Oven Baked (candied) Strawberries Recipe
Even though people use candied fruit as a way to preserve fruit for prolonged periods of time, this type of fruit makes a very delicious and super healthy desert. Whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, are placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it. In this recipe I used strawberries, but any fruit could be candied in the same way. Strawberries saturated with sugar syrup are placed in the oven and dried for a prolonged period of time preserving fruit.
Ingredients
1 kg (approximately 3 pounds) of fresh strawberries
800 grams (approximately 2.5-2.8 pounds) of sugar
1 L of water
I made a short video of how to make these candies. The only step you do not see is me actually putting a tray into the oven.
Also, note, I used 1/3 of suggested ingredients, so
1 pound of straberries
around a pound of sugar (I used less because I do not like these candies to be too sweet)
0.35 L (350 ml) of water
Instructions
Pour water in the pot, add sugar, place on the stove, dissolve sugar and boil syrup for about 5 min. Add strawberries and boil for about 10 min. Remove from the stove and strain syrup.
Preheat oven to about 200 F, place strawberries on a tray and place into heated oven. Dry strawberries until dry outside but still tender (keep on turning berries over). It took me about 5 hours.
Cool candied strawberries. You can eat them as a desert (my son likes eating them like candies) or place in mason jar and preserve for later.
Strawberries prepared this way can be kept for up to a year.
Are Strawberries Acidic?
I’ve been asked this question so often I decided to expand the post to include an answer.
Yes, strawberries are mildly acidic. Their pH typically ranges from about 3.0 to 3.9, which is moderately acidic. This acidity contributes to their tart flavor.
The acidity of strawberries is due to the presence of natural fruit acids, including citric acid, malic acid, and ascorbic acid (vitamin C). These acids not only give strawberries their characteristic taste but also play a role in their preservation and nutritional properties.
Despite being acidic, strawberries are incredibly nutritious. They are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Vitamin C, in particular, is abundant in strawberries, providing a significant portion of the recommended daily intake in just a single serving. Additionally, strawberries contain fiber, folate, potassium, and various phytonutrients, all of which contribute to their health benefits.
The acidity of strawberries can vary slightly depending on factors such as ripeness, variety, and growing conditions. Riper strawberries tend to be slightly less acidic and sweeter in taste, while unripe strawberries may have a sharper, more acidic flavor.
So if you have sensitive stomach and/or acid reflux, please, consume strawberries in moderation.
However, I don’t personally find candied strawberries to be as acidic as fresh ones. Enjoy 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. Is there any chance that you can do a video?
Hi, Maria. Sure, I can do it. Please, give me a couple of days to make it. Thank you.
Do you save the syrup. To use?
Hi, Pamela. You absolutely can. I do and use it on pancakes or over the ice cream. Yummy!
What’s the minimum amount of sugar I could use to make these?
Hi, you can even avoid sugar all together, if you do not want to use it.
Did u have time to make the video.. I hope u and your family are well.
Hi, Maria. Yes, check out the post, I uploaded it there.
could you put them in a dehydrator inside of oven?
Hi, Rebecca. Do you mean you would like to put a dehydrator inside of working oven? I would not suggest that. Try to use either one.
Pretty sure she meant instead of the oven. Lol.
Looks delicious. How do you recommend best way to store long term?
Hi, just put them in air tight jar and keep jar in the fridge
Can u print the measurements in cup and ounces, American measure
Yes, I will. Thank you for the suggestion
I have strawberries and want to try this recipe would you please post the recipe in American measurements
1 kg (approximately 3 pounds) of fresh strawberries
800 grams (approximately 2.5-2.8 pounds) of sugar
1 L of water = 2.2 pounds or 33.8 ounces of water
I don’t mean to criticize, but weight is the same no matter what you are weighing one kilo is equal to 2.2 pounds. Period. It does not matter if you are weighing strawberries or sugar.
Do the canning jars need to be sealed in order tho preserve them this long ?
Hi, Jennifer. Yes, if you are planning to store them for a long (4-6 months) time, I would suggest to seal your jars (I don’t, because these do not last longer than 2 months in my house :))))
Making these tonight!! Any suggestions for using the boiling syrup after? I guess it’s like a strawberry flavoured simple syrup – maybe a martini?
Hi, Natalie. Sure, martini sounds good lol. You can also add to pancakes, ice cream and so on.
I was thinking the same thing. I’m going to try and make strawberry pancake syrup. Hope it turns out.
Does the strawberry have a gummy texture.
I bought something similar at Pikes Fishmarket in Seattle very expensive. But the outside of the strawberry’s were coated with granulated sugar on them.
The texture depends on how long you dry strawberries in your oven. I like chewable gummy-like texture. If you like sugar on outside, you can certainly roll strawberries in sugar after you take them out of the oven (let berries cool off a bit).
Robin, did you try this and are they the same as Pike’s market? I am looking to replicate the same thing from there.
I wanted to 1/4 my berries lengthwise and candy in order to add to granola later. But I’m concerned boiling quartered strawberries may over soften them or they may mash completely. Have you tried just rolling in fine sugar and dehydrating? Especially if one wanted to also reduce the sugar some? I want to still have a bit of gummy texture. Is the boiling in syrup a key element for that plump gumminess?
Hi, Rosie. No, it is not crucial. If you don’t want to boil strawberries, then just add sugar to berries, mix and let stand for 3-5 hours, you will notice that strawberries let juice out. Then you can put berries in the dehydrator (or oven). The end product might not be as sweet….Also, in order for strawberries not to end up mashed, do not allow them to boil. I usually just bring the mixture to boil (see some bubbles), then turn it off right away, and carefully stir until bubbles disappear. You do not even have to boil berries, you can just heat up the sauce and turn the stove off. Heating up sauce and berries allows for sugary syrup to soak berries. They turn out sweet and gummy.
How would use a dehydrator instead of the oven?
I’ve never tried it in a dehydrator. However, I think that you can cut cooking time in half and they try if strawberries are dried enough for your taste.
could you use defrosted frozen strawberries?
Of course