Lemon Marmalade is not something you’re likely to find in grocery stores. There’s sweet orange marmalade, of course, and that’s always been one of my favorite jams. And then there is lemon curd, sweet, tart, creamy, buttery and delicious on just about everything. But lemon marmalade is really something special and unique. It’s sweet and a little bitter, tart and bright, and makes a fantastic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s also easy to make, and only requires three ingredients.
Looking for more homemade jam recipes? You might love these wild blueberry preserves, strawberry rhubarb jam, and bourbon cherry jam.
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What is Marmalade?
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. Originally, marmalade was made with the bitter Seville oranges from Spain or Portugal, which are prized for their high pectin content. In fact, the word marmalade originates from the Portuguese word marmelos, a quince spread similar in texture to an orange spread.
So although orange marmalade is the most popular marmalade, it can also be made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges and other citrus fruits. Meyer lemons are sweeter than bitter lemons, and would make a wonderful lemon marmalade as well.
Unlike jam, a large quantity of water is added to the fruit in a marmalade, the extra liquid being set by the high-pectin content of the fruit. In this respect it is like a jelly, but while the fruit pulp and peel is strained out of a jelly to give it its characteristic clarity, it is retained in a marmalade. The peel adds slightly bitter notes to the marmalade, which is balanced with plenty of sugar.
Lemon marmalade is simple to make, just requiring a bit of time to simmer. But it’s nothing more than lemons, water and sugar. Essentially, you’re just candying the lemons by slowly simmering them in simple syrup. Poured into jars, it thickens when cooled into a perfectly delightful jam that’s as good as you could imagine.
Instructions
Thinly Slice the Lemons
Since you’re using the whole lemon, be sure to wash them well first to make sure the peel is clean. Cut off the ends of each lemon, then quarter the lemons lengthwise. Slice the quartered lemons as thinly as you can, picking out and discarding the seeds, and making sure to collect all the juice.
Boil the Lemons with Water
Scrape the lemon slices and juice into a saucepan and add water. The reason marmalade requires so much water is because citrus fruits are very high in pectin, which sets and jells marmalades, jams and jellies. Without water, the marmalade would be far too thick and dry. Boil for 30 minutes, to soften the lemons.
Add Sugar and Simmer
Now add the sugar. Quite a bit of sugar. But you need all that sugar because lemons are bitter, and that bitterness needs to be balanced by sugar. In addition, sugar acts as a preservative in jam, helping it to have a longer shelf life.
Simmer the lemons in the water and sugar for about an hour. When you ladle the marmalade into jars, you’ll admire its beautiful color and sweet citrus scent.
Serving Suggestions
Lemon marmalade is simply delicious on buttered toast. And it makes a wonderful peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’ve even spread it onto slices of chocolate loaf bread, and it was a fantastic combination of rich and bright, sweet and tart.
Marmalade is also great as a glaze on meats like duck or ham. A citrus glazed ham for Easter is one of my favorite meals.
Resources
A helpful resource on making and storing homemade jam and fruit preserves, with a guide on types of pectin, tips for freezing and canning jam, and links to favorite jam recipes:
How to Make and Store Homemade Jam and Fruit Preserves
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Lemon Marmalade
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Ingredients
- 4 large lemons (or 8 small lemons)
- 5 cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash the lemons and slice off about 1/2 – 3/4 inch from each end. Discard the ends.
- On a cutting board with a groove that can catch the juice, cut the lemons in quarters, lengthwise. Thinly slice the lemon quarters; use a good chef's knife and slice as thinly as possible. Remove and discard the seeds.
- Scrape the lemon slices and all of the juice into a large saucepan.
- Add the water to the lemons, and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium/low and boil at a steady boil, covered, for 30 minutes.
- Add the sugar and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat and let the lemons simmer steadily, uncovered, for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until soft and sweet.
- Ladle the marmalade into clean glass jars. If using immediately, keep in the refrigerator and use within 1 month.
- This marmalade can also be frozen in the jars for later use. Be sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace at the top of the jars to allow for expansion in the freezer.
Your dad and my Jacques..love love home made jam..this look good..great color..!He must miss you!
I miss them, too!
This is a great recipe. Thank you for posting. I made it tonight and tastes so good. I canned it except one jar to enjoy now. I will be making more to share as gifts.
Lime marmalada is just as amazing
How long should it last in the fridge?
Just like any jam – most are good for at least 6 months or longer.
This looks amazing! I think this would taste amazing on a sandwich with chicken, herbs, and veggies. I can't wait to try it!
That sounds like a yummy sandwich!
Sadly, every time I tried to boil while covered, it boiled over. I wish the fruit measurements were more accurate as I now have no idea if the liquid to sugar ratio is correct
Cathy, if the water is boiling over while covered, then you have the heat turned up too high, and you’ll need to monitor it to make sure it’s boiling steadily, but not hard enough to boil over. Also, I’m not sure what could be construed as inaccurate about “4 large lemons, 5 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar”. The measurements are very simple and straightforward. Grocery stores carry large lemons and small lemons, and the large lemons will all be about the same size. 1 large lemon is about the same as 2 small lemons.
The recipe states “uncovered”
I loved the fresh lemon flavour of this marmalade……I used organically grown lemons from my garden……..and have used it on homemade buckwheat bread, stirred into yoghurt and I am guessing it would even taste delicious as a topping for vanilla ice cream!! It took me one and a half hours to boil and after overnight in the fridge I am happy with the consistency. Thank you so much!!😁
I’m so glad you love it!
This marmalade was fantastic! and so easy!! No removal of pith..no peeling skin with vegie peeler..both being a waste of time! So flavorful…perfect…thanks!!
Amazing, I added 3 small limes for 1 large lemon and some stem ginger, omg it’s amazing
That sounds really good with the ginger. 🙂
I’m looking forward to trying this and using as an additive to plain or vanilla yogurt. The lemon yogurt was always my favourite as a child and I’m looking forward to making my own. On ice cream sounds pretty amazing too . . .
Hi there!
I tried the recipe and I’m really happy about it in terms of colour and texture, but must admit that the finished product was too bitter to my taste. I don’t want to be defeated though, and must try again. As a solution, I was thinking of boiling the lemons once, discarding the water (keeping the pulp and skin), boiling again in fresh water, and repeating the process at least once before moving onto the next step of the recipe that involves the sugar. I know that bitterness comes from the rind but I do like the texture and bites that it gives to the marmalade (and being a bit lazy about cutting it too, I must admit)
What do you think?
Happy to hear anyone’s input on this.
Thanks!
🙂
eva
If you do that, you’ll lose all the pulp and lemon juice that’s in the water. I’d suggest you just add more sugar if you find it too bitter for your taste. Or, you might also try thinly slicing off the skin, then cutting off and discarding the white rind, or at least discarding some of it, then continue with the recipe and just use the pulp and the skin.
What a delicious jam-sweet but also tart! The first time I made it, I started cutting the lemons (6 lemons, some small, some large) in thin slices even cutting the usable bits of the ends in slivers. I finished one lemon then put it and the other lemons (chopped small) into the food processor to save time and to make it easier on my hands. It worked out just fine and my hands were delighted.
Chopping the lemons into small pieces before adding to the processor, allowed me to check for pips and any I missed rose to the surface during cooking and were easy to remove with a skinny spatula. I cooked it for the full hour and a half and it was a bit too thick but still spreads beautifully. I put the jam in sterile jars and water bathed for 10 minutes. They look gorgeous.
I was thinking about the lovely jam on my walk the next morning so I went and bought more lemons and got some shiny red jalapenos from my neighbour and made Lemon Jalapeno Marmalade. I thought it would be a nice treat on crackers or with cream cheese on a toasted bagel. I put the lemons and the peppers in the food processor and buzzed them until they were the right consistency then, once sugar was added, cooked the jam just over an hour so it is more liquidy (but more spreadable) than the first batch with these lovely red bits of jalapenos in it. I put in 4 peppers but with seeds removed I could have added more for more heat. I put this batch in sterile jars too and water bathed for 10 minutes.
Cooking less time meant I got two more jam jars from the second batch and it is delicious. It looks so pretty with the bits of red throughout. Can’t wait to try it on a toasted bagel and cream cheese today. There was a bit left for sampling which doesn’t often happen with my canning.
I used a large pot to make the jam so I never have to worry about it bubbling over and making a sticky mess.