Lemon Marmalade has always been a favourite with my parents, my father in particular. He has been without his homemade breakfast condiment for a few weeks now and has politely let us know that a jar of shop-bought marmalade is not on his agenda.
As fortune would have it, a friend presented me with some beautiful, homegrown lemons and I have set to work. This is a classic method of making marmalade. It requires just three ingredients, and one of them is water. That is all that you need to make this fresh-flavoured condiment.
If you think that making marmalade is difficult, I want to assure you that it is easier than you may think. Although there is a great deal of science involved, it just requires that you follow a few simple steps.
Let me tell you a little about Marmalade:
Marmalade is a favoured preserve on many breakfast tables. It’s easy to appreciate that this zesty, tangy preserve is a great way to start the day.
Marmalade is only made from citrus fruits, unlike jam, which can be made from any variety of fruit. Moreover, citrus fruits are rich in naturally occurring pectin. High amounts of pectin and acid, such as in citrus, help the marmalade to set, making it ideal for preserving. As such, it is not necessary to buy special jam-setting sugar.
I regard homemade jams and spreads as luxury items. It’s not that they are expensive to make, especially when the fruit is a gift, but there is an investment of time. However, having jars of marmalade that you have made yourself is tremendously satisfying.
The flavours are bright and clear and remember, there are just three ingredients. Compare that with the labels of some commercial varieties which often have a large range of additives.
Ingredients in my Three Ingredient Lemon Marmalade:
Lemons:
Given that we will be using the entire fruit, it is preferable to use home-grown or organic lemons. Commercially produced lemons generally have a wax coating and may have been sprayed.
Sugar:
I use regular, granulated sugar. It is a large amount of sugar but it does much more than sweeten the marmalade. Its main function is to combine with the pectin and fruit acids to form a gel. In addition, it acts as a preservative that inhibits the growth of mould.
I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar as it may interfere with the setting and preservation.
Water:
I have used filtered water but regular tap water is also fine.
How to make Three Ingredient Lemon Marmalade:
Making the marmalade is a two-day process. On the first day, you slice the lemons very finely and put them into a large bowl with water to soak overnight. Soaking the fruit serves two purposes.
Firstly, it softens the peel and secondly, it helps release the pectin required for setting the jam. On day two you cook the fruit and add the sugar.
When setting point is reached, as outlined in the recipe instructions, I remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside for 10 minutes. This will help the fruit to settle and evenly distribute when poured into the jars.
Without settling, the fruit will rise to the top of the marmalade. And finally, ladle it into jars and smile with satisfaction at the result.
Tips for success:
You will not need any special equipment to make this recipe. However, a large saucepan is essential. When you add the sugar, it foams up enormously. Without a very large saucepan, there is the risk of it boiling over.
Your jars and their lids must be sterilised. I do this by heating them in the oven as outlined in the recipe.
As we are using the whole fruit, it is best to use organic or home-grown fruit. However, if you are only able to access commercially grown lemons, they need to be thoroughly cleaned.
Always use fruit which is in good condition and ideally some which are slightly under-ripe as they will contain more pectin. Bruised or damaged fruit may spoil the jam, causing it to deteriorate quickly.
It is important to cook the peel until it is tender before you add the sugar. Once you add the sugar the peel will no longer soften. After adding the sugar it is necessary to completely dissolve it before bringing the mixture back to the boil.
I find it best to check for setting point by checking a small amount of marmalade on a chilled plate. I use the “wrinkle” test, as detailed in the recipe. After reaching setting point, set the marmalade aside for 10 minutes to allow the fruit to settle.
Ladle the marmalade into hot jars to avoid the glass breaking.
Other uses for these ingredients:
We love lemons, and some of our other favourite ways to use them are:
- Individual Lemon Curd Meringues
- Classic Lemon Curd
- Gluten-Free Lemon Madeleines
- Belgian Lemon Tea Cake
- Quick and Easy Lemon Ice Cream
More delicious condiments and edible gift ideas:
- Apricot Jam
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Easy Plum Jam
- Classic Lemon Curd
- Dill Pickled Cucumbers
- Sweet Chilli Sauce
- Balsamic Glaze
- Preserved Chillies in Oil
When it comes to using the Lemon Marmalade:
First and foremost, this bright and zesty condiment with the zingy flavour of lemon is a great wake-up call, perfect when slathered on your morning toast.
However, there are other ways in which to use it:
- A sticky glaze for chicken drumsticks;
- Make a sauce for pork tenderloin;
- Glaze a Christmas ham;
- Make crostini with goat cheese and prosciutto;
- Bake a lemon cake and make a glaze with the marmalade;
- Serve with Coconut Scones by A Baking Journey.
This refreshing condiment highlights the bright, tangy flavours of lemon. Although it is an ideal toast topping there are other ways in which to enjoy this condiment.
When you try it you will realise that there is no comparison between homemade marmalade and the commercially produced varieties.
Do let me know in the comments below when you have tried this delicious recipe.
Alex xx
Three Ingredient Lemon Marmalade
Equipment
- 9 x 250ml Jars
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.5 ounces) lemons See Notes 1 & 2
- 6 cups (1.5 litre) water
- 8 cups (1.8kg) sugar
Instructions
To sterilise the jars:
- Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270F).Use glass jars with an airtight, metal lid. Wash them either in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water, and rinse well. Check that the metal lids do not have rubber inserts. (See Note 9)
- Place upright jars and lids on a baking tray. Heat in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove and immediately fill with marmalade.
Marmalade:
- Place 2 saucers or small plates in the freezer, ready to check for the setting point of your marmalade.
- Thoroughly wash the lemons. Remove each end of the lemons and cut the lemons into quarters lengthways. Holding two of the quarters together, slice as thinly as possible and remove any seeds.
- Place the lemon slices in a non-reactive bowl. See Note 3. Add 6 cups of water, cover the bowl and leave the lemons to stand overnight.
- The following day, place the lemons and water into a large, non-reactive saucepan. – See Note 4.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the fruit and water to the boil. Boil for approximately 15 minutes or until the lemon peel is tender, stirring occasionally with a long-handled wooden spoon. – See Note 5. The time may vary slightly depending on the variety of lemon and the thickness of the slices.
- Add the sugar and stir well to dissolve it. After dissolving the sugar, return the fruit to the boil, stir occasionally and skim to remove any foam. Continue to stir until the marmalade reaches setting point, about 20 minutes. – See Note 6Remove from the heat to conduct the wrinkle test. If not set, continue to boil for another 1 minute and then test again.
- To test for setting point, I use the “wrinkle” test. Take one of your saucers from the freezer and pour a small amount of marmalade onto it. Let it cool for a minute then push against the marmalade with the tip of your finger. If the surface wrinkles it means setting point has been reached. Alternatively, if you are not confident checking this way or are not experienced at making marmalade, you can use the fail-safe method of using a jam/candy thermometer which you clip to the side of your saucepan. When attaching your thermometer, make sure that the base is not touching the bottom of the saucepan. Your marmalade has reached setting point when the temperature reaches 104.5 degree C or 220 degrees F. It will still be liquid at this point, and will set as it cools.
- Take the mixture off the heat and let the marmalade stand for about 10 minutes. This will help evenly distribute the fruit throughout the jars.
- Remove your jars from the oven and carefully ladle the marmalade into the heated, sterilised jars. You need to be very careful. Splashing yourself with hot marmalade will result in a very serious burn. I suggest you have clothing with long sleeves and ensure that you do not have children nearby. Put lids on jars immediately, and seal well – being careful to use a cloth or oven gloves to handle the jars/lids.
Video
Notes
- The weight of the lemons, before trimming the ends and removing the seeds, was 530 gm/1.2 lbs. We use Eureka or Lisbon lemons for this recipe.
- As the peel is such an important part of the marmalade, I like to use organic or home-grown lemons. Commercially produced lemons generally have a wax coating and may have been sprayed. If this is all that you can obtain, you can clean the lemons by placing them in a colander and pouring over freshly boiled water. Then, scrub them gently with a nail brush while holding them under cold running water.
- Non-reactive bowls and saucepans are stainless steel, glass, ceramic or enamelled cookware. Aluminium, copper and iron bowls or pans are reactive. Acidic foods, such as lemons, may discolour and take on a metallic taste if these are used.
- A large saucepan is essential. When you add the sugar, it foams up enormously. Without a very large saucepan, there is the risk of it boiling over.
- To stir, use a long-handled wooden spoon. Metal will become dangerously hot.
- Boiling time depends on several factors, the width of your saucepan and the heat at which the fruit is boiled.
- The Marmalade will be shelf stable for approximately 12 months.
- Your marmalade will be very liquid when you add it to the jars so please don’t be concerned. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Leave it for 24-48 hours and then check again. If it is still runny, you can re-boil the marmalade. Empty the contents of the jars back into the saucepan and bring to a boil. To increase the pectin and help the marmalade to set, you can add the juice of half a lemon. Boil for a few minutes and test again.However, if the marmalade was initially boiled too long, it can still result in it not setting as the pectin may have been damaged.
- Properly sterilising your jars is an essential process to remove bacteria which could cause your preserves to spoil. I prefer to sterilise jars in the oven. To do this, preheat your oven to 130 Degrees C (270F). Use glass jars with an airtight, metal lid. If recycling jars, ensure that the jars do not have cracks or chips and the lids are in good condition. Discard any lids that are pitted or rusted. Wash the jars and lids either in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water, and rinse well. Do not dry them with a tea towel. Place upright jars and lids on a baking tray. If you are using kilner jars with rubber seals, be sure to remove the seals before placing the jars in the oven. The dry heat of the oven would damage the seals. Boil the seals separately in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Heat the jars in the oven for at least 20 minutes. When your preserves are ready to bottle, use thick oven mits or jar tongs to remove the jars. Do not place them on a cold surface as they may shatter. I place mine on a wooden chopping board which I cover with a tea towel. Always sterilise a few more jars than you think you will need. It is better to have too many jars than not enough.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one 250ml jar. Please take this into account, as you most likely won’t be consuming a whole jar in one sitting. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Jane
Just finished bottling and the process was so easy. Had to take my cooking time out a little until I passed the wrinkle test. Thanks for that tip. Really looking forward to trying it. And if it’s good, I’ve got Christmas wrapped!
Alexandra
Hi Jane!
That is great to hear – I hope you will love the marmalade, and it’s a great gift idea 🙂
Kind regards, Alex
Clarissa
Wow I can’t believe how easy this was to make and I love how it’s made with just three ingredients!! I’m so glad you mentioned using the peel so I went out and got organic lemons. The peel definitely adds so much flavor! I’ve been putting it on my morning toast every day and have been loving it.
Alexandra
Clarissa, I am delighted to hear that you are enjoying our Lemon Marmalade. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
mel
Hi,
I only want to make one jar! as i wouldn’t use 9 but i dont want to get the Measurements wrong can you help Please 🙂
Alexandra
Hi Mel!
We have never made just one jar before, but you could quarter the recipe, which would take you down to about 2 jars (maybe one as a gift?)
So – 125 g lemon, 1 1/2 cups water and 450 g sugar.
It won’t take as long to cook, but you could follow the directions for the recipe otherwise 🙂
Hope you enjoy! – Alex
Peter
Hi Alex
I’m making this now. Can I add ginger to give it another flavour? Is fresh or chrystalised and how much
Thanks
Peter
Alexandra
Hi Peter!
We are about to do a lemon and marmalade ginger – great minds think alike! 🙂
We tried initially 1 tbsp fresh ginger, and it had a very subtle flavour – we are going to try next time with 2 tbsp.
Kind regards, Alex
Ann
Really easy. I cut the sugar to 1kg which worked perfectly.
Alexandra
Thank you, Ann!
Richmond Arsa
Hi Alexamda,
Can I use honey instead of sugar?
Thanks.
Mond
Alexandra
Hi there! I have never tried honey in jam making, I am sorry, so I can’t advise.
Let me know if you give it a try!
Michelle
HI Alexandra, when soaking the lemons, do I put them in the fridge or leave them on the counter overnight? Thank you! Can’t wait to taste my marmalade.
Alexandra
Hi Michelle! Just on the counter overnight is fine.
Look forward to hearing what you think about the marmalade! Kind regards, Alex
Michelle
It’s so, so good! Do you think I could add more lemon peel? I’m using tall jars and the lemon peel is a bit sparse.
Alexandra
Hi Michelle, I am delighted to hear that you enjoy the Lemon Marmalade.
I was just wondering, did you let the marmalade stand for 10 minutes after the jam was ready? This helps it to settle and the peel is distributed more evenly. Or, do you feel that there is not enough peel? Unfortunately, you could not add more lemon peel at this stage; it would most likely spoil this batch. This is not a recipe designed to be a chunky marmalade, rather more of a light consistency. We are working on an Orange Marmalade at the moment which is more dense with peel 🙂 Kind regards, Alex
Lucy
The taste and texture of this is drlightful. It was incredibly easy to make, however the cooking time was not long enough. After allowing it to sit over night, it did not set. I reheated and reduced it further, this delicious little gem of a recipe kicked goals!
Alexandra
Hello Lucy, thank you so much for the fantastic feedback regarding the Lemon Marmalade. There are several variables with timing. Firstly, how thin or thick the lemons are sliced – if they are thin it cooks in a shorter time, if they are thick it takes longer. A wider saucepan will reduce the marmalade quicker and it depends on how rapidly it boils. In the recipe, I recommend the “wrinkle test” to determine when the marmalade will set. However, I am thrilled that you are enjoying the marmalade. Kind regards, Alex
Judith
I like the idea of your recipe – the one I usually use requires boiling up the whole lemons until they are soft and cutting them into small slices when they are cold, which is a bit of a fiddle.
So, my only query is what quantity of water constitutes a cup of water….? Itching to get on with it so look forward to your reply!
Alexandra
Hi Judith!
1 cup water = 250 ml. So for this recipe, you’d need 1.5 litres of water.
I look forward to hearing how you enjoy the marmalade! Kind regards, Alex
Jen
Also – can I try this with grapefruit? Thanks!
Alexandra
Hi Jen! We just posted our recipe for Grapefruit Marmalade yesterday – you can find it here.
Jen
Yum! Thanks for such an easy recipe – making my third batch today! Family love it.
– Jen
Alexandra
Thanks for the great feedback, Jen!
Debbi Hobson
I should have read through the comments before starting. When you wrote to drain the lemons into the pot after soaking overnight I assumed I was to get rid of the water they soaked in. So now after almost 40 minutes of boiling the marmalade has not set. Is this salvageable at all? I might suggest you edit your directions from drain to perhaps pour. Much thanks!
Alexandra
Hi Debbi, you could try adding the juice of a lemon for some more pectin and see if that helps?
Lemon is so high in pectin, so I feel confident it will set. – my Mum accidentally spilt most of the water once and used fresh, and it took longer but still worked 🙂
Lilac
Hi, how much water should I put on the boil? I’ve used six cups in soaking the lemons overnight and will drain them soon. Very excited to cook today.
Thanks for this recipe! Fingers crossed it will all work out.
Alexandra
Hi Lilac! The water that you have soaked them in goes on to the boil – it looks like a lot at the start, but will cook down 🙂
Enjoy!
Marie
Can I let my lemons soak longer than overnight?
Alexandra
Hi Marie, I have left mine for two nights before and had no issues 🙂
Petrina
Hello so you just discard the seeds?
Alexandra
Hi Petrina, yes, the seeds are discarded in this recipe. The lemons themselves contain a generous amount of pectin so it is not necessary to include the seeds. Best wishes, Alex. 🙂
Morgan
Hello, do the jars seal themselves or can you process them in a water bath? Just want to make sure they are shelf-stable! Thanks!
Alexandra
Hi Morgan, if you bottle the marmalade while it is still hot and use hot, sterilised jars and lids, your marmalade will be shelf-stable for at least one year. I do hope that you enjoy the marmalade. Kind regards, Alex. 🙂
Kellyn
Hi Alexandra! Made these last night, and very happy with the result!
Just reiterating the water bath question above though. Is this how they must be sealed in order to be shelf stable prior to opening? Or are the sugar and citrus enough of preservatives in themselves, so long that the lids remain tightly on? Don’t have room in my fridge for all of them prior to gifting!
Alexandra
Hi Kellyn!
That is great to hear!
No need to put the jars in fridge until they are open –
As long as you have sterilised your jars correctly and put the hot marmalade in the hot jars, the marmalade is now shelf-stable.
Enjoy!