Lemon marmalade is a homemade condiment with sweet-tart flavor. This easy marmalade recipe makes great holiday food gifts!
Each year I put up one of my favorite jams or jellies to give away as family/hostess gifts during the holiday season. This Christmas, I decided to make lemon marmalade. I grow a healthy, and heavy producing lemon tree in my backyard. Our lemon tree bore four bushels of juicy, plump lemons and still has dozens hanging on the tree, awaiting their transformation into lemon curd!
Lemon marmalade’s sweet-tart flavor goes remarkably well with any Christmas sideboard; served as a tart accompaniment to your holiday meal, or slathered over buttery toast, smeared with cream cheese, as a decadent Christmas morning snack. Anyway you serve it, the flavors are sure to please your friends and family.
The key to a creamy lemon marmalade is how you slice the peels; the thinner the better!
The thin slices cook down to a silky consistency, creating the most noble marmalade.
I hope you enjoy this lemon marmalade recipe!
- 5 pounds fresh lemons, any variety
- 3 1/2 - 5 cups sugar
- 8 - 9 half-pint jars and sealing lids and rims, or 4 pint jars with lids and rims
- Clean the lemons using cold water, rubbing gently with a clean cloth or soft food brush
- Cut the lemons in half and juice, reserve juice
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the lemons crosswise as thinly as possible to achieve a smoother, creamier marmalade. A time consuming effort but well worth the time, it really makes a big difference in the marmalade texture.
- Put lemons in a large heavy bottom stock pot and cover them with cold water.
- Bring to a boil until the peel is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the peels thoroughly with cold water. Rinse out the pot too.
- Return lemons to the pot with 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil
- Stir in 3 1/2 cups sugar
- Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until mixture is thick and creamy, about 1 hour
- Taste and add up to 1 1/2 cups sugar to taste.
- Stir in 1/2 cup reserved lemon juice
- (freeze or can remaining juice after removing pips)
- Remove marmalade from heat
- Pips will turn a dark brown during cooking, remove as many as possible before packing jars
- Pour hot marmalade into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace (http://wp.me/p2MUuI-sr)
- Wipe rims and cover with lids and rims
- Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes
- This recipe can also be used to make orange marmalade
- For detailed sterilization instructions visit this link: http://wp.me/p2MUuI-sr
- Disclaimer: When canning always follow the manufacturer's guidelines for jar sterilization and processing foods. See National Center for Home Food Preserving (http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html)
Hi Rebecka,
Your lemon marmalade looks fantastic! How I wish that I have a lemon tree growing in my garden! 🙂
Happy New Year to you and family!!
Thank you Ann! Happy New Year to you and yours as well!