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Apple Marmalade is the kind of old-fashioned pantry preserve that tastes like you actually cooked down real fruit (because you did). It’s a classic, no-pectin marmalade made with tart apples and a whole orange sliced paper-thin, so you get that bright citrus note and gentle bitterness that makes marmalade so satisfying.
Table of Contents
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
This recipe comes straight from the National Center for Home Food Preservation with only a few minor adjustments, which means the ratios and processing method are tested for safe water bath canning. It’s also a great “first marmalade” because apples naturally bring enough pectin to help it set, without any added commercial pectin.
The original recipe included just one orange, but I thought that wasn’t enough for my taste, and it was closer to a simple apple jam. I increased the amount to two oranges for more citrus flavor, and that brought me to exactly 6 half pints in yield.
I think it’d also be wonderful with one orange and one lemon, for a bit more of a tart edge. But keep in mind, Lemon marmalades also have a good bit more bitterness.
Why you’ll love this apple marmalade recipe!
It’s a true small-batch, stovetop marmalade with a short ingredient list, and it doesn’t require special pectin or fussy add-ins. If you can slice fruit and stir a pot at a hard boil, you can make this.
The flavor is exactly what I want from marmalade: sweet-tart apple base with real orange slice flavor (not just orange extract vibes). It’s bright, a little old-school, and ridiculously good on toast.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Apple Marmalade
- Recipe Type: Marmalade Recipe
- Canning Method: Waterbath Canning or Steam Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: 15 minute prep and 15 minute cook
- Canning Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 half pint jars
- Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint or Pint
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Apples, oranges, water, sugar, and lemon juice
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: NCHFP
- Difficulty: Moderate. Familiarize yourself with how to check for set in jam recipes without added pectin before you begin.
- Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to making other old fashioned marmalades without added pectin, including cranberry marmalade, meyer lemon marmalade, orange marmalade and lime marmalade.
Ingredients for Apple Marmalade
This marmalade is built on a simple idea: fruit + sugar + a hard boil to reach the set.
- Apples: the main fruit, and the natural pectin source that helps it gel
- Orange: adds classic marmalade flavor and a little bitterness from the peel. Feel free to use one orange and one lemon if you’d like additional tartness and bitterness.
- Water: dissolves the sugar and helps the fruit cook evenly at the start
- Sugar: sweetens and preserves; also essential for the gel in a no-pectin recipe
- Lemon juice: boosts acidity for a brighter flavor and better gel structure
Stick with tart apples for the best flavor and set. You can swap the orange type (navel, Valencia, etc.), but keep the amount the same. Or, if you’d like, substitute in other types of citrus.
If you want to add spices, a small amount of cinnamon, clove, or vanilla is usually fine for flavor, but don’t change the fruit-to-sugar-to-liquid ratios if you want a reliable set.
How to Make Apple Marmalade
This is a classic “cook to set” marmalade, so your main job is prep, then a hard boil while stirring.
Prep the fruit
Wash your apples, then peel, quarter, and core them. Slice them thin and measure out eight cups. Quarter the orange, remove seeds, and slice it very thin (peel included).
Thin slices matter here, because they soften properly in the finished marmalade. The sugar in this recipe actually helps the apple slices hold their shape, so they’ll be as you slice them in the finished preserve. Aim for even, thin slices.
Dissolve the sugar
In a large, non-reactive pot, heat the water and sugar just until the sugar dissolves. You’re basically making a quick syrup so the fruit cooks evenly from the start.
Boil the marmalade to gel stage
Add the lemon juice and all the sliced fruit.
Bring the mixture to a rapid boil and keep it there, stirring constantly so it doesn’t scorch. Cook it until it reaches set point, which is 220 degrees at sea level.
If you’re at higher altitude, the set point drops by 1 degree for every 500 feet in elevation. For example, at 1,000 feet the set point would be 218 F.
In my kitchen, once it hit a hard boil, it took about fifteen minutes of steady boiling (and steady stirring) to thicken.
Skim and get ready to fill
When it reaches gel stage (or thickens noticeably), remove it from the heat and skim foam if needed. Then move quickly to filling jars while everything is still hot.
Canning Apple Marmalade
Prepare a boiling water canner and keep jars hot. Fill hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, apply two-piece lids, and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes above 6,000 feet in elevation).
When processing is finished, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let jars rest in the canner briefly before lifting them out. Cool undisturbed, check seals, label, and store.
Altitude Adjustments
The altitude adjustments for water bath canning Apple Marmalade are as follows:
- For Under 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 10 minutes for pints and half pints.
- Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for pints and half pints.
Yield Notes
In my kitchen, three pounds of apples worked out to about eight medium apples, and eight cups of thinly sliced apples weighed right around two pounds prepared (from about three pounds as purchased).
That’s a handy checkpoint when you’re buying apples and trying to estimate whether you’ll hit the volume needed for the recipe.
Serving Ideas
This one’s obvious on warm toast, but it’s also great stirred into plain yogurt, layered into a parfait, or spooned over oatmeal when you want something cozy but bright.
I also love it on a cheese board with sharp cheddar or a creamy goat cheese, and it makes an easy glaze for roasted pork or chicken when whisked with a splash of vinegar and warmed just until pourable.
Apple Marmalade FAQs
Marmalade traditionally includes citrus peel (or sliced citrus) for that signature bittersweet flavor and aroma. This recipe uses a whole orange sliced thin, peel included, so it lands firmly in marmalade territory.
No. Apples contain natural pectin, and this recipe relies on sugar + acid + cooking to gel stage to thicken. That’s why keeping the ingredient ratios the same matters.
The most common reasons are undercooking (not reaching gel stage), inaccurate thermometer readings, or using very sweet apples with lower pectin. Cook to the stated temperature target (based on your local boiling point), and remember that marmalade also firms up as it cools. If you’re still having trouble, my jelly set troubleshooting guide has some potential solutions.
This recipe will still set with slightly lower sugar, but it does need quite a bit to set without added boxed pectin. Sugar plays a major role in both finished fruit texture and gel formation here. If you want a lower-sugar spread, use a tested low-sugar recipe designed for that style (usually with a low-sugar pectin).
Apple Canning Recipes
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Apple Marmalade
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 medium oranges, quartered, seeded, and sliced very thin, peel included
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 5 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
Make the marmalade
- Prepare jars and a boiling water canner before beginning.
- Peel, quarter, core, and thinly slice the apples to measure eight cups. Quarter the orange, remove seeds, and slice very thin.
- Heat the water and sugar in a large pot until the sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice, apples, and orange slices.
- Bring to a rapid boil and boil hard, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches set point, which is 220 F at sea level. The set point drops by 1 degree for every 500 feet in elevation, so at 1,000 feet, for example, the set point is 218 F.
- Once the set point is reached, remove from heat and skim foam if needed.
Fill the jars
- Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids, and tighten bands fingertip-tight.
Water bath can
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes above 6,000 feet in elevation). Cool jars undisturbed, check seals, label, and store.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Marmalade Canning Recipes
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