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Home » Desserts » Homemade Candy Recipes

Tanghulu Recipe

Published: Dec 18, 2022 · Modified: Feb 11, 2025 by Amira · This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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Tanghulu skewers also known as bingtanghulu, are delicious crunchy candied fruits, a popular snack in northern China. Candied strawberries, or other fruits, dipped in thick simple syrup for a sweet and sour treat.

Strawberries Tanghulu Skewers  on a white plate with grapes and blue berries tanugul as well.
Tangulu fruit skewers are a nice winter snack that has been our favorite.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why You'll Love It
  • 📝 Ingredients
  • You will need:
  • 🥄 Instructions
  • 💡Tips
  • 💬 FAQs
  • Perfect pairings: what to serve with
  • 📣 Related Recipes
  • Tanghulu Recipe

❤️ Why You'll Love It

This is an easy recipe for a delicious, crunchy sweet and sour treat. Beautiful candied fruits on skewers that are like no other. Versatile and makes a beautiful center piece for your party.

You can use many fruits in this recipe, I've tried many types and I will tell you what worked best. This recipe does not use corn syrup though, I used honey instead.

📝 Ingredients

Tangulu ingredients on a counter surface.
Street vendors in China sell this sweet treat in wintertime. Traditionally hawthorn fruit is used.

You will need:

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  • Candy Thermometer.
  • Bamboo Sticks.

🥄 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.

A collage of two images showing hoe to make tangulu sugar syrup.
  1. Start by threading the fruits into long bamboo skewer. I recommend one or two fruit per skewer.
  2. In a small pot over medium heat bring sugar, water and honey to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar water mixture reaches 300F to 315F. You will need to use a candy thermometer.
A collage of 4 images showing how to dip fresh fruits in tanghulu sugar syrup.
Tanghulu strawberries is a fun recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth.
  • Now you will need to move quickly, tilt your pan and dip the fresh fruit and let it drip excess syrup. Roll in ice bath (iced water) to cool quickly and harden so that the desired candy shell is formed.
Tanghulu candied fruits on skewers and placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let it finish hardening. Fruits should harden very quickly.
Tanghulu skewers on a blue vase and placed on a white marble surface.

💡Tips

  • I recommend one or two fruit per skewer depending on the size, for blueberries use more of course as they are smaller. I've put three strawberries on a skewer and it was hard to dip in the syrup.
  • You will need to move quickly that's why it is better to prepare your fruits before making the syrup. Or else you will find the syrup starts to cool down and it will crystalize and will harden into a sandy mixture almost instantly. I've tried to revive it with no avail unfortunately.
  • Fruits need to make completely dry before dipping them in the hot sugar syrup.
  • It is crucial to use a thermometer, I need to tell you that when I left the syrup at 285F the syrup did not harden enough on the fruits. Temperature needs to reach 300F to 315F, i.e the hard-crack stage this way the sugar coating will harden and becomes brittle.

💬 FAQs

What is Tanghulu?

Tanghulu is a traditional winter snack in Northern China. This street food is sold in markets and is usually made with hawthorn berries. The reason it is a winter treat is that summer heat does not allow the sugar coating to harden enough.

What fruits work well in Tanghulu?

I've tried many fruits and we liked those made with berries and grapes more. Oranges, cuties work very well too. We did not like apples and bananas as Tanghulu is best made with sour and juicy fruits. I've tried to use kiwi and pineapples but could not manage to make the syrup stick to these fruits.

How long does Tanghulu last?

I really like them on the same day or to consume them within 24 hours. Many says that Tanghulu can be stored in an air-tight containers in the fridge up to two weeks but my guess is the fruits will not hold that much.

A hand holding a tanghulu skewer with a plate of tanghulu in the back.
Tangulu is candied fruit with hardened sugar syrup coating.

Perfect pairings: what to serve with

Tanghulu is a delightful treat to serve, especially after Asian meals. get inspired with these easy recipes.

  • Chicken fried rice in a white bowl garnished with chives.
    Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
  • Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken Copycat
  • A piece of sweetfire chicken between chopsticks.
    Panda Express SweetFire Chicken Breast
  • A close up image of a bowl of vegetables with stir fry sauce.
    3-Ingredient Stir Fry Sauce

📣 Related Recipes

  • Sesame candy is one of the very popular candies in the whole world. Enjoy making this delicious candy at home.
  • Turkish Delight is a sweet chewy and nutty dessert that is a joy to have with a cup of coffee or tea.
  • Make this delicious dark chocolate peppermint bark recipe from scratch. You'll love how easy they are especially with our video tutorial.
  • Cakesicles are a fun and delicious treats made with cake crumbs, frosting and coated with candy melts or chocolates. Easy to make and decorate for different occasions.
  • Chocolate and White Chocolate Covered Strawberries are a delicious and elegant treat that are great for any occasion.The perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the chocolate adds a rich, decadent flavor.

If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.

Strawberries Tanghulu Skewers on a white plate with grapes and blue berries tanugul as well.

Tanghulu Recipe

Tanghulu is a traditional northern Chinese snack, candied fruits like no other, these fruits have a candy coating that is not soft but rather hard candy. Fruit skewer with brittle shattering sugar syrup for a crunchy sweet and sour treat.
4.58 from 19 votes
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Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Diet: Halal, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 230kcal
Author: Amira

Ingredients

  • ½ pound to 1 pound fruits of choice depends on the size, for strawberries use 1 pound (About 8-10 large strawberries)

For the syrup:

  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons honey

Instructions

  • Clean fruits thoroughly in cold water and let them dry completely before starting.
  • Thread the fruits in bamboo skewers. One or two per skewer depending on the size.

Make the Syrup:

  • In a saucepan put sugar, water and honey then stir to combine.
  • Bring the sugar water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the sugar mixture until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees to 315F. This will take about 20 minutes.

Make the Tanghulu:

  • Remove pot from heat and work quickly. Tilt you pan and dip the fruit(s) to cover , let it drip excess syrup.
  • Roll in iced water to cool quickly and harden. The point here is to make a hard cracj sugar coating for the fruits.
  • Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let it finish hardening.
  • Fruits should harden very quickly and the coating should be shattering hard.

Notes

  • I recommend one or two fruit per skewer depending on the size, for blueberries use more of course as they are smaller. I've put three strawberries on a skewer and it was hard to dip in the syrup.
  • You will need to move quickly that's why it is better to prepare your fruits before making the syrup. Or else you will find the syrup starts to cool down and it will crystalize and will harden into a sandy mixture almost instantly. I've tried to revive it with no avail unfortunately.
  • Fruits need to be completely dry before dipping them in the hot sugar syrup.
  • You can use literally other kinds of fruits to make this favorite Chinese street food. Some people like using cuties, dragon fruit, pineapples, cuties or any sour fruits. I find it hard to use some of these fruits because of the moisture.
  • It is crucial to use a thermometer, I need to tell you that when I left the syrup at 285F the syrup did not harden enough on the fruits. Temperature needs to reach 300F to 315 degrees F, i.e the hard crack stage this way the sugar coating will harden and becomes brittle.
Please check the nutrition disclaimer policy.

Nutrition

Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
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About Amira

I’m overjoyed that you have stopped by! My hope is to introduce you to new flavors, creative ways and fresh takes on favorites. To help you create food with style that will bring everyone around your kitchen table. From weeknight dinners for crazy busy days to desserts with the “wow” factor, and classic comforts from the Mediterranean. One thing in common, they are all recipes that have been tried and tested by family and friends.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Faith

    November 27, 2024 at 3:44 pm

    It did good for me but wasn’t expecting the honey flavor, and wasn’t fast enough so it started to get burnt but the first few were good!

    Reply
  2. david lasser

    October 12, 2024 at 11:57 am

    5 stars
    Tried it. Amazing!

    Reply
  3. Naseef Aouda

    October 07, 2024 at 9:43 am

    5 stars
    These were the best of the best. We all loved those delicious skewers and we had fun making them over the weekend.

    Reply
  4. Jenn

    March 13, 2024 at 6:58 pm

    5 stars
    At first, I thought it would never get to temp. It definitely was sticky when we tried it before it was ready. After patiently waiting for it to get to 300 and it worked! Very yummy and fun to do as a family. We can’t wait to try it with more fruits!

    Reply
  5. Angie

    March 02, 2024 at 10:49 am

    I forgot the honey but the fruit was delicious-but the fruit soon started dripping and the sugar was melting off.

    Suggestions

    Reply
  6. Gil

    February 18, 2024 at 11:18 pm

    1 star
    Way to sticky, not hard candy

    Reply
    • Amira

      February 21, 2024 at 4:53 pm

      Not sure what happened with you Gil, sorry it did not work for you.

      Reply

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I send warm greetings from sunny Colorado. This blog combines weeknight dinners for crazy busy days to desserts with the “wow” factor, and classic comforts from the Mediterranean.
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