Make Your Own Candied Ginger – in an Instant Pot!
I don’t know about you but I LOVE candied ginger. However, mostly I thought about it as an occasional treat and not much more.
Well, believe it or not, there’s a lot you can do with candied ginger as a:
- Condiment
- Garnish
- Recipe add-in
- anything your imagination can come up with
But did you know you can make your own? I had tried it once, many, many years ago. And, if memory serves, it took a long, LONG, L-O-N-G time. Since then the idea has always remained on the back burner. I guess the thought was that it was more effort than it was worth.
Enter the Instant Pot
Since getting my first Instant Pot, almost a year ago, I have been experimenting with it on an almost daily basis.
I was actually researching recipes for cheesecakes when I thought a ginger cheesecake might be nice, which led me to the idea that candied ginger would be a nice garnish for the cheesecake, which led me to the idea that I should make my own candied ginger (like I did once before), which led me to the question – “Could I make it in the Instant Pot?”
With that question firmly intrenched, I search the Internet for an Instant Pot recipe and was dismayed that not much came up. A couple of recipes did, but not what I was looking for. There was still way too much intervention for other appliances.
Developed My Own Recipe
So, as often happens when I can’t find a recipe that’s EXACTLY what I want, I developed my own.
I need to mention, though, that making candied ginger still takes a long time, even in the Instant Pot. However, I find that it’s much, much easier because I’m not having to watch a stove on the pot, hoping that the sugar-rich syrup doesn’t boil over. Trust me, that makes a real mess!
Nope! With the Instant Pot, you don’t need to worry about that. Everything stays contained.
But, as I said, it takes a long time – so let’s get started!
How to Make Candied Ginger Using Your Instant Pot
Start with Fresh Ginger
You’ll want to start with the freshest ginger you can find.
According to thekitchn.com
The first step in keeping ginger good and flavorful for as long as possible is knowing what to look for when buying a fresh piece of ginger root. Select ginger that has smooth skin with a firm texture, and is heavy for its size. Avoid pieces that feel soft, wrinkled, or look moldy.
Fresh Ginger
I started with approximately 18 ounces (510g) of fresh ginger.
Fresh Ginger
Fresh Ginger
Then I peeled it and sliced it to about 1/8″ (0.3 cm) thick.
Sliced Fresh Ginger
That netted me about 2-1/2 to 3 cups of sliced ginger.
Fresh Ginger Slices
I placed the sliced ginger in the inner liner of our Instant Pot and poured in enough water to cover. (In our 6-quart Instant Pot, I used 3 cups (700 mL) of water.)
I used Manual/Pressure Cook and set the cooking time for 30 minutes and allowed a full Natural Pressure Release.
Cooked Fresh Ginger
When it was done I moved the inner liner to a wire rack or heatproof surface and allowed it to cool for about 30 minutes.
Ginger Slices & Reserved Liquid
I drained the ginger slices, reserving the liquid and weighed the slices so I could determine how much sugar I needed for the next step. As you can see, there was a lot of ginger water. (More about what to do with that later.)
Ginger Slices & Sugar
Ginger Slices, Sugar & Ginger Water
Ginger Slices, Sugar & Ginger Water Well Stirred
I found that the cooked ginger slices weighed 11.5 ounce (326g), so I weighed out the same amount of sugar. I combined the slices and the sugar in a small pot that would fit inside of the Instant Pot’s inner pot. I then added 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the reserved ginger water and stirred everything well until the slices were well covered.
Covered Ginger Going Back in the Instant Pot
I covered the pot with the prepared ginger slices and placed it on a trivet in the Instant Pot’s inner liner. I put 1-1/2 cups (350 mL) of water in the inner liner and closed the Instant Pot, selecting Manual/Pressure Cook for 60 minutes. I allowed a full Natural Pressure Release when the cooking time was over.
Cooked Candied Ginger
I allowed the cooked candied ginger to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Draining the Candied Ginger
I drained the candied ginger, reserving the liquid.
Candied Ginger
I arranged the candied ginger on a rack to go into the oven. Note: I had to put some foil on the rack so the smaller pieces wouldn’t fall through.
It was then into the oven at about 150°F to 170°F (65°C to 75°C) for approximately 1 hour. (We like our candied ginger still juicy and it was perfect after this amount of time. If you like yours drier, then bake it for longer.)
Coating Candied Ginger with Sugar
Put about ¼ cup (50g) of granulated sugar in a plastic bag and add the ginger slices. Shake vigorously to ensure all of the slices are coated with sugar.
Candied Ginger
That’s it – Candied Ginger!
Uses for the Leftover Unsweet and Sweet Ginger Water
Be sure not to throw away either the unsweet or sweet ginger water. It’s full of flavor and its uses are almost endless.
Here’s just a few suggestions of how you can use it:
- as an add-in flavoring (I made rice with the unsweet ginger water – Fabulous!)
- as a stir fry base (I used the sweet ginger water, with some soy sauce)
- as a pancake syrup (I used the sweet ginger water – you may want to thicken it)
Instant Pot Candied Ginger
