Learn how to make Tanghulu or (Chinese Candied Fruit) with this easy recipe. It has quickly become a fun family recipe. Using two simple ingredients make your favorite fruit into candied grapes, candied strawberries, or mandarin oranges.
This is a fun recipe to make with kids and makes a delicious treat that resembles the unique Chinese street food also known as Hawthorn Candy. We try hard to create a recipe that doesn't use corn syrup!
This recipe makes a simple, yet decadent dessert that can be a fun way to entertain guests at a party. Try our other fun entertaining desserts like our Oreo Trifle. Or try these tasty candied orange slices.
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Ingredients
This recipe is fun to make because you can use your favorite fruits! You can pick seasonal fruit.
- Water and Granulated Sugar- This recipe doesn't use corn syrup just boiled water and sugar!
- Fruit- Our favorite fruits to use are Strawberries, grapes, mandarin oranges, or blueberries. They have the best texture once candied.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Chinese Candied Fruit
- Was your fruit before starting! Place 1-4 pieces of fruit on a bamboo skewer. You can keep the fruit the same or make a cute pattern.
2. Have a sheet pan lined with parchment paper ready. Mix together the water and sugar and bring to a boil.
3. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until the sugar water reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a candy thermometer to check. dip the skewered fruit into the boiled sugar water and remove once the fruit is covered in the syrup.
4. The boiled syrup mixture will harden the dipped fruit almost immediately.
Place the each bamboo skewer on the par
Hint: If your sugar water syrup is done, the fruit should harden almost immediately after you dip the fruit. If it doesn't reach the correct temperature, the sugar water mixture will create a sticky coating but will not harden.
Substitutions
You can use any type of fruit when making this hard shell fruit. Tart fruits are fun to candy as the hard candy shell brings a delicious sweet and sour taste.
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Mandarin Oranges
- Blueberries
- Cherries - remove the pits before dipping
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
Helpful Hints
It is important to use a candy thermometer when making this dessert. I tried using it without one and didn't realize I didn't get the liquid hot enough. With the candy thermometer, I knew exactly when to add the fruit.
Storing Tanghulu
This recipe is best when first made. If needed, store any extra fruit in and airtight container in the refrigerator in order to maintain the hard shell. Humidity and moisture will break down the hard sugar coat. If kept properly, the hard shelled fruit will last up to two weeks.
Cleaning the pan
When boiling sugar and water, the syrup mixture can get stuck to the bottom of the pan. To clean, sprinkle the scorched bottom with baking soda and then cover with water. Bring the water to a boil for 20-30 minutes. This will help loosen the burnt on sugar.
Top Tip
Make sure you don't go higher on the bamboo skewer than the depth of your syrup. It will be hard to dip the fruit.
Use a candy thermometer when boiling the sugar water. Other methods to check the temperature of the sugar water are not as reliable and may cause you to burn your sugar water. If the temperature of the sugar water doesn't get hot enough, the dipped fruit will have a sticky and gooey coating but the will not have a hard shell you are looking for.
Recipe
Tanghulu (Chinese Candied Fruit)
Equipment
- Candy Thermometer
- 10 Bamboo Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh fruit of your choice - strawberries grapes, mandarin oranges, blueberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Wash and dry your fruit. If using strawberries you can choose to cut the tops off or leave them on. Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat, or parchment paper.
- Take a bamboo skewer and add 1-4 pieces of fruit on each skewer.
- In a medium sized pot, combine the sugar and water, mix. Bring the pot of sugar water to a boil on medium heat. Bring the boiling sugar water to 300 degrees. Check using a candy thermometer. This should take about 10-15 minutes.
- Dip the skewered fruit into the boiled sugar water. Remove immediately after the fruit is fully submerged in the sugar syrup. The syrup will harden immediately. See photos above for a great visual.
- Place each bamboo skewer on the lined sheet pan to finish cooling.
- Serve immediately or store up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Use a candy thermometer when boiling the sugar water. We have found that other methods are not as reliable as using a candy thermometer.
- Keeping any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator is important to maintaining that hard shell.
- Make sure you don't add the fruit too high up the skewer. It will make it hard to dip in the boiled syrup water.
Nutrition
A method to candy fruit like strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and oranges. It is similar to the Hawthorn candy which is a Chinese street food.
Different from other candied fruit, this method is a hard sugar syrup that surrounds the fruit. This recipe does not use corn syrup.
This sugar shelled fruit has a sweet taste from the sugar coating and depending on the tartness of your fruit, it can have a sweet and sour taste to it.
Dre says
I had a really fun time making this fun treat with my kids. They thought making fruit into candy was so much fun. We also used this recipe for a party and people thought they looked so cute!