How to Use Buddha's Hand Citrus, the Craziest Citrus Fruit

The first time you saw a Buddha’s Hand at the local farmers market, shop, in someone’s garden, or on the Internet, I bet you wondered what it was. I certainly did when I came across them several years ago at the Tauranga’s Farmers Market.

To say the fruit is unique in appearance is an understatement. Forget your standard round lemons and limes – this fruit boasts long, segmented fingers, some claw like, others looking like they are reaching for the sky. The fingers grow from the main body of the fruit, just like fingers grow from a hand (earning its name).

Buddha’s Hand trees will certainly be a conversation piece in your garden, orchard or pot. The fruit starts off as a deep green colour and turns a vivid yellow as it matures.

Recently I was given a bag full of Buddha’s Hands. This was my first opportunity to cut one in half, eat raw and cook with them. I was impressed. The inside is just as unique as the outside appearance of the Buddha’s Hand. Forget juicy flesh, Buddha’s Hand is all peel and pith, with zero juice.

Buddha’s Hands looked great in my fruit bowl and the aroma they emitted made my kitchen smell lovely. It could be described as a blend of floral and citrus notes. It smelled quite different when I was boiling it to make candied peel. While I could still smell the floral notes, it had a distinct Asian (lemongrass, Kaffir Lime) scent.

Photo Above: 3 Buddhas Hands in our fruit bowl with homegrown citrus

Unlike other citrus rinds, the pith (the white part) is mild and not bitter, making the entire fruit usable. It is lovely eaten raw, It is semi crunchy with a mild flavour and very moreish.

We have experimented with using Buddha’s Hands in a variety of ways.

Citrus Waste Disposal Cleaner:  this is a great natural way to clean your waste disposer. Smells lovely when you use Buddha's Hand.

Potpourri: Due to Buddha's Hands' lovely aroma it works well in both dried and simmered potpourri.

Candied Buddha's Hand: Is versatile and yummy. We love eating this straight from the fridge as a sweet, refreshing snack. It is great chopped finely and add to Christmas cakes or sprinkled over the top of citrus desserts and baking.
See our Candied Buddha's Hand Recipe

Photo Above: Candied Buddhas Hand

Baked Bliss: Swapping lemon or orange zest in cakes, cookies, muffins, and breads for a touch of floral citrus that takes your baked goods to the next level. The ‘lemon cake’ I made with Buddha’s Hand zest was lightly flavoured and delicious.

Savory Surprise: A sprinkle of grated zest brightens up fish, chicken, and vegetable dishes, adding a unique depth of flavour.

Buddhachello: Currently this is still steeping.

Update: we left the peel in the spirit for to long which ruined the taste. It was bitter. We will try again this year. We made 6 varieties of Limoncellos in 2022 and they were divine.

Photo Above: Buddha's Hand peel soaking in alcohol which we produced in our still. After making or buying the alcohol this is the second step in making BuddhaChello

Drinks with a Twist: Infuse simple syrups, cocktails, and even tea with the delightful aroma for a refreshing and sophisticated twist. I bottled the syrup I used to make the candied Buddha’s Hand. This was yummy with soda and a squeeze of lemon, lime or limequat.

Eat Raw: Slice thinly and add to salads or cut off a finger /piece and eat it like an apple.

Marmalade: This tasted yummy but wasn’t a marmalade due to the lack of juice. I think it needed half buddha's hand and half grapefruit or orange to give more moisture. See our post on making citrus marmalades.

Photo Above: Buddha's Hand marmalade.