3-Ingredient Sweet Candied Kumquats

Looking for an easy-to-make candy to munch on? Try this sweet candied kumquats recipe using only three simple ingredients: kumquats, rock sugar, and granulated sugar. It‘s not just a candy for nibbling, but an excellent add-on ingredient for various recipes, from salads to desserts and toast.

What To Know About Candied Kumquats

If it’s the first time you have heard of kumquats, kumquats are like oranges because of their bright orange skin and round or oval shape. Unlike oranges that are larger in size, kumquats are a lot smaller, growing up to 2 inches in diameter. You will love kumquats for their citrusy, sweet, and tangy taste.

On top of that, it is an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber! It helps boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, and aid in weight loss, to name a few. You can eat it on its own or turn it into a sweet candy by following this easy recipe.

In this recipe, the kumquats are cooked with rock sugar until syrupy. Then, they are baked in the oven until crisp and dry. As a final touch for sweetness and texture, granulated sugar is sprinkled all over the baked kumquats.

Once you have candied kumquats, you can incorporate them into your breakfast meals, including oatmeal, yogurt, toast, salad, pancakes, and waffles. You can also use them as a topping for desserts like ice cream, cake, crepes, and cookies. It can also be added to your drinks, such as cocktails and teas.

Ingredient Tips And Recommendations

Here are some tips on how to prepare kumquats and ingredient alternatives to consider:

• Kumquats: I used about 1kg of kumquats. You can buy this in fruit markets or large grocery stores. I cleaned it with salt water first. Washing with salt water also softens it, making it easier to chop and remove the seeds. To prepare this for cooking, cut it in half and remove the seeds. If you do not remove the seeds, the candy will taste bitter since it is the bitter part of kumquats. You can also gently boil the kumquats for 1 to 2 minutes to help remove lingering bitterness.
• Rock Sugar: After preparing the kumquats, cook it with rock sugar until it becomes syrupy. Rock sugar is a preferred sweetener since it is less sweet than granulated sugar. If you don’t have rock sugar, swap it with white sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar. You can also incorporate maple syrup, corn syrup, or honey.
• Granulated sugar: This is optional, but I highly recommend it for extra sweetness and a slight crunch. I coated the baked kumquats with white sugar, but you can use other types of granulated sugar, such as brown sugar.

Ingredients And Kitchenware To Prepare

Kitchenware:

• Bowl
• Knife
• Fork (for removing seeds)
• Non-stick pan
• Oven
• Baking tray
• Parchment paper

Ingredients:

• 1000g of kumquats (halved and deseeded)
• 300g of rock sugar
• A sprinkle of white granulated sugar

How To Make Candied Kumquats In 5 Easy Steps

Prepare the kumquats, cook with rock sugar, bake, and sprinkle with white sugar—and that’s it! Follow my 5 detailed steps below or watch my Instagram or TikTok tutorial video for more guidance. When you are done making the candies, let us know how it went by leaving a comment in the comments section.

Don’t forget to snap a photo and tag me @kitchenmisadventures to show your candy creations. If you love candies or sweets, here are recipes you will surely love: Sesame Candy With Peanut, Watermelon Rind Candy, Watermelon Mochi, Tanghulu, and Honeycomb Vanilla Ice Cream.

1. Clean the kumquats with salt water. This removes impurities and helps lessen the bitterness.
2. Remove the green stems, slice the kumquats in half, and remove the seeds with a fork or the tip of a knife. It is perfectly fine if there are one or two seeds you forgot to remove since it is still edible. However, since it is the source of bitterness, it is best to make sure that all are taken out.
3. In a pan, heat the chopped kumquats with rock sugar. Keep stirring over medium heat until the rock sugar melts and the mixture thickens. Eventually, it should become sticky and syrupy, submerging the chopped kumquats. Do not leave the kumquats unattended. Otherwise, you risk burning the sugar and hardening.
4. Once the kumquats become sticky, arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 100 degrees Celsius for an hour, or until dry to the touch. Do not overload the tray, and make sure there are gaps between each kumquat. Arrange the kumquats in a single layer, not stacked. This cooks the kumquat evenly and ensures it dries up.
5. Finally, coat it evenly with granulated sugar. Enjoy it while warm and soft or let it chill in the fridge. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container and consume it within a week.
   

   How To Make Candied Kumquats

   Looking for an easy-to-make candy to munch on? Try this sweet candied kumquats recipe using only three simple ingredients: kumquats, rock sugar, and granulated sugar. It's not just a candy for nibbling, but an excellent add-on ingredient for various recipes, from salads to desserts and toast.

   Print Recipe Pin Recipe

   Prep Time 20 minutes mins

   Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

   Course Side Dish, Snack

   Cuisine Chinese

   Calories 1865 kcal

   Ingredients

     

   • 1000 g of kumquats halved and deseeded
   • 300 g of rock sugar
   • A sprinkle of white granulated sugar

   Instructions

    

   • Clean the kumquats with salt water. This removes impurities and helps lessen the bitterness.
   • Remove the green stems, slice the kumquats in half, and remove the seeds with a fork or the tip of a knife. It is perfectly fine if there are one or two seeds you forgot to remove since it is still edible. However, since it is the source of bitterness, it is best to make sure that all are taken out.
   • In a pan, heat the chopped kumquats with rock sugar. Keep stirring over medium heat until the rock sugar melts and the mixture thickens. Eventually, it should become sticky and syrupy, submerging the chopped kumquats. Do not leave the kumquats unattended. Otherwise, you risk burning the sugar and hardening.
   • Once the kumquats become sticky, arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 100 degrees Celsius for an hour, or until dry to the touch. Do not overload the tray, and make sure there are gaps between each kumquat. Arrange the kumquats in a single layer, not stacked. This cooks the kumquat evenly and ensures it dries up.
   • Finally, coat it evenly with granulated sugar. Enjoy it while warm and soft or let it chill in the fridge. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container and consume it within a week.

   Video

   Nutrition

   Calories: 1865kcalCarbohydrates: 458gProtein: 19gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 103mgPotassium: 1866mgFiber: 65gSugar: 393gVitamin A: 2900IUVitamin C: 439mgCalcium: 623mgIron: 9mg

   Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!