Easy Tanghulu Recipe (3 Ingredients)

Easy Tanghulu Recipe (3 Ingredients)

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!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Dessert

Cuisine Chinese, Gluten-Free, Vegan

Servings 10 servings

Calories 92 kcal

Equipment

Small saucepan
Wooden skewers

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

▢ 1 pound fruit of choice (strawberries, grapes, blueberries, oranges, kiwis, etc.)
▢ 1 cup cane sugar
▢ ½ cup water

Instructions

Wash or peel the fruits and slice them if necessary. Thoroughly pat the fruits dry to help the sugar coating stick. Lightly spray a piece of parchment paper with cooking spray or grab a styrofoam block if you have one. Set aside.
Pierce each fruit with a wooden/bamboo skewer 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.
Place a candy thermometer in a medium saucepan, then add the sugar and water. Heat the mixture over medium until it reaches 300°F. Do not stir it and be careful not to exceed 300°F or the sugar will burn.
In the meantime, fill a medium mixing bowl with ice water.
When the mixture reaches 300°F, dip a fruit skewer, swirling to coat it evenly. Immediately submerge it in the ice bath. Remove it quickly from the water and place it on the piece of parchment paper or pierce it upright in the foam block to dry.
Repeat until no skewers are left. Let the tanghulu cool for 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately. Happy eating!

Notes

Keep everything ready: Have your parchment paper, ice water bath, and skewered fruits prepared before you start cooking the sugar syrup. Once the sugar starts heating, you need to be ready.

Safety first: Boiling sugar is extremely hot and can cause severe burns. Use long skewers and keep your work area clear of children and pets.

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.

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.

Add an acid: If you’re having issues, squeeze lemon or lime into the sugar mixture before simmering it to avoid crystallization.

Resist the urge to stir the syrup as it cooks — stirring can cause the sugar to crystallize. Also, don't let the thermometer touch the bottom of the pan to keep the reading accurate.

Work quickly but carefully, as the syrup will start to harden as it cools.

Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.

Nutrition

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