Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (2024)

04. December 2018

Our friend and guest blogger Chez LaRae created thisvibrantThree Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade recipe. This citrus marmalade would make a great holiday gift. Use our free printable tags and labels to decorate your jars for gift-giving.You can follow LaRae’s amazing food adventures onInstagram,Facebook, and herwebsite. LaRaeis a self-taught baker, cooking and baking instructor, recipe developer, and an editor at@thefeedfeed.See LaRae's otherrecipe guest blog posts.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (1)

Citrus hits its peak of flavor during the colder monthstherefore makingit ideal for a cold-weather canning project. This Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade highlights oranges, grapefruits, and lemons while adding beauty and real flavor with whole vanilla beans.

What exactly is marmalade? Marmalade is a clear, sweetened jelly in which pieces of fruit and fruit rind are suspended. Oftentimesthe jelly will be slightly bitter due to the use of fruit peels. Marmaladehas been madenot only usingoranges, but also grapefruits, kumquats, lemons, limes, grapefruits,and bergamots. It is such a flexible treat.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (2)

When buying citrus for this recipe, look for the very best. Poor batches of citrus make for poor batches of marmalade. Look for fruit free of bruises. Buy organic if possible as it will be free of sprays, pesticides, and waxes. Please use vanilla beans for this recipe. The vanilla seeds are gorgeous in the marmalade and the flavor is unbelievable. If you do not want to use vanilla beans you will still get a lovely product. Omit vanilla entirely for a beautiful three-citrus marmalade.

Tips: After allowing your jars to cool overnight you may think that your marmalade has not properly set. If you have followed each step correctly, never fear. Sometimes it takes marmalade up to 48 hours (or a week) to set properly. This is because natural pectin can take a little longer to develop a firm set.

There are a few different ways to test if your jam is set. I prefer using a digitalinstant read thermometer. It gives an exact read which leads to a high success rate with regards to jams and marmalades. My favorite brand is Thermapen. The other methods (sheeting off of a spoon test and frozen plate test) are good if you donot own a thermometer, however results may vary and these tests take some jamming experience.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (3)

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade (Makes about five half-pint jars)

Recipe modified from "The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 200 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes".

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

Ingredients:

  • 4 large oranges
  • 4 large ruby red grapefruit
  • 2 large lemons
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 3 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

Directions:

Place rack in the bottom ofa boiling water canner, then place empty jars on the rack. Add water to the jars and the canner until the jars are about two-thirds full. Cover the canner and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Place lids in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not boil. Keep lids hot until ready to use.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (4)

Scrub fruit thoroughly of sprays and waxes, rinse well, and dry. Using micro plane zester or small holes on a box grater, grate zest from oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. Try to not get too much of the white, bitter pith in the mix.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (5)

Using a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut a 1/4 inch thick slice from each end of oranges, grapefruit, and lemons. Working with one piece of fruit at a time, place flat-end down on cutting board, and remove peel in strips, cutting from top to bottom. Hold peeled fruit over a bowl and collect juices. Slice between membranes and gently remove whole segments. Reserve segments and juice. Discard membranes and seeds.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (6)

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (7)

Stir together sugar, water, and kosher salt, citrus zests, reserved citrus segments, and reserved juice in a stainless steel pot. Split and scrape seeds from vanilla beans. Add seeds and beans to mixture.

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (8)

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until instant read thermometer registers 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Note, this will take about one hour; no need to rush this process. Remove mixture from heat. Remove and discard vanilla beans. Skim foam, if necessary.

Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles and readjust headspace. Wipe jar rims with a damp cloth. Center lids onto jars. Apply bands and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place jars in boiling-water canner. Repeat until all jars are in canner.Cover the canner with a lid and bring water to a full rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling hard and continuously, begin counting the processing time of10 minutes.

Once10 minutes is complete, turn off heat and let jars sit in canner an additional five minutes. This standing time allows the pressure inside the jars to stabilize and reduces the likelihood of liquid loss that could otherwise occur when the jars are removed.

Remove jars and place on a kitchen towel-lined space. The towel will help reduce the chance of jar breakage. Do not dry the lids or jars at this point. You do not want to disturb the lids while the seals are being formed. Allow jars to cool for 24 hours before removing bands and wiping down jars. Date jars and store in a cool dry place for up to one year.

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (9)

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (10)

Add some sunshine to your jars with ourFREE Printable citrus marmalade hang tags and canning labels. Your marmalade will be the perfect DIY holiday or winter housewarming gift.

Shop ourCitrus Canning Label Collectionto label all of your lemon, lime, and orange goodie jars.

Wantto put up some sunshine? Try our Zesty Lime Curd recipe!

Want more citrus canning recipes? See our Citrus Canning Recipesblog post for jam, jelly, marmalade & more!

Follow our Citrus Canning Pinterest Board for even more recipes!

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (14)

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (15)

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Comments (4)

Molly on December 09, 2020

How many jars does this usually yield?

CanningCrafts on December 09, 2020

Molly, the recipe Makes about five half-pint jars.
Thanks!
Alison
CanningCrafts

Molly on December 12, 2020

Thank you so much!

Anne Zander on January 10, 2021

For those of you that are preserving foods such as this delicious product you do need to adjust for your elevation if you are above sea level. Those individuals that live at a high elevation just take the 10 minute boiling water bath time of 10 minutes and add 1 minute for every 1000 feet above sea level. ENJOY

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the ratio of sugar to citrus in marmalade? ›

What's the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? Because of the tartness of a Seville orange, the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade is 2:1. This recipe calls for 2kg of sugar and 1kg of oranges but you can scale it down or up using that ratio.

What is the water to fruit ratio for marmalade? ›

“It can vary, but the rule of thumb for marmalade is usually that for every kilo of fruit, you double the water – so if it's one kilo of fruit, you use two of water. And then you use 1.5 times the amount of sugar,” says Armstrong.

What happens if you don't put enough sugar in marmalade? ›

Reducing the sugar in the recipe means a slacker, not set consistency and the marmalade could have a shorter shelf life.

What is the best sugar for marmalade? ›

Caster sugar is the one to avoid. The crystals are too fine, which is great for baking but they will dissolve too quickly when making marmalade. Granulated sugar is a good choice. The large crystals will dissolve quickly and cleanly, resulting in a clear, amber liquid that best shows off your perfectly floating peel.

What is the world's best marmalade? ›

Tim Nind's Seville Orange and Ginger Marmalade, Dalemain Award Winner 2023. Selected from a wide variety of entries from all over the world, Tim Nind's Seville Orange and Ginger Marmalade has been crowned the winner of the 2023 Dalemain Marmalade Homemade Double Gold Award.

What is the ratio of sugar to fruit in marmalade? ›

To make marmalade, the most common ratio of fruit to sugar is 1 part fruit to 1 part sugar, by weight. You may see a higher amount of sugar in marmalades containing more sour ingredients, like lemon or lime.

What fruit makes the best marmalade? ›

4 tips to make your marmalade great

But first, you gotta pick the right fruit. Historically, and even today, the best fruit for the job is a Seville orange, a sour-bitter variety that's used as a souring agent in many Caribbean and Latin American cuisines in lieu of lemons or limes.

Why put butter in marmalade? ›

To prevent scum forming on the top of your jam, add a knob of butter to your fruit at the same time as you add the sugar, we recommend 20 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Note: Scum is nothing sinister, it is only air bubbles that are created during the cooking process, they will not ruin your jam/marmalade if they form.

Why add lemon juice to marmalade? ›

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

What cuts bitterness in marmalade? ›

If the aftertaste is too bitter and you can't remove the bitterness from the jam, prick the oranges and boil them for about 40 minutes, drain and cover with cold water. Soak them for 12-15 hours and change the water from time to time.

Does lemon juice thicken marmalade? ›

Lemons contain a very high amount of pectin, which naturally sets and thickens the marmalade.

How do you know when marmalade is done? ›

Push the marmalade along the plate with your finger. If setting point has been reached then the marmalade surface will wrinkle slightly and the marmalade won't run back straight away. If it's not at setting point, return to the heat and boil again for 2 mins before re-testing. Repeat until setting point is reached.

Can you over boil marmalade? ›

Don't overcook your marmalade

Lady Claire Macdonald, food writer: While you're testing your marmalade to see if it's set, take it off the boil. Otherwise you risk boiling away the water content, and ending up with a dark, over-thick marmalade that's dry and rubbery.

What percentage of sugar is in marmalade? ›

marmalade, jelly marmalade and sweetened chestnut purée have a sugars content of at least 60%.”

What proportion of fruit and sugar for jam? ›

The ratio between fruit and sugar varies: with sweet fruits, it's about 2:1 (2 kilos of fruit, 1 of sugar), while with more bitter fruits like oranges, it should be more like 3:2. If uncertain, it's better to round up with the sugar. The other potential ingredients – lemon and pectin – are found in many jam recipes.

What is the ratio of fruit to sugar for preserves? ›

Many classic preserve recipes call for equal amounts of fruit and sugar. However, I prefer a blend of 60 percent fruit and 40 percent sugar, by weight. A 60/40 blend includes enough sugar to preserve the fruit and aid in the jelling process, but allows the flavor of the fruit to come to the fore.

How much sugar is needed for marmalade? ›

To make marmalade, the most common ratio of fruit to sugar is 1 part fruit to 1 part sugar, by weight. You may see a higher amount of sugar in marmalades containing more sour ingredients, like lemon or lime.

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