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 a lot 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).
Use it as/to:
- A filling for cake or cupcakes
- A glaze for cookies
- Bake into scones
- Swirl some into yogurt
- 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
- 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.
A note about the 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.
- 1 pound lemons, thoroughly washed
- 1 pound limes, thoroughly washed
- 6 cups water
- 7 cups white granulated sugar
- 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. (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 ¼ 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.
*Also, citrus is sprayed and waxed and since we're using the rinds I recommend using organic lemons and limes.
Lynn Marino says
Hi i made this yesterday i love lemon and lime marmalade but was worried about making it.
All i can say is wow… This recipe is amazing i had to buy my lemon and lime as i am in the uk so they were a bit small, it was impossible to remove the pith so on it stayed but it did nit matter as the end product is delicious.
Vicky says
I made this using all limes so as you said in the recipe no need to cut out the pith. I used the same amount of sugar and it set fine but buy golly its tart. Not sure it will work on toast which im sad about.
Kirstin says
My batch turned a very dark colour,not the bright yellow shown. Its a very dark orange in colour. Perhaps I boiled to long? It took some time to set.
Chris Garrett says
The last lot of mixed fruit marmalade I made never set, after three boils I gave up,blaming a lack of pectin, just made your recipe, it’s great! But no pips, so why doesn’t it need them for the pectin? If it’s because it is limes and lemons? Does that mean I can’t use this recipe for orange and grapefruit? Can’t wait for breakfast! Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, I’m glad this was a success! The key to the marmalade setting is getting it up to the right temperature (220-225 F) and it should work equally well for orange and grapefruit provided you have the right sugar to water ratio. You can always add the pips in for the extra pectin but it should work fine without.
Lucy says
How would you recommend to remove the white pith if cutting fruit slices into quarters? would you remove the flesh part and put in separately from the peel/zest after removing the pith? That sounds like a v lengthy process? Thank you 😊
Ian Perry says
Hi, just came across this looking for a recipe for a lighter marmalade (my girlfiend doesn’t like my “family recipe” five-fruit version much).
I followed the recipe as closely as possible, whole process went super smoothly and it set very quickly. Nice colour (I used mostly white sugar but added about 250g (about a cup I think) of Demerara as I was a little short!). Tastes lovely too – only catch is it’s not hugely lemony/limey and tastes a bit more like my “family” version than I was expecting. Which may in part be the effect of the Demerara :-D
Still, if the girlfiend doesn’t like it, all the more for me! Thank you Kimberly!
PS I cut the lemons/limes by hand (I don’t have a Mandolin) but it was smooth, quick and easy enough to get thin slices albeit slightly uneven. I’ll be using this technique again next time I make my “family” marmalade.
Dawn Penfold says
Can you tell me the weight of the sugar used? ‘Cup’ volume is different in the USA to the UK and I don’t know the nationality of the author. Thanks
Dawn Penfold says
Ditto the weight/volume of water as ‘cup’ is 236ml in the USA, 250 mL metric cup in UK, whilst pre-1970s UK imperial cup was 284ml. So volume/weight is best. Many thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dawn, it’s U.S. cups and you’ll need 1400 grams of sugar.
Dawn Penfold says
Thanks. So 1416ml of water?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, that’s correct.
Marla says
Needs less water. Should have started with 3 cups. Had to boil it lots to remove the excess liquid. Plus added lots of pectin to get it thick
Margaret Porter says
Great recipe. My limes and lemons had very few seeds but the pith contains plenty of pectin so the marmalade set perfectly. Love using the mandolin much quicker than slicing by hand.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Margaret, thank you!
Stephanie Payne says
I have a huge number of ripe limes on my tree. Probably 200. So I doubled the recipe for my very first attempt at this recipe. The marmalade didn’t set well. Was I supposed to cover the mixture when I boiled it the first time (before adding the sugar)? I used granulated sugar and followed the recipe exactly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Stephanie, it sounds like the jam didn’t get up to temp. The plate test usually works pretty well but using a thermometer is the surest way to determine it’s done. You can empty the jars back into the pot and repeat the process.
Anonymous says
Excellent recipe Kimberley. Its simple and works perfectly!
Nicole says
Newbie here. How in the world do you remove the white pith from thinly sliced lemon? Better to just cut the rind off thinly, and then cut the pith off (as you might a grapefruit) to discard, and then put the rind and the inner fruit into the marmalade mixture for cooking? thank, N
Lauris Lowe says
Can you use Kaffir limes in this recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Lauris!
David R Brook says
Yum! I did a test-batch with two organic Seville oranges, 2/3 cup cane sugar, 1/3 cup of orange liqueur (cheap brand), and a decent-sized pinch of saffron. Used a mandoline slicer (set to ‘thinner’, not ‘thinnest’) to really shred the whole orange including the peel and pith (had to take out the seeds, but it’s worth the time saved), then combined the sliced oranges, saffron, cane sugar and liqueur in a glass bowl and let sit overnight, covered, to marinate. Next morning, brought to a simmer until candy thermometer (a must-have) read 200-225F. Removed from heat, let cool for a bit and served on rye toast. It’s a dark-amber with tender yet sharp/tart candied-peel elements to jolt you a bit, and not overly-sweet. Perfect with a oat-milk cappuccino.
Carita Martin says
Hi
Do you remove the white plinth from the fruit before putting in the pan. And then do you put into a muslin.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Carita, yes, remove the white pitch before you add the peels to the pan. Discard the pitch, don’t simmer it with the marmalade or it will make it bitter.