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Lemon balm jelly catches the bright, lemony scent of summer’s lemon balm in a soft herbal jelly you can spread year-round. If you grow lemon balm and love that fresh citrus-mint smell, this is a simple way to keep it on the pantry shelf long after the patch has died back.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- What Does Lemon Balm Jelly Taste Like?
- Growing and Harvesting Lemon Balm
- Ingredients for Lemon Balm Jelly
- Low Sugar Options
- How to Make Lemon Balm Jelly
- Canning Lemon Balm Jelly
- Altitude Adjustments
- Ways to Use Lemon Balm Jelly
- Lemon Balm Jelly FAQs
- Herb & Flower Jelly Recipes
- Lemon Balm Jelly Recipe
- Jelly Canning Recipes
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Lemon balm is one of the friendliest herbs in the summer garden, and I like walking through the patch just to brush the leaves and catch that fresh lemon smell. It’s so prolific that there’s always plenty on hand for whatever I want to try, and turning some into jelly is one of the nicer ways to use lemon balm.
The flavor lands somewhere between lemon and honey, with a green, faintly minty edge (lemon balm is in the mint family, after all), and all of that carries into the jelly.
Notes from My Kitchen
Every summer, I end up with far more lemon balm than I could ever use fresh, since a single plant turns into a sprawling patch in a season or two. Making jelly is one of the ways I put a dent in it, and the smell of the tea steeping on the stove is reason enough on its own.
I keep meaning to settle on one set of additions and never quite do, so most years a batch or two gets a little lemon zest or a sprig of something else thrown in. The plain version holds up fine on its own, though, and it’s the one I come back to. There’s something nice about tasting high summer in the middle of January.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Lemon Balm Jelly
- Recipe Type: Herbal Jelly Recipe
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: 30 Minutes (including steeping)
- Canning Time: 10 Minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 half-pint jars
- Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint, or Pint
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Lemon balm leaves, water, lemon juice, sugar, and pectin
- Difficulty: Easy! You’re basically making an herbal tea and setting it with pectin.
- Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to other sweet herbal jellies, like Chamomile Jelly and Spruce Tip Jelly. It’s worth browsing the wider range of herbal jellies and flower jellies too.
What Does Lemon Balm Jelly Taste Like?
Lemon balm jelly tastes like a gentle, honeyed lemon, soft and a little green, with the faint cooling note you’d expect from a member of the mint family. It’s more soothing than sharp, closer to a mild herbal tea sweetened into jelly than to a tart citrus marmalade.
In the jar, it sets up a pale gold, sometimes with a faint green cast depending on your leaves and how long you steep. It’s a clear, light-colored jelly rather than a deeply tinted one, which suits its quiet flavor.
Growing and Harvesting Lemon Balm
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a mint-family perennial with the family’s square stems and a soft, scalloped, slightly crinkled leaf. The giveaway is the smell, since a crushed leaf reads strongly of lemon. It’s an easy herb to grow, almost too easy, as it spreads freely and reseeds, so most years the trouble is using it up rather than finding enough.
For the brightest flavor, pick the leaves before the plant flowers, ideally in the morning once the dew has dried. Strip the leaves from the stems, since the stems can add a woody, bitter note, and harvest from a clean spot free of herbicides and pesticides.
You’ll want about 3 to 4 cups of loosely packed leaves, roughly a quart, for a batch. Give them a gentle rinse or shake to turn out any dirt or insects before you steep them.
This recipe helped me use some of my abundant lemon balm before a freeze. It is very tasty!
Ingredients for Lemon Balm Jelly
Lemon balm jelly uses the same basic formula as other herbal jellies: fresh leaves steeped into a tea, then set with sugar, pectin, and a bit of lemon juice for balance and safety.
- Lemon Balm Leaves: Use fresh leaves picked before the plant flowers, when the lemon flavor is strongest. Strip them from the stems, since the stems can turn the tea bitter.
- Water: Use clean filtered water if your tap has a strong chlorine taste, since that can muddy the delicate lemon balm flavor.
- Lemon Juice: The lemon juice does a few jobs at once. It sharpens up the lemon balm flavor, it balances the sweetness of the sugar, it helps the pectin set, and it lowers the pH enough to make the jelly safe for canning. Use bottled lemon juice, which holds a steady acidity that fresh lemons don’t. For a more neutral flavor you can swap in citric acid powder at about 1 teaspoon in place of the 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
- Sugar: Regular powdered pectin needs a good amount of sugar to gel, so this recipe follows the current Sure Jell ratio of 5 cups sugar to 4 cups of lemon balm tea for an old-fashioned jelly that sets dependably. If you’d rather cut the sugar back, there’s a lower-sugar option in the note just below.
- Pectin: This recipe is built around regular powdered pectin, such as Sure Jell, which is reliable and gives a consistent set.
Low Sugar Options
If you’d prefer a less sweet jelly, reach for Sure Jell low sugar pectin instead and drop the sugar to as little as 1 to 2 cups. With Pomona’s Universal Pectin, bump the lemon juice up to 1/2 cup, since Pomona’s doesn’t include the added citric acid that most other pectins do.
Pomona’s is a 2-part low-sugar pectin that comes with calcium water and behaves a little differently, so follow the mint jelly directions on the box. If it’s your first time using it, it’s worth reading through how to use Pomona’s pectin first.
How to Make Lemon Balm Jelly
Making lemon balm jelly runs like any other herbal jelly. You steep the leaves into a tea, set it with pectin and sugar, and add lemon juice along the way. Don’t skip that lemon, since it balances the sweetness, helps the set, and lowers the pH enough to keep the jelly safe on the shelf, so it goes in even if you’re not canning.
Most of the time here is hands-off while the leaves steep, so have your jars and lids ready before you start. That way you can move quickly once the jelly comes up to its boil.
Prepare the Lemon Balm
Gather about 3 to 4 cups of lemon balm leaves, which is roughly a quart packed loosely full, and strip them from the stems. Pick from a clean area free of herbicides and pesticides.
Clean the leaves by gently shaking or lightly rinsing them to remove any dirt, residue, or insects. There’s no need to dry them fully, since they’re headed straight into hot water.
Make the Lemon Balm Tea
Add the cleaned leaves to a heatproof container, such as a large measuring cup or pot, and pour 4 cups of boiling water over them. Cover and steep for 10 to 20 minutes, leaning toward the longer end for a stronger flavor.
Strain out the leaves and pour the tea into a jam pot or saucepan, pressing gently to draw off all the liquid. You’re aiming for about 4 cups of tea. If you come up short, top it off with water to bring it back to 4 cups.
Add Lemon Juice and Pectin
Stir 1/4 cup of lemon juice into the lemon balm tea. (The lemon brings out the herb’s flavor, balances the sugar, helps the pectin set, and makes the jelly safe to can, so don’t leave it out even if these are headed for the fridge.) Bring the mixture up to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once it’s boiling, whisk in one box of powdered pectin until it’s completely dissolved, and let it boil hard for 1 full minute. The pectin goes in before the sugar, which is what lets the jelly set, so hold that order.
Add the Sugar
After that minute, add 5 cups of sugar all at once. (Do not add the sugar before or at the same time as the pectin, or the jelly won’t set up.) Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Bring the jelly back to a full rolling boil for exactly 1 minute, then pull it off the heat and skim away any foam with a spoon. Immediately ladle the hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Canning Lemon Balm Jelly
Canning is optional. If you’d rather not, let the jars cool completely on the counter and tuck them into the refrigerator for a few weeks, or the freezer for up to 6 months in freezer-safe jars (leave a little extra headspace for expansion).
For shelf storage, I like to run the jars through a water bath canner so the jelly keeps at room temperature year-round, which also makes it easy to set aside for gifts. Make sure you’ve used the full amount of lemon juice, since that acidity is what makes water bath canning safe. Have your canner, jars, and lids prepped before you start the jelly. After ladling into jars (leaving 1/4 inch headspace), wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth, set the lids, and tighten the bands to fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed. Let the jars cool undisturbed on a towel for 24 hours, then check the seals (the lids should curve slightly down). Refrigerate any that didn’t seal and use them first. Properly canned and sealed jars will maintain quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate after opening.
Altitude Adjustments
For water bath canning, processing times increase at higher elevations:
- 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Ways to Use Lemon Balm Jelly
Lemon balm jelly is a soft, citrusy spread for muffins, scones, and toast, and it sits nicely on an afternoon cheese plate alongside goat cheese and fresh fruit. It also works as a quick glaze: spoon a little over chicken or fish in the last few minutes of cooking for a herbal, lemony finish.
It’s an easy one to play with, too. A little lemon zest tossed in with the leaves while they steep pushes the citrus further, and a sprig of mint, sage, or lavender adds a more layered note. Keep any additions small so the lemon balm stays the lead, and a few pale jars make a nice gift for anyone who likes a gentler, herbal preserve.
Lemon Balm Jelly FAQs
Pick the leaves before the plant flowers, when the lemon flavor is at its strongest, ideally in the morning once the dew has dried. Harvest from a clean spot free of herbicides and pesticides, and strip the leaves from the stems before you steep them, since the stems can add a bitter, woody note.
Yes. A tablespoon or so of lemon zest added with the leaves while they steep pushes the citrus flavor further, and a sprig of mint, sage, or lavender adds a more layered, complex note. Keep any additions small so the lemon balm stays the main flavor.
The most common reasons jelly doesn’t set are adding the sugar at the same time as the pectin (add pectin first and boil for 1 minute before adding sugar), boiling the finished jelly for too long (over 5 minutes), or trying to double the batch size. If it doesn’t set after 24-48 hours, enjoy it as a herbal syrup or read through my guide on troubleshooting jelly set.
Yes, but you’ll need to use a low-sugar pectin like Sure-Jell Low Sugar or Pomona’s Universal Pectin and follow the package instructions for mint jelly. If you use Pomona’s, increase the lemon juice to 1/2 cup, since it doesn’t contain the added citric acid that other pectins do. The yield will be lower with reduced sugar.
Herb & Flower Jelly Recipes
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Lemon Balm Jelly
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
For the Lemon Balm Tea
- 3 to 4 cups fresh lemon balm leaves, stripped from stems, cleaned
- 4 cups water
For the Jelly
- 4 cups lemon balm tea, strained
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice, or 1 teaspoon citric acid
- 1 box powdered pectin, 1.75 oz, regular, such as Sure-Jell original, or 6 Tbsp bulk pectin
- 5 cups granulated sugar, See notes for low sugar option
Instructions
- Strip the lemon balm leaves from the stems and clean them, removing any dirt, residue, or insects.
- Add the leaves to a heatproof container and pour the boiling water over them. Cover and steep for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Strain out the leaves and pour the tea into a saucepan or jam pot. Measure the strained tea, adding water if needed to reach the full amount called for, then stir in the lemon juice.
- Bring the tea and lemon juice to a boil, then whisk in the powdered pectin until dissolved and boil hard for 1 full minute.
- Add all the sugar at once and stir to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil and boil hard for exactly 1 minute, then remove from heat and skim off any foam. (Do not add the sugar before or with the pectin, or the jelly won’t set.)
- Ladle hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, center lids, and apply bands fingertip-tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat and let jars rest 5 minutes before removing. Cool undisturbed 12-24 hours before checking seals.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Jelly Canning Recipes
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This recipe helped me use some of my abundant lemon balm before a freeze. It is very tasty!
So glad you liked it!
Yuum!
This looks amazing! Question though. Is this safe to consume while pregnant? I plan on using your recipe regardless!
I’m definitely not qualified to advise you on what’s safe and not safe during pregnancy. That said, I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be safe for pregnancy? Lemon balm is a mild herb and is generally considered safe for pregnancy and nursing, so far as I know. Is there something you’ve read that makes you wonder why it would or wouldn’t be safe?
Thanks for the reply! I had read something about there not being enough study to say it’s safe or not so to possibly stay away but wanted to ask and am doing some extra research on the matter 🙂 I’m definitely making this soon though! I love lemon balm!