of the pan. Keeping the pan covered with a lid will avoid the syrup from thickening too soon and allow your lemon slices the necessary time to cook.

Is it necessary to blanch the lemon slices in hot water before cooking in syrup?

• I do not have this step in my recipe and it is not necessary.

Can you coat your lemon slices with granulated sugar?

• In my candied lemon peel and orange peel candy recipes, I coat the peels with granulated sugar after cooking them in sugar syrup.
• For these candied lemon slices, however, I leave them plain and that is because I like them that way. Plus, they look much prettier with all the shiny translucent centers and make excellent decoration for cakes and cupcakes.
• Having said that, if you prefer your candied lemon slices covered in granulated sugar, you can always do so. After removing the slices from the syrup and after letting them rest overnight, dip them into granulated sugar.

How to make caramelized lemon?

• Caramelized lemon slices are simply slices cooked in sugar caramel. To do this, you let the lemon slices cook in the sugar syrup until the syrup starts to caramelize. Once you get the caramel to a light amber hue, turn off the heat and remove the lemon slices onto a parchment-lined tray.
• Do take note that once the sugar syrup starts to caramelize, it will darken very quickly, hence keep a close tab on the sugar syrup and the lemons after 30 minutes of cooking.

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Like this easy lemon recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

• Lemon Curd Cheesecake - The Ultimate Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
• Lemon Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Old Fashioned Lemon Pound Cake
• Candied Lemon Peel - How to Make
• Blueberry Cake Loaf with Lemon Glaze
• Lychee Lemonade - Easy Lemon Lychee Iced Drink
• Moist Sour Cream Lemon Cake
• Butterfly Pea Lemonade
• Lemonade Popsicles
• Brown Sugar Lemonade
• How to Make Lemon Curd

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my easy candied lemon slices recipe card.

And that's that. My super easy, super delectable candied lemon slices recipe for you.

Enjoy!