Our orange jam (orange marmalade) requires only three ingredients and about an hour of your time! This luscious spread crafted from oranges and sugar delivers a sweet and tangy burst of perfect citrus flavor. Shall we?
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Background
Orange jam is sweet, citrusy, and light.
It's a reprieve from the regular, heavy jams. It goes great over bread, or you can use it as a filling for rolls and strudels. We've drizzled it over ice cream and savored its sweetness on its own with a spoon during a sugar craving.
If you're wondering whether this is an orange jam or an orange marmalade, your guess is as good as ours! We've poured over examples and definitions, and the closest we could get to is that today's recipe falls under both categories.
It's a jam in a way that the fruit is crushed, and the final result is smooth and relatively thick. It's a marmalade in the way that it still retains some chunky parts and it's made from a citrus fruit.
(This chunkiness is especially delicious! As we're using all parts of the orange, this is practically jam and candied fruit in one jar!)
Luckily, we're not sticklers for naming (except maybe for burek), so it'll be referred to as orange jam and orange marmalade interchangeably.
Ingredients
As promised, you need only three ingredients for today's orange marmalade: oranges, some sugar, and a lemon. No pectin is used, as citrus fruit already has a lot of pectin naturally.
- Oranges: as you'll use everything, from pulp to peel to make this orange jam, buy organic oranges, preferably navel (they're seedless.) Alternatively, get whatever organic oranges you can get and get rid of the seeds later.
- Substitute with blood oranges. However, know that the jam will taste more bitter. If you prefer a sweeter jam, stick with regular oranges, or a mix of both.
- Wash oranges thoroughly! One idea is to soak them in baking soda and vinegar water for 15-ish minutes, and then scrub them with a new scotch-brite pad or dishwand. - Sugar: white granulated sugar will do.
- Lemon: for this volume of orange jam (marmalade) you'll need the juice from one lemon only.
- (Optional) Vanilla: sugar or extract for the extra boost of flavor. Substitute with one vanilla stick.
- (Optional) Baking soda and vinegar for cleaning. This mix gets rid of the toxins well, and it's completely natural. However, our method is one option only. You can clean them any way you'd like.
Instructions
We've done complicated preserves before (ajvar and pindjur come to mind), but orange marmalade is as easy a recipe as it gets.
Optional Preparatory Step for Orange Jam (Marmalade). Cleaning the Oranges.
Combine baking soda and vinegar in a deep bowl. Add oranges and let soak for 10-15 minutes. Take a brand new scrub and scrub each one, and then wash off with plain water.
Step 1. Orange Marmalade. Preparing the Fruit and Cooking.
Divide oranges. Peel one group of oranges (deseed if necessary), and chunk it up. Chunk the other group with the peel on (deseed if necessary). Transfer to a large pot, add water and lemon juice. Stir, and cook for 40 minutes on low.
Step 2. Orange Marmalade. Adding Sugar and Blending.
Add sugar (and vanilla if using it) and stir well. Continue cooking for at least 10-15 minutes. Blend with a stick blender to a preferred thickness.
Step 3 (parallel to step 2). Orange Jam (Marmalade). Sterilizing the Jars.
Heat oven to 230°F (110°C). Wash the jars, and dry them. Place them on a pan and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Step 4. Orange Jam (Marmalade). Transferring Orange Marmalade to Jars.
Carefully transfer jam into hot jars (protect your hands). Fasten the lids and flip the jars around so the lid seals. When jam and jars cool down, transfer to a cool, dark place.
Handling
- Serve: Serve over bread, in a strudel or another pastry, over a dessert, or by itself.
- Store: Once you open a jar, transfer it to the fridge and consume it in 1-2 weeks. Do not freeze.
Recipe FAQ
Orange jam is citrusy, light, and slightly tart. Depending on how big you cut the oranges, and/or blend them down, the texture ranges from smooth to chunky. Chunkier jams have pieces that taste like candied fruit.
Overcooking the orange peel can make orange jam bitter. Also, bitterness depends on the type of oranges used. (For example, blood oranges are bitter.) You can avoid this with a shorter cooking time, using less unpeeled oranges (for example, ⅓ of the oranges instead of ½), and skipping sour oranges.
More Jam Yumminess
Additionally, if you are looking for even more interesting jam options, Ksenia At The Immigrant's Table makes the most perfect Russian kumquat jam with Chinese spices. This great pairing of sweet and spicy can be made milder with an addition of cottage cheese. We absolutely love it!
Thoughts?
If you make today's orange jam (orange marmalade) and like it, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5-star) rating. This will help others find the recipe more easily!
You can also leave a comment, I read EVERY one! Finally, if IG is more your thing, consider tagging us @balkanlunchbox.
Prijatno, Dobar Tek and Bon Appetit!
Orange Jam (Marmalade)
Equipment
- 1 Brand new sponge with scrub on top
- 4-5 10-16 ounce jars (300-500g) with lids
Ingredients
(Optional) Orange Cleaning Ingredients
- ½ cup baking soda
- 1 cup vinegar
Orange Jam (Marmalade) Ingredients
- 4 pounds organic seedless navel oranges or about 15-17 medium-sized ones
- 1 - 1.5 pounds granulated sugar
- 1 lemon juice only
- (Optional) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar, or 1 vanilla stick
Instructions
Cleaning Oranges (Optional Method)
- For safety, the oranges should be cleaned thoroughly before use. Below is one of the methods you can use.
- To a deep pot filled halfway with water add baking soda and vinegar. Stir so it integrates. Add the oranges in and let them soak for 15 minutes.
- Take oranges out one by one and scrub the debris off their skin with a new scotch-brite pad. Wash each one off with fresh water.
Making Orange Jam (Marmalade)
- Divide oranges, and peel one half, discarding the peel. Separate the orange slices and dice them into chunks, keeping as much juice as you can. Deseed if necessary.
- Take the unpeeled oranges, and cut off their ends. Chunk them up keeping as much juice as you can. (Bigger chunks yield candied fruit-like jam, while smaller chunks result in a smoother jam.) Deseed if necessary.
- In a deep pot, add all the orange pieces, the juice, ½ cup of water, and lemon juice. Turn the temperature down to the lowest setting. Cook for 40 minutes stirring every few minutes.
- Add sugar and vanilla to the oranges, stir thoroughly, and cook for another 10-15 minutes. (If the oranges were particularly juicy you may need to cook 10-15 minutes longer.)Turn the heat off.
- Using a stick (hand) blender, blend the orange jam down to desired consistency.
(Parallel to Jam Cooking) Sterilizing Jars
- Heat oven to 230°F (110°C). Wash (with soap) and dry the jars thoroughly. Place jars on a baking sheet (or a sheet pan) and place them in the oven. Keep them inside for 15-20 minutes, then carefully take them out. (Use mittens or thick kitchen towels to protect hands.)
- Carefully transfer jam into hot jars. Use a spoon to push the jam down each jar as much as you can, and get as much air out as you can. As you fasten each lid, flip the jar upside down. When the jars and jam cool down, transfer to a cool, dark place (or the fridge).
Handling
- Serve over bread, in a strudel, crepes, or another pastry, over a dessert, or by itself. Once you open a jar, transfer it to the fridge and consume it in 1-2 weeks. Do not freeze.
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