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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 this sweet 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. It’s the perfect balance of sweetness to offset the bitter taste of the orange peel.
This easy Orange Marmalade recipe is so delightfully easy to make with no added commercial pectin. 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.
It’s the perfect spread for your popovers or with a smear of cream cheese on toasted brioche bread.
Short and Sweet Ingredient List
- Fresh Oranges – Seville oranges are, by far, the best for marmalade but we love using Cara Cara oranges, Navel oranges, blood oranges, clementines, Valencia oranges and mandarin oranges. You can use other citrus fruits like grapefruit and lemon but Orange marmalade is as classic as it gets.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar adds the perfect balance of sweetness.
- Vanilla – Not traditional in marmalade, pure vanilla extract adds a sweet earthiness.
For full ingredients list and instructions, see the recipe card below.
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 with a sharp knife, approximately 1/8 inch thick, picking out the seeds as you go. A mandolin makes this process move quickly. You’re using the whole fruit for this recipe.
- Heat the ingredients. Place the orange slices in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the water, sugar and vanilla. (Be sure you use enough water to cover the sliced oranges.) Increase the temperature to high heat. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, then turn the heat to low.
- Simmer and stir. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the orange 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. There will still be pieces of orange rind in your marmalade mixture and that’s ok.
- Store or serve, and enjoy! Carefully transfer the hot marmalade to canning jars and seal with the lid. Allow the marmalade to cool to room temperature and then transfer to the refrigerator. Marmalade can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 days in an airtight container.
How To Use Orange Marmalade
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. If your mixture burns you will end up with a bitter marmalade.
- 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 small plate in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the plate and place a small drop of marmalade on the frozen plate. If it thickens up, your marmalade is ready!
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can the Orange Marmalade be frozen in the jars if I leave a little head room?
Yes, definitely leave about 1/2 inch of space at the top of the container.
Will this work in a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried it in a slow cooker so I can’t say for sure. That’s definitely being added to may to-do list!
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!