Pork Free Orange Marmalade
Bright, bittersweet, and deeply aromatic, this classic citrus preserve is the kind of thing that makes a plain piece of toast feel like a proper occasion. It comes together with just four ingredients — fresh oranges, lemons, water, and sugar — so there's nothing hidden and nothing to second-guess. The technique here is genuinely clever: the pith and seeds get bundled into cheesecloth and simmered alongside the peel, releasing their natural pectin so the marmalade sets beautifully without any commercial additives. Slicing the peel by hand lets you control the texture, whether you want delicate, jewel-like slivers or satisfying chunky ribbons running through the gel. The frozen-plate set test takes all the guesswork out of knowing when you're done, and the boiling-water bath at the end means your jars will keep on the shelf for months. Spread it thickly on buttered toast, swirl it into yogurt, or use it as a glaze — once you've made a batch from scratch, the store-bought version is going to feel like a serious downgrade.
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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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