Home ยป By Type of Dish ยป Sauces and Condiments ยป Lemon Lime Marmalade

Lemon Lime Marmalade

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

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 recipe best homemade traditional

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).

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.

fresh 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.

slicing lemons and limes on a mandoline

Quarter the slices.

quartering 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.

simmering the slices

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.

adding the sugar

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.

plate test to check for doneness

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.

lemon lime marmalade recipe best homemade traditional

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.

ladling it into sterilized jars

Keep the marmalade stored in a cool, dark place. ย It will keep for at least one year.

Enjoy!

lemon lime marmalade recipe best homemade traditional

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.

Enjoy!

lemon lime marmalade recipe best homemade traditional

For more homemade jams and jellies try my:

Save This Recipe

Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!

lemon lime marmalade recipe best homemade traditional

Lemon Lime Marmalade

Deliciously versatile, spread it on toast, add it to cakes, muffins, cupcakes, as a filling for pastries, a glaze for meats and veggies, and so much more!
4.93 from 39 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

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

*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.
Course condiment
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 15, 2015

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™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!

Read more about me...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




4.93 from 39 votes (11 ratings without comment)

123 Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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

    1. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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.

  5. 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 didnโ€™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.

    1. 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.

  6. 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