Homemade, all natural, Apple Jelly is a wonderful fall treat! Especially when you have a load full of gorgeous apple waiting to be used.
I show you how it's done in my recipe.
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TL;DR
My parents have various apple types growing at home and the best way to use them up is by turning them into an apple jelly.
We have always prepared jam, jellies, and even marmalade at home, it's just part of the yearly food harvest routine.
Therefore, this apple jelly, follows the French preparation method. That means, the apples are cooked in water first, then the infusion is strained and cooked down with sugar.
The process is simple enough and doesn't involve water bath canning the jars (we don't do that for jelly and jams in Europe).
You are always free to water bath can your jelly jars to add another layer of preservation to your jellies.
Choice of apples
The sour green apples are the best for making apple jelly, as they're loaded with natural pectin.
Pectin is the substance which exists naturally in certain fruits (mostly in the apple skin), and which helps in setting and in turn preserve the jelly.
Apart from that, green unripe (but about to ripe) apples are great. Those that fall off the tree too early are usually turned into apple jelly because they are more intense in flavor and contain enough sourness.
Pick an apple type that is suitable for jam/jelly for the most flavorful apple jelly.
Some apple varieties, such as the well-known Gala, are just not that well-suited for jellies. You want your apple jelly to be super flavorful.
Most suitable Apple varieties to pick to make apple jelly:
- Grenadier
- Cox Orange
- Streifling Herbst
- Crabapple varieties to prepare crab apple jelly
- Granny Smith
- McIntosh
- Pink Lady
How to make it?
Step 1
Cut your apples into chunks, pour lemon juice over the apples so that they don't get brown.
![Apple Jelly Recipe [Two Ingredients]](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/apple-jelly-p-1.jpg)
Step 2
Place the apples into a large pot with water and bring to a boil.
Cook the apples in the water so that the water gets infused with the apple flavors.
![Apple Jelly Recipe [Two Ingredients]](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/apple-jelly-p-2.jpg)
Step 3
Strain the apple so that you are left with the hot fruity juice infusion.
![Apple Jelly Recipe [Two Ingredients]](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/apple-jelly-p-3.jpg)
Step 4
Take the infusion back to the pot and add sugar to the infusion. Mix it all well.
Bring the apple juice infusion and sugar to a rolling boil.
Continue to cook for a longer period of time until the jelly has reduced considerably.
![Apple Jelly Recipe [Two Ingredients]](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/apple-jelly-p-4.jpg)
Step 5
Test if the jelly is set with a thermometer or setting test. Pour hot liquid jelly into a clean, sterilized jar up to the rim.
Lock with the lid and turn upside down to create a vacuum. Let cool, label, and store in a dry and cool place.
![Apple Jelly Recipe [Two Ingredients]](https://www.masalaherb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/apple-jelly-p-5.jpg)
📖 Recipe
Easy Apple Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.2 pounds Apples 6-7 apples with skin
- 1 Lemon Juice
- 6 ¾ cups Water
- Sugar same amount as infused apple water after cooking and straining apples. 50:50 ratio *see Notes
Instructions
To Infuse Water with Apples
- Wash the apples and cut them roughly into chunks.2.2 pounds Apples
- Pour lemon juice over the apple chunks and coat them so that they don't turn brown.1 Lemon Juice
- Add the apples into the pot and pour all the water over the apples.6 ¾ cups Water
- Bring to a boil, cover and cook apples until soft for about 30 minutes. This is your apple infusion.
- Remove from the heat and strain the apples with a cheesecloth and collect the apple juice. Don't press the apples too much because that can cloud the apple infusion. We want the jelly to look clear.
To Cook Jelly
- Bring the apple juice back to the heat with the sugar (please refer to my notes below for apple infusion sugar ratio).Sugar
- Bring to a rolling boil and decrease the heat a bit, but make sure it still cooks.
- Cook down the jelly until you have reached the setting temperature with the thermometer. Finally, check if the jelly has set by adding a drop of hot jelly on an ice-cold plate which you kept previously in the freezer. If it's running, it needs to cook further down. Repeat the test or use check if thermometer until it's set.
- Once the jelly is set, get your sterilized clean jam jars and fill the jars up to the rim with the jelly.
- Close the jar tight with the lid and turn it quickly upside down. This will create a vacuum, which allows the jelly to last longer.
- Once the jars are not hot anymore, turn the jars back up and stick a label on them so that you know when you made them. Store in a cool and dry place. Keep in the fridge cooled after unsealing your jelly.
Notes
Equipment
- 1 Jam Pan (copper) or large stainless steel pan
- 1 Silicone Spatula To help you scrape out all the jelly from the pan
- 1 Stainless Steel Mesh Skimmer to remove foam (optional)
- 5 8 oz Canning Jars or 230 ml
- 1 Soup Ladle To pour jelly into jars.
- 1 Wide Mouth Funnel Optional. Makes it easier to pour jelly into jar.
- 1 Wettex Absorbent Sponge To clean jars if you made a mess.
Nutrition
When is my jelly set?
Use a Jam/Jelly Thermometer to check the setting point of the jelly.
At the same time, make the setting test by dropping some jelly on a spoon or plate, which you kept in the freezer.
The jelly will cool down instantly and that way you will know if it is set. If the jelly runs, it needs more cooking time. Then repeat the preserve setting test.
The Apple Jelly setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
Be careful not to overcook the jelly.
The jelly will always appear liquid in the pot when it's cooking hot, so that can be misleading. The setting test and checking the thermometer are necessary for that reason.
Jelly will turn into a Jelly consistency only when it cools down; otherwise, it will appear liquid when hot.
Flavor variations
To prepare apple jelly flavor varieties, you can add some of the following flavors to the infusion or cooking process.
Technically, it's better to add them to the infusion process when you infuse the water with the apples because the extra ingredients get strained out with the apple pieces.
- elderflower — My favorite! You can use fresh elderflower when they are in season in spring or homemade elderflower syrup. If you love elderflowers, you might enjoy my mum's elderflower jelly.
- cinnamon — A classic fall flavor.
- apple pie spice blend or chai spice blend, or try adding some pumpkin pie spice for a twist!
- vanilla bean — Slit open a vanilla bean and scratch out the black seeds. Both seeds and vanilla bean can be added to the infusion to make the most of this expensive spice.
- lemon — Lemon halves with the fresh juice also add natural pectin to your jelly (which helps in setting your jelly). Just make sure to use lemon that had not been sprayed with pesticides (usually organic lemons).
- rosemary — Fresh rosemary adds a lovely herbal touch to your apple jelly.
Uses
I love apple jelly spread over my breakfast roll. With a cup of black coffee, that's all that I need to start my morning energized.
Besides the obvious breakfast uses for apple jelly, you get to use it as part of a dessert or sweet treat.
Here is how we have been using this apple jelly at home:
- in a Swiss Roll filling
- in thumbprint and other cookies
- as a doughnut filling
- to layer cakes
- mixed into plain yogurt
- as a filling in sweet crêpes or pancakes
- in puff pastry pockets and Dutch pastries
- in oats, müsli or rice porridge
- as a filling in baked bars
Storing
Use sterilized Jam Jars with a clean sterilized lid. You can sterilize the jars and lids by boiling them or by heating them up in the oven.
The aim is to kill all germs and that way the jelly will preserve over months!
When filling up your jelly jars, use a home canning kit with the tongs to take out the hot sterilized jars and to pour the jelly in the jars with a canning funnel. These tools come in super handy!
Fill up the jars to the rim with the hot jelly. There shouldn't be any space left for jelly. This is to airlock it when closing the jar, and it will avoid germs and mold.
Add a few drops of rum or any other spirit into the jar lids to kill the remaining germs (this is optional). Close the jar with the lid properly and turn the jar quickly upside down.
This will create a vacuum and that way the jelly will preserve over months!
After 24 hours, you can turn them back and label them with the day you cooked the jelly and the name.
Store the Apple Jelly jars in a dry, dark, and cool environment. That way, your jelly will be good for at least 10 months minimum!
More Fruit Jelly Recipes
Looks easy and delicious! Can't wait to try making it.
What kind of jars are those? Very beautiful. Thank you for your recipes.
Ah these are repurposed Dijon Mustard Jars with new lids. You get smaller Dijon mustard pots and larger ones, the ones in the picture are the larger ones. New replacement lids that fit can be bought separately. We are used to repurpose old mustard jars in France. In fact, mustard jars would sometimes come with comics printed on them and then they would be used as drinking glasses. It's still a thing there. I hope this helps and of course I'm glad to hear that you have been enjoying my recipes. 🙂
Hello! I've tried the recipe and all went well except I didn't realize for any ten minutes that I was supposed to leave the jar upside down. I quick turned it and then back. I've flipped them back...am I still good?
I'm so worried.
Thank you!
Hi Danna, It's alright, it's still good. But it's better to flip the jar right after closing it with the lid. I usually leave the jar upside down until the jelly has cooled a bit down, and I can just flip it back with the lid up. The purpose is to create a vacuum, which helps in the preservation. If you are feeling unsure, you can add another layer of preservation by water bath canning your jars. That will increase the preservation period further. Or keep your jars in the fridge. I hope this helps.
Hi. I’m new to making jams or jelly. I have a juicer and was wondering if I could just juice the apples instead of chopping them and cooking them.
You can juice your apples too and use that juice to make a jelly, that should work well too.
I followed your recipe and it was so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
I’m trying your recipe today and have a question about storing the jelly. I have alway water bath canned jellies. Does turning the jar of hot jelly upside-down eliminate the need for the water bath. I will be canning 24 pints and this will safe me a lot of time if it’s just as safe. I’m fairly new to preserving fruits. Thanks!
You can do a water bath canning at the end to be on the safe side. This is up to you. Turning the jar upside-down creates a vacuum.
That said, I don't do it, we don't do it in Europe with jams, we only water bath fruit in syrups, mushrooms or patés.
If you follow all the steps exactly as per instructions, your jam will be good for 10 months. You need to work with clean jars and lids, the setting point needs to be right, your fruits should be healthy and not rotten.
Always try the recipe with 1 kg/2.2 pounds fruits first. Generally speaking, I always recommend working with this quantity of fruits for each batch, especially if you are new to this. The more fruits the trickier it gets to get the setting point right.
Mam can I use honey instead of sugar or half sugar half honey?
No please always use sugar or else it won't set. If you use honey it might not set the way you expect it too and then it won't stay good for too long.
Hi
I regularly follow your recipes, I have made most of the jams and they are excellent about the exact recipe.
Please, I did not find a recipe for lemon jam, can you help me?
Do you have a recipe for lemon jam.
Thank you very much
Eli
Hi Eli,
Jep a lemon marmalade is on my bucket list. It will be posted here in the coming summer months, hopefully. 🙂
I made a lemon marmalade, if anybody else is looking for a recipe.
I found this recipe on Pinterest whilst looking for an apple recipe. I've never made jellies or jams before so I was a bit skeptical of my abilities!
I cooked the first batch too long. It was thicker than honey and fairly impossible to use, other than to wrap it around a spoon and treat it like the perfect lollypop. Which is fun too!!!
The second batch was too runny, but still completely usable. It also ended up a bit hazy. I must have squeezed out the apples too much.
The third batch, after having finally purchased a candy thermometer, was absolute perfection. It was clear in colour and wiggly like jelly.
The "freezer spoon" test on the first two batches wasn't very successful for me and I never felt like it set. Although it is a good clue to those without thermometers.
The purchase of the thermometer really was the turning point for me.
But I'll have spoken too soon; I'm making Batch #4 right now. Watch, I'll completely screw it up! 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Nicola, Thanks so much for sharing your progress and attempts. I think your knowledge will be useful to others trying this recipe. I'm happy to read too that it finaly worked out with the help of a candy thermometer. This kitchen tool can be quiet useful.
Can you use regular jelly canning jars with the canning lids and seals? I don’t have any of the jars that you have....is there a place I could purchase them?
Yes, you can use regular canning jars. As long as you can turn them upside down OR water bath can your jars.
New to making apple jelly this way. I've always processed the jelly in a water bath, I see that you don't. Can you tell me (us) why the difference? I look forward to trying this recipe. Thanks -Bill
Hi Bill, You can always can the jelly pots in a water bath with the help of a canner if you want. We don't do that with jam, marmalades, and jellies in Europe and that's a french recipe. We only can fruits, vegetables, sauces, and other foods that haven't been cooked in sugar over a period of time. I show how it's done in my post about canned peaches. When you cook fruits in sugar to make jam, it eventually sets and by following the steps in the recipe, you will get jams that will be good at least 1 year without having to water bath cook them. It's crucial that you work in a clean environment with sterilized jars. The step at the end is important too, with the turn the jars upside down. It creates a vacuum and that keeps your jelly safe. Store them in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight and keep the jar in the fridge once opened. Also, always use a clean spoon with your jam. Licking off jam from the spoon and taking it back into the jar will turn your jam bad. I hope this helps. 🙂
This looks super easy and I'm looking forward to trying it! One question........the recipe says one lemon juice. Is that one lemon, juiced, or something else?
Hi Linda, yep it's 1 lemon juiced. Sorry for the confusion, the system picks it up that way.
Have you tried making with less sugar or stevia?? I am borderline diabetic; and would like to share with my daughter who is on WW.
I love your recipes. Thank you.
Hi Carol, There is always an option to make jams with less sugar but these jams need to be consumed quickly because they won't preserve. Sugar helps in preserving the fruit for the long term. Jellies are more complicated because they don't contain fruit parts, which would help to hold together the preserve. So if you would use less sugar in jelly you would have to either cook it down even more, which would just result in a sweet jam nonetheless, or your jam would turn out liquid and wouldn't be good for all too long. you could use pectin sugar too but that alters the taste and it will be still sweet.
My mother in law is diabetic and she eats my jams too. She uses small quantities and so far, cross fingers, she has been ok. Usually, when I use jam on my slice of bread, I don't use more than 1 teaspoon. The sugar amount in one teaspoon on a slice of bread is lower than in most cookies and cakes.
What's WW? And thank you for letting me know that you enjoy my recipes, I always love reading that. 🙂
I would guess Weight Watchers
I'm excited to try this! Curious if you have any uses for the apple tart is strained out. Thank you!
You can compost the apple leftovers and then use the nutritious mud for your plants in the garden. 🙂