My orange marmalade recipe is made with ordinary oranges and lemons, and it’s as unfussy as it is delicious. Every sunshiny spoonful makes your morning toast sparkle. If you love candied oranges and fruit preserves, I bet you’ll be making this on a regular basis.
Orange marmalade is a standard fare overseas, but every orange marmalade recipe is different from the next. Some are wildly complicated: peel this, but not too much, scoop out that, strain something else, than add it back in. It’s enough to just buy a jar or orange marmalade at the grocery store and be done with it.
But that’s not what I’m about—I love to learn how to make the best, most uncomplicated version of everything. So I set out to crack the orange marmalade code and get to the heart of what really matters. This recipe is just that: an easy sweet orange jam with bright, citrus flavor and just a touch of bitterness from the peel.
Got an orange tree in the backyard and a passion for orange marmalade? Click and slide the number next to “servings” on the recipe card below to adjust the ingredients to match how many you’re feeding—the recipe does the math for you, it’s that easy.
Orange Marmalade Ingredients:
Oranges, some lemons, and a whole lot of sugar. That’s it. Don’t let the amount of sugar put you off, though. After all, you will only be eating it by the spoonful…hopefully!
Can you use normal oranges to make marmalade?
You absolutely can make the best homemade marmalade with plain seedless oranges. However, if you’re lucky enough to find Seville oranges, grab them! Seville is a type of orange with a short season (January- February). Orange marmalade aficionados love them for their bitter and coarse peel, as well as their intense flavor in the marmalade.
This easy marmalade recipe is on the sweeter side--it uses oranges and lemons to mimic the bitterness of Seville oranges. If you like your marmalade not bitter, this is the recipe to try.
If you have other winter citrus, you can make marmalade with tangerines, kumquats, blood oranges, or grapefruit, too. It’s all delicious.
Does marmalade need pectin?
Pectin, the ingredient that gives jellies and jams spoonable body, is concentrated mainly in the citrus peel - in the white, inner part of the skin called the pith.
Since this recipe uses the whole orange, pith and all, in thin slices, there should be enough natural pectin for the marmalade to set up properly without adding more.
How do you make homemade Orange Marmalade?
This recipe simplifies the often complex process of making marmalade, and still makes delicious orange preserves.
- First, you gather your citrus and give them all a good scrub to remove any wax on the skin.
- Then with a sharp knife, cut the fruit in half, removing any errant seeds, and very thinly slice the halves up, skin, fruit, and all.
- Boil the fruit in water until softened. Turn off the heat and add the sugar, then allow the whole pot to cool out on the counter overnight to soften the fruit even more. (If you wanted to add a cinnamon stick, vanilla bean, or a couple whole star anise to the marmalade, now is the time to do it.)
- The next day, bring the sugar and fruit mixture to a boil and then simmer for another couple hours, stirring occasionally.
- After simmering, turn the heat turned up a bit so the marmalade can reach 222 degrees. This is the crucial temperature for jams and jellies, to ensure that the sugar and pectin jell properly.
If the temperature goes much beyond 222 degrees, the marmalade can burn and you'll be left with a caramelized mess!
Store in super cute little jars like these Weck jars with lids and refrigerate, or put up using a steam canner or water bath method.
How to make Orange Marmalade in a Crock Pot:
I make homemade orange marmalade on the stove, but some folks love to use their crockpot. Let me know how you like it in the comments.
- First, prepare your citrus fruit. Add oranges and 8 cups water to the slow cooker. Set on HIGH and cook for 2 hours, covered.
- After 2 hours, add the sugar. Set the crock pot to LOW and cover. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every hour or so.
- Remove the lid of the slow cooker, set to HIGH and cook fruit for at least 2 more hours, until the marmalade has thickened.
Can you make Orange Marmalade low sugar?
You can decrease the amount of sugar you use in marmalade, but at the end of the day the marmalade will still be sweet. The sugar needs to be included primarily to help the marmalade set and to prevent the flavor and texture from changing over time. Making marmalade with less sugar may also shorten its shelf life.
Some cooks make low-sugar marmalade with a pectin specifically formulated for low-sugar preserves. With this product, you can make jam using your favorite sugar substitutes and still get a spreadable product. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
Can you make Orange Marmalade with agave nectar?
I tried this out at the request of a commenter below. It wasn't BAD, but I felt like the agave did not penetrate and sweetener the peel as well as sugar did. The consistency was fine. But the rind tasted like rind. I don't recommend this substitution.
How can you tell if Orange Marmalade is ready?
True, it can be tricky to know how runny or thick marmalade should be, especially when it’s still cooking. Once cooked marmalade cools, it will thicken up, I promise. But when can you stop cooking marmalade?
I rely on the cold plate method for determining how far along marmalade is. You can spoon a dollop of hot marmalade on a plate and put it in the freezer to chill, or spoon some over an icy cold plate fresh from the freezer.
If the mixture wrinkles slightly when you draw a spoon or finger across it, it has reached the setting point. Your marmalade is ready to go!
By the way, orange marmalade takes 24-48 hours for the natural pectin to set up completely. If your marmalade is still a little runny looking when it cools, check again in a day or two. I bet it will be fine.
Ways to use Orange Marmalade:
You probably don't need a reason to eat it out of the jar by the spoonful; the best orange marmalade can be pretty addicting. But here are some ways I've been enjoying it, in case you need an idea or two.
Sweet: Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, scones, or fresh sourdough bread for a burst of juicy orange flavor. How about serving it alongside my Lemon Olive Oil Cake for a citrus lover's dream come true? My grandma's recipe for Homemade Crescent Rolls would be the perfect vehicle for orange marmalade, too.
Savory: Orange goes so well with meat, especially pork and chicken. Brush a few spoonfuls of orange marmalade over a roasted chicken to make easy Orange Marmalade chicken. Or make a simple orange glaze for grilled Grilled Pork Chops.
Orange Marmalade Recipe
- 4 large seedless oranges scrubbed clean
- 2 lemons
- 8 cups water
- 8 cups sugar
- First, cut washed oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. Discard any seeds. Place the sliced fruit along with their juices into a stainless steel pot.
- Add water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and let stand overnight at room temperature.
- The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours. Turn heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes.
- Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees.
- If you want to be doubly sure the marmalade is ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it's cool but not cold. If it's firm–-neither runny nor hard–- it's ready. It will be a golden orange color. If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it; if it's hard, just add a bit more water.
- Pour the marmalade into clean hot mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids.
I’m making the marmalade in the crock pot and I just turned it off after 4 hours on high, uncovered. What is supposed to happen with the orange peel? It is very soft but it is still whole with the peel, pith and some fruit attached.
Hi, Meggan! I spent about 5 minutes with my kitchen shears and now I have orange marmalade with chunky peels. It’s a lot easier to scoop out. Thanks again for the DELICIOUS and EASY recipe!
Hi, Meggan! I tasted the peels and they are yummy. It’s just that there are more peels than there is jam. It would be like you’re spreading the peels on your toast. And they are about 2 inches long. It tastes great but it definitely doesn’t look like run-of-the-mill orange marmalade. I thought I missed something in the recipe. So my first batch of orange marmalade is a winner! I’ll be making it again in the crock pot since it is so simple. Thanks!!
Hi Debbie, yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way the first time I made it. Literally just like spreading orange peels on your toast, LOL! Yes. Well I don’t remember if the ratio was more peels than jam, but either way yes. Peels on toast. I thought about it and I tried to figure out how to fix that, but I didn’t come up with anything. Ultimately the peels needs to be thinner and smaller, but in a non-commercial setting it’s just not feasible. I have a mandoline which I tried to use for slicing the oranges, but it’s just a disaster. I imagine in the factories where they make actual marmalade, they can cut the peels really thin into the tiniest slivers. We could do that by hand here, but it would take SO much time, if it even worked well. So. That’s how we ended up here – peels on toast. 🥴 Thanks for your feedback. -Meggan
Hi Debbie, you leave the orange peel in. I know it sounds weird, but you just eat it! It tastes good! That’s what makes it marmalade. It becomes sweet and soft and you just eat it. I remember telling this to my mom too and she was like “WHAT!” But yes. That’s how it is. You eat the peel. Please let me know what you think once you’ve tasted it, if you’re bored and feel like replying. Take care! -Meggan
Is it okay if the sugar went in earlier than the water boiling? I was working with a friend and she poured in the sugar a bit too early.
Hi Meggan,
It’s Alisha again, I’m in the process of doing day 2, today. though it seems a little watery still, this might just be an effect of the sugar going in too early? Do you have any tips to help thicken it up, or should I just let it keep cooking at 220 for now?
– alisha
Hi Alisha, you can definitely keep simmering it until it seems thicker. I realize you left your comment almost 2 hours ago so you are probably all done making marmalade! There is a trick where you can test how thick it is by smearing a little bit on a plate and chilling it in the refrigerator. The thing is that the marmalade thickens as it cools, so that’s why you can test it that way. Having said, that, I’ve made this many times and it always seems thick by the time I’m done cooking it. So just simmer it longer. You should be fine – I hope you’re fine! Please let me know. I’m standing by! Thanks. -Meggan
Hi Alisha, I haven’t tested it to see what would happen if the sugar went in earlier. But I would say just roll with it, how bad can it be? But I don’t know for sure! Hopefully it turns out okay. I would be really grateful if you replied back and let me know what happened. Also, when did she pour it in? I can test it out that way, if I know what she did. Thanks! -Meggan
I tried the recipe and the taste is good, however I wonder why the amount of water is not adjusted to the number of oranges. The calculator does not adjust the water if you use 8 or 4 oranges. Please confirm the correct amount of water for 4 oranges.
Thanks
Hi Erich, I’m really sorry about that! The slider only updates what’s in the ingredient list, not what’s in the instructions. Water isn’t listed as an ingredient so it’s not updating. I’m adding the water to the ingredient list now so it will update going forward. It’s 8 cups of water for 4 oranges, so it would be 16 cups of water for 8 oranges. I’ll fix it now. Sorry about that, thanks for letting me know! -Meggan
I love marmalade, but most of my family does not. I decided to cut your recipe in half when I realized it took over 3 pounds of sugar, because we really don’t need that much. I don’t think your recipe tells how much it should yield, in cups or pints. Spoonfuls is not really helpful. Anyway, my half recipe yielded 3 pints. I used the slow cooker, and the mixture never got hot enough to set up, but did turn very dark brown. I finally poured it into a stock pot and cooked it up to 225 degrees. I would have to recommend NOT using the crock pot.
Thank you Meggan, starting now and let you know🤗
Hi Meggan, thank for your recipe :*
How many minutes to boil on the first step, before adding the sugar? Thank you ☺️
Hi Mihaela, it depends on how cold the water is that you add and how hot your stove top is! I’d say maybe 10 to 15 minutes to bring it to a boil? It wasn’t too long, but I don’t know for sure for your particular stove. But not too long? I hope this helps. Just let me know if you have any other questions. :) -Meggan
What type of sugar did you use? Was jam.sugar or ordinary sugar?
Hi Marina, I used just regular white granulated sugar. I tried it with agave one time too and it didn’t work very well. Thanks! -Meggan
Instructions were easy to follow and I DID think it was going to be too much sugar! But I stuck to the recipe as it was written, except I substituted 4 cups of ground cherry juice for that equal amount of water. I had it left over after making Ground Cherry Lemon Drop jelly and thought it would work. My marmalade reached 220 degrees well before the indicated time in the recipe. I did the cold freezer plate test and thought it should cook longer. When the final 30 minutes was up, my marmalade was up to 230 degrees. I’d rather it be a little too thick than too thin and runny anyway. I ended up with 8 half pint jars + about another 3/4 full jar that will go in the fridge to eat right away. Can’t wait to try some in the morning on my toast!
Instructions are very easy to follow. The jam turned out wonderfully!
Yoir recipe sounds amazing. Is there any way to make a batch with agave instead of sugar?
Hi Shari, I tested the marmalade with agave. I don’t think it works as well, flavor-wise. The texture was fine, but the agave didn’t penetrate the rind with enough sweetness, in my opinion. Sugar works much better. If you don’t mind the flavor rind, you’d be okay with agave. But personally, this isn’t a substitution I love. Thanks for the question! -Meggan
Hi Shari, I am going to test this out and let you know. I will likely cut the recipe in half because that would be a lot of agave. My understanding is I will use less water to compensate for the agave, but I’ll do all the conversions and figure it out and test it. And report back. It might take a few weeks but it’s on my list! Thanks. -Meggan
Never knew it could b so easy. I think I over boiled though. My jam is very stiff. Boiling to 220 deg f might b too long.
Hi Melissa, if it gets too stiff you should just be able to add more water and fix it. I just made this last week and I left it on the stove way too long, forgot about it for a while. It was fine! Just add a little more water. Thank you! -Meggan
I like the slider so you can change the size of the recipe and know the amount of fruit and sugar needed. However, in the cooking instructions, the amount of water stays the same regardless of the size of the recipe. Should I change the amount of water in proportion to the size of the recipe? I.e., if I double the recipe, should I cook with 16 cups of water instead of 8?
Hi Alberto, yes you should double to water. I should have the water listed in the ingredient list, I’m sorry about that, I’ll fix it. But no, the slider unfortunately won’t update the instructions (it’s not that advanced). Sorry for the confusion! Thanks. -Meggan
I am trying the crockpot version and have a question. After it boils down do u put it in storage containers & refrigerate for how long before its ready?