Lemon Lime Marmalade
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This Lemon Lime Marmalade recipe is easy to make and keeps for up to a year! Deliciously versatile, you can add it to cakes, muffins, cupcakes, as a filling for pastries, a glaze for meats and veggies, and so much more!
Use this marmalade to make our Lemon Lime Zucchini Cake, spread it on our homemade Crumpets or Sourdough English Muffins, or swirl some of it into our homemade Greek Yogurt!
Lemon lime marmalade is fabulous but it’s difficult to find in stores. And when you do it’s generally a little pricey. So why not make your own? It’s not only cheaper, it’s tastes SO MUCH better too!
The question on your lips may be, “And why would I even want to make lemon lime marmalade?” Well, if you’re a citrus nut like me, this is right up your alley. It’s like citrus on steroids. And because there are so many great ways to use it beyond merely spreading it on toast (which is good, of course, but requires no imagination).
How to Use Lemon Lime Marmalade
- Spread on toast
- As a filling for cake or cupcakes
- As a glaze for cookies
- Baked into scones
- Swirl some into yogurt
- As a crepe filling
- Serve with cheese on a platter with crostini or crackers
- Stir into cream cheese frosting
- As an alternative filling for cinnamon rolls
- A marinade for meat, poultry or fish
- Added to your sweet and sour meatballs
- Add to vinaigrettes for spinach or arugula
- As a glaze for carrots
Few things rival the wonderful flavor of lemon and lime and those are just a few ways you can put this fabulous homemade Lemon Lime Marmalade to use.
Lemon Lime Marmalade Recipe
Let’s get started!
A note about the citrus rinds: You can use the lime rind whole but the white pith of the lemon is very bitter. You can use it as well, but just a heads up. If you prefer it less bitter, remove the white pith of the lemon and only use the outer yellow part. For the demo pictures below I have left the white pith intact.
Also, citrus is sprayed and waxed and since we’re using the rinds I recommend using organic lemons and limes.
Cut off the very ends of the lemons and limes. Very thinly slice the lemons and limes. The easiest way to do this – and to do it quickly – is to use a mandoline slicer. Remove any seeds.
Quarter the slices.
Add the citrus to a medium-sized pot with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and simmer for one our until the citrus is very soft. Give it an occasional stir.
Add the sugar and return to a full boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 220-225 degrees F. Using a candy thermometer will ensure proper results and makes the job easier, plus they’re relatively inexpensive. I highly recommend buying a candy thermometer.
If you’d rather not get a candy thermometer you can use the “plate test.” Simply place a plate in the freezer for a few minutes and then place a dab of marmalade on the cold plate. Tilt the plate to see if the marmalade is set. If it’s too runny, it’s not ready – continue simmering. If it congeals into a soft gel and only moves just a little, it’s ready.
Let the marmalade sit for 2-3 minutes, then skim the foam off the top of the marmalade and discard. Letting it sit will evenly distribute the citrus pieces so they don’t float to the top when you place the mixture in your jars.
Pour the marmalade into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace from the top. To be extra safe, process the jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Keep the marmalade stored in a cool, dark place. It will keep for at least one year.
Enjoy!
For more homemade jams and jellies try our:
- Blackberry Jam
- Black Currant Jam
- Huckleberry Jam
- Gooseberry Jam
- Plum Jam
- Plum Butter
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Red Currant Jelly
- Blueberry Lemon Apricot Jam
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Lemon Lime Marmalade
Ingredients
- 1 pound lemons , thoroughly washed
- 1 pound limes , thoroughly washed
- 6 cups water
- 7 cups white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Cut off the very ends of the lemons and limes. Very thinly slice the lemons and limes. The easiest way to do this - and to do it quickly - is to use a mandoline slicer. Quarter the slices. Remove any seeds.
- Add the citrus to a medium-sized pot with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a steady simmer and simmer for one our until the citrus is very soft. Give it an occasional stir.Add the sugar and return to a full boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 220-225 degrees F. If you'd rather not get a candy thermometer you can use the "plate test." Simply place a plate in the freezer for a few minutes and then place a dab of marmalade on the cold plate. Tilt the plate to see if the marmalade is set. If it's too runny, it's not ready - continue simmering. If it congeals into a soft gel and only moves just a little, it's ready.Let the marmalade sit for 2-3 minutes, then skim the foam off the top of the marmalade and discard. Letting it sit will evenly distribute the citrus pieces so they don't float to the top when you place the mixture in your jars.
- Pour the marmalade into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace from the top. You can either store your jars in the fridge for up to a few months or you can store them even longer by canning them. To can them, process them for 5 minutes in a water bath canner. Carefully remove and let sit undisturbed until fully cooled. Keep the marmalade stored in a cool, dark place. It will keep for at least one year.This makes 4-5 half pints.
Notes
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 15, 2015
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Ok after reading the post from 2015 to now I understand why my first batch is slightly bitter and watery!!! But it’s in jars and has gone thru the water bath. Is it ok to consume? I figured I could use as a dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, marinate, glazing for grilled salmon, or other fish, shrimp and also chicken??? I will try this recipe again and buy me a candy thermometer!!! Thanks
Hi Lupe, absolutely it’s perfectly safe. Using it as a dipping sauce is a great idea and you can also stir it into other sauces to curb the bitterness or add a spoonful or two to baked goods (muffins, cakes, etc) for an added boost of citrus flavor. There are still plenty of uses for it!
Made this recipe yesterday and it turned out beautifully. The marmalade is a little on the tart side but not biitter. Would recommend the recipe to anyone with excess lemons and limes.
I’m so glad to hear that, Sharyn, thank you!
Great recipe! Scaled it up to match 5kg of fruit, ending in 17 jars of delicious marmalade.
My fruit was entirely limes, but the modification produced just as good results as the other comments reflect.
Fantastic, Simon, I’m so glad – thanks for the feedback!
Thankyou
Why does my marmalade after few months in the fridge turn white and sugary
Hi Janet, that’s common when marmalade is opened and then stored in the fridge for a while – it’s sugar crystals forming on the top as a result of liquid evaporating. You can fix the problem by rewarming the marmalade either over the stovetop or in the microwave to melt the sugar.
Thanks again Kimberly.
You may be able to grow a Kaffir lime too. I live in Massachusetts and mine only goes outside after the danger of frost has passed. Last year was the first year I fertilized it every week. Having it flower and produce fruit was a huge surprise.
This was a great recipe and my marmalade set perfectly for once.
I used 2 Kaffir limes which I grew, 1lb of Key limes, and about 6 ordinary limes. I put the Key limes whole into a muslin bag for the boiling in water part.
Before adding the sugar, I took the bag out and sliced the limes in half. I scraped out the insides + seeds. Then sliced the peels and put them into the pot. I have a feeling that being very seedy, the Key limes helped this batch to set well.
I used 6 cups of sugar.
I lightly boiled with sugar for about 40 minutes and let sit as directed before putting the marmalade into the jars.
It has a very fresh taste and a wonderful tang. And as I said it set beautifully. When you bite into a Kaffir slice you can really taste that wonderful aroma.
Thank you so much for such a great recipe that turned out so successfully.
Thanks for all the info, James, and I am totally envious of your Kaffir lime tree!
Hi,happy New Year, I made marmalade last night and it’s too runny,I used candy ther and got just pass 220 ,looks good, I’m sure the taste is good,should I put it back on the stove again,it’s cooled off, but too runny
Hi Janet, happy New Year to you also! Did you use less sugar, or a different form of sugar, than the recipe called for? Did you double the batch? Or make any other alterations? The two things I mentioned commonly prevent marmalade/jam from setting. You mentioned previously that you had a batch that turned out great –
any idea what you may have done differently this time? Also, marmalade can take a full day for it to set. If it’s been a day and it’s still too runny, at this point I’d recommend keeping the marmalade refrigerated until you can get hold of some pectin and then add the amount specified on the pectin package to the marmalade and bring it back to a boil per package directions.
Thanku ,yesterday I had very dark and bitter marmalade, I threw it out and started over today. It turned out great this time, thanku!
Came out great mixed the citrus to lemon lime and gibtalta orange (quite tart). I have a candy thermometer and it sure did make a difference. Great marmalade
Wonderful, Graham, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
I used this as a guideline to make both line marmalade (no lemons) and a cinnamon-Mandarin orange marmalade. I only used about 5 cups sugar and maybe a half cup marmalade on the lime, and 3 cups sugar and a half cup honey on the orange. They came out great, and I love how the peels taste like candied citrus. My husband ate the peels from the discard like candy, lol. One thing though is that it took way longer than the recommended amount of time to get to the right temperature. They boiled for nearly an hour and a half before I added the sugar, and at least an hour longer after.
Thanks for the feedback, Amber, and that cinnamon-mandarin orange marmalade sounds heavenly!
Mine was very runny, so I kept it on the stove ,watching it very carefully,but it’s dark and bitter,what did I do wrong
Hi Janet, sugar begins to caramelize when it’s cooked for a long time, so that’s my guess as to why it’s dark. If it’s bitter it sounds like you left the white pitch of the citrus rind on – that will make it bitter even without overcooking it. Runniness: It will be runny while it’s still hot/warm. Once it has fully cooled down it thickens.
Please clarify the method of removing the pith–is it done before or after cutting into quarters. I’ve been in search of a lemon, lime or lemon/lime marmalde recipe for a while, and this looks perfect, except for the pith part which seems to be confusing to me. I would appreciate more instruction.
Hi Arleen, it really doesn’t matter how you remove it as long as it’s removed before cooking it – use whatever method for removing the pith that is easiest for you.
Sorry, I’m new at marmalade. So it really doesn’t matter when the fruit is cut away from the peel–is that okay? I assumed it was more necessary that the quarter slices needed to be somewhat more intact.
Hi Arleen, yes that’s correct. Nor does it matter how large the fruit pieces are, it’s all personal preference.
I also,want to try this recipe and was wanting to know how to get rid of the lemon pitch. When cut into quarters, do you then cut the rind off and cut the pitch off leaving the Lemon skin then put the fruit and pith into saucepan ?..
Hi Helen, yes, just cut the white part off (as much of it as you can anyway, you won’t be able to remove it all) and use the outer yellow part, discard the white part.
I ended up having to reboil the marmalade and adding pectin to it…. the first time Ive ever had to do that while making jam.. (this is my first attempt at marmalade) Perhaps my lemons and limes yielded too much juice… I always use a thermometer and get it to a minimal 220 degrees,end result: perfect . Live and learn😀
Greetings, could the fruit be pulsed in a food processor rather than sliced? Looking for a lazier way to accomplish a good result! Thank you
Hi Jenn, yes it can, that will only alter the shape of the pieces, not the flavor. Enjoy!
Hi, We have lemon, lime and grapefruit trees in the garden so I’m trying marmalade recipes to use some fruit up, I hate waste and this looks so easy compared to some others. I was wondering how well this sets without a muslin bag with the pips in? Is it ok because you don’t remove the pith of the limes and the membrane of the lemons? Thank you from a Brit in NZ
Hi Lee, greetings to NZ! The reason you don’t need the pips or any added pectin in this marmalade is because of the length the sugar simmers: Once it reaches 225 degrees F it will set. You can use a candy thermometer to check the temperature but using the plate test as noted in the recipe also works great.