Made with fresh ginger these candies are a healthy alternative to store bought. They’re soothing with a lovely natural ginger flavor that builds up as it slowly dissolves. They’re perfect for travelling, if you’re feeling under the weather or for an after dinner sweet.
This post contains affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you I may earn a small commission. I only recommend products that I use and love. Please see our Disclosure Policy.
I experimented making these candies a few different ways – with dried ginger, store bought ginger tea and conventional fresh ginger. While using dried ginger and ginger tea was easier and faster, the dried ginger gave the candies a gritty texture and the store bought ginger tea and conventional ginger just didn’t give enough flavour. Making these candies from scratch with organic ginger absolutely gave the best results. The candies are soothing and warming with a natural ginger flavour that builds up as it dissolves in your mouth. At first the candies will only taste sweet but by the end your mouth and throat will be filled with a warming, zesty ginger flavour.
The Ingredients
There are only 3 simple ingredients needed to make these candies:
- Fresh organic ginger. Organic ginger is a must for this recipe as I find that it’s stronger then conventional ginger. Fresh ginger cannot be substituted with ground ginger as the flavor and texture will not be the same.
- Granulated sugar. I use organic cane sugar but any granulated sugar should work fine.
- Cream of tartar. A small amount helps to prevent the formation of sugar crystals, keeping the candy smooth and clear.
Equipment Needed
There are a few important tools that will help you have an easy and safe candy making experience:
- Heavy bottom pot. Use a stainless steel or copper pot preferably with a lip or spout for easy pouring. Non-stick pots are not suitable for high temperatures.
- Candy mold. Silicon candy molds are great because the candies are easy to remove. Make sure that the mold that you chose is heat safe to at least 300°F. The mold that I use makes 36 candies that are each 3/4″ diameter.
- Candy thermometer. This recipe can be made without a thermometer but for accuracy it’s much easier with one. My favourite thermometer is this one.
- Wax or parchment paper. The candies last longer when they are individually wrapped. I like using wax paper cut into small squares.
First Step: Make A Strong Ginger Tea
The first step to making these candies is to make a strong ginger tea with fresh organic ginger. Peel and chop the ginger into small chunks, place them into a pot full of water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for at least 40 minutes or until the water has reduced to 1/2 cup. The remaining liquid should be dark and have a VERY strong, almost medicinal like ginger flavour. It needs to be this strong or else the ginger flavour won’t come through in the candies.
Second Step: Make The Candy
Mix the ginger tea that you just made with the sugar and cream of tartar and boil until it reaches 300°F (about 10 minutes). Carefully pour it into the molds. Be sure not to touch the hot candy or pot as it will burn! Let the candies set for 15 minutes. Once they’re set wrap each candy in wax paper and put them into a sealed container.
Benefits Of Ginger
- Helps digestion by speeding up the digestion process and promoting healthy enzymes.
- Boosts immunity with its antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
- Ginger is a natural pain reliever. The compound found in raw ginger called gingerol acts as an anti-inflammatory and works to eliminate compounds in the body that result in pain.
- Relieves nausea from either motion sickness, migraines, morning sickness, or general stomach problems.
- Has anti-aging properties. Ginger improves the health of your skin with antioxidants, increased blood circulation, and antiseptic properties. The antioxidants protect the skin from UV rays and slows the breakdown of collagen, helping the skin maintain a youthful look.
- Ginger helps with weight loss by giving your metabolism a boost and creating a feeling of fullness to prevent overeating.
- Ginger works as a blood thinner, which is beneficial in preventing cardiovascular issues.
- Improves brain function by reducing inflammation protects the brain from free radicals. It also improves memory function by increasing the neurotransmitters in our brain responsible for memory, focus, and reaction time. Ginger even releases dopamine and serotonin to help fight mental illnesses like depression and anxiety.
Why You Will Love These Ginger Hard Candies
✓ Soothing
✓ Clean ingredients
✓ Healthier then store bought candies
✓ Easy to bring when travelling
✓ Essential for cold and flu season
✓ Completely vegan and gluten free
Looking For More Candy Recipes?
Or More Ginger Recipes?
- Ginger Lemonade Popsicles
- Lemon Ginger Easter Egg Cookies
- Chocolate Donuts With Candied Orange And Ginger
These homemade natural ginger hard candies are perfect to keep on hand to help treat nausea/digestive upset, to sooth a sore throat, for travel or if you just love ginger! The ingredients are simple without any added preservatives or artificial colour that store bought candies usually contain. I hope that you love these candies and that they become a staple in your home for you as they have for us!
Homemade Natural Ginger Hard Candies
Ingredients
Ginger tea
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup organic ginger, peeled and roughly chopped into 1" cubes see notes
Candies
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup ginger tea (from above)
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- The first step is to make a strong ginger tea with fresh organic ginger. (A store bought tea will not be strong enough). Place the water and chopped ginger in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil turn it down to medium heat. Make sure that it's bubbling. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Let it cook for 40-50 minutes, checking on it periodically, until the liquid has reduced to 1/2 cup. It should be a dark yellow colour and have a VERY strong medicinal like ginger flavour. If the ginger flavour isn't strong enough it won't come through in the candies. Set the pot aside.
- Next, it's time to make the candies. Mix the sugar, 1/3 cup of the ginger tea you just made and the cream of tartar in a medium sized heavy bottom pot. (A stainless steel or copper is preferred as non-stick pots are not suitable for high heat). Place your candy thermometer into the pot. Place the pot on the stove on medium high heat. (Do not put it at max heat because it will burn. I use dial 8. ) Bring the mixture to a boil and watch it carefully because the mixture will bubble up and can spill over. Let it boil without stirring until it reaches 300°F which will take about 10 minutes. Make sure to watch it carefully because the temperature can go up quite fast and the candy can burn.
- Once it has reached 300°F remove it from the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes until the bubbles have settled. (Do not let it sit too long because the candy will cool and it will be harder to pour.) Carefully pour the candy into the molds. Make sure not to touch any of the hot candy as it will burn.
- Let the candy sit for about 15 minutes. Remove the candy from the molds and wrap each one in wax paper. Place all of the wrapped candies in a sealed container. Stored at room temperature. They can last up to a month. If it is hot and humid they may become sticky. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Your feedback is always appreciated! Please leave a comment and star rating below. If you have questions about the recipe ask me in the comment section and I will get back to you ASAP. Thank you so much for stopping by and happy eating always!
Seems the quantity of 1/3c is far too small and reduces to almost nothing in the final stage getting it to 300 degrees. This recipe was a flop for me.
Hi Dave, I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out for you. I’ve made it many times with this ratio and it has always worked. It’s possible that either your pot was too large or the temperature you cooked it at was too low therefore taking too long to reach the 300F. I use dial 8 on my stove and use a 6inch diameter pot. If your pot is larger than this you can double the recipe, make sure to double the amounts when making the ginger tea as well.
could you use coconut sugar or honey or maybe molasses. if so would it be the same amount?
Hi Christina, I haven’t tried those with this recipe. I think coconut sugar will work because it is granulated like cane sugar. Try using the same amounts. The candies will be a lot darker. Please let me know how it goes!
Is aluminum wrapper okay to use for these?
I recommend using parchment paper or wax paper. The candies will get a bit sticky and I think they will stick to aluminum foil.