How To Make Dried Mandarin Peel Powder
Dried Mandarin Peel Powder is a concentrated source of citrus flavor. It’s a versatile ingredient that will enhance the taste of baked goods, marinades, and lots more. It’s also an excellent way to reduce food waste and a cost-effective way to ensure you get the most out of the produce you buy.
In This Article
What Makes This Recipe So Good?
Dried mandarin peel or mandarin peel powder are not common ingredients in Western kitchens or herbal dispensaries and the medicinal value of the peel is frequently overlooked. They are frequently used in Chinese Cuisine and Traditional Chinese Medicine where they’re noted as being an effective remedy for cough, as well as being excellent for constipation and nausea amongst many other things (1).
Research shows that citrus peel has been used as an extract or to provide synergistic effects in clinical trials, with great effect (2). The peel contains a good amount of flavonoids and antioxidants and can have a positive impact on cognition, blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s also well known for its anti-inflammatory effects (2).
Ingredients – What You’ll Need
This is a great recipe to make during winter when mandarins are in abundance. And eating plenty of this fruit will boost your vitamin C levels in the cooler months, which is an added bonus. That will leave you with a large amount of fruit peel – which you can dry, powder, and re-use in other recipes.
- Mandarins or mandarin oranges depending on your location – are the only ingredient needed for this recipe.
There are several varieties of mandarins to choose from. My favourite for eating is Honey Murcott because they’re so sweet so that’s generally the skins I use. However, any kind you have is fine.
How To Make Dried Mandarin Peel
You can either make this powder with purpose – by buying mandarins specifically – or just make it every time you find yourself with enough leftover peel. If doing the latter though, I recommend either the oven or air fryer methods, as they’re best for small batches. You can store fresh mandarin peels in the fridge for a few days if needed too, which will give you a larger batch to work with.
- Wash the entire surface of the mandarin peel thoroughly to remove any dirt or residue then dry them completely. I do this before peeling them to make it easier.
- Remove the bitter white pith from the inside of the skin by scraping it with a teaspoon or knife. Leaving excess pith on the peel will give the powder a variety of unpleasant tastes so be sure to get off as much of it as possible.
- Cut or rip the peels into smaller pieces – approximately 1 inch/2.5cm for faster drying. Place on dehydrator trays, oven trays, or air fryer trays pith side down with space between the peel so the air can circulate. See below for instructions on drying in each appliance.
How To Dry Mandarin Peel In The Oven
This is a great option if you want to make the powder in a shorter timeframe.
- Preheat the oven to oven to 212ºF/100ºC.
- Place the trays in the preheated oven and bake for 1-1.5 hours. Check on the peels after one hour, they’re ready if they snap in half. If they don’t, keep baking, and checking every 30 minutes until they do. Let the peels cool completely then blend into a powder.
Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the pantry or fridge.
In The Dehydrator
- Set the dehydrator to 135ºF/57°C and dehydrate for approximately 6 – 8 hours. Timing may vary depending on your dehydrator – but what you’re looking for is the skin to snap when you try and bend it.
- Once completely dehydrated, let the peels cool then place in a blender and blend until a fine powder is formed.
Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the pantry or fridge.
In The Air Fryer
Many air fryers also have a dehydrate function. Much like the oven method, this is a great way to get the peels dried quickly.
- Set the air fryer to dehydrate (this is usually 160ºF/70ºC), place the trays in and dry for approximately 2-3 hours. Rotate the trays each hour as the peel dehydrates to ensure it dries evenly.
- As per the other methods, the skin will snap when it’s dry. If it doesn’t, keep dehydrating in 30 min increments.
- Let the peels cool completely then blend into a powder.
Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the pantry or fridge.
Substitutions And Variations
Any citrus fruit will work well here. Lemon peel or orange peel are great substitutes for mandarin if preferred. Dried tangerine peel is also delicious!
For a very traditional drying method try making sundried mandarin peel instead! Place the peel on trays or baskets in direct sun and leave to dry for several days. As per the other methods, the peel will snap when it’s fully dried.
Instead of pulverising all the peel when it’s dried leave some whole. The dried peels can make an excellent mandarin peel tea. Not only is that delicious, it has medicinal value too. Add hot water to a mug with a few pieces of the orange peel and a small cinnamon stick. Leave to steep for a few minutes then discard the peel and stick, and enjoy.
If you don’t have time for that just add a small piece (or three!) to a glass of warm water. It’s equally delicious.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Ensure the peel is fully dried before grinding it into a powder, otherwise, you’ll end up with a paste. It may also go mouldy over the coming weeks.
If you think the peel is fully dried, but it won’t snap. Take a small handful of peel from the oven/dehydrator/air fryer and set it aside for a few minutes. Once completely cool try and snap them again. The moist air from the fan in the oven and dehydrator can give the false impression they’re not ready, so this will help you be certain.
Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead
Store the mandarin peel powder in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or any airtight container in the pantry or fridge. For a longer shelf life, I recommend the fridge.
FAQ
Drying them to make a powder means the peel has myriad uses. It can be used to substitute orange zest in recipes, it adds a citrus zing to soups and stews and is delicious added to baked goods. It’s great on these raw doughnuts too!
Any dried citrus peels can be powdered, the only thing to ensure is that as much of the white pith has been removed as possible from any citrus fruit you’re using. This stops the powder from becoming bitter.
More Preserving Recipes
If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!
Dried Mandarin Peel Powder
Equipment
- Dehydrator, oven or an air fryer with a dehydrate function.
Ingredients
- 10 Mandarins – enjoy the fruit and keep the peel! (any amount you want to dry is fine)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 212ºF/100ºC (see note 1 if you'd like to make this in a dehydrator or an air fryer with a dehydrate function)
- Wash the entire surface of the mandarin peel thoroughly to remove any dirt or residue then dry them completely. I do this before peeling them to make it easier.
- Remove the bitter white pith from the inside of the skin by gently scraping it with a teaspoon or knife. Leaving excess pith on the peel will give the powder a very bitter taste.
- Cut or rip the peels into smaller pieces – approximately 1 inch/2.5cm for faster drying. Place on oven trays, dehydrator trays, or air fryer trays pith side down and ensure there is plenty of space between each piece of peel to allow for better airflow.
- Place the trays in the preheated oven and bake for 1-1.5 hours. Check on the peels after one hour, they’re ready if they snap in half (See note 2). If they don’t, keep baking, and checking every 30 minutes until they do.
- Remove the peels from the oven and let them cool completely. Once cooled, transfer to a blender and pulverise into a powder. This should take just a few seconds.
- Store in a glass jar in the pantry or the fridge (See note 3). You can now add this to cakes, biscuits, soups, or any recipe that calls for citrus zest.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Gabby Campbell
Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY
Thanks for this recipe and many options to dry and use. He gave me encouragement to not waste my Mandarin feelings, and I started using them in teas, and then Mediterranean tomato stew that I asked for skins of orange.
Ps: there’s a conversion mistake at the early paragraph on oven drying. 100 C is NOT 40 F, but 212F Fahrenheit.
Hi Alex, thank you! I don’t know how I ended up writing 40º there, but the post has now been amended to show the correct temperature. I’m glad you’re putting the powder to such good use too!
Thanks for the “know how”, I have a tree full of mandarins… I suppose I will use the peel as a future meat rub, at least I can use it. I usually just pile it up next to our fire pit, it apparently helps to keep the mozzies away when you burn it.
My pleasure Jade. It’s just great to be able to use it in the kitchen in some way, but in the fire also sounds really lovely. I’ll bet it smells divine!