Candied Hibiscus Flowers
Rather than throw away the hibiscus flowers [paid link] that I had brewed into tea, I saved them and let them do double duty as candy – hooray for less food waste*. They are sweet and super crunchy and I could totally see an alternate universe where popcorn was weird and candied flowers were the normal snack to munch on while watching a movie.
How to Make Candied Hibiscus Flowers
Hibiscus flower prior to candying.
Candied Flowers - Hibiscus
Ingredients
- Fresh edible hibiscus flowers not hibiscus from the florist that could have pesticides all over it or dried hibiscus flowers that have been steeped to make hibiscus tea
- Enough egg white to coat the flowers about 1 egg white for every 2 C of flowers
- Enough sugar to coat the flowers about 1/2 C for every 2 C of flowers
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush flowers with a thin layer of egg white (You can dunk the flowers instead of brushing if you find that to be easier.)
- Place the sugar in a small bowl and gently roll the flowers in the sugar.
- Spread the flowers on the parchment paper. The flowers can be really close together - just make sure that they aren't touching.
- Bake at the lowest temperature your oven can be set at (mine is 170 F) for about 7 hours or until crispy.
- Store in an airtight container.
Full Disclosure
Although the macro photos of the candied hibiscus flowers make them look gorgeous, I thought that I should share this photo as well:
I think this looks like bugs
pinned to a board in a lab.
*I’ve been saying “Hooray” for everything after reading How Does a Seed Grow [paid link] over and over again to Myles. I’d highly recommend that book for anyone with a little kid interested in knowing where food comes from or a really little kid who likes seeing smiling faces and hearing the word “Hooray”!
Hibiscus can cause sudden drop in blood pressure and blood sugar in some people. Not a good idea to over indulge in this item or to suggest eating the leaves like popcorn! Can also cause issues in hormones for some women.
Could you spread them out open to bake? So they are less ball shaped?
I love hibiscus tea from dried flowers. Drinking it now. I obviously googled hibiscus candy. Twice before the recipe itself I read that you were using the flowers after using them to steep tea. However the recipe states NOT to use flowers that were previously used for tea. Confusing.
Woah.. you are so correct! I wrote this post so many years ago. I have no idea what was going through my head!! Sooo sorry! Clearly I need to remake it ASAP and figure out what I meant to say.
Just wondering what the result ended up being…do you candy the hibiscus from dried or after rehydrated when making tea from the flowers?
I made hibiscus tea and let the calyxes soak overnight in the stepping water, as i was making it to go over ice. The following morning, when I finished making the tea, I used a hand press to squeeze the rest of the juice from the hibiscus. I then took those hibiscus, put them in a small pot, added a cup of water and a cup of sugar, brought them to a boil briefly to make syrup, and then strained the hibiscus from the syrup. I then took the calyx’s and laid them out on a large cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap, and let them sun dry. I’d say the flavor is close to a Craisin, but way better! I’ve also done a spiced version for Christmas, adding lemon peels, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon to the hibiscus syrup. It’s even better!
I would like buy a candied hibiscus. Could you give me a name and adress to producter ? ThankSi. Karine
very nice idea.
U say in ingredients,”Fresh edible hibiscus flowers not hibiscus from the florist that could have pesticides all over it or dried hibiscus flowers that have been steeped to make hibiscus tea”. U so say u reuse after brewing instead of throwing away. Im confused. Do u reuse after brewing by just following ur directions or do u redry. I am thinking the oven time in directions serves. The purpose of drying out.
For the person looking for hibiscus candy- they have it at Trader Joe’s
Thank you for this nice recipe.
Thank you
What a great idea.
Neat idea! So of you are putting yours in a 170 degree oven can they be done in a dehydrator as well? Mine goes to 165 degrees. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks for this great ideas
Thanks for this great idea.
Thank you for this great idea.
Thank you for this nice idea.
I love this idea so much.
Very nice idea. Thank you.
It is a great idea. thank you
So beautiful flower cacks.
Wow such a good idea. I should try it.
I should try that.
Wow, flowers look amazing really.
It works fine with flowers from your plants at home but do not use the flowers that are on it when you buy. We usually let our grow for at least 3-4 months in the sun before starting to harvest. Then again we are in the sunny south cost of Spain where they grow very fast :)
I love your recipe for tea and for edible flowers. I found some organic flowers at Azure Standard for a good price.
What a way to recycle. What do they taste like?
Tonya – Yes, you are correct. But, you might want to check to make sure that your variety of hibiscus is edible. I’ve heard that not all varieties are.
Just making sure… these are actually the hibiscus “sepals”, right? The flower is a gorgeous yellow hibiscus with a pinky purple center, and then the “berry” that forms after is this red jewel that grows to between the size of a shooter marble and a ping pong ball. The sepals that you brew and candy are the outer leafy peels, and the fruits inside is okra-ish. (they are related). This was the first year growing them at our community garden, and I plan to fill my yard with them next year. Super simple to grow.
tonya
This is a wonderful company for organically grown Crystallized (candied) Flowers: http://www.crystallizedflowerco.com
Ivy – It wasn’t that hard. We have a great international grocery near me that had it.
Definitely going to have to try these with my leftovers next time I make hibiscus tea! I bet they are even better than the candied ones Trader Joes sells! and cheaper!!
I just had Hibiscus drink.. cold tea.. in an Egyptian families dinner for Ramadan! it was my first time and I loved it// the smell and also the taste.. love it.. I am wondering if I can find it easily in the US?
http://www.melozb.blogspot.com
it is avail at many spanish groceries…as well, i buy the dried flowers in bulk. and very cheap.
What a fantastic idea! I’ll have to borrow this for the next pitcher I make!
WOW! How hard was it to find the edible hibiscus?
You can find it at mexican stores. They are used to make the drink called Jamaica.
Just enter “hibiscus leaves” in the Amazon search box. Many options I bought the Hoosier Hill and the Frontier Organic ones. Very good!
I never tried candied flowers. Those look great.