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How To Make Dried Orange Peel

Make easy dried orange peel to use in DIY candles and wax melts, bath bombs, and more!

easy dried orange peel: bits of dried orange peel and rosemary sprigs on a white background

Lemon and orange peel has a lovely fragrance, plus it adds lovely color to DIY candles, soap, bath bombs, bath salts, and much much more.

I’m planning to make soy wax candles to give as Christmas gifts this year, and in preparation, I’m drying some orange and lemon peels to decorate them. I’ll probably find several other uses for them too! I’m also making dried orange slices at the same time. You can see instructions for those here.

How to Make Dried Orange Peel

Materials:

  • oranges and/or lemons (I used larger navel oranges since they have thicker peels)
  • potato peeler
  • parchment paper or aluminum foil
  • cookie sheet

1. Pre-Heat The Oven

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. It may be tempting to try to dry the peels more quickly at a higher temperature, but don’t do it! The goal is dried peels, not burnt ones!

2. Peel the Orange

Use the potato peeler to cut small slices of orange peel. Go all the way around and remove all of the orange outer skin.

close-up of orange partially peeled with a potato peeler in the background
orange peeled with a potato peeler and pieces of orange peel in the background

The oranges and lemons will dry out quickly after you remove the peel, but they can still be juiced or eaten fresh. Otherwise, store them in an airtight bag in the fridge to keep them from drying out.

Use parchment or foil to cover a cookie sheet. Then spread the peel pieces out on the pan.

bits of orange peel on a foil-lined cookie sheet, ready to go into the oven

4. Bake

Bake the citrus peels for 45 minutes. The pull them out and turn them over and bake for another 45 minutes or so. They will shrink quite a bit and curl up.

bits of dried orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and rosemary sprigs on a white background

5. Enjoy!

Now you can use your dried citrus peels to make potpourri, DIY candles, homemade bath salts, and so much more! I would love to see what you make!

More Ideas for Dried Citrus Peel…

Easy Orange Clove Soy Wax Melts

orange and clove DIY wax melts with cloves and an orange

Quick & Easy Homemade Bath Salts!

glass jar of homemade bath salts with a wood scoop inside

How to Make Soy Candles: A Beginner’s Guide

DIY soy candles with dried orange slices tied on for decoration

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