Tanghulu Recipe | How to Make Chinese Candied Fruit at Home

A 900-year-old Chinese candied fruit (tanghulu) has gone viral on social media, making it a favorite snack all over the world. From Europe to Asian countries, everyone’s in love with this simple 3-ingredient fruit candied.

When Chinese kids used to go out with their parents, this tanghulu was like ice cream for today’s kids. It’s crunchy, sweet, and juicy depending on the fruits used in it. You might see strawberries, kiwi, grapes or other fruits, but Chinese hawthorn berries were the fruit used when it was first made.

It’s a super quickie and so easy to make that even kids can make it easily (under your supervision). This blog will guide you through the tanghulu ingredients you need and a step-by-step tanghulu recipe with clear instructions so you don’t mess up and the fascinating history.

What is Tanghulu (Chinese Candied Fruit)?

Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese fruit candied with a shiny and crunchy sugar shell made with Chinese hawthorn berries, also called bintang hulu. But you can make it with fruits of your choice, as the process of making tanghulu will remain the same. You put the fruits on a thin skewer and dip them in the hot sugar syrup, which is ready to be crystallized.

During the Song Dynasty, Huang Guifei, the beloved and dearest concubine of the emperor Song Guangzong (宋光宗), was once sick and didn’t want to drink or eat all day and night. After putting effort and money into her treatment, the emperor called a doctor to the palace, who recommended that the chefs prepare tanghulu for her before every meal. Everyone was surprised when, after a few days, she started to recover gradually. That’s when it got popular throughout China, especially in Beijing, as a street food that everyone enjoyed.

If you are looking for other kids loving sweet dishes, you may check how to make “Bento Cake” a famous South Korean recipe.

Tanghulu Ingredients

You only need a couple of ingredients to make the perfect Chinese candied fruit recipe which are mentioned below:

1. Fresh fruits: Of course, without fruits this recipe stands nowhere. So, you have to make sure they are fresh, whichever one you’ll use. Either strawberries, grapes, blueberries, or even cherry tomatoes to make your tanghulu to have the fruit’s juiciness with a contrast.

2. Sugar: It will create a hard and glossy shell on the fruits, which will give you a crunch-and-burst effect. We recommend using granulated sugar for tanghulu.

3. Water: It helps in creating caramelized sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar. At this point, you’ll have to make sure the consistency of the syrup is neither too thick nor too watery, so the fruit can get the required shell on it quickly.

4. Bamboo skewers: Skewers are used because they’re so easy to dip, coat, and eat with them. It gives the street-food style presentation, which tanghulu is known for.

5. Corn syrup (optional): In a traditional Chinese candied fruit recipe, corn syrup is not used. But if you want to sustain the crystallization of your sugar and gloss on the fruits, you can use corn syrup in it.

How To Make Tanghulu Recipe?

While it’s a popular street food, a viral sensation on social media, you have to follow these 7 steps religiously to pull off this tanghulu recipe, even if you’re trying it for the first time.

1. Prepare The Fruits

Get the fruits you want to use in your tanghulu recipe and then wash them thoroughly. Don’t get started with the recipe until the fruits are completely dry because the moisture will ruin the sugar coating.

2. Set up Your Tools

If you’ve got a thermometer already, that’s great because it will help you coat the fruits in the sugar syrup just at the right time, especially if you’re doing it for the first time.

3. Make the Sugar Syrup

Get a pot and take 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in it. You can take one tablespoon of corn syrup if you’re using it; otherwise it’s good. Then, let the sugar dissolve in water and get a light brown, crystallized version without stirring it.

4. Prepare Sugar Syrup in the Microwave

If you make microwave tanghulu, then all you have to do is take a bowl and put 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar as mentioned before, and then put it in the microwave oven for 3 minutes. Then, if the syrup doesn’t have a light brown color and little bubbles, do it again for 60 seconds and then follow the rest of the steps as mentioned below.

5. Test the Syrup

Then, you can dip a spoon in the syrup and put it in the iced cold water. If it gets hard and crunchy instantly, voila! Your sugar syrup is ready.

6. Coat the Fruits

While you’ve been busy with the syrup, the fruits must have dried completely. Now, you have to put the fruits on the skewers as per your liking and dip them in the syrup. Make sure all the layers of fruit have equal syrup.

7.Set the Tanghulu

You have 2 options, you can either put the tanghulu on the parchment-lined tray or put them in the bowl of iced-cold water until the sugar becomes hard and crunchy. And enjoy!

Tanghulu Calories & Nutrition Information

Tanghulu Storage, Serving & Troubleshooting Tips For Beginners

To make your experience of trying this tanghulu recipe even better, here are our top tips on storing, serving, and fixing it if you mess up by any chance. Let’s dive in.

1. Chill your skewers: It’s so underrated to keep your fruit skewers in the fridge for at least 10-15 minutes before using them. It’ll help a lot in setting the hot syrup on the fruits quickly.

2. Store in an airtight container: It will get soft in humid air really fast, so keep them in an airtight container with a food-safe silica gel packet.

3. Serve immediately: Within 30-60 minutes after chilling, it’s time to serve them otherwise the iconic crunch will be shattered and your efforts will be in vain.

4. Use a small pot: If you’re going to use a big pot then the depth of sugar syrup will be less. So, it will be difficult for you to dip the fruit skewers.

5. Use lemon: If you’re making a lot of skewers and you notice that the syrup has started to crystallize, you can add ½ teaspoon of lemon and heat it up a bit to get the perfect texture you need.

The Bottom Line

Now, you have a tanghulu recipe right at your finger tips, you can enjoy it with your friends, family and especially kids (they’re gonna love it!). When the glossy, crunchy Chinese candied fruit goes into your mouth, your taste buds are having the best time with this crunch and burst experience. Whether you’re having a party at your home, Sunday movie night with your partner, or a special get-together with your college mates, you gotta make it because it’s diverse enough to fit in any casual meetups.

Before signing off, let me tell you lil secret…just don’t tell anyone. After you have followed this recipe for tanghulu, and let it chill for a while, you can dip it in white or dark melted chocolate to try a unique version of tanghulu.

Frequently Asked Questions