This easy Orange Marmalade recipe is made using fresh oranges and lemon. It only takes a few simple steps and is absolutely delicious! Enjoy it slathered on toast, pork chops, chicken, or stirred into your yogurt or overnight oats.

Looking for more jams and sauces? Try my Mango Chutney, Pepper Jelly, or Blackberry Jam!

A jar of homemade orange marmalade, next to a fresh orange half.

Why this is the best marmalade:

  • Versatile – Serve it on grilled pork tenderloin, grilled chicken, stirred in greek yogurt or overnight oats, or simply slathered on toast!
  • Delicious – This marmalade tastes so much better than anything you can get in the store. It tastes so fresh and tasty!
  • Quick – A lot of recipes are more time consuming with a more complicated process. This marmalade is quick to make and only has a few easy steps!

Four Basic Ingredients:

  • Oranges: Preferably choose organic oranges since the skins have not been treated with pesticides and aren’t waxy. Choose thin skinned, oranges for best results, so there’s less plith to make the marmalade bitter. Recommended oranges for marmalade: naval, Seville, Cara Cara, blood oranges, mandarin, tangerines, or a combination.
  • Lemon: citric acid to help the jam set up and make it safe for canning.
  • Sugar: helps preserve the marmalade, balance the flavors, and helps it to set up. You could try using ½ sugar and ½ Splenda/sweetener, but I don’t recommended reducing the sugar unless you are okay with a runnier marmalade, and only if you don’t plant to can/preserve it.
  • Water.
The four ingredients needed to make orange marmalade.

Oranges contain so much natural pectin that the marmalade will thicken without any added pectin (unlike with my peach, strawberry or raspberry jam, that all require pectin). Pretty cool!

How to Make Orange Marmalade:

Prepare oranges: Wash oranges and lemon, thoroughly scrubbing the peels. Cut off ends of the oranges then cut each orange in half, and then cut each half into 4, so you’re left with 8 pieces of orange. Discard any seeds.

Four fresh oranges on a plate, quartered and chopped.

Puree: Place oranges in food processor and pulse until rind is in very small pieces. Meanwhile, place a plate in the freezer, for later use.

Pureed oranges in a food processor.

Add to saucepan: Add oranges to a saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Zest lemon and squeeze the juice into the pot. Add water and sugar and stir well.

Pureed oranges, sugar, lemon and water in a large pot.

Cook: Bring mixture to a boil. Simmer for 30-35 minutes until thickened.

Orange marmalade cooking and thickening in a saucepan.

Test if it’s ready: Use the frozen plate to test for doneness. When it’s done, it will be a soft gel that moves slightly. If it is still thin and runs easily on the plate, keep cooking.

A spoonful of orange marmalade placed on a cold plate, to test of it's ready.

Pour into jars or containers with a lid. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Orange marmalade poured into jam jars.

Canning Instructions: Cook mixture to about 220 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, then pour into sterilized jars, and top with new lids and rings that have been washed in warm soapy water. Process in water bath canner for 10 minutes. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then store in a cool dry place for 6-10 months. Once opened, refrigerate marmalade for up to 2 weeks. 

FAQ’s:

  • What if my marmalade didn’t thicken? Stir in a package of liquid fruit pectin and boil for 1 minute.
  • Why is my marmalade too thick? It was cooked too long. Return to pot over medium heat and stir in additional water.
  • How to avoid bitter aftertaste:? The white plith that lines the orange can cause the marmalade to be bitter but is important in adding a natural pectin. This is why I suggest buying oranges with a thin skin. If your oranges have an overly thick layer of plith, scrape some out before adding to food processor.

Storage and Freezing Instructions:

To Store: This easy marmalade recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To Freeze: Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Flavor Variations:

  • Other Fruits: Combine with other citrus fruits, like grapefruit or pomelo (just make sure the end weight of the fruit is the same)
  • Ginger: Add a pinch of freshly chopped ginger root.
  • Add Jalapeño, diced.
  • Add Cinnamon Stick and a whole clove to the mixture while cooking, then remove.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract: add a splash at the end.

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Recipe

A jar of homemade orange marmalade, next to a fresh orange half.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 45 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2.0 to 2.3 pounds oranges (about 4 medium)
  • 1 lemon , zest and juice of
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 cups granulated sugar

Instructions
 

  • Prep fruit: Wash the oranges and lemon, thoroughly scrubbing the peels.
  • Chop: Cut off the ends of the oranges. Cut the oranges in half, then cut each half into 4, so you’re left with 8 pieces of orange. Discard any seeds.
  • Puree: Place the orange pieces in a food processor and pulse/chop until the rind is in very small pieces. Place a plate in the freezer, to help us test for doneness later.
  • Combine in saucepan: Add oranges to a large saucepan over medium heat. Zest the lemon into the pot and squeeze the juice from it, into the pot. Add water and the sugar and stir well.
  • Cook: bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and simmer, stirring often, for 30-35 minutes until thickened. When done, it will slide off the spoon in sheets, not droplets, and a spoonful poured onto a cold plate should be a soft gel consistency that moves slightly. If after pouring onto a cold plate it’s thin and runs easily on the plate, it is not ready, so continue cooking.
  • Pour into jars or containers with a lid. Allow to cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Oranges: Preferably organic oranges since the skins have not been treated with pesticides and aren’t waxy. Choose thin skinned, oranges for best results, so there’s less plith to make the marmalade bitter. Recommended oranges for marmalade: naval, Seville, Cara Cara, blood oranges, mandarin, tangerines, or a combination.
Sugar: helps preserve the marmalade, balance the flavors, and helps it to set up. You could try using ½ sugar and ½ Splenda/sweetener, but I don’t recommended reducing the sugar unless you are okay with a runnier marmalade, and only if you don’t plant to can/preserve it.
Canning Instructions: Cook mixture to about 220 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, then pour into sterilized jars, and top with new clean lids and rings. Process in waterbath canner for 10 minutes. Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 hours, then store in a cool dry place for 6-10 months. Once opened, refrigerate and enjoy within 2 weeks. 
Storage Instructions: store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing Instructions: Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Flavor Variations:
  • Other Citrus: Combine with other citrus fruits, like grapefruit or pomelo (just make sure the end weight of the fruit is the same.)
  • Ginger: Add a pinch of freshly chopped ginger root.
  • Add Jalapeño, diced.
  • Add Cinnamon Stick and a whole clove to the mixture while cooking, then remove.
  • Pure Vanilla Extract: add a splash at the end.

Nutrition

Calories: 592kcalCarbohydrates: 153gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 301mgFiber: 4gSugar: 148gVitamin A: 344IUVitamin C: 90mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 1mg

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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  1. 5 stars
    I just made this for the first time. When I was cutting up my oranges, one of them was no good and I didn’t want to go to the store. So I weighed my bad orange and then substituted the same amount in orang juice. The recipe still turned out great. Thank you.

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