Homemade Lemon Marmalade
This homemade lemon marmalade is sweet, tangy and packed with citrusy deliciousness. It's the perfect way to use up and preserve some extra lemons that you may have, and use them for months!
Best of all, you'll need just a couple of ingredients to make this incredibly useful breakfast condiment. And if you love making jellies and jams from scratch, don't forget to try my peach jalapeno jam recipe too!
Preserving foods has become my latest obsession. I've recently tried making a nice spicy tomato jam and some earthy ginger mango chutney to use for my meals the upcoming weeks, and everyone absolutely loved them both.
This time, I wanted to try something simpler- something that I could enjoy with my everyday toast, and what could be better than a classic citrus marmalade?
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 10 min.
- ⏲️Cook time: 1 hr.
- 👪 Servings: 10.
- 📋Main ingredients: Lemon, sugar.
- ♨️Cooking method: Cook lemon slices in water until softened 🡢 add sugar and continue cooking 🡢 remove from heat, cool and refrigerate before serving.
- ⭐Difficulty: Medium.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Use the lemon marmalade and habanero hot honey as a sticky glaze for your fried chicken.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- It's really really easy to make- just like my fig compote. You don't need any fancy ingredients or complicated kitchen equipment to make it.
- All you need is 2 simple ingredients and minutes of kitchen time to make this versatile, bright and citrusy marmalade!
Recipe Ingredients
Sugar: I used granulated sugar, because it's much easier to dissolve. Sugar adds a beautiful bit of sweetness, which balances the tangy, slightly bitter flavor of the lemon peel, and of course, also helps add moisture to the marmalade.
Lemons: While you can use almost any kind of lemons for this recipe, I would highly recommend using Meyer lemons, if you can get your hands on them. They have a much milder flavor and those beautiful citrusy notes you're craving for. Use leftover slices to make some lemon infused honey.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a bit of extra flavor, you can also add a pinch of homemade ginger powder or some grated fresh ginger into the mix.
- You can also use a mix of fresh lemons and oranges (or even blood oranges) to create a different flavor of the marmalade. Use up the leftovers to make some homemade citrus infused salt.
- Experiment with other mix-ins and additions like rosemary, cardamom, cinnamon or even vanilla to create different flavor variations.
How to Make Homemade Lemon Marmalade
Step 1: Wash, clean and slice the lemons as shown. Remove the seeds and white membranes as much as you can.
Step 2: Add them to the saucepan along with the water and let them cook over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the lemons have softened.
Step 3: Next, add in the sugar and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until the temperature reads about 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
Step 4: Take this off heat, allow it to cool down and then store in glass jars or airtight containers.
💭Top Tip
Sugar tends to foam a lot when it cooks, so make sure you use a large saucepan for this recipe, or you'll risk it boiling over.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Make sure you use a clean, dry saucepan for this recipe. Also sterilize the lids and jars before you pour in the jam.
- You're going to be adding the lemon peel in the marmalade too, so make sure you scrub and clean your lemons thoroughly before using them for this recipe. I did this when I made my homemade lemon pepper seasoning and citrus Kosho too.
- Remember to cook until the peels have softened, and then add in the sugar. This is essential. Once you add in the sugar, the peels will no longer soften.
- Choose your lemons carefully. If you spot any dark spots, softness or bruising on their surface, don't use them, as they can cause the marmalade to spoil. I realized this when I made my orange marmalade.
How to Use Homemade Lemon Marmalade
There are lots of ways to put your lemon marmalade to use! You can use it as a spread on your breakfast toast or biscuits. I love using it as a swap for jam whenever I can, and even feature it on my charcuterie board along with some sweet pepper relish, fig paste and some crackers.
You can team it up with your choice of spices and seasonings to make a nice marinade for your meats as well. I've also heard a lot of good things about using it as a glaze for some roasted ham or duck.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
You can store your homemade marmalade for up to a month in the refrigerator. Use clean jars and lids for storage, and use a dry, clean spoon every time to use the marmalade.
If you're making a bigger batch or want it to last longer, you can freeze it too! Just use a freezer-safe container and you should be good.
You actually don't! Most citrus fruits (especially lemons) are high in natural pectin, and set beautifully into that jelly-like texture, without you needing to add in extra pectin.
Do the wrinkle test! At the 25-30 minute mark, put a small bit of the marmalade on a cold dish surface (I like to chill a plate in the freezer) and wait for a minute to see if it sets. If you push it with your finger and it wrinkles, the marmalade is ready!
More Lemon Recipes to Try
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this homemade lemon marmalade or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Lemon Marmalade
Ingredients
- 2 cups lemon chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Wash, clean and slice the lemons as shown. Remove the seeds and white membranes as much as you can.
- Add them to the saucepan along with the water and let them cook over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until the lemons have softened.
- Next, add in the sugar and continue cooking for about 30 minutes or until the temperature reads about 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Take this off heat, allow it to cool down and then store in glass jars or airtight containers.
Notes
- Sugar tends to foam a lot when it cooks, so make sure you use a large saucepan for this recipe, or you'll risk it boiling over.
- Make sure you use a clean, dry saucepan for this recipe. Also sterilize the lids and jars before you pour in the jam.
- You're going to be adding the lemon peel in the marmalade too, so make sure you scrub and clean your lemons thoroughly before using them for this recipe.
- Remember to cook until the peels have softened, and then add in the sugar. This is essential. Once you add in the sugar, the peels will no longer soften.
- Choose your lemons carefully. If you spot any dark spots, softness or bruising on their surface, don't use them, as they can cause the marmalade to spoil.
Made this for Easter and it's lovely! Thank you 🙂