Have you noticed the stores seem to be overflowing with deals on lemons and oranges right now? Have you ever made marmalade before. Here is my favorite recipe, it’s super easy, I promise.
Canning 101 – Orange Marmalade Recipe
Ingredients
4 medium oranges
2 medium lemons
2–1/2cups water
1/8tsp. baking soda
1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
1/2tsp. butter or margarine
5–1/2 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl {also try low-sugar pectin or Pamona’s}
Instructions
Bring a boiling-water canner 3/4 full with water, to a simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
Remove the colored part of the peel from oranges and lemons using vegetable peeler. Cut into thin slivers. Mix the peels, water and baking soda in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the fruit and juice. Cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Measure 4 cups of prepared fruit into a 8 quart sauce pot.
Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Carefully ladle hot marmalade immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids and screw bands on. Place jars on elevated rack in canner.
Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely.
After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}. Yields {6} 1/2 pints.
Looking for a few more canning recipes? Search my Full List of Canning Recipes
Looking for a good canning book? Here’s a list of my favorites:
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It
- Food in Jars
- The Amish Canning Cookbook
- Not Your Mama’s Canning Book
Also, check out these tutorials if you’ve never used a canner before:
Tutorial: Hot Water Bath Canning
Tutorial: How to Use a Pressure Canner
Robin says
Lemon and now orange you are having your own can jam, aren’t you? I think I will join you I picked up some interesting varieties of limes, meyer lemons and local oranges at the farmer’s market. So much nicer to stand over a steaming pot of water in the winter isn’t it? It will be my first time canning with Pomona’s wish me luck.
Robin says
P.S. forgot to say I hope you feel better real soon!!! The flu sucks.
Mavis says
Thanks. And yes it does. 😉
BethAnne says
I bought my oranges and lemons and want to make this. It is
a bit different from my usual recipe. It actually looks easier.
Where is this recipe from? Is it from one of the 4 canning books
you have highlighted?
Karen says
Can you adapt this to freezer jam? Please tell me yes!
Mavis says
I’ve never tried it as freezer jam, but if you do, come back and let us know how it turned out.
Pennie says
Wanting to make this for a friend and was confused with the fruit part. When you say ” Measure 4 cups of prepared fruit into a 8 quart sauce pot.” are you cookin the fruit and peel and THEN measuring 4 cups of a fruit/zest/water mixture or are you measuring 4 cups of fruit, adding it to the zest/water and continuing? I want to make sure before i start, this is the first time im making marmalade solo
Pennie says
I went ahead and made it, i got 4 cups of the fruit/zest/water 🙂 I also made another batch with 5 oranges, no lemons, all zested and added 1/4 c of dark cocoa powder that i mixed into the sugar and prepared as directed….it is AMAZING! thank you so much for posting this recipe 🙂 i got 8 8oz jars of the chocolate orange marmalade so make sure if one tries this to have a few extra jars just in case 😉
Barbara says
I’ll bet that was a very special marmalade you made with tangelos instead of oranges! I’ll bet it was sweeter and more deeply colored, too. They are on special this month because this is harvest season in Florida!
Kelly says
In the recipe it states you can substitute the sugar. Do you know how much of the pectin or the Pamona’s to use instead? If not could you post where this recipe came from? This sounds so yummy and will help me think of spring while we’re freezing in Illinois!
🙂
Michelle says
What is the measurement if you’re using pectin that’s not already measured and in packets? I use the type you have to measure out.
Tabitha VanWinkle says
4TB =1BX PECTIN. Hope this helps.
Glenda says
Do you have to remove each orange section from the membranes. If it is left, is the marmalade fibrous?
katy says
at what part do I add the sugar? it doesn’t say
Mavis Butterfield says
Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Trina says
Your recipe says to add fruit and juice. I don’t see juice in the ingredients. Am I juicing the fruits and then cutting them up?
Mavis says
It’s just the fruit, but often these recipes tell you to juice the fruit and leave the juice out. I was just trying to clarify you just toss the fruit in whole, juice and all. But it made it more confusing!
Carole Westby says
Yeah- like Trina asked this summer- “WHAT JUICE?????”
Mavis says
It’s just the fruit, but often these recipes tell you to juice the fruit and leave the juice out. I was just trying to clarify you just toss the fruit in whole, juice and all. But it made it more confusing!
Linda says
What is the purpose of the baking soda? I have never seen it used in jam before.
Dani says
Try making it without commercial pectin. I’ve made marmalade a few times with only citrus fruit and sugar. The peel has so much of its own natural pectin that you have to be careful you don’t cook it too long or it turns solid.
Deb says
Mavis, I just moved into a place that I’m told has “ornamental” orange trees. The neighbor said there are only two uses for ornamental oranges: 1) orange marmalade or 2) throw them away. I looked at your recipe for orange marmalade and it seems to be with “regular” oranges. Do you know anything about “ornamental” oranges? Thanks!
Irene Verrieer says
I made this marmalade recipe last year. My husband likes marmalade and he said that this recipe was the best marmalade he’s ever had! This is a keeper.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Irene!
Margaret Oxley says
You don’t need pectin in marmalade–it sets itself.
Sandi Floria says
can this recipe be made with limes as well? I have a lime tree that is bursting with limes
Rae says
How long can you keep the canned marmalade for?
Mavis Butterfield says
The USDA says you can keep canned goods for 1 year.
Dan says
Made this for the first time, really easy recipe! I ended up making 3 batches which will be used as Christmas gifts.
My first batch didn’t seem to taste “orangey” enough, so I cheated a little. On the next two batches I added one of those Orange Crush singles drink mix packets at the sugar stage. It’s definitely “orangey” now! Haha!
Amanda N says
This said to process in a water bath for 5 minutes. I like to process for 10 just to make sure. Do you think that would change the consistency to do it for 10?
Donna says
One of my favorite jams is Tayberry jam. If you haven’t tried give it a try.
Marty says
I’ve always been hesitant to make ANY marmalade, but this recipe seemed simple enough. Started a batch using a peeler, but ended up with way too much peel. Started another batch using my zester (non grater) & the peel quantity was MUCH better. It cooked up great. Got all jarred up & ready to go to their new home. Thanks for making this SO easy.