This deliciously tangy, Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade is easy to make and doesn’t require any specialist equipment.
It can be made all year round with ordinary oranges and a lemon. You can even leave the shreds in if you prefer!
If you loved Robertson’s Golden Shredless Marmalade as a child or still love it now, then this is the perfect preserve for your breakfast table!
Background
I like recipes to be simple and straightforward and had therefore never got around to making marmalade back in 2014 when I developed this recipe.
I’d had this preconceived notion that you needed a muslin bag and Seville oranges at the very least.
So, after a Twitter chat with Sarah Churchill over at The Artisan Kitchen, I discovered that you can make marmalade out of ordinary oranges and not just Sevilles!
If you’ve never made marmalade before then I think Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade is the perfect recipe to start.
This marmalade can’t actually go wrong because even if your orange and lemon rinds haven’t quite softened enough (gone totally pulpy) it doesn’t matter as you’re not eating them but discarding.
You may be shocked by the amount of sugar in marmalade as it’s double the number of grams of fruit! Don’t be alarmed, this much sugar is normal for marmalade which is different from jam which often has a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar.
My family loves my Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade which is both sharp and tangy so I’m sure you’ll love it too!
Can you leave the orange and lemon peel in?
Yes, you can leave the sliced lemon and orange peel in the marmalade if that’s your preference and make a classic Orange Marmalade. You could also make a mixture of shredless and with shreds marmalade.
What types of oranges can you use to make Orange Marmalade?
You can use any oranges, I used Jaffa oranges but you can use Seville oranges (usually available in January) or even blood oranges.
Just make sure that your oranges are fresh and flavourful for the best-tasting marmalade.
Ingredients
Oranges – unwaxed preferable and as fresh as possible.
Lemon – adds tang. Again, unwaxed is preferable.
Granulated sugar – no need for jam sugar as plenty of pectin in the orange and lemon rinds.
How to make Shredless Orange Marmalade (brief summary)
- Pierce a hole in the end of the oranges and lemon.
- Place them in a pan with water (don’t worry the fruit won’t be fully submerged) and boil for 1 ¾ hrs under a lid.
- Once fruit can easily be pierced with a skewer, cut into quarters, remove pips, and slice up.
- Add cooking water and fruit pulp to a pan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and add sugar, stirring to dissolve.
- Once sugar is dissolved, bring the pan to a rolling boil and time for 13 minutes or until 105C is reached on a digital thermometer.
- Test a few drops on a chilled saucer to see if the setting point has been reached, the jam should slightly crinkle when pushed with a finger.
- If not boil for another 2 minutes at a time until set reached.
- Place a large sieve over a bowl and pour marmalade in to strain out the shreds (or skip this step to keep shreds).
- Push any scum to the side of the pan and remove it with a metal spoon.
- Pot up marmalade into hot jars and screw lids on immediately.
How long will Shredless Marmalade keep?
This orange marmalade is shelf-stable and is best eaten within 12 months.
It will, however, keep for years if stored in a cool, dry, dark place.
Once opened, store it in the fridge, where it will keep for several months.
Serving Suggestions for Shredless Orange Marmalade
This child-friendly marmalade can be used in so many more ways due to being shredless.
- Use as a breakfast preserve spread on sourdough toast, croissants, crumpets etc.
- Stir into porridge or yogurt.
- Add to cakes and cookies such as my Chocolate Chip Marmalade Cakes.
- Use in desserts eg Marmalade Bread & Butter Pudding.
- Use as a glaze for joints such as Marmalade Glazed Gammon.
- Stir into gravy.
- Shake into a Marmalade Cocktail.
More Breakfast & Orange Preserves
For more breakfast preserve ideas check out the following:
- Pumpkin & Ginger Jam
- Peach & Apricot Jam
- Granny’s Quick Lemon Curd
- Granny’s Quick Blood Orange Curd
- Mirabelle Plum Jam
- Easy Kumquat Jam
Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Pin Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade for later!
NB: Recipe originally published 13/03/2022 and updated 22/9/2023
Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade (or with shreds)
Equipment
- 1 Preserving pan or similar sized pan
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 long wooden spoon
- 1 Metal sieve
- 1 jam funnel
- 1 ladle
- 4 x 280 ml Jam jars and lids (or your choice of sizes)
Ingredients
- 670 grams oranges I used Jaffa
- 1 lemon weighing about 125 grams
- 1.59 kilograms granulated sugar can be warmed in oven to speed dissolving
- 1.15 litres water
Instructions
- Before you start, place 2 saucers in the freezer and sterilise jars (see notes).
- Wash the oranges and lemon to get rid of the wax coating (if not using unwaxed fruit). I use a dab of washing up liquid and rub all over each fruit, rinse with boiling water and then rub with a scouring sponge until clear, then give a final rinse.
- Pierce a hole in the end of the oranges and lemon (I used a large metal skewer).
- Place the fruit and water in as small a pan as they will fit (the water won't cover the fruit fully) and cover with a lid.
- Bring to the boil and then boil gently until soft (about 1 ¾ hrs) and test with a skewer. Do not lift the lid at any point before the end.
- When the fruit is easily pierced with a skewer remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Cut fruit it into quarters, remove pips and slice thinly.
- Transfer the hot liquid to a large preserving pan and add the cut up pulp.
- Place a few saucers in the freezer to test for set.
- Bring the liquid and pulp to the boil, then turn down heat to low and add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolved (until no crunching sounds can be heard).
- Turn heat up to high to bring mixture to a rolling boil (see photo in post above) and time for 13 minutes (or reaches 105°C on a digital thermometer), still stirring. You can tell when jam is nearing readiness as a drop of marmalade will cling to wooden spoon as you pour it off.
- Test a few drops on a chilled saucer and put in the fridge for 30 seconds. If it forms a gel like crinkle when pushed it is ready. Otherwise carry on boiling for 2 minutes intervals and re-testing (mine took 15 minutes).
- Strain the marmalade through a large metal sieve placed over a clean bowl, squeezing the rinds with the back of a spoon. Or skip this step for marmalade with shreds.
- Push any scum to the side of the pan and remove with a metal spoon.
- Use a ladle and jam funnel (if you have one) to fill the hot sterilised jars and screw on lids immediately.
- Makes at just over 3 x 280 ml (9 oz) jars.
Marsha Cooper
I’ve never made marmalade before and HATE the shreds in it! I’m currently living in Cyprus where Cypriot marmalade seems non existent, it’s criminal as I live next to a HUGE orange plantation! The ou draw back is I’ve no idea what oranges they are, they’re marked up as either ‘sweet for eating’ or for juicing, so I’m using one of each and doing half this recipe as an experiment! But DOH I don’t have any oranges! Instead I’ve added the juice from another orange!!!
Has anyone ever needed to use jam sugar with added pectin because they’ve not used the skin?
Camilla
I’m afraid you’ve lost me a little? I think either of those oranges would be fine because they must both taste good for either eating or juicing! I never use jam sugar as it gives such a firm set. In jams/marmalade I use either lemon juice or high pectin fruits such as apple to provide the set.
Carolyn Clapham
I finally got around to making this yesterday, and it is a great hit with my other half, who is the big marmalade eater in our house.
Admittedly, I did change it a little bit, because OH likes lots of shred in his marmalade. Not only did I use all the shred from the oranges in the recipe, but I’ve also been freezing the peel from large oranges that we have eaten recently, and I used that too.
Also, because I was using oranges that I had frozen a few months ago, I used two lemons instead of one (they say that frozen fruit has less pectin).
I did have a near disaster, due to stupidity: I used 1.5 pints of water instead of 1.5 litres. I didn’t think it looked a lot, but was convinced that I had measured out the right amount. Luckily, I decided to measure the liquid that was left in the pan after cooking the oranges, and at that moment the penny dropped. Adding extra water at that stage didn’t seem to do any harm, and we now have nearly seven jars of lovely marmalade lined up on the worktop.
What I don’t understand is why so many sources tell you that you can’t make marmalade from sweet oranges. If I hadn’t seen your recipe I would never have tried it 🙂
Camilla
Carolyn I’m so glad you had such great success and adapted it to suit you ingredients:-) I’ve done that too with ingredients and have had to quickly rectify a mistake at the last minute – phew! I was frustrated with the price of seville oranges when I was thinking about marmalade making so asked Sarah at Artisan Jams if one could make it with normal oranges – she replied yes so that’s how this recipe came about:-)
Amanda Beamish
This looks delicious. I’ve never made marmalade before so really interesting – thanks.
Anne Dalzell
I’ve made jams many times but never tried to make a marmalade. This one sounds divine
Camilla
Thanks Anne:-)
Paul Wilson
Excellent. I love marmalade on my toast.
William Gould
Sounds good and straightforward, but I like the shredded peel in mine!
Camilla
You could always leave it in then:-)
Geoff Clark
just what I need for a tasty breakfast
Carolyn Clapham
Doh – I’ve bought the oranges to do this, but have just realized I’ve no jars left after making two batches of courgette chutney! Guess I’ll have to freeze them until I have more jars 🙁
Camilla
I just use short glasses from my cupboard as I’m always running out of jars!
Heather Haigh
That looks like sunshine in a jar – and the jars are very pretty too!
jmsrowlands
This looks great I think i will have to get my wife to make this