3 Ways To Peel An Orange - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Peel an Orange PDF download Download Article Reviewed by Marrow Private Chefs

Last Updated: March 25, 2025 Approved

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  • Using your Hands
    • |
  • Using a Knife
    • |
  • Using a Spoon
    • |
  • Video
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
    • |
  • Warnings
|Show more |Show less ARTICLE VIDEO X

This article was reviewed by Marrow Private Chefs. Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 95% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 634,362 times.

Peeling an orange really isn't that difficult, it just takes a little instruction and practice. In fact, by the time you finish reading this article, you will be well-versed in several of the most popular orange peeling methods!

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Using your Hands

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  1. Step 1 Select a good orange. 1 Select a good orange. The ripeness of your chosen orange will play a major part in how easy it is to peel. When selecting the perfect orange for peeling, look for one with a bright orange color, which is pretty firm and heavy for its size.[1]
    • Try to avoid older fruit with wrinkled or bruised skin, as it will be harder to peel and will not taste as good.
    • Oranges which are still slightly green or light orange in color may be slightly unripe and will be harder to peel as the skin will stick tightly to the fruit.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 2 Roll the orange. This step is completely optional, but some people claim that rolling the orange before peeling helps to loosen the skin, while also making the fruit extra juicy! To roll the orange, rest it on a flat surface and place an open palmed hand on top. Apply a light pressure and roll the orange for 10-15 seconds. Just don't press too hard - you don't want to squish your orange! Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Holding the orange in one hand, puncture the skin with your thumbnail. 3 Holding the orange in one hand, puncture the skin with your thumbnail. Try to make the puncture near the top or bottom of the orange, rather than around the sides. This is because the skin along the sides of the orange is thinner and adheres more tightly to the fruit. The looser and thicker skin at the top of the orange will come away more easily and is less prone to breaking.
    • Some people advocate using your four fingernails to make the initial puncture, but this is more awkward and gets too much skin under your fingernails!
    • Letting the nail of your thumb grow a little longer than the rest of your fingernails may also help with your orange peeling.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 4 Work your thumb under the peel. Work the nail of your thumb under the orange skin until you have a good grip on it. Try not to puncture the fruit, as the juice will escape and make your hand sticky!
    • Hold the orange over a plate in case you do happen to puncture the skin. This will make cleanup easier after you are finished peeling. Alternatively, a piece of paper towel will do the trick.
  5. Step 5 Gently tear off a section of skin. 5 Gently tear off a section of skin. The bigger the section you tear off, the quicker all the skin will be removed. You can work from top to bottom or around the sides. It's up to you.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 6 Tear off another section, beginning at the edge of the orange peel. It should be much easier now that you have already taken some of the peel off.
    • Once you become really skilled at orange peeling, you may be able to peel an orange in one peel. This is achieved by tearing the skin off in a circular motion around the circumference of the orange, until you're left with the fruit in one hand and the twisted, snakelike peel in the other!
  7. Step 7 Continue until all of the peel has been removed. 7 Continue until all of the peel has been removed.
  8. Step 8 Throw away or... 8 Throw away or compost the scraps.
  9. Step 9 Enjoy your orange... 9 Enjoy your orange!
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Using a Knife

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  1. Step 1 Grab a sharp... 1 Grab a sharp knife. It doesn't need to be a very big knife, just as long as it has a pointed tip.
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 2 Insert the pointed tip of the knife into the skin at the top of the orange. Make a slice across the top of the orange to get started, then continue by rotating the orange in your hand while you use the knife to cut off the peel in one continuous motion.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 3 Continue peeling the orange in a circular motion. The knife should be facing towards you while you peel in a steady controlled manner, with a slight sawing motion. The orange skin should come off in one continuous, spiraled piece, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Don't worry if a little of the fruit comes away with peel, you'll get better with practice.
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 4 Alternatively, you can use the knife to make a vertical slice in the orange skin. Once you have done this, it will be easy to peel the orange with your fingers. Just make sure you don't slice too deeply, or you will cut the fruit and get orange juice everywhere!
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Using a Spoon

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  1. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 1 Roll the orange. Using an open palm, roll the orange on a flat surface for about ten seconds to help loosen the skin.
  2. Step 2 Make a cut. 2 Make a cut. Use a sharp knife to make a 1 to 1 1⁄2 inch (2.5 to 3.8 cm) vertical cut along the side of the orange. Try to cut all the way through the skin, but avoid cutting the fruit.
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Peel an Orange 3 Insert the spoon. Insert a dessert spoon under the skin of the orange, where you made the opening with a knife. Work the spoon around the fruit to loosen and tear off the skin.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Can I peel it with a fork? Jose Galetovic Jose Galetovic Community Answer Yes! Use the pointed edges to make a hole, then follow the instructions in Method 1 Step 4 and the following steps. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 24 Helpful 55
  • Question Is there a way I can use the spoon without using a knife? Community Answer Community Answer If you can get the peel up slightly, slide a spoon under the skin and separate the skin from the orange. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 21 Helpful 54
  • Question I need to know how to peel an orange without messing up my nails. Ollieoxenfree Ollieoxenfree Community Answer Use the knife method or ask someone to peel your orange for you. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 36 Helpful 68
See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement

Video

Read Video Transcript

Tips

  • Once you get good at peeling oranges try peeling them so that the full skin stays connected and comes off in one piece. A cool way to do this is to start your cut at the stem and slice most of the way to the bottom leaving about 1/2 an inch, then do the same on the opposite side and the two directions perpendicular to it, then peel them all back and it should look like a four petaled flower with the fruit in the middle. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
  • Though you wouldn't want to consume an orange peel while it's still on the orange, you don't have to throw them out, either. You can eat orange peel by using it as a garnish or making candied orange peel. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 2
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

Warnings

  • Orange juice can be sticky so try to avoid piercing the fruit while peeling! Thanks Helpful 20 Not Helpful 13
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References

  1. ↑ http://www.sunkist.com/products/buying_storing_handling.aspx
  2. http://1000awesomethings.com/2008/10/28/908-peeling-an-orange-in-one-shot/
  3. https://lifehacker.com/quickly-peel-an-orange-with-a-knife-and-spoon-5972321

About This Article

Marrow Private Chefs Reviewed by: Marrow Private Chefs Culinary Experts This article was reviewed by Marrow Private Chefs. Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience. This article has been viewed 634,362 times. 19 votes - 95% Co-authors: 35 Updated: March 25, 2025 Views: 634,362 Categories: Peeling Food Article SummaryX

To peel an orange with your hands, choose an orange that’s bright, firm, and heavy. Puncture the skin near the top of the orange with your thumbnail and work your thumb under the peel. Gently tear off as big a section of skin as you can and continue until it’s all off. To peel with a knife, insert the pointed tip into the skin at the top of the orange and slice off the peel by rotating the orange around the knife. To peel with a spoon, make a 1 inch cut on the side of the orange, slicing through the skin but not the fruit. Insert a spoon and work off the peel. For more tips, including how to loosen the skin before peeling, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Laurel Tobin

    Laurel Tobin

    Nov 11, 2016

    "I think it was the rolling of the orange before peeling that was most helpful. It opened easier and the center came..." more
More reader stories Hide reader stories Share your story

Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Marrow Private Chefs Reviewed by: Marrow Private Chefs Culinary Experts Co-authors: 35 Updated: March 25, 2025 Views: 634,362 95% of readers found this article helpful. 19 votes - 95% Click a star to add your vote Laurel Tobin

Laurel Tobin

Nov 11, 2016

"I think it was the rolling of the orange before peeling that was most helpful. It opened easier and the center came..." more Finnegan Fox

Finnegan Fox

Oct 6, 2021

"Rolling it before peeling it helped a lot. I should have gone with the knife method though. When I dug my finger..." more Michael Gunther

Michael Gunther

Dec 25, 2019

"Method 1, Step 6 explains how to get the spiral peel that I've seen in many Dutch still-life paintings in art..." more John Kalhare

John Kalhare

Jan 19, 2017

"I had never tried using a spoon before. I would always cut myself with a knife. " Anonymous

Anonymous

Jun 2, 2017

"Didn't know that it's better to start at the top or bottom of the orange." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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