How to Candy Strawberries. These easy candied strawberry slices are gorgeous and easy to make. They are the perfect addition to your cupcake and cake recipes or a delicious sweet snack!
Ready for the most incredible strawberry candy recipe? It is beyond simple to make and takes only THREE ingredients! But let’s step back a second and answer the biggest question… What exactly are candy strawberries?
Candied strawberries are ripe pieces of fruit that are covered in a candy coating. They are most commonly used as a fun treat or decoration for you favorite dessert. You can make this easy candy strawberry recipe as whole berries or in slices. I prefer the slices.
I decided to candy mine in slices and use as a cupcake topper for my Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes, but also because we love to eat these as a grab-and-go treat. They are scrumptious and the slices are ideal for treating yourself.
What You Need For Candy Coated Strawberries
Ready to dive into how to make candied strawberries? First we need to talk about ingredients. Most recipes call for corn syrup. If you are making whole berries, this works great. But we like to use a simple syrup made of just water and sugar. It gives you that same delicious candy coating, but one less step in the process.
- Strawberries- Ripe is best, but they will be coated in sugar so it is ok if they are a little less sweet.
- Sugar
- Water
By the way, while mine are slices, my good friend Ashlee has an amazing whole berry version. If that’s what you are searching for, hop on over to her site and check out the tutorial.
How To Make Candied Strawberries With Sugar And Water
The first step in the process is making a simple syrup from sugar and water. Simple syrup is made from equal parts water and sugar. You bring both ingredients to a light boil just until the sugar is dissolved. Once it has cooled you can use it in a variety of recipes like these candy covered strawberries, limeade, cocktails and more.
- Start by combining half of a cup of sugar with half of a cup of water in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil. Make sure you are stirring frequently to avoid any burnt sugar on the bottom of the pan.
- Once the sugar has dissolved completely, take the pan off of the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
For Candied Strawberries In Oven
- Next in the step process is hulling the strawberries. Hulling a berry is a fancy way of saying removing the stem. You can do this by using a sharp knife or I found this great tutorial using a straw on youtube.
- Once they are hulled, slice each berry as in even thickness. I recommend using a sharp paring knife or a mandolin (affiliates).
- By now your simple syrup should be cooled. Dip each slice directly in the syrup and place on a parchment lined baking pan.
PRO TIP: Invest in silicone baking mats in place of parchment. They are reusable and I have yet to come across something that sticks to its surface. Well worth the small $13 price tag!
- Bake at 200 degrees for up to 3 hours, depending on the thickness of your strawberries.
- I recommend checking on your berries every hour to see their progress.
- You are looking for a dry to the touch berry that still retains the bold red color.
- The result should be a nice dark red berry that is somewhat dry to the touch, but not overly crunchy. Almost like a gummy version of the fruit.
Tips For Making Candied Strawberry
- Making a small batch? You can easily cut this recipe in half. On its own, this candied strawberries recipe makes two large sheet pans full of berry slices.
- You can also find other fruit recipes like my Candied Lemon Slices!
How Do You Use Candied Strawberries?
Candy covered strawberries and candied strawberry slices are ideal for decorating cakes, cupcakes, brownies, pies, or any dessert. They add an elegant touch that really sends your dessert over the top!
You could even eat them straight from the tray if you’d like. We store ours in an airtight container lined with parchment and treat it like a candy jar. We often refer to this treat as “strawberry oven candy.”
How Long Do Candied Strawberries Last?
This recipe won’t last long. The candied berries should be eaten within one or two days, but I’ll be surprised if they last that long. We always eat them within the first day. Always store the berries in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More Strawberry Recipes
- Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino Recipe
- Frozen Strawberry Margarita
- Strawberry Whipped Cream
- Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
- 5-Minute Strawberry Cake
- Homemade Strawberry Fruit Roll Up
- Kid Favorite Strawberry Smoothie
- Easy Strawberry Shortcake From Scratch
- Champagne Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 pint strawberries
Instructions
- Combine half of a cup of sugar with half of a cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved completely, take the pan off of the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Wash and hull your strawberries. Slice each berry as thin as you can get it. Dip into your cooled syrup and place on a parchment lined baking pan.
- Bake at 200 degrees for up to 3 hours. I recommend checking on your berries every hour to see their progress. You want them dry, but still red.
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Comments & Reviews
Ashley Lemieux says
Hi, mine turned out more like dehydrated strawberries with a thin sugar coating.
How do I fix that? Do I need to thicken the sugar mixture more?
Jesseca says
Hi Ashley, if you want more of a sugar coating I suggest doing what you suggested and thicken the coating. I’d also bake less than the called for three hours. Check them about an hour in and then every 30 minutes after and pull them out when they look good to you.
Paula says
I followed the directions, did exactly what they said. Took about 4 1/2 hours in my oven and they don’t look anything like the photo. And they are not good. A waste of money, time and electricity! I was hoping for something fantastic, this was not. Sorry.
Jesseca says
Hi paula. I am so sorry this recipe did not turn out for you. Please let me know if you’d like me to help troubleshoot what went wrong.
RL Riding says
What should I do different if I wanted to candy whole strawberries?
Jesseca says
Great question. I have never candied whole strawberries, but I do have a friend who has. Here is a link to her tutorial.
George Visintin says
This looks great. Plan to use these to decorate my Strawberry Tiramisu with wild strawberry liqueur. I’m sure it will be a hit.
Thanks for the step by step.
Jesseca says
My pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to comment!
emily says
Making these now
They looked so amazing I had to try them
Nikki says
Yum! Have you done this with raspberries or any other fruit?
Christine says
This looks amazing! Would these same steps work for other berries too, such as raspberries? Thanks!
Jesseca says
I’ve never tried them with other berries but I would think it would work.
Ruth says
I ove this idea. I play Bunco, once a month with some lady friends and this would be a great snack. I saw some deviled strawberries using Nutella as the filling. I am going to make the candied ones and serve with Nutella on the side as a dip.
Jesseca says
I loooooove the idea of using nutella as a dip!
Sasha Sburlati says
Hello there! Thanks for sharing such an awesome and simple recipe!!! I shall be trying to make these to top my Dad’s birthday cake 🙂
Jesseca says
Be sure to let me know how they turn out!
Katie Goldsworthy says
Yumm! Those look delicious! Thanks for linking them up at Monday Funday!
Cathy says
What a great idea! Love this 🙂
marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings says
I have to try this I never would have thought to do this
Nicole {Life's Tidbits} says
These look delicious. What a perfect valentines day recipe! My husband isn’t a big lover of chocolate so this recipe should certainly do the trick.
Holly C. says
Strawberries are a favorite at our house. This would be a fun new idea for us! Thanks!
Sumo says
Yum! Can’t wait to make some, I bet my girls would love these!
Jonie says
What a fun idea! I can’t wait to see what you do with them!
Laura@baking in pyjamas says
That’s a brilliant idea, definitely saving and pinning!
Leanne says
Mmmm! They look delicious. I think my kids would love them too. Pinning!
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
mmm these look delicious! How long do you think they store?
Jesseca says
Maybe a couple days at most. I would keep them in an air tight container out on the counter.
Debra says
Wow! these look absolutely amazing. I would never have thought to candy strawberries, but now I am craving them.
Yvonne @ TriedandTasty says
Ooooh! Well this is fun 🙂 I’ve never heard of candied strawberries. Love the step-by-step. I feel like a stalker.. hope you don’t mind me coming to visit and commenting on every post – just love your site!!
Jesseca says
stalk away! I love comments!