Orange juice concentrate is a versatile ingredient. It adds that punchy citrus flavor to everything from baked goods and beverages to everything in between. When you want to have refreshing beverages with sweet treats made at home or if you are experimenting with some new recipes, this homemade orange juice concentrate is a natural and great-tasting alternative to the commercial ones.
tarazfoods supplier of fruit concentrate understands that every kitchen needs to stock good quality ingredients. As a leading and largest supplier and exporter of fruit concentrates in Iran, the company offers its clients premium quality juice concentrates, purees, and wholesaler juices for diverse business needs around the globe. Taraz Foods product catalog includes Bulk Orange juice concentrate, wholesale apple puree, and many other carbonated drinks, all created to satisfy culinary needs.
Set off to level up your culinary creations with homemade orange juice concentrate and learn how Taraz Foods can be your partner in sourcing the best fruit-based ingredients.
Homemade Orange Juice Concentrate Recipe overview
Below is a quick look at the orange juice concentrate recipe:
| Step | Description |
| 1 | Select Fresh Oranges: Choose ripe, juicy oranges for optimal flavor. |
| 2 | Wash and Peel: Thoroughly wash and peel the oranges, removing any seeds. |
| 3 | Juice the Oranges: Extract juice using a juicer or by hand. |
| 4 | Strain the Juice: Use a fine mesh sieve to remove pulp and seeds. |
| 5 | Simmer the Juice: Heat the juice to evaporate water content. |
| 6 | Reduce to Concentrate: Continue simmering until juice reduces by half. |
| 7 | Cool the Concentrate: Allow the concentrate to cool to room temperature. |
| 8 | Store Properly: Transfer to sterilized containers and refrigerate or freeze. |
Select Fresh Oranges
The taste quality of orange juice concentrate begins with the quality of the oranges used. If they are well-picked, with high juice content, and sweet, the concentrate is bound to be rich in color. In Iran, the citrus harvest season is generally between November and early February, giving the provinces of Mazandaran and Golestan pride of place here. They are famous for their rich land and temperate weather, which allow these regions to produce oranges of good taste and juiciness.
Very special in taste and aroma and deemed to be sweeter than any other variety, Iranian oranges are recognized the world over for their distinct taste. It is perceived that the taste of the fruit is influenced by the traditional cultivation practices used, along with the climatic conditions found in the citrus-growing areas of Iran. Such excellent quality oranges would be better for taste, and the high juice content would enhance returns from the entire process.
Taraz Foods is the ultimate supplier of Iranian oranges. Thus, as the largest exporter and supplier of fruit concentrates in Iran, Taraz Foods has a wide range of citrus products including orange juice concentrates and purees. Taraz Foods believes in quality and excellence to ensure that customers are supplied with products that meet the highest standards; thus, Taraz Foods operates as the best partner for individual and commercial needs.
Wash and Peel
Do give your oranges a good wash before peeling: washing should go before peeling. Most of the skin is thrown away, but there may be some dirt, pesticide residues, or wax still hanging on to the fruit by hand. Water has to flow for a few minutes over each orange while rubbing it with your hands or with a soft brush.
Washing and peeling can really make a difference to the quality of orange juice concentrate and, of course, health safety. Washing will eliminate all pathogens and treat the fruit like a sweet loveable little treasure.
Juice the Oranges
Peel and wash the oranges and cut them in half to extract juice from them. Either with a manual citrus press or an electric juicer, extract your juice as efficiently as possible for maximum yield. Manual presses excel in small batches and electric juicers serve better in large quantities. You can place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to catch seeds or pulp. Thus, the juice you obtain is very clear. The just-extracted juice will form the base for your concentrate, embodying the sweet flavor and bright essence of the orange. Superior professional results would ensue if high-quality equipment were used for the highest levels of efficiency and consistency.
Strain the Juice
Once the extraction is complete, the juice must be strained so that it is a liquid free from pulp. Begin by placing a fine mesh sieve over a clean bowl or pitcher. Pour the extracted juice through the sieve and allow it to run through by gravity, separating any pulp or seeds remaining in the juice. If a finer texture is desired, the sieve can be lined with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and the pulp gently pressed to extract every last drop. This type of thorough straining yields clear juice of bright color, which is the first step towards a quality concentrate.
Simmer the Juice
After straining the juice, pour the fresh orange juice into a pan made of non-reactive metal. Heat the juice to medium-high and bring it up to a gentle boil. When boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Let the juice simmer in an open pot with stirring every so often until it is reduced by half. Simmering for this length of time will concentrate the flavors and sugars, giving a thicker, richer orange essence. Depending on the quantity, this may take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t catch; lower the heat if necessary to keep it at a gentle simmer.
Reduce to Concentrate
Allow the juice to simmer uncovered, where evaporation concentrates flavors. Naturally sweeten the juice, mellowing a few stale citrus notes. At this stage, an occasional stir…double function here of preventing burning and helping to distribute volume evenly, becomes necessary. By the end of this phase, achieving a 50 percent-volume reduction is essential; the concentrate should be thicker and richer in flavor.
Cool the Concentrate
Cooling, after concentrating the juice to thick consistency with rich flavor, is therefore critical in order to maintain quality and guarantee prolonged shelf life. Start by taking the saucepan off the heat and allowing it to cool at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes. Slow cooling at this stage will prevent the formation of condensation, which in turn may bring in excess moisture into the concentrate and affect its consistency.
When the concentrate cools enough, pour it into sterilized airtight glass containers, as glass will not affect the flavor of the concentrate and seal tightly to prevent air exposure, which causes oxidation and loss of flavor.
Just place the sealed containers into the refrigerator, letting the concentrate cool completely. The cooling process thickens the concentrate even more, as well as developing flavor. You may freeze the concentrate longer if you wish. It is possible to keep frozen orange juice concentrate in the freezer for some months with little quality loss. When it’s time to use, just place the concentrate in your refrigerator the night before.
Conclusion
Orange juice concentrate prepared at home is something that very simple but at the same time very rich experience. Opting for fresh, super-good-quality oranges such as the ones from Iran that unite into super-juicy concentrate-ensures vibrant taste and the most natural flavor in your produce. Carefully wash, peel, juice, strain, simmer, reduce, and cool as steps contribute each time in the very ultimate quality and longevity of the end product.
For anyone wanting to stay in some other ways of preparing orange juice, our article about How to make orange juice from frozen concentrate will serve you very well. Another handy guide when fresh oranges are a tad sparse.
