Sweet Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe | The Rustic Elk (2024)

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Orange marmalade is a classic and delicious spread that can be enjoyed on toast, scones, or used as a glaze for meats. It is a perfect way to preserve the sweet and tangy flavors of oranges while adding a burst of citrusy goodness to your favorite dishes.

This easy orange marmalade recipe is a favorite wintertime treat of ours. Why? It’s flavorful, easy to make, and only requires a few ingredients to make it!

It’s the perfect way to preserve a bounty of oranges while they’re in season and it freezes well or can be canned for the ease of storing at room temperature or even utilized as a great Christmas gift!

What I really love about this delicious homemade orange marmalade is it’s easy and doesn’t require any long processes or difficult steps. A lot of recipes will have you in the kitchen soaking and splitting things for hours, or even overnight! But this recipe comes together really easily with just a bit of prep work.

Ingredients for Orange Marmalade

This easy recipe only requires a few ingredients to make and doesn’t require any pectin because the fruit contains so much natural pectin.

Fresh oranges – any type of orange will work in this recipe. That said, it’s best to choose organic oranges so the rinds aren’t treated and waxy, but any type will do. That said the best oranges are navel oranges, blood oranges, mandarins, tangerines, or Cara Cara.

Note: If you are lucky enough to find Seville oranges at the grocery store or locally during their short season from January to February, even better. Their flavor is really suited for marmalade!

Lemon – again, choosing organic is best as you will use some of the lemon zest in addition to the juice.

Sugar – this recipe doesn’t use as much sugar as some recipes that often call for pound-for-pound use of fruit and sugar. You can reduce it a little more if you want to, but less sugar will result in a runnier marmalade that you probably won’t want to can.

Water.

Orange Marmalade VS Orange Jam

Marmalade and jam are very similar. The general difference is that marmalade uses peel or rind and jam does not. Marmalade is really more of an orange preserve like other chunky fruit preserves than it is jam.

People also consider marmalade a citrus preserve, though non-citrus fruits have been used to make a marmalade.

Easy Orange Marmalade Recipe

Prepare fruit. Begin by peeling the outside of the orange rind with a vegetable peeler. Then, cut the pieces or rind into thin matchsticks using a sharp knife.

Then, remove the rest of the peel from the oranges, taking care to remove as much of the bitter white part as possible. Chop the oranges into pieces or shred them lightly and juice the lemon. Discard seeds.

Add to saucepan. Place a plate in the freezer for later. Then, combine all of the ingredients in a large pot.

Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until mixture is thickened and forms sheets when dripping off a spoon.

To check for proper gel take a spoonful of marmalade and place it on the cold plate you put in the freezer earlier. It should only move slightly, not run. If it runs, it’s not finished cook a little longer.

Jar it up. If you aren’t canning, you can simply place the marmalade in clean jars. It will keep in the refrigerator for 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing leave a 1/2″ of headspace and use straight-sided jars.

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Place jars in a water bath canner, filled 2/3rds full. Bring water to 180°F and keep it at that temperature until ready to pack jars.

Pack jars. Using a canning funnel, ladle hot marmalade into hot half-pint jars leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles, and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.

Wipe jar rim, center lid, and finger tighten screw band. Place jar back into the waiting hot water bath on the jar rack. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process. Be sure the tops of the filled jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Place the lid on the canner and bring the vessel to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling process jars for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude if necessary.

Once jars of marmalade have been processed, turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid. Allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter.

Leave hot jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seal. Remove rings, wash, and store in a cool dry place for up to 18 months.

Delicious Marmalade Tips and Variations

While this is a simple and easy marmalade recipe, here are a few tips and a few variations if you’re struggling or looking to add some flavor.

Don’t overcook. When testing your marmalade on the frozen plate, pull it off the stove. That way if it’s done you aren’t overcooking it and drying it out.

Be patient. Since we’re utilizing the natural pectin in the oranges to set this marmalade up, it can take a day or two to set up properly. If it looks runny in the jars, but you did the plate test and it wasn’t running, give it a day or two and check again.

Remove the white pith. If your marmalade has a bitter aftertaste, it’s likely you left too much of the white pith on the oranges. Thinner skinned oranges make it easier to remove that bitter white part, so those are the best to use to make marmalade.

Fruit variations. You can use any citrus to make this marmalade or a combination of citrus. Try some grapefruit or a combination of grapefruit and oranges.

Liquid variations. You can use some orange juice in place of some of or all of the water content for a more citrusy flavor.

Flavor variations. Add some spice with a bit of diced jalapeno, mellow out the flavor with a bit of vanilla bean added at the end, or feel free to add some cinnamon sticks or whole cloves to the mixture while cooking to infuse those flavors. Another option would be to grate a little fresh ginger. But this recipe is amazing all on its own.

More Homemade Jam Recipes to Try Next:

  • Old-Fashioned No Pectin Raspberry Jam Recipe
  • The Best Blackberry Jam Recipe (without Pectin)
  • Low Sugar Strawberry Jam

If you try this delicious orange marmalade recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below! Also, I’d love if you could leave me a five star⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️recipe review on the recipe card below.If you want more recipe inspiration, make sure to follow me onFacebookorPinterest!

Sweet Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe | The Rustic Elk (6)

Yield: Makes 4 Half Pints

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Processing Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Delicious, sweet orange marmalade with bright citrus notes and just a hint of bite make this the perfect, simple recipe you've been looking for.

Ingredients

  • 2 Pounds Oranges - about 4 medium
  • 1 Lemon, zest and juice of
  • 24 Ounces Granulated Sugar
  • 2 Cups Water

Instructions

  1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the rind off of the oranges. Using a sharp knife, cut the rind into thin matchsticks.
  2. Remove the remaining rind and all of the white part from the orange and dice or shred orange slices.
  3. Zest and juice one lemon.
  4. Place all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until proper set is reached, approximately 45 minutes. Test for a proper set by placing a spoonful of marmalade on a frozen plate. If it doesn't run, the marmalade is set.
  5. If not canning, simply ladle into clean jars.
  6. If canning, prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids. Ladle marmalade into jars, leaving 1/4" of headspace. Remove any air bubbles, and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.
  7. Wipe the rims with a damp cloth, center the lids, and place in the waiting canner.
  8. Cover tops of jars with at least one inch of water, place the lid on the canner and bring it to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat. Process jars for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude if necessary.
  9. Remove the lid from the canner and allow the jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter. Check for proper seals after 24 hours. Store in a cool, dry place with the rings removed.

Notes

Altitude Adjustments:

0-1,000 ft 10 Minutes

1,001-3,000 ft 15 Minutes

3,000-6,000 ft 20 Minutes

6,001+ ft 25 Minutes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

64

Serving Size:

1 Tablespoon

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 48Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g

Sweet Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe | The Rustic Elk (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in marmalade? ›

Pectin is key

“Mandarin marmalade is harder to make; mandarins don't have as much pectin. Lemons are really good. A lemon and ginger marmalade's a really nice one to make, lots of pectin, so that one will set easily.

Do you have to soak oranges for marmalade? ›

Leave to soak overnight. This helps to extract the maximum amount of pectin from the fruit pulp, which will give a better set. It also helps to soften the peel, which will reduce the amount of cooking needed.

What is the difference between marmalade and orange jam? ›

Marmalades contain the peel of the fruit as opposed to the whole fruit which jam is made from. Is marmalade just orange jam? No, orange jams use the entire fruit by crushing, pureeing and cooking, whereas marmalades consist of the citrus peel, (not the whole fruit).

How do you take the bitterness out of orange marmalade? ›

I prefer to use low sugar pectin, as the resulting marmalade is still sweet – but not overly sugary. The final secret in producing a sweet marmalade is to boil the orange peels several times to leach out the bitterness.

What fruit is best in marmalade making? ›

Citrus is the most typical choice of fruit for marmalade, though historically the term has often been used for non-citrus preserves. One popular citrus fruit used in marmalade production is the bitter orange, Citrus aurantium var.

Why put butter in marmalade? ›

To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.

Do you stir marmalade while boiling? ›

Pam Corbin, preserving expert and former owner of Thursday Cottage, marmalade and jam makers: After adding sugar to the oranges, stir the mixture over a gentle heat to ensure it's completely dissolved before it starts to boil. Once it's reached a rolling boil, disturb it as little as possible.

What is the ratio of sugar to oranges in marmalade? ›

What's the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? Because of the tartness of a Seville orange, the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade is 2:1. This recipe calls for 2kg of sugar and 1kg of oranges but you can scale it down or up using that ratio.

Why add lemon juice to marmalade? ›

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

Why does my marmalade taste bitter? ›

Marmalade is made from Seville oranges, which are bitter. If you already have a marmalade which you find too bitter, you can blend it with a sweeter one. This is best done with both of them hot and runny, but be very careful: mishandling can cause serious burns. Use gloves or a cloth to hold the jars.

What is the best marmalade? ›

Top 10 Orange Marmalades Products
  • Bonne Maman. ...
  • Tiptree. Orange Reduced Sugar Marmalade. ...
  • La Vieja Fabrica. Seville Orange Marmalade. ...
  • Duerr's. Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade. ...
  • M&S. Fair Trade Dark Seville Orange Marmalade. ...
  • Stokes. Red Onion Marmalade. ...
  • St. Dalfour. ...
  • Tesco Finest. Dark Seville Orange Marmalade.

Is marmalade healthier than jam? ›

In terms of health, like its jam and jelly cousins, its healthiness largely depends on the amount of sweetness in the ingredients. However, marmalade's citrus base provides a boost of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

Why did my orange marmalade turn brown? ›

This is a process of color loss and does not mean the jam or jelly is going bad. The browning starts at the top of the jar and slowly works its way down. If your jars were properly sealed and the seal is still intact, the jam or jelly, although not as pretty as it once was, is safe to eat.

What happens if you boil marmalade too long? ›

Once the sugar is dissolved, a boil to a set takes an average of 5-7 minutes. Prolonged boiling times, up to 30 minutes, a common recommendation in food magazines often results in syrupy, caramelised marmalade, a ruined pan and evidence of an unreliable recipe.

Why do you soak oranges for marmalade? ›

Tie the muslin square into a little bag and add it to the bowl. Make sure everything is immersed in the water. Leave to soak overnight or for several hours if possible. This helps to extract pectin from the fruit and soften the peel, which will reduce the amount of cooking.

What is the main ingredient in marmalade? ›

There are many ways to prepare homemade marmalades and jams, today we suggest a very simple procedure, using the same 3 ingredients our Lazzaris Organic orange marmalade is made of: organic untreated oranges (we will use pulp, juice and skin), brown sugar and lemon juice.

Which ingredient in marmalade acts as the preservative? ›

Sugar aids in gel formation, develops flavor by adding sweetness, and acts as a preservative.

What is original marmalade made of? ›

Originally, marmalade was made from quince, which is a fruit that looks like a pear. This variety of marmalade was expensive, so eventually someone decided to use oranges, which were cheaper compared to quince. Even though the quince was replaced, the name marmalade stuck.

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