How to Make Lemon Marmalade

By Food & Wine
Updated May 16, 2017
Photo © Christina Holmes
This delicious marmalade from Rachel Saunders takes three days to make, but the end-result is worth it: A big batch of perfectly balanced sweet, bitter and tart marmalade.
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The Mission: DIY Marmalade

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Achieving the perfect taste and texture at home is a three-day commitment that involves both steeping and simmering fruit in water to very slowly extract flavor and pectin—a natural thickener concentrated in the bitter-tasting pith.

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Day One: Soak

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Cover the lemon wedges with water and let stand overnight.

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Day Two: Cook

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Simmer until very tender and the liquid is reduced by half.

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Drain

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Drain the Lemon Jelly Base overnight on the countertop.

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Immerse

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Also on Day 2, seed the remaining lemon wedges and slice them very thinly crosswise. Cover the lemon slices with 2 inches of water.

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Cook

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Bring the lemon slices to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

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Drain

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Strain through a fine sieve, add fresh water and cook once more until the lemons are very tender and the liquid is slightly reduced. Let stand at room temperature overnight.

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Day Three: Blend

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Add the strained lemon-wedge liquid to the slices in the saucepan. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and cook.

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Test

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Spoon the marmalade onto a chilled plate and let cool to room temperature.

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Finish

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Stop cooking when the marmalade thickens like jelly and a spoon leaves a trail when dragged through it.

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Jar

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Spoon marmalade into the canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Screw on the lids. Process by boiling the jars in water for 15 minutes.

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