I make my mum's orange marmalade recipe every year in winter when the first gorgeous scented oranges appear in store!
The fragrant fruity citrus marmalade is an authentic french foolproof family recipe prepared without pectin and it includes only two ingredients.
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The orange preserve is all-natural prepared with organic oranges because orange marmalade always includes the orange skin.
If you like oranges, I can recommend the candied orange skin and the semolina pudding with orange.
Jump to:
🆚 Orange marmalade VS jam VS jelly preserve
Essentially this is the most common perceived explanation.
- A Marmalade is made with cooked fruit pieces and fruit skin. I.e. Kumquat Marmalade or Lemon Marmalade
- A Jam is made and cooked with just fruit pieces.
- A Jelly is made by cooking fruits in water first, which is then strained and the juice is cooked with sugar.
📕 When are Oranges in Season?
Organic oranges are in season throughout autumn and winter.
It makes sense to prepare this easy orange marmalade recipe during this time of the year only.
Always use seasonal produce because fruits growing during the natural seasonal phase are higher in quality, have more taste and don't get spoiled that easily.
🍊 Choice of oranges
Preferably, you might want to use more sour/bitter orange variations for making this orange marmalade recipe.
This is because high acidity, resulting in sour oranges, and bitterness in the orange skin is a sign of natural pectin in oranges.
We frequently use navel oranges to make the marmalade but you can use Seville Oranges too.
🔪 How to make Marmalade?
A homemade orange marmalade is a delicacy!
I show you in my process shots how to do it.
I recommend you watch the complete video how to in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
Step 1
Wash your oranges well to get rid of impurities.
Cut off ends.
Cut into half and into thin slices.
Place oranges slices with sugar into a large cooking pot and combine.
You can leave it to macerate overnight which will result in a better marmalade quality at the end.
Step 2
Take to the heat, stir and allow to cook.
Bring orange marmalade to a rolling boil and then reduce the heat to cook at medium flame.
Allow the marmalade to cook until set and oranges appear rather translucent.
Mash the jam to desired consistency with a hand blender.
Test if set by using a thermometer or by dropping some hot jam on an ice-cold plate. If it runs, it needs a little more cooking.
Step 3
Keep clean sterilized jam jars ready. I use 8-ounce jars.
Place the wide-mouthed funnel over the jar (or you can work without too) and pour the jam into the jar with the help of a ladle.
Pour marmalade up to the rim.
Drop some liquor of your choice (vodka, rum, whiskey) into the clean lids to kill the remaining bacteria.
Close the jar with the lid and turn upside down to create a vacuum. You can leave it that way for 30+ minutes or so (it doesn't really matter).
Clean jars with a sponge around if you poured some over by accident and label jars with date and jam name.
💭 FAQs
The perfect setting temperature for your homemade orange marmalade is 105 Celcius/220 Fahrenheit. You can check that with a candy thermometer. I also recommend performing a cold plate test by dropping hot jams on an ice-cold plate to see if it runs or not. If it runs, it needs more cooking and a repeated test.
Marmalade is runny when it has not set yet. That means it needs to cook more to set so that it thickens. But be careful, your marmalade might appear runny when bubbling hot, but when it cools down, it is thick. There is a danger to overcook the jam.
Your preserve is hard when you have overcooked your marmalade. Jams etc will appear liquid in a hot state but turn quickly hard when cooled. Make sure to test if your jam is set to prevent overcooking.
Runny jam needs further cooking until it is set.
You can't really fix a hard jam except by taking it back to the heat with water. Cook it for 5-10 minutes and pour in clean jam jars but use it within weeks.
Homemade Orange marmalade tends to be a bit bitter compared to commercially prepared marmalade. This is something that marmalade lovers might not notice or they even enjoy it. To avoid bitter flavors, use super sweet oranges and leave the sliced oranges to macerate with the sugar overnight before you cook the preserve. This will soften the orange slices and the result will be better. Also, make sure to not burn your marmalade.
Because this is not something that we ever needed to do. It's not common practice in France with jams and marmalade and this is a French recipe (canning jars is more commonly done with whole fruits). You are free to can your jars to preserve them for a much longer period of time.
🍱 Storing
Keep your marmalade in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight until you open it.
If you followed all the instructions above, then your marmalade can last unopened like this for 10+ months.
Keep your marmalade in the fridge once you have opened it and use it up within weeks.
📜 Variations
You can make variations of your orange preserve.
Add any of the ingredients below to cook with your marmalade.
If you want to add another fruit, reduce the weight of oranges in the recipe.
I.e instead of 2.2 pound/1 kilogram oranges you can use 1.1 pounds/ 0.5 kilograms of oranges and the other half another fruit (see below).
- liquor - such as whiskey, bourbon, gin, cointreau, vodka.
- fresh chopped jalapeno - for a hot variation
- pinch cinnamon
- fresh ginger or Curcuma root
- in combination with other fruit - such as cranberry or quince
- with other citrus fruits combined - such as mandarine, pomelo, grapefruit
🥣 Uses
I love my orange jam marmalade slathered over a freshly baked slice of bread for breakfast.
Yet there are other great ways to use this amazing preserves! I have collected some ideas for you to check out.
- over pork chops
- over salmon filet
- in panda express orange chicken
- in sandwich cookies, Linzer or thumbprint cookies
- in stuffed doughnuts or eclairs with custard cream
- a spoon full in a vinaigrette
- orange marmalade cake
- to flavor zucchini bread
- to flavor rice pudding or semolina pudding
🧰 Tools
So, before you start making the homemade marmalade, make sure that you have some equipment ready such as…
- large cooking pot to cook the jam - french copper pots preferably
- long handle wooden cooking spoon
- thermometer to check if the jam is set
- a frozen cold plate to test if the jam is ready
- sterilized jam jars with lids (preferably 300-350 ml)
- rum or vodka to disinfect the inner lids before closing
- a wide-mouthed funnel
- labels for the jars
📕 What is pectin?
Pectin can be most naturally found in higher dosages in fruits such as citrus fruits, apples and pears.
Pectin is a stabilizer and gelling agent, which is used extensively in commercially available jams and sauces.
Pectin gives food items such as preserves a longer shelf life and so extends a jam's consumable life.
Some jam recipes will call for pectin powder addition, however, I have been trying to abstain from pectin completely simply because there are many fruits that have way enough natural amounts of pectin in them.
Besides that, I follow my mum's traditional French jam recipes.
Artificial pectin is not a common ingredient in French jam recipes.
Also, pectin powder is difficult to be found in some countries.
Which fruits are rich or poor in pectin?
Certain fruits should not be used without pectin powder addition in the making, such as grapes and cherries because these fruits are poor in natural pectin.
Orange, mandarin, clementine, lemon, lime, grapefruit, pomelo, mosambi and similar citrus fruit peels have the highest amount of natural pectin.
That is exactly why we add the peel into the marmalade.
The peel turns into a delicious candy in the jam which is a true delicacy!
📖 Recipe
Orange Marmalade Recipe
Ingredients
For the jam:
- 2.2 Pounds Organic Unwaxed Oranges *see Notes
- 3 ¾ cup Sugar
You will also need...
- a few drops Liquor *see Notes
- Jars
- Labels
Instructions
- Wash your oranges well. Cut off ends.
- Cut in half and into thin slices.
- Place the orange slices in a pot and pour sugar over the oranges.
- Combine everything well so that the sugar melts and the fruit slices are covered with it.
- Optional: Keep to macerate overnight. This can result in a better marmalade.
- Keep your marmalade over a medium to high flame and stir occasionally. Bring to a rolling boil.
- Cook down the marmalade over low to medium heat and stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Reduce marmalade to the desired consistency with a hand blender.
- The marmalade is ready when the fruit skin appears translucent and cooked. Test if the marmalade is set by dropping some of it into an ice-cold plate. If the marmalade is not running, it is set. You can test setting with a thermometer too (*see post above for details). If it runs, keep it for some more time on the heat and repeat the test until it doesn't run anymore.
- Pour the preserve into clean sterilized jars up to the rim.
- Pour a few drops of liquor (vodka, rum,...) into the lid to kill the remaining bacteria. Close jam with lid tight. Turn upside down quickly to create a vacuum.
- Clean jar on the outside with sponge and label with marmalade name and date.
- Store in a cool and dry place until further use. Keep in the fridge once opened.
Notes
- Organic unwaxed Oranges are a must because you use the skin in the marmalade as well and you don't want odd unknown pesticides in your marmalade
- Use a few drops of rum/vodka and similar to drop into the cap. This is to disinfect further (to avoid mold growth in the long run)
- Marmalade serving -> ~3 Jars (8 oz/230 ml) = ~100 Teaspoons (1 Teaspoon per serving)
I have made this several times over the past few years, and it has been a hit with every single person I've given it to. I always waterbath it afterward just in case, but as quickly as it gets eaten, it's not necessary unless you are making a double or triple batch (which I usually do because it's THAT GOOD!) Really easy and delicious. Thanks!
Hi Becky, thanks for your lovely feedback! Because it's a 1 kg/2.2lb recipe, we don't bother to water bath can because the jars a good for months. You won't believe, but in France, traditionally they don't even seal the jars with a lid. Instead, they spread raw egg whites on a plastic square to stick to the top, to close the jar. These jars sit in the cellar on a shelf for months, and their basements are mud stamped.
Sorry for the late reply, The system had wrongly flagged your comment as spam.
I've made this recipe with a combination of Clementine and Arizona Sweet oranges. And with Meyers lemons. I'll never use another recipe. I followed the notes for consistency and adjusted accordingly. I use 220 F instead of cooking time. I remove the seeds and remove the ones I missed while it's cooking. Thank you 😊 💓 I don't can it just put in a 4 cup jar in the refrigerator. It's so good that it will never spoil before we use it all.
Thanks so much for sharing your full recipe experience Maryann. It gives others a good idea how they can make theirs with clementines too or different orange varieties.
Why the liquor?
To kill leftover germs. It's optional and adds another layer of preservation to your marmalade.
Does it change the taste?
No it doesn't change the taste, but you can just skip it if you like. It's optional.
Hi. I'm not a fan of marmalades and I have lots of blood oranges, do you think I could use the same measurements but just use 1kg of the orange flesh not the peel instead? thanks!
Hi Cat, sorry for the late reply, I was on a vacation.
Marmalade are always made with the skin, that's why they are called marmalade. If it's just the fruit flesh, it's a jam. You can try to make this just by using fruit flesh, but I can't guarantee that it will turn out the same way because I haven't tried it out for myself. If you get to do it, please let us know how it worked out so that we can all learn from each other.
I did end up making this jam without peel & white bits.I wasn't to sure if I should add lemon to it as your other recipes did (because there was no peel). I did add juice & whole squeezed out lemon halves to the jam too. It think it came out pretty good. it was quite thick.👍
Hi Cat, that's great, thanks for sharing this with us all! Somebody else will surely find your experience useful. We don't add lemon to the orange marmalade because orange is a citrus fruit that is high in natural pectin. I add lemon to the other jams because the fruits are not always high in pectin, and the lemon helps in adding that pectin, which preserves the jams better. But if you added it to your orange marmalade jam, then it's ok too. I bet it tastes great!
Can you water bath can this recipe?
Yes you can. It adds another safety layer to your jam. Here are my water bath canning instructions.
Hello Helene,
Do we kar the hot hot marmalade or wait till it cools down?
Can’t wait to try this … got to figure out where to get organic oranges now!!
Recipe looks superb!! 👌🏽
Sorry I didn't get your question.
After cooking the marmalade, it needs to be blended and you need to test if it is set. Then pour it hot into your clean jars up to the rim, close with the lid, and you are done. Maybe that answers it? Please let me know if it didn't and what you meant to ask initially.
I just tried making this marmalade jam to your recipe and even though I cooked the mixture for one hour the peel although very tasty has not cooked enough to soften to a texture where it is easy to bite.
The overall taste is excellent but the mixture a little on the dry side which is why I resisted the temptation to cook it for longer. I di not blend the mixture.
Think I will reheat and a little more water and cook for longer or do you have other suggestion.
The orange skin will never be super soft, it will be a bit soft. So I had this happen before, where the skin of the orange seemed not soft enough. I still think it was the orange variety. Anyway, I ended up adding 1/4 cup water to the jam, mixed it in, and allowed it to cook a little more until the skin was a bit softer. I then blended it. Blending also makes a difference. Normally adding water is a nono because it may decrease the shelf life, but if it helps the skin to soften further, it is required.
So easy! And much less prep work than other recipes I looked at before trying this one.
I needed to use up some oranges and mandarines, and followed the 1kg of fruit as the guide, weighing both the fruit and sugar, and added 50ml of lemon juice I had frozen months earlier.
Turned out so well, and yum with cheese and crackers as I had read other people recommended.
Thank you 😊😊
Awesome, thanks so much for sharing Kylee! Glad you loved the marmalade as much as we did. 🙂
I adore the simplicity of your recipe & tips to help 1st time makers of Marmalade. Like when oranges are best to buy & your handy sanitizing vacuum process with the help of a bit of alcohol.
Hi Aron, glad you found the recipe and info useful. You made my day 🙂
No quantities. Useless without
The quantities are in the recipe card, US and metric quantities.
Excellent visual and written instruction. Simple enough for anyone to make. I added 1 cut grapefruit along with 2 cloves, 1 very small star anise and a small cinnamon stick while cooking. I took those spices out before bottling. It came out delicious! Definitely going to make this a tradition to make every holiday when family from Florida sends us a fresh box of citrus.
Thank you so much for your feedback Rosie. I bet your marmalade tasted better than mine with the added grapefruit and spices. Have you joined our Facebook Spice Club Group, other readers and I, share our spice adventures there. It's also for free and an extension of the website. I think you would appreciate the group. 🙂
This was amazing! After watching Paddington, my children begged to make marmalade. It was 8:30pm and after looking at several complicated recipes, I found yours. Everyone helped, which meant the oranges were probably sliced too thick, but it didn't matter. When I cooked it this morning, it came out perfectly. The only thing we didn't do was to blend it, as we liked the texture. Thank you for this simple, but absolutely delicious recipe.
Hi Leila, so glad you guys enjoyed making your orange marmalade together as a family. It helps to know that you found this recipe easy to follow, that way I can continue to follow this format so that everybody can learn to cook at home from scratch. Cheers!
Dear Helen,
Can oranges be replaced by mandarines?
Yes if the mandarine variety has the skin close to the fruit flesh and if the mandarines are untreated (no pesticides).
This is very tasty and easy. Can this recipe be doubled?
Corinne, you can double the quantity. However, it's easier to deal with a 1kg/2.2 pound fruit quantity when making marmalade or jam. Especially for beginners. More fruit and sugar means that it will take longer to cook and reduce and getting it to set properly becomes more difficult. So, I only recommend doing this if you are used to making jam.
Thanks. I really like this marmalade. I did it twice. First time I left it overnight, second time I didn't. I think I like it better leaving it overnight. Thank you for sharing.
Corinne
Thanks for sharing your experience Corinne. I hope others will find your experience useful. I like it better with leaving it overnight too.
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled?
Sorry Corinne, I saw your comment late. I answered your other comment.
How long does it last unopened?
If you prepare the marmalade as per directions in a clear hygienic environment and as per recipe measurements, it should be good for 12-24 months unopened. Store it in a dry and cool place away from direct sunlight. Once it's opened, store it in the fridge. Also try to avoid eating the jam from the spoon and dipping it back into the jam, because that will make it more prone to mold.
Dry. I followed this recipe exactly except for using the food processor at the end, because that was not sterilized. I think the addition of water would allow for this marmalade to have a little syrup and be much more palatable. I normally love marmalade, and just made 2 batches of clementine marmalade using a different recipe that called for water. I think that tasted much better, but perhaps it is just a matter of taste; I prefer my marmalade with a little more syrup present.
Hi Shabnam. You can place the hand blender in a jar of hot boiling water to sterilize the blade and the hand blender. You can't add water to a marmalade because it reduces the shelf life of your marmalade and it wouldn't be a marmalade anymore. That would beat the purpose of a marmalade or jam. If you would have blended it a bit at the end it would have turned into the correct consistency and never dry. If a marmalade or jam has syrup in it, it can be still used but it won't hold that long. So you would have to use it within weeks. Also, using quality oranges can make a difference. Using juicier oranges can be your solution to what you are looking for. I hope this helps. Thank you for your feedback.
Loved this! Certainly easy, I did macerate the oranges over night. I enjoyed it well blended in the vitamix. I am making a new batch with 2 Meyer lemons added and a teaspoon of rum extract. Overall this is my top favorite recipe. Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback Wendy. Glad you enjoyed your marmalade 🙂
1st time every making Orange Jam Yayyyyyy🤩🤩🤩
amazing! well done 🙂
What temp do you cook it to if you use a thermometer.
Thanks
Hi Mary, As mentioned in the recipe, to 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit. I hope this helps.
Hi for overnight sugaring, do you leave the oranges in room temp or chill in the fridge ? Hoping for a quick tip because the oranges are already in sugar. Thanks!!
I leave it at room temperature. It doesn't really matter that much when you live in a cold climate. It might only matter if you live in a hot humid tropical climate, then you better keep it in the fridge for food safety reasons. Hope this helps!
Hi, can I blend the orange before cooking coz I don't have emerson blender?
I haven't done that, but you could try. However, the result might not be the same because the whole orange is mixed before it gets to cook in sugar.You could try in with a small quantity first.
is there any way to make orange marmalade without sugar, or with very little sugar?
Hi Jo, Yes you can make it with less or no sugar but you will have to consume it within a few days. Sugar helps in preserving the marmalade and it balances the flavors of your oranges. A marmalade is only a marmalade if it is good for months.
I think the recipe is great, very tasty. I, however, may have over blended the mix.
thanks for your feedback Linda. Some people like it well blended, it's a choice. I like it blended too but my family members prefer having bits in it.
About how many oranges is 2.2 pounds ?
Hi Deborah, you need to weigh your oranges. Giving you a count would just make the recipe inaccurate. It's important that you get the measurements right because the orange and sugar ratio has been perfected. Not all oranges are the same size too.
I just made this but added some mulling spice in a tea infuser to the boiling part and now I call it orange Christmas marmalade! Thank you so much for your recipe! (I did use the cook-and-seal method because it's what I've gotten used to over the years, but growing up in Germany we always used the tip-upside-down method without issues and the jam lasted for years!)
Hi Patricia. That sounds delicious too. I love christmas jams and I do have a christmas jam recipe on my page too. Will try your version next time! Also thanks for sharing your experience with the tip-upside down method. I bet others will find your info useful.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Just made my first batch and it turned out beautifully! I did add some pure vanilla extract at the very end. It’s delicious and I’ll be making more to share with friends.
Thanks for sharing Nancy! Love the idea of adding some vanilla flavors to the orange jam.
Oranges in my country are not free from pesticides. How to modify the recipe to exclude orange skin?
I'm sorry to hear that. A marmalade is always made with the skin so you can't exclude it or else it wouldn't be a marmalade. However, you can make an orange jam. Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe for that, sorry.
Loved the Marmalade!! Thank you for sharing! Made some with Orange Cardamom Muffins to go with it! 😍🍊🥰
Awesome Laura! I'm happy to read that you loved the marmalade. Great idea with the muffins 🙂
Hi I am in the process of letting my oranges sit in the sugar for a bit. Do the jar lids need to be metal? I have canning jars and the canning lids but also have the plastic reusable lids (I prefer to the canning lids) I don't can often so thought I'd ask about the plastic ones. Thanks!
Hi Christina, as long as the lids seal the jars properly, it doesn't matter that much. However, metal is preferred because plastics are not always that great with hot jams (material properties are not that great for health), but if you have plastic lids at home, just use those. I hope that helps.
My house smells amazing.
Just finished emersion blending.
Question, I dont have any alcohol, would a vacuum seal work OK? Any other ideas on preventing mold? And have you ever frozen it? I made a lot!
Hi Rebecca, a vacuum seal will do fine too and you don't need any alcohol (rum, vodka or similar), it's just a plus point. To prevent mold, just follow the instructions and store in a dry and cool place. It will be good for 10 months at least. Once you open a jar, keep in the fridge. I have not frozen orange jam before, but other jam. My experience its that it will need to be left in the fridge to defrost. Otherwise, it's fine to freeze it too.
The first batch came out awesome so now I’m making a second batch now to share with some of my friends!
Thank you for the recipe. 😊
Hi am so excited to make this marmalade.
One question, must i take the pips out?
Be safe
Thanks Sheryl
Hi Sheryl, Thank you for your question. If your oranges have a lot of large pips, then I recommend taking them out. Ours rarely have pips.
Mine turned out sweet I may have used too much sugar. Pretty good though and very simple recipe. Cut your slices very thin which requires a pretty sharp knife. I left some of mine fat and it didn’t break down as well. I didn’t have a hand chopper so I put my oranges in a food processor once soft. Beautiful color and smells wonderful. Will make again just less sugar this time.
Hi Shonda, Sugar helps in preserving the marmalade. The quantity is exactly set and shouldn't be modified if you want to store your orange marmalade for months. After all, the point of marmalade is to preserve fruits for many months to come. However, you may reduce the sugar but I can not guarantee if the marmalade will remain good for long. In that case, you would have to consume the marmalade soon enough. That said, while it may taste sweet, you need to keep in mind too that we usually only consume 1 teaspoon per slice of bread (just an example) and it won't taste that sweet anymore then.
I am cooking the mixture in a couple of hours. Once the jars are filled, closed, and turned upside down, how long should I wait before trying. I am asking this because my apricot jam recipe said to allow two weeks for it to setup, thanks.
Hi Michael, you can try it a day after you cooked it but it does taste better when you leave the jam sit for 2-3 weeks. The vacuum is required to store the jam for a longer period of time. Once you open a jar, you will need to consume it soon after. For that reason I keep the opened jam jar in the fridge, after it was unsealed.
How long did you cook the oranges? Also, can it be cooked in a crock pot as well?
Charlotte, the cooking takes usually more than 40 minutes and depends on the setting of your marmalade. You need to test if it is set or not. I have no experience in cooking with a crockpot so I can't help with that.
How long can you store it in cool dry place?
Hi Nathalie, If you followed the recipe, that means properly set jam, sterilized jars, vacuum by turning jars upside down, it will keep well over a year. We have jam left from 15 months ago and it's still good. We sell our orange marmalade at the farmers market.
So yummy and easy!!
Thank you for your feedback 🙏
I have a question, I put, my oranges and sugar in the fridge to sit for 24 hours and forgot about it. Is it to late to finish the recipe? It's been there for about 4 day's.
hm, theoretically the sugar preserves the oranges if the fruit slices have been covered well with the sugar. I haven't had to deal with such a case yet, but if your oranges look still fine, you can just move on with the preparation of your jam. After all, it was sitting in the fridge, right? What do your slices look like, dried out hard (by the fridge environment), or the same like the first day? All that depends on how you stored your sugar covered oranges in your fridge.
This turned out so delicious!
Thank you for your feedback 🙏
Delicious!
Helene,
Can you tell me about how many cups of prepared fruit you get from 2.2 lbs of oranges?
About 2-3 jars of jam (8-10 ounces each).
How about before cooking? I have about 9 liters of sliced oranges and want to add the right amount of sugar.
Hi Suzanne,
Can you weigh your 9 liters of sliced oranges? That way you will know how many pounds or kilograms to use and you can easily follow the recipe.
Thank you for the suggestion. I will do that!
Anytime Suzanne!
Just made small batch
was amaZING I WAS SO BORED W QUARANTINE that I ate it straight off a spoon for breakfast!!! Sugar time!
now iI'm doing double batch of lemon/ orange.
It would be helpful if you listed the quantities in CUPS r.ather than kilos or kg.
i will be making peach or apricot or pomegranate or whatever as fruit ripens here in Arizona.
Hi Susan, thank you for your feedback. The orange marmalade recipe comes in US customary and metric measurements. The sugar has been mentioned in cups but the fruits need to be weighted because I just don't see how placing sliced oranges in a cup can be that accurate. I really want you guys to get this recipe right. Thanks for understanding.
I reduced the sugar to 3 cups and added 1 Tbsp vanilla. I followed all other directions to the letter. This works perfectly well.
Hi Nahaci, Just know that because you reduced the sugar, the jam will not remain good for long if left out on the shelf. The sugar helps in preserving the jam for a longer period. If prepared as per my recipe, the jam will last more then 10 months stored in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight. btw adding vanilla is a brilliant idea!
I made as directed but found the rind to be very tough and chewy. I did macerate overnight. Any suggestions?
I had the same thing happen to me a while back. The oranges were a different variety and they were not that juicy. The marmalade was looking cooked and had reduced a lot but the skin was rather tough. I ended up adding a little water to cook it down further until the rind was getting softer. When you add water, make sure that the marmalade is getting cooked through properly so that it will keep later. You can start with a 1/4 cup (50 ml) or 1/2 cup (100 ml) water. Adding water to your marmalade should only be done in the case when your marmalade is getting too thick and if the skin is still too hard. It's just a last resort option to save the marmalade or to fix a thick marmalade with uncooked fruit parts.
Thank you Helen. I live in Florida and have a beautiful orange tree left by the previous homeowner but not sure what type of orange they are. They are large and very sweet and juicy. Next time I’ll add a little water and cook longer.
Lucky you! I wish our orange tree was giving us beautiful oranges.
Marmalades can be tricky because not all fruits are the same. Another thing that came to my mind is the heat that you used during the cooking process. Not all burners and cooking plates are the same. Keeping the heat on the lower side will get the oranges to simmer in the sugar and they should turn out a bit softer in the process. And I think using the right pot can make a difference as well. I used a stainless steel pot in the video because of the induction plate but I usually prefer a proper copper jam pan. Copper conducts heat better and the marmalade will cook through more evenly. a few of these techniques combined can help you create a better marmalade and that's where trial and error come to play. I bet your next batch will turn out great because you gained some experience. 🙂
Very helpful knowledge, thank you! I'm going to try making marmalade with clementines at home tonight, thanks for sharing!
Helene, I have just been given a few kilos of sweet oranges by a friend and - although this is usually the time of year to make Seville orange marmalade- I thought I’d try it with these normal oranges. Wasn’t sure about quantities of fruit:sugar ratio so looked on Google and found your lovely easy recipe. Took a while longer due to larger quantity but my daughter loves it - prefers it to the Seville variety. Thanks very much.
Hi Ellen,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on the orange marmalade. Glad to hear that your family has been enjoying it and that it turned out so well even with the double amount of oranges. 🙂 Happy new year!
I made this for my marmalade-loving dad. His comment was "it's the best marmalade you've ever made, the perfect balance of sweet and tart".
I am about to make a second batch to give away as homemade Christmas gifts, as the first batch was so well received. Thank you for this yummy recipe!! Easiest marmalade ever, yet so tasty.
Sally, I am happy to read that your family has been enjoying your marmalade and that it has been received to well.
Thank you for taking the time and sharing your experience with us here.
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!
I love anything with oranges in it. I've been looking for a marmalade recipe and so glad you just wrote about it. I also liked how you told us the differences between marmalade, jam and jelly!
My mom loves orange marmalade so I'm going to send her your recipe. I never knew those things about pectin. It was very interesting to learn about it.
This looks yummy! I always love making things like this at home because they're usually a bit expensive at the grocery store!
This looks beautiful! I love to can, but have never tried a marmalade. Do you eat it on toast?
I'm there! I have made it before but definitely not with the rum. I like your recipe much better.
Orange marmelade was one of my father's favorite things to eat on bread. As a child, I never liked it. My mom made all of the jams and jellies in our household and these were rotated to ensure even usage. I always moved the orange marmelade further back in the rotation if I though I could get away with it. Today, I adore orange marmelade and especially love to bake with it. This recipe sounds fantastic!
Catherine I had the same experience as a child. I think a child's flavor receptors are more sensitive and so the sour bitter flavors of an orange marmalade are not a child's favorite. Yet ironically once we grow up we adore the flavors and look back at our smaller selves with a knowing smile. 🙂
My eight-year-old woke up me at 12:30 in the morning recently with growing pains. I massaged his aching legs and sent him back to bed and couldn't, for the life of me, get back to sleep. I read for two hours. THEN, as soon as I doze up he wakes me up again with the pains, and a question: "Mum, who invented marmalade?". I kid you not, I was googling that at 2:30 in the morning the other day. It's an interesting story. 😉 Love the sound of your recipe, and one of these days I should try it so he can see how it's made too. 🙂
Great recipe, and what helpful information! Your photographs are just beautiful too.
Such a wonderful marmalade recipe, love it and will try it, and also the mango one!
Love this easy 2 ingredient recipe for marmelade and applaud you for mentioning it has to be made with biologic oranges because a lot of people don't realize all the horrible stuff that goes on the peel to make it look attractive!
Ohhhh, thanks for showing all the steps to make orange marmalade!
This looks and sounds delicious. I hadn't been a fan of orange marmalade until I visited the UK in the 80s. I haven't tried to make my own version. Thanks for the recipe.
I absolutely love orange marmalade but I've never had the homemade variety. I'm sure it's even better! I am Pinning this recipe now so I can make it later. It's good to know the difference between marmalade and preserves - You learn something new every day.
I love making this Orange Marmalade! SO GOOD. The best part besides enjoying it on my english muffin? The smell! It always smells so good when cooking the oranges. Perfect recipe to enjoy this holiday season
My dad loves Orange Marmalade so I'm going to have to make this for him as an early Christmas Present! It looks so tasty!
I'm being honest with you when I tell you that your post had me drooling because I love, love, love marmalade! I haven't ever tried making it myself, but your recipe and step-by-step photos make it look easy! Thanks for sharing!
As soon as I read this title, a wave of memories came to me. My grandmother used to make orange marmalade when I was a child and it was so good! I don't think I have even had this since i was a kid!
This orange Marmalade is one of my favorites, Homemade is always better!
Can you use tangerines and lemons the same way? Also can half the peels be used instead of them all?
Eventually you could however I would have to test it out a few times before giving you a recipe to make it with lemons or other citrus fruits as ingredients might need to be adjusted and the fruit variety might have an importance in the end result. It's just easier with oranges and it will always taste good!
You can try it with less peel but the peel is important as it contains pectin and pectin is needed as a geling agent to preserve the marmalade all the longer.
What a beautiful spread for my breakfast toast, love it !
I love marmalade and I'm the only one in my home who does. So more for me is the way I see that!. 🙂
In India, I find the marmalades are always too sweet so I prefer to make my own too.
Oh, I did not know that the difference between Marmalade and Jam is the presence of peel in the former.
Is there a no-sugar version of any of these preserves that can allow you to keep oranges for off season? I love oranges and they come for such a small period of time in the whole year.
I am afraid but no, sugar is the main ingredient to preserve jams and preserves in general, so you can't leave it out as the preserve will turn bad within days. Yet you can do something else! You can place your cut fruits into a pan add little water and slowly cook it on low heat. Once it thickens take it off the heat and enjoy your fruit relish the same or next day. In that sense you would have fruit sugars only in your relish (fructose) and that is the most natural form of sugar, which is pretty harmless and in fact nutritious for any human being.
I love orange marmalade so i decided to make this recipe. I cooked it to long because it kept running on the spoon now i dont know what to do, it is like a very thick sticky candy/carmel like. Can it be repaired?
V.k
Hi Valerie,
Did your marmalade burn? If it tastes burned then you can't use it, it will have a bitter ugly taste to it.
If your jam is too hard because you over cooked it, you can place the jars with the jam in a water bath so to loosen the jam. Then place the hard jam back into a pot and add some boiling hot water to it. Mix and see how the consistency is, then you can pour it into clean jars again. Because you added hot water you should just make sure to use up the jam quickly. It's always better to be on the save side because you don't want mold growing on your jam. Make sure to add some alcohol into the lid too before you close the jar and then turn the closed jar upside down to create a vacuum. Store in the fridge once opened.
Next time if you are not sure if the jam is set you can use a plate too. Keep the plate in the freezer until it's proper cold and then drop the jam as instructed in the recipe on the plate. Move the plate around to see if it's running. With the plate you will recognize it easier if the jam is set or not.
I love this 2-ingredient marmalade! Excellent!
What a coincidence Helene, I have an orange marmalade recipe queued up, I made it at the cottage a few months ago as I had a bunch of oranges leftover from a job I had. I used Ina Gartner's recipe as my jumping off point, and although her recipe did not include blending with the stick blender, I decided I wanted to make it a bit more consistent texture and it worked out fantastic! I shall try your recipe next time, but I have jam in my pantry for the next year or so!
do you use pectin in your recipe? i made it according to ALTON BROWNS RECIPE WHICH I GOT ON LINE, AND IT DID NOT SET UP. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I WONDER IF I CAN REBOIL IT OVER AGAIN AND ADD LIQUID PECTIN, OR JUST ADD MORE SUGAR OR WHAT? DO YOU KNOW
Hi Judy,
Is it the orange marmalade recipe on food network form Alton brown? I just searched for it, they add water to the recipe and the sugar and fruit amount is not what we would use. I kind of feel it's difficult to say how to fix it when the sugar amounts are that much more than the fruit, to begin with.
No don't add any more sugars and yes simmer it more! But before you do that you can send me a picture via the masalaherb facebook page messenger if you want. I think that you might just need to simmer it a bit longer. Did you use a thermometer? jam setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit. A thermometer helps a lot! Once your jam reaches that temperature, after say 30-60 mins simmering, you can test it's setting by adding a drop on a cold plate or spoon if it runs it needs little more simmering, but normally you should be good and you can pour it into your clean jars. Also, remember, after cooking the jam/marmalade/jelly, it is still hot and it will be liquid. only when it cools down, will it thicken up. That's why we do the cold plate running test.
Here is my mango jam recipe, you can read about some reasons why your jam might be runny, different jam, same rules apply. (I will add the same rules sooner or later to this post as well)
Orange marmalade is my favorite spread to put on toast and English muffins! I love how the tartness balances out the sweetness. My mom and I usually can tomatoes together in the summer, but I think we need to get together and make a huge batch of this over the holidays!
I am a huge fan of homemade anything and surprisingly, I've never made orange marmalade! I cannot wait to try this, it looks delicious!
Made my version of marmalade before. But never with rum. Next time rum is definitely going in. for such a tempting marmalade,