Tanghulu Recipe

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Try tanghulu for a crunchy, sweet, and juicy snack. This Chinese treat features skewered fruits covered in a hard candy shell. Learn how to make your own version at home with this simple-to-follow recipe!

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Simple ingredients: Made with only 3 simple ingredients, tanghulu is the perfect way to curb your sweet tooth!
• Diet-friendly: Vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free, almost anyone can enjoy this tanghulu recipe.
• Easy to make: Once you learn a few tips and tricks, tanghulu is surprisingly easy to make. Plus, it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish!

🍓 What is tanghulu?

Tanghulu (or bing tanghulu) is a sought-after Chinese snack enjoyed all throughout the country. Also going by the names “ice candy” or “glass candy,” it features fruit on bamboo sticks that have been covered in a glossy candy shell.

Traditionally, this confection is made with Chinese hawthorn. However, with the rising popularity in other parts of the world, recipes have evolved to include other fruit such as grape, apple, orange, or strawberry tanghulu.

All that’s required is to heat sugar and water, then dip your favorite fruit in. Watch as each one transforms into a beautiful candy before your very eyes!

📜 History

Tanghulu is one of the most traditional and treasured Chinese snacks in history. Apparently, this treat originated in Northern China during the Song dynasty (960-1279).

Legend has it that tanghulu was created for Emperor Guangzong’s concubine when she fell ill one day. A doctor suggested she try dipping hawthorn fruit in sugar syrup, and his treatment cured her much to everyone’s shock!

From there, the confection quickly spread amongst the common people. The first forms of tanghulu contained a large and a small Chinese hawthorn fruit on a skewer, making it look like a bottle gourd. This is where “tanghulu” comes from since it means “candy bottle gourd.”

Whether or not that tale is true, the bright red color of hawthorn fruit makes it a festive snack to serve around Chinese New Year at street vendors, theatres, and tea houses alike.

🌱 Is tanghulu vegan?

Most of the time, tanghulu recipes are vegan-friendly. We always recommend being mindful of the sugar you use since some are processed with bone char (a non-vegan whitening method). When in doubt, opt for brands like Wholesome Organic Cane Sugar.

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Fruit: While Chinese hawthorn is the most traditional, this fruit isn’t very easy to find! One of the most common replacements is strawberry tanghulu. Other options include grapes, mandarins, kiwis, blueberries, grapes, or apples. Just make sure you pat the fruit dry so the syrup sticks.
• Sugar: We use organic cane sugar or organic granulated sugar for a vegan-friendly option. Whichever type you go with, make sure it is granulated for the most optimal syrup.
• Water: To mix with the sugar, creating the proper consistency. Use fresh, filtered water for your tanghulu recipe.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 Instructions

Step 1: Wash or peel the fruit, and slice them if necessary. Thoroughly pat the fruit dry. Lightly spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray or grab out a styrofoam block (this will prevent flat spots).

Step 2: Using bamboo skewers, pierce each fruit until it’s secured in place. Add just enough fruit to each skewer so that it will be able to fully submerge in the sugar mixture.

Step 3: Place a candy thermometer in a medium saucepan, then add the sugar and water. Heat the mixture over medium until it reaches 300 degrees F. Do not stir it, and be careful not to exceed 300 degrees F or the sugar will burn.

Step 4: In the meantime, fill a medium mixing bowl with ice water. When the mixture reaches 300 degrees F, carefully tip the saucepan a little and dip a fruit skewer in, swirling to coat it evenly.

Step 5: Immediately submerge it in the ice bath. Remove it quickly from the water and place it on the piece of parchment paper to dry. Alternatively, you can pierce it upright into a styrofoam block.

Step 6: Repeat until no skewers are left. Let them cool for a few minutes, then serve immediately. Happy eating!

If you have questions about this tanghulu recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🧋 What to serve with tanghulu

Even though tanghulu is delicious on its own, we love serving it alongside our favorite bubble tea recipes like these:

• Taro milk tea
• Hokkaido milk tea
• Thai tea boba
• Honeydew milk tea

🍡 How to eat tanghulu

Tanghulu is traditionally served on skewers to avoid sticky fingers. All you have to do is bite it straight from the skewer. Alternatively, you can use your fingers, but you better have some napkins at the ready!

🌡️ Storage

It’s best to eat tanghulu immediately for a perfectly crunchy texture. However, if you have some leftovers, follow these storage tips:

• Fridge: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 hours in the fridge. You can store them for up to a few weeks, but the sugar syrup will start becoming sticky and lose its crunch.
• Freezer: Freezing will result in crystallization. We don’t recommend this storage method.

♻️ Variations

• Other foods: Try different foods like cherries, blueberries, apples, kumquats, yams, water chestnuts, Chinese dates, or haws (if you can find some).
• Brown sugar: For a rich, toffee-like flavor, swap in organic brown sugar instead of cane sugar or regular granulated sugar.
• Food coloring: Many recipes call for red dye to brighten the red strawberries. Use natural food coloring for vibrant-looking tanghulu.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Add an acid: If you’re having issues, add a squeeze of lemon or lime to the sugar water mixture before simmering it to avoid crystallization.
• Use a thermometer: For the most accurate and consistent results, make sure you use a candy thermometer. It’s important that the temperature of the sugar reaches 300 degrees F.
• Don’t stir the mixture: Sugar is a fickle beast, so do not stir the mixture while it’s simmering to prevent crystallization.
• Test the sugar: Whether you have a thermometer or not, test a drizzle of the sugar mixture in the ice water. If it hardens quickly, you’re ready to dip the fruit. If it’s still sticky and bendable, the syrup needs to simmer for a bit longer.
• Prop them up: If you don’t want any flat spots on the fruit skewers, prop up them up in a styrofoam block while they dry.
• Dry the fruit: Make sure the fruit you’re using is patted dry so the sugar mixture doesn’t drip off.
• Have the ice water ready: Prep the ice water before you start dipping the skewers. You need to work fairly quickly, so it’s best to have everything ready to go.
• Clean your pot: The best way to clean out hardened sugar from a saucepan is to add more water and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiled, dump it out in your sink and repeat until it’s fully clean.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More candy recipes

If you enjoyed making this tanghulu recipe, check out some more homemade candies like these:

• Palanqueta: A sweet and crunchy treat made of peanuts and caramel.
• Mazapan: Mexican-style marzipan made from peanuts and powdered sugar.
• Chamoy candy: Popular candies coated in a spicy chamoy sauce.
• Mueganos: Crispy squares of dough stuck together with a piloncillo sauce.