Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe

I don’t know about you, but there are two things that scream summer to me; ice cream and oranges. The sunny taste of oranges is one that I love to preserve so that I can eat it fresh all year long. Sure, I could buy frozen oranges or I could eat my favorite freeze dried citrus fruits, but there is nothing better than that fresh, just picked taste. One of my favorite ways to make certain that I have that taste all year long is by canning up my favorite small batch canning recipes and this homemade orange marmalade recipe is one of my favorites to do! Even if you’re new to canning, this orange marmalade recipe easy enough that you can successfully can up a few jelly jars or pints for yourself!

This homemade orange marmalade recipe is fantastic for breakfast or lunch! Eat it on toast or biscuits and you’ll never go back to store bought jams and jellies. We even like to eat it on pancakes or over ice cream sometimes! The possibilities are really endless! When we make ours, I tend to can it up in pint sized mason jars for our own personal use, but use 4 oz jelly jars if I’m going to give it out as gifts. This particular recipe is one of my favorite small batch canning recipes so if you’re wanting to make more than a few jars, you’ll need to make it a couple of times over. Do not attempt to double the recipe. This particular one doesn’t double very well. If you’re new to canning, be sure that you take a look at a home canning basics tutorial to help you get started.

Small Batch Canning Recipes – Homemade Orange Marmalade Recipe

This is a water bath canning recipe which means you’ll need a water bath canner and a rack. If you don’t have a water bath canner, you can use any large pot with a lid and a rack. make sure to use a canning rack because if not, your canning jars will be sitting directly on the heat and you will be chancing that they will explode. You will also need a digital thermometer, a large food processor, a lemon squeezer and a lemon zester. Before you start, make sure that you know how to follow canning safety tips too so that you don’t risk harming your family.

You Will Need:

• 8-10 large oranges
• 1 medium Lemon
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 6 cups Water
• 2 Packets unflavored Gelatin

Wash your oranges with a homemade fruit wash and slice them into thin slices. Leave the peels on the oranges, but remove any seeds that you may come across.

Add the orange slices to your food processor and using the pulse setting, break them down a bit. Once they’re broken down, turn it on and process them until they’re a fine mixture. You can also use a sharp kitchen knife if you would prefer larger chunks of peel. We don’t though so we use the food processor.

Repeat the process until you have processed all of your oranges. As you can see by the pic, you should leave some peel in the mixture, but it is entirely up to you as to how large you make the pieces. If you use the processor like we do, you’ll have smaller pieces. A knife will give you larger pieces.

Next, add the oranges, granulated sugar and water to a large stockpot and give it a good stir to mix it well.

Zest the lemon over the pot. You’ll be zesting the entire lemon so keep that in mind when you choose your lemon. If you would like less, use a smaller lemon. If you would like more of a lemon hint in your homemade orange marmalade recipe, use a larger lemon.

Now slice the lemon in half and using a press, juice both halves over the stockpot then stir well to combine the mixture.

Heat the entire mixture over medium heat until it reads 212°F on a digital candy thermometer, making sure to stir it occasionally. Once it has reached temperature, prepare the unflavored gelatin as directed on the package and add it to the fruit mixture. Stir to combine well and remove from the heat.

To preserve this homemade orange marmalade recipe, use a canning ladle to spoon it into hot, clean jars. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth dipped in white vinegar to remove any spills or food debris and secure with sterilized lids and rings. Process your jars in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. Remove jars and allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours, check the seals. If you have any that haven’t sealed, put it in the fridge and eat within 1 month.