The Ultimate Guide to Making Your Own Marmalade

Have you ever thought that your morning Greek yogurt and toast was missing something? We’ve got just the cure for you — marmalade! We’re bringing you all the basics of marmalade-making, plus three delicious and zesty recipes. *And* we’re pairing this guide with one of our favorite things — free printables! Top off these homemade spreads with our downloadable labels to really seal the deal (canning pun totally intended). Each recipe has an optional boozy twist — a little bit of liqueur to balance out the sweetness. Scroll on for three of our favorite marmalade combos: Meyer Lemon and Limoncello, Blood Orange and Grand Marnier, and Cara Cara Orange and Campari.

What’s the difference between marmalade and jam, you ask? Marmalade uses the peel of the fruit as well as the pulp, so citrus is always involved. Are you ready for this jelly?

Whip up one of these fresh marmalades and your toast will go from flat to fabulous. Now, onto the marmalade-ing!

Tools:
 – measuring cup

– cheesecloth

– kitchen twine

– knife

– cutting board

– ladle

– peeler

– large saucepan

– canning tools (you can find a comprehensive list of tools in our Canning 101 tutorial)

Citrus Marmalade Instructions (See More Recipes Below!)

1. Remove the zest from your citrus by peeling in a circle from the top. You’ll want to have large, ribbonlike pieces.

2. Lay out all the peels on the cutting board and slice into even smaller strips. Set the sliced peels aside. These peels are what makes this marmalade instead of jam.

3. Peel the rest of the thick white skin (AKA the albedo) of the citrus off and discard.

4. Separate the slices of the fruit and dice into small, triangular pieces.

5. While you’re dicing the citrus, remove and reserve the seeds. Citrus seeds have pectin, a preserving ingredient, in them.

6. Cut a piece of cheesecloth and fold it in half. Place the seeds in the center and roll the sides of the cheesecloth into a small sack. Tie off and seal with the kitchen twine.

7. Pour the peel slices and the pulp into a large saucepan. Pour the water into the pot and drop the seed sack into the pot as well.

8. Boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

9. Check on the saucepan after 30 minutes. The citrus peels should be translucent by now. If not, continue to boil them until they are.

10. Stir in the sugar and pectin with the diced citrus and peels.

11. After about 20 minutes, test the marmalade to see if it has reached the gel set. When marmalade is hot, it’s still a bit runny. The most surefire way to see if it has reached the gel set is to place a small spoonful on some wax paper and put it in the freezer. After a few minutes, take it out and poke the marmalade. If there’s a skin, you’ve reached gel set! If not, add a little more pectin and continue to boil and test periodically.

12. Once gel set has been reached, add alcohol and boil for another 2 minutes.

13. Ladle the finished marmalade into the canning jars.

Meyer Lemon + Limoncello

Ingredients:
 – 12 Meyer lemons

– 2 tbsp Limoncello

– 4 cups sugar

– 3 cups water

– 4 tbsp Ball Real Fruit Classic Pectin (or any pectin will do)

– 3 whole clove seeds

Start by gathering your ingredients.

Remove the zest from the lemons by peeling vertically from the top. You’ll want to have large pieces to work with. Chop the zest into even smaller slices. Peel the rest of the thick white skin (AKA the albedo) of the citrus off and discard. Dice the citrus pulp into small triangular pieces and place in a bowl with the citrus peel slices. While you’re dicing the citrus pulp, set aside the seeds. Next, cut a piece of cheesecloth and fold it in half. Place the lemon and clove seeds in the center and roll the sides of the cheesecloth into a small sack. Tie off and seal with the kitchen twine. Dump the lemon peel slices, lemon pulp and seed sack into a large saucepan.

Pour the water into the pan. Boil on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Check on the saucepan with the citrus peels and pulp after 30 minutes. See if the citrus peels are translucent, or keep boiling until they are. Stir in the sugar and the pectin. After about 20 minutes, test the marmalade to see if it has reached the gel set. When marmalade is hot, its still a bit runny. A surefire way to see if it has reached gel set is to place a small spoonful on some wax paper or a small dish and put it in the freezer. After a few minutes, take it out and poke the marmalade. If there’s a skin, you’ve reached gel set! If not, add a little more pectin and continue to boil and test periodically.

Once gel set has been reached, add the Limoncello and boil for another two minutes. Remove from heat and ladle the marmalade into sterilized jars with the aid of a funnel. Leave at least ¼ inch of space at the top. Seal the jars tightly and place them into a hot water bath to seal. Boil in the hot water bath for about 10 minutes, then remove the jars from the bath. (Pssst: Want more info about proper canning techniques? Check out our Canning 101 tutorial.)

Blood Orange + Grand Marnier

Ingredients:
 – 9 blood oranges (about 3 lbs)

– 2 tbsp Grand Marnier

– 2 meyer lemons

– 4 cups sugar

– 3 cups water

– 4 tbsp Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin (or any pectin will do)

Even the ingredients make our mouths water.

Remove the zest from the citrus by peeling in a circle from the top. You’ll want to have large, ribbonlike pieces. Chop the zest into even smaller slices. Peel the rest of the thick white skin (remember, this is called the albedo) of the citrus off and discard. Dice the citrus pulp into small triangular pieces and place in a bowl with the citrus peel slices. While you’re dicing the citrus pulp, set aside the seeds.

Cut a piece of cheesecloth and fold it in half. Place the seeds in the center and roll the sides of the cheesecloth into a small sack. Tie off and seal with the kitchen twine. Pour the citrus peel slices and the pulp into a large saucepan. Pour the water into the pot and drop the seed sack into the pot as well. Boil on medium heat and stir occasionally.

Check on the saucepan after 30 minutes. Check the citrus peels to see if they are translucent, or keep boiling until they are. Once the peels are translucent, stir in the sugar and the pectin with the diced citrus and peels. After 20 minutes, test the marmalade to see if it has reached gel set. Once gel set has been reached, add the Grand Marnier and boil for another two minutes. Check out how to properly can your marmalade in our Canning 101 tutorial.

Cara Cara Orange + Campari

Ingredients:
 – 4 cara cara oranges (about 1 ½ lbs)

– 1 grapefruit

– 3 meyer lemons

– 2 tbsp Campari

– 4 cups sugar

– 3 cups water

– 4 tbsp Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin (or any pectin will do)

Cara Cara + Campari also sounds like a cocktail we need to make ;)

Remove the zest from the cara cara oranges, lemons and grapefruit. You’ll want to have large, ribbonlike pieces. Chop the zest into even smaller slices. Peel the rest of the thick white skin of the citrus fruits off and discard. Dice the citrus pulp into small triangular pieces and place in a bowl with the citrus peel slices. While you’re dicing the citrus pulp, set aside the seeds. Place the seeds in a makeshift cheesecloth sack, tying the sack off with kitchen twine. Pour the diced pulp, sliced peels and seed sack into the saucepan.

Pour the water into the pot and boil on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check the peels to see if they’re translucent and add the sugar and pectin. After about 20 minutes, check for gel set. Once gel set is reached, add the Campari and boil for another two minutes. Ladle the finished marmalade into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Screw the lids of the jars on tightly and finish the canning process by boiling the jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. (Pssst: Want more info about proper canning techniques? Check out our Canning 101 tutorial.)

Top ‘Em Off With Some Printables!

Want to spread the love and give your marmalade away as gifts, or add a fun label to your jars? We’ve created free printable labels for each recipe. Your marmalade can be stored for up to two years, so be sure to write the canning date on each label.

Print the free printable labels out on a full sheet of sticker paper. Cut the label out using an X-Acto knife on a cutting mat and stick the sides of the label onto the smooth sides of the jar.

Voila! Your family, friends and neighbors will now call you Lady Marmalade! It’s perfect for adding some zest to morning toast or sweetening Greek yogurt. You can also spread some marmalade on shortbread cookies for a delicious tea-time treat.

Will you try out these recipes? If so, we’d love to see the results! Post photos of your marmalade creations with the hashtags #britstagram and #iamcreative so we can take a peek