Orange Marmalade
Orange Marmalade is like sunshine in a glass jar! It’s got tons of naturally sweet and tart flavor that’s enhanced by sugar and a dash of vanilla bean paste. Serve it on a slice of toast, with a stack of pancakes, or even stirred into a savory sauce. You’ll love having this multipurpose homemade marmalade in your kitchen!
Orange Marmalade
I’ve always been a jam girl. As a little kid, when it came to making a PB&J sandwich, I’d always plead for more J and less PB. I’m the same way as an adult! While I’ll always have a nostalgic soft spot in my heart for store bought grape jelly, my tastes matured to greener pastures with recipes like this truly incredible homemade Orange Marmalade.
The most delicious thing (in my humble opinion) about Orange Marmalade is the touch of vanilla in there. There’s just enough to make you think of an orange creamsicle when you taste it, but not so much that it competes with the tangy orange flavor.
This simple Orange Marmalade recipe is so delightfully easy to make. You’ll need some time to hang out a bit so you can stir occasionally, and it takes a bit of time to thicken up to a jam consistency, but your patience will be greatly rewarded by the most beautiful results.
How to Make Orange Marmalade
Prepare to feel like a real home chef when you brag that you can make your very own marmalade!
- Slice the oranges. Slice the oranges thinly, approximately 1/8 inch thick, picking out the seeds as you go. A mandolin makes this process move quickly.
- Heat the ingredients. Place the orange sliced in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the water, sugar and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
- Simmer and stir. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has darkened in color and thickened to a jammy consistency. The process will take approximately 35-40 minutes and the temperature will read 222°F-223°F on a candy thermometer.
- Store or serve, and enjoy! Carefully transfer the marmalade to canning jars and seal with the lid. Marmalade can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days in an airtight container.
Serving Suggestions
Grab a spoon and eat this jarred sunshine all by itself! (Kidding… Kind of!)
- Pair it with your favorite bready carb. Pancakes, Biscuits, Waffles, croissants, and toast are just a few of my favorite treats to pair with orange marmalade.
- Make it savory. Orange marmalade? Savory? YES! One of my favorite appetizer recipes of all time is my classic Slow Cooker Spicy Orange Marmalade Meatballs.
- Use it in a sandwich. Smear this homemade Orange Marmalade on a piece of bread and layer your sandwich with brie and turkey for a delicious lunch! You can really get creative with your sandwich building.
Tips for the Best Orange Marmalade
- Don’t let it burn! Make sure you stir the marmalade occasionally as it cooks to ensure it’s mixed well and not burning in the pan. Also, don’t forget to lower the temperature after it reaches a boil.
- Check the temperature. Use a candy thermometer to check if the marmalade is done. It should reach about 223°F before you remove it from the heat. If you take it off the heat too early, the consistency will not be jammy and thick.
- Freezer test! If you’re unsure if your marmalade is ready, put a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the plate and place a small drop of marmalade on the plate. If it thickens up, your marmalade is ready!
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Get the Recipe: Easy Orange Marmalade Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound oranges, about 4 medium
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Slice the oranges thinly, approximately 1/8 inch thick, picking out the seeds as you go. A mandolin makes this process move quickly.
- Place the orange sliced in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir in the water, sugar and vanilla.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat to low.
- Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has darkened in color and thickened to a jammy consistency. The process will take approximately 35-40 minutes and the temperature will read 222-223 F on a candy thermometer.
- Carefully transfer the marmalade to canning jars and seal with the lid.
- Marmalade can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days in an airtight container.
109 Comments on “Orange Marmalade”
Will This water bath? I like to keep a variety of jams and jellies, but being a single, I like to do small batches. Then be able to pull out one anytime during the year. Thanks for your help.
I haven’t tested it for canning but I do freeze it in batches. It thaws beautifully!
It absolutely will! As I make larger batches to handle my 2 mandarin orange trees, I definitely need the finished product to last longer. A 10 minute boiling water bath (as is standard for most jams) works well and the result lasts! Just read up a bit on canning/boiling water baths and you’ll be fine.
Thank you for your comment, Suzanne!
So easy and fresher tasting than the kind from the store! I chopped up my orange slices so I would have smaller chunks of peel, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. 🙂
Would it be possible to use a sugar substitute like Swerve to make the marmalade for diabetic individuals?
I haven’t tested it with Swerve so I can’t say for sure.
I am making this today after reading the comments plus a traditional british marmalade recipe. I hope no one threw out the finished product even if it didnt thicken up. You can just add some instant pectin and voila! Also I got an awesome tip from the british recipe. Orange seeds (or pips) contain more pectin than store bought powder. Cook them in muslin with the jam and at end of cooking time squeeze the pectin from the cooled muslin to release the pectin into you marmalade! The british version also contained lemons with the oranges. One more thing to reviews who said it was too bitter. Traditional marmalade is made with bitter oranges so it is supposed to be a little bitter, hence all the sugar. I think this recipe will turn out great and Im looking forward to a cooking challenge! Thank you Kellie!
Thank you so much for your comment…..it’s full of great tips for a lot of readers who may have grown impatience and tossed their marmalade thinking it was ruined. I do appreciate it!
So easy and amazing!!!
Doubled recipe and used 2/3 blood oranges and 1/3 ?? oranges. Not sure what they were because my neighbor gave them to us. Took a little while longer to cook but turned out great. Thank you
Thank you so much! So happy you liked it!
I’m going to add 2 T fresh lemon juice and cut 1/4 slices as I don’t like long rind pieces.
Also, when it doesn’t thicken, folks really need to hit that temperature (223F) or it won’t set correctly
Thank you for your comment! That temperature is spot on and thanks for calling that out.
May this be frozen?
Yes, this does freeze well!