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.
Molly
Hey,
I made the marmalade last night and boiled it for, in the end, an hour as it wasn’t setting. Even having added extra lemon juice. Any thoughts why this batch hasn’t set?
What can I do to thicken it ? My friend says to use a product called ‘certo’
Thanks
Camilla
Hi Molly, if you boiled it for 1 3/4 hrs or until the fruit was easily pierced with a skewer and had exactly the correct amounts of the other ingredients and followed the recipe to the letter then I can’t understand where this went wrong as it has never gone wrong for anyone before. When this has happened to me with jam I have just put it back in the pan and continued to boil but I can’t understand that there was enough water left in the pan to enable you to boil it for a further hour? Did you add more water than stated? If so then further boiling would be necessary to evaporate it away. I think my mum used to use Certo I don’t use it myself but I think it’s a gelling agent so could be a route to try.
Susan Hamilton
Just made this marmalade. Excellent. Had two attempts before with other recipes and it ended up in the bin.
My husband loves marmalade and he Isis impressed with this marmalade.
So easy and so golden. Making another batch tomorrow.
Thanks
Susan Hamilton
Camilla
Oh wonderful Susan, thank you so much for your lovely feedback, so glad you love the marmalade. I really wish I had time to make some more because as you say it is excellent:-)
Nany
Hello, A tempting recipe and I was proceeding to make it … but I wondered !! isn’t the amount of sugar (1.5 kg) is too much for 670 gm oranges ??
Waiting for your reply to continue .
Camilla
Sorry to not have seen this earlier, yes that is the correct amount of sugar.
Paul Millward
Camilla, there is no mention of removing the peel before jarring. Does the peel have to be removed at all?
Camilla
Paul the peel is removed by sieving before putting in the jars but you could leave the peel in if you wished:-)
Pamela
I have been making marmalade with shred but find it to be too thick , whats the best way to have thin shreds ? I also love shredless so will try this one !
Camilla
Pamela this is thee only marmalade I have ever made but if you’re looking at those ones in the shops I think you’d need some kind of industrial machinery to get shreds that fine!
Camilla
Thank you, I need to make some more:-)
Marie
I love the sound of this recipe! I looked at a few and they sounded really complicated. I’ve just started making my own jam and really wanted to find a simple marmalade recipe to start with. Thank you so much! I will definitely be trying this soon
Camilla
Great Marie, I’ve just finished a jar from this batch so I can say it lasts well:-)
Jacqueline Roberts
You make it seem so easy, I hope so as I’m attempting this soon.
Camilla
I like to keep things simple:-) Let me know how you get on:-)
Lynn Fancy
DON’T have to use Sevilles???? Really? Oh goodness… I am so on this! Thank you!
Camilla
Pleasure;-)
Jane Davies
This looks lovely, I too have never made marmalade so will have to give this one a go x
Camilla
Enjoy:-)