Mandarin Marmalade

Vibrant mandarin marmalade made with 3 simple ingredients: mandarins, organic orange peel and maple syrup. It’s made without pectin and doesn't require gelling sugar. As a result, this marmalade is pretty low in sugar. This recipe will give you one jar of marmalade, but you can easily scale it up. We think it’s the best way to use up a large amount of mandarins.

This recipe was published on the 14th of December 2020 and updated on the 7th of December 2021.

Jump to:

• Ingredients and optional add-ins
• Step-by-step with pictures
• How to sterilize jars for canning jam
• How to use mandarin marmalade
• FAQ
• Join us!
• The recipe

Ingredients and optional add-ins

Mandarins: you'll need the juice and the pulp of 10 to 15 mandarins depending on their size. The addition of fruit pulp is necessary to thicken the marmalade and make it spreadable.

One organic orange: you'll need the zests. You can juice the orange once you peeled it if you'd like.

Maple syrup: to sweeten the marmalade, add a splash of maple syrup. You can substitute it with brown sugar or coconut sugar. You can also leave it out completely if you like bitter marmalades.

Taste-wise, mandarin marmalade resembles a classic orange marmalade but it's a little sweeter and more delicate.

Optional add-ins

• The juice of 1 (or more) lemon, lime or grapefruit
• A handful of diced kumquats
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A spalsh of whiskey or gin

Step-by-step with pictures

Juice the mandarins. Use an electric juicer to be quicker. You need to obtain about 17 fluid ounces (500 ml) of juice to make 1 jar of marmalade. Save the pulp.

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Peel the organic orange. Cut off the top and the bottom of the orange. Use a sharp knife to slice off the orange peel by following the curve of the orange. Then, flip the orange peels over and carefully remove the white parts. This step prevents the marmalade from getting bitter.
Cut the orange peels into thin strips. You can either eat the orange or juice it and add it to the marmalade.

If you want mandarin marmalade without peel you can skip this step. Note that the marmalade might be a little thinner and runny.

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Simmer the juice. Add the mandarin juice, pulp, orange strips and maple syrup to a saucepan (or larger pot if you’re making bigger quantities). Simmer for 45 to 75 minutes over medium heat (it depends on the heat, amount of pulp and amount of juice you're using). Stir occasionally. The final consistency should be similar to the right picture below.

Knowledge bite: adding mandarin pulp and orange peels to the marmalade help it to thicken.

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Fill the mandarin marmalade into jars. You can fill it into a clean, air-tight container and keep it in the fridge for a maximum of 1 week. You can also sterilize marmalade jars (see below) and store the marmalade for up to 1 year.

How to sterilize jars for canning jam

To store mandarin marmalade (and other jams or fruit preserves) over longer periods of time, you need to fill them into sterilized jars. This prevents them from getting contaminated by bacteria and prevents the growth of mold. 

Glass jars to use for canning: you need to use heat-stable glass jars that withhold high temperatures. If the jars have lids, make sure they are in good condition. If you’re using flat, gasket-lined lids with screw bands (e.g., Mason jars), make sure to use new flat lids (you can reuse the screw bands). 

Follow these 6 steps to easily sterilize jam jars and start canning your marmalade (you can find step-by-step pictures here):

1. Wash the jam jars with dish soap and water.
2. Fill a large, deep pot (e.g., stockpot) with water and bring it to a boil. 
3. Add your marmalade jars and lids to the pot and make sure they fill up with water and sink to the bottom. 
4. Boil them for 10 to 15 minutes. 
5. Remove them from the pot with tongs. Place them on a CLEAN paper towel. Hold the hot jars with potholders and start filling them with the hot marmalade right away. Be careful not to touch the rim of the jars. Leave about ¼ inch (0,5 cm) of headroom at the top of each jar.
6. Close the jars thoroughly (make sure they are air-tight). Flip them upside down and let them cool. This enables the creation of a vacuum. Note that the lid should make a “plop” noise when you open it. This guarantees the food safety of the marmalade.

Once the jars have cooled down, you can store them in a dark and cool place for up to one year. When you open the jar, you can keep it in the fridge for 1 to 3 months.

How to use mandarin marmalade

You can use mandarin marmalade as you would use orange marmalade. Here are some ideas:

• Spread the mandarin marmalade on toast or a sandwich.
• Use it in a marinade or sauce.
• Use it to make an orange marmalade cake.
• Add it to this balsamic olive oil dressing to make a mandarin vinaigrette.
• Add it into a cocktail. You can make great gin or mojito cocktails with orange or mandarin marmalade.

FAQ

The recipe