Tanghulu Recipe
Learn how to make Tanghulu candied strawberries with this fun recipe! It’s one of my kids’ favorite treats.
If your Tik Tok “for you page” is filled with fun and easy recipes, or you have tween/teen girls as I do, you might be familiar with Tanghulu.
I first discovered this fun treat when my 11-year-old daughter showed me the recipe on Tik Tok. Since then we’ve made it several times. My kids absolutely love making and eating Tanghulu fruit. Here we will look at what it is and how to make it.
Image: Shutterstock. Hawthorn Tanghulu in Beijing, China.
What is Tanghulu?
Tanghulu is a skewer of crispy candied fruit. Though it may be new to those of us in North America, it’s actually been a popular street food treat in China long before Tik Tok.
Tanghulu is often made with Hawthorn Berry, which is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. Hawthorn berry is a bit like a crab apple in appearance, sweet and tangy, and works well candied. However, there are plenty of other fruits that work well candied too.
What You’ll Need
- Candy thermometer
- Skewers (or lollipop sticks)
- Small saucepan
- White sugar
- Water
- Fruit
Fruits that Work Well for Tangulu
- Hawthorn berries
- Strawberries
- Grapes
- Peeled kiwi, thickly sliced
- Kumquats
How to Make Tanghulu Fruit
Making Tanghulu fruit or strawberries is easy and fun. The trick is to use the correct water to sugar ratio and bring it up to the “hard crack” stage, which is 300 degrees F. This will result in fruit that’s coated in a thin layer of hard candy that cracks when bitten into.
While it’s possible to get the temperature right without a candy thermometer, it is much more difficult, so I highly recommend using one. The skewered fruit gets quickly dipped into the hot sugar mixture and set aside to harden, which happens almost immediately.
Tanghulu
Learn how to make Tanghulu fruit, the popular Chinese candied strawberries, with this fun recipe. All you need is sugar and water, and some fruit!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- bamboo skewers
Instructions
- Rinse and gently dry strawberries by patting with a paper towel or air drying. Skewer one to three strawberries on each bamboo skewer.
- Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan.
- Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the mixture reaches 300°F (hard crack stage). It will be light amber in color. You can test that it's ready by placing a few drops of the sugar mixture into a glass of cold water. It should solidify immediately.
- Turn off the heat. Carefully dip the skewered strawberries into the hot sugar mixture. Turn to coat or use a spoon to help cover each berry.
- Transfer to a plate or piece of parchment paper to dry. Tanghulu hardens very quickly.
- Tanghulu strawberries are best enjoyed as soon as they cool, as the fruit will begin to bleed over time.
Notes
Other Tanghulu Fruit Options
- Hawthorn berries
- Grapes
- Peeled kiwi
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 0g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your favorite calculator.
I watched a lot of old Chinese movies and that tanghulu is one of the popular street snacks. That’s a fun recipe to try! Thank you for sharing!
Do THe strawberries have to be fresh?
Yes they do! Thanks for asking!
looks fantastic and soooo simple and easy to make! I’m making it soon!
Does the hard candy stick to the sticks?
Hi, can this be made with pineapple?
Fresh or canned?
(Party theme is “yellow!”)
That is so yummy. Adding sugar to the fruit is really delicious.
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I’m going to make it shortly!
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