Artificial Food Coloring Free Orange Marmalade
Bright, bittersweet, and deeply citrusy, this homemade marmalade is the kind of preserve that makes a plain piece of toast feel like a proper occasion. Every jar is built from just four ingredients — fresh oranges, lemons, water, and sugar — so you know exactly what's going into it, with zero synthetic dyes or mystery additives hiding in the mix. Store-bought spreads can be surprisingly loaded with artificial colorings to punch up that vivid orange hue, but here the gorgeous amber-gold comes entirely from the fruit itself as it slowly reduces and caramelizes. The technique is more approachable than it looks: a cheesecloth bundle does the heavy lifting on natural pectin, a candy thermometer takes the guesswork out of the set, and a frozen-plate test gives you a satisfying, tactile way to know you've nailed it. The result is a glossy, jewel-toned marmalade with tender peel suspended throughout — complex enough to feel artisan, but made entirely on your own stovetop. Processed in a water bath, these jars keep beautifully on the shelf and make genuinely thoughtful gifts for anyone who reads labels carefully.
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Learn more →Ingredients
48 servings
- 2 lbs navel or seville oranges (about 4 medium), scrubbed
- 2 lemons, scrubbed
- 8 cups water
- 6 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- 1
Halve all the oranges and lemons. Squeeze the juice from each half into a large heavy-bottomed pot (at least 8-quart), catching the seeds and any loose pulp in a fine-mesh strainer set over the pot. Transfer the seeds and strained pulp to a double layer of cheesecloth; set the squeezed halves aside.
- 2
Using a spoon, scrape the white pith and any remaining pulp from the inside of each squeezed orange and lemon half and add it to the cheesecloth bundle — this pith is rich in natural pectin and is essential for the set. Tie the cheesecloth into a secure bundle with kitchen twine, leaving a long tail to tie to the pot handle.
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