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Looking for practical zero-waste uses for orange peels? Here are 13 creative and eco-friendly ways to use orange peels in the kitchen, for cleaning, and even for skincare. Instead of tossing those peels in the trash, transform them into useful products that save money and reduce waste. Using organic peels, you can make everything from candied treats to homemade vinegar cleaners.
How I discovered different uses for orange peel
As you know – at least if you’ve read my About Me Page – I work at a school. There, we have a contract with a local grocery distributor who delivers organic fruit or vegetables once a week for the pupils in primary school. Depending on the produce and size, some moms come over and chop the fruit (or veggies) into smaller pieces so that nothing gets wasted.
Last week, we got oranges, and I rubbed my hands with glee. When the moms came to prepare the oranges, I asked them to put the peels aside for me and in the end, I got 2 large bags full. My office smelled like an orange farm! I was astonished, though, that they had never heard of the different uses for orange peel, and so I decided this topic was worth a blog post.
Important: Always use organic oranges for edible recipes. Conventional oranges are treated with chemicals that concentrate in the peel.
How to use orange peels in the kitchen
#1 Candied orange peel
For decades, I had loathed candied orange peel because I was only familiar with the store-bought version. It didn’t look or taste anything like orange at all, and even today I’m not sure if there is anything remotely orange in it (except, perhaps, some artificial orange colour). Whenever I made Christmas cookies, gingerbread, or other traditional baked Christmas goods that required candied orange peel, I either left it out completely or mixed it with fresh orange juice to form a paste, so I could incorporate some of the flavours. Yet, I was never satisfied until I tried some at a local market in Italy. It was heaven! Juicy and chewy and bursting with flavour. Back home, I researched recipes for making candied orange peel by myself, and you’ll be happy to know that it isn’t difficult at all!
Candied orange peel
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the orange peels into strips of about 0.5 cm.
- If you want to dry them afterwards and use them as snacks, leave them like that. If you want to use them in cakes or cookies, cut them up into tiny squares.
- Now, put them into a pot and fill up with water so that the peels are covered. Bring to the boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes. Pour the peels into a sieve and let them drain. Repeat the whole process twice and rinse the peels. This pre-cooking removes the bitter taste from the peels.
- Put 0.5 l water into the pot and add 1 kg sugar or multiply the amounts if you have lots of peel. Just stick to the ratio of one part water to two parts sugar.
- Bring this mixture to the boil while constantly stirring until the sugar is dissolved. When the syrup is boiling add the orange peels and let it simmer for about 30 minutes until the peels are well cooked.
- Now, you either take the peels out onto a wire rack and let them dry for 12 – 24 hours until they are almost dry and still a bit sticky.
- Put some sugar into a bowl, add the peels in portions and mix them through until the peels are well-covered in sugar. In the fridge, they will last for up to one week.
- The other option is to put the cooked orange peel cubes into a glass jar and add some of the orange syrup so that the peels are covered in it. Close the jars with lids and once cooled down put them into the fridge. They’ll last for up to one year.
#2: Orange syrup
Bonus tip from the candied peel recipe:
Don’t throw away the syrup from the candied orange peels. It’ll make an amazing flavour addition to water, cocktails, soda and more. You can even add it to some apple vinegar, pour about 20 cl in a glass and fill it up with sparkling water. This makes a wonderfully refreshing, non-alcoholic drink for summer.
Looking for more syrup recipes? Have a look at those:
Homemade Elderflower Syrup (simple recipe)
#3: Orange sugar
Homemade Orange Sugar
Ingredients
Method
- For this recipe, you must remove the white part of the peel (the "pith"): If the orange is already peeled with the pith still on the peels, put the peels upside down on a wooden board and, with a sharp knife, scrape the pith off the orange peel.Or, if the orange is still intact, thinly cut off the peel from the fruit, leaving the pith on the orange.
- Either way, cut the peels into pieces, mix them with sugar and put them into a blender. Mix until the sugar and peel are powdery.
- Distribute the moist mixture on a baking tray and let it dry in the oven at low heat until it’s completely dry.
- Let the orange sugar cool down and, if necessary, break it up.
- Store the orange sugar in a tight container. Essentially, it’ll last indefinitely, but it’s best consumed within a year of its creation. With time, it'll lose flavour.
Notes
#4: Orange powder
Ingredients
Method
- Either cut the peel off the orange thinly so that you leave the pith (the "white stuff" underneath the peel) on the fruit. Or, if you just have the peels, put them upside down onto a wooden board and, with a sharp knife, scrape the pith off the peels.
- Put the peels on a baking tray and let them dry in the oven at low heat. Alternatively, dry them in a dehydrator.
- Test if the peels are completely dry by breaking them in half. If they're still bendy, put them back in the oven. If they break with a snap, they're ready.
- Let the dried peels cool down. Put them into a blender and grind them until they've become a powder.
- Store the orange powder in a closed jar at a cool, dry and dark place.
Notes
#5: Orange salt
Homemade Orange Salt
Ingredients
Method
- Either cut the peel very thinly off the orange so that the pith (the "white stuff" underneath the peel) stays on the fruit. Or, remove the pith by putting the peel upside down on a wooden board, and, with a sharp knife, scraping it off the peel.
- Cut the peels into very small pieces.
- Wash the thyme and rosemary and dry them thoroughly.
- Put the salt, the orange peels, thyme and rosemary in layers into a glass jar and close it with the lid. After two weeks, the salt has taken on the flavours. You can either let it be as it is (this will make for a beautiful gift) or put the mixture in a blender and mix it until it's powdery.
Notes
#6: Infused orange oil
To make infused orange oil, remove the white part (“pith”) of the orange peels and put them into a glass bottle until it’s about half full. Fill the bottle up with very good olive oil and let it sit for two weeks. Afterwards, remove the peels. You now have some great orange-flavoured oil that you can use for salad dressings, pasta sauces or even on your pizza.
#7: Orange-flavoured honey
Cut the peel off one orange very thinly so that the pith stays on the fruit, or scrape off the pith from the peels.
Put the peels into a glass jar.
Add 250 grams of honey – either the real thing or one of your homemade herb kinds of honey, like this dandelion honey – and let it sit for 5 – 7 days.
The honey will get liquid during that time, but that’s fine.
Remove the peels and use your orange-flavoured honey in your tea or, instead of sugar, in pastry like this German yeast bun or “Martinsgänse”.
#8: Orange extract
Ingredients
Method
- Either cut the peel very thinly off the orange so that the pith stays on the fruit. Or put the peels upside down on a wooden board, and, with a sharp knife, scrape the pith off.
- Put the orange peels in a glass bottle so that it's about one-third full.
- Fill the bottle up with clear alcohol. I prefer vodka because its taste is neutral.
- Let the mixture sit for at least two weeks in a dark place. I usually put the bottle into my pantry.
- There's no need to remove the peels. Just pour out as much extract as you need and, if necessary, fill the bottle up with vodka (or whatever you used) to keep the peels under the liquid.
#9: Orange butter
Orange Butter
Ingredients
Method
- Cut the peel very thinly off of the orange so that the pith (the "white stuff" underneath the peel) stays on the fruit. Or put the peels upside down on a wooden board and scrape the pith off with a sharp knife.
- Cut the peels into tiny pieces.
- If you want to add herbs, wash them and dry them thoroughly, then cut them into tiny pieces.
- Stir the butter to soften it, and then add the tiny orange peels, some salt and (optionally) herbs. Alternatively, you can use homemade orange powder (see blog for recipe) instead of the fresh peels or homemade orange salt.
- Mix it all well and form the butter into a roll. Wrap the roll in cling film or aluminium foil and put it into the fridge until it's firm. This takes at least 30 minutes.
Notes
#10: Ice cubes
This is a simple one: remove the white part (pith) of the orange peels, cut them into small strips and put them into ice cube forms. Fill up the forms with water and put them into the freezer. I love these orange ice cubes for all kinds of drinks as they don’t water them down but give them a subtle orange flavour.
DIY Orange Peel Cleaners
Not for consumption!
#11: Orange peel cleaner
I love cleaning with this orange peel vinegar cleaner. Not only does it remove stains well, but it also smells really good – not at all like vinegar.
To make your own orange peel cleaner, put some orange peels (no need to remove the pith for this one) into a large jar until it’s about three-quarters full.
Fill the jar up with white vinegar or vinegar essence and let it sit for two weeks. Remove the peels and fill the cleaner in a spray bottle. If you used vinegar essence to make the citrus cleaner, you must dilute it. Fill about two-thirds of the bottle with it, and fill it up with water. Fill the bottle up with water.
You can use this cleaner against water stains in the bathroom or for cleaning your kitchen or pantry surfaces. In short, almost everywhere you can use vinegar for cleaning. Just avoid using it on porous stone surfaces, as the vinegar can etch
Orange peels for homemade body care products
#12: Orange body scrub
Orange Body Scrub
Ingredients
Method
- Thinly cut the peels from the orange so that the pith stays on the fruit. Or put the peels upside down on a wooden board and, with a sharp knife, scrape off the pith.
- Cut the peels into tiny pieces.
- Mix the peels with the coconut oil, sugar and orange juice until everything is well combined.
- Put the homemade orange body scrub into a glass and store it in the fridge for up to one week.
Notes
#13: Orange peeling soap
As in the orange sugar scrub, finely cut orange peel makes a good peeling in soap, too. In this article, I’ll show you a simple recipe for homemade orange peeling soap.
FAQs
Which oranges are best for making orange peel recipes?
Always go for organic and untreated oranges. That’s the single most important factor (especially for food or skin-related recipes).
Then, look out for oranges with a relatively thick and aromatic peel. A peel that’s not too thin helps when candying, infusing, drying or zesting: it gives more “substance” and oils.
Also, the bitterness and sweetness in the peel should be well-balanced. Some oranges have bitter pith, which can make peels unpleasant if not properly prepared; a less bitter variety helps.
Can you eat orange peels?
Yes, absolutely! As long as the oranges are organic, you can eat the peels. They’ve got a very intense flavour, and you can either eat them raw (straight from the fruit) or preserved like candied orange peel, orange sugar, etc.
Can I freeze orange peels?
Yes. Actually, I often freeze orange or lemon peels when I don’t have time to use them right away. When you want to use them, just take them out of the freezer and let them thaw before processing them.
How do you dry orange peels quickly?
Remove the pith from the peels or thinly cut the peel off. The smaller the peels, the quicker they’ll dry. If you’re in a hurry, cut the peel into tiny strips before dehydrating them in a dehydrator or the oven.
How long does homemade orange extract last?
Forever. Seriously, the alcohol keeps the extract fine indefinitely as long as the peels are under the liquid. However, when you take out some of the extract and fill the bottle up with vodka several times, you may want to consider removing the peels and adding fresh ones.
Stop Throwing Away Orange Peels!
Just like those moms at my school who were amazed by these ideas, I hope you’re now excited to transform your orange peels from trash to treasure.
From now on, you’ll never look at an orange peel the same way.
Whether you’re whipping up candied treats for the holidays, mixing natural cleaners for your home, or creating luxurious body scrubs, these peels are pure gold.
The best part? You’re saving money, avoiding chemicals, and keeping waste out of landfills – all while making your home smell amazing. So next time you eat an orange, save those peels. Your future self will thank you.
What’s your favourite way to use orange peels? Share your tips in the comments – I’d love to hear from you!
Want to learn more about preserving? This site lists all articles on that topic: Preserving – seasonalsimplelife.com
More soap recipes? You’ll find them all here: Home and Body – seasonalsimplelife.com
If you’re into cooking and baking, you’ll find yummy recipes on this site: Recipes – seasonalsimplelife.com