Tangerine Marmalade Recipe - Step-by-Step Easy Recipe to Make – Yum Eating (2024)

Easy to make – all in one cooking method- tangerine marmalade recipe without added pectin or special jam sugar, that can be made any time of the year. A delicious recipe that only needs three ingredients – tangerines, regular white sugar & lemon juice.

This citrus marmalade is great on toast, as a topping for pancakes, oatmeal or for savoury cooking.

Why make this recipe ?

• Can be made any time of the year (unlike regular Seville Orange Marmalade)
• Quick to make
• Only 3 ingredients tangerine marmalade and no added pectin needed
• Easy recipe to follow – all in one cooking method
• Delicate flavour
• Perfect as a gift – lasts up to 12 months

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Tangerines, like other citrus fruit, including seville oranges and it’s alternatives, are naturally high in pectine, which means we don’t need to use any additional pectin or special pectin high sugar. This makes this homemade tangerine jam a very budget friendly recipe.

I can never resist the smell of freshly baked bread, thickly buttered and topped with marmalade. While January and February are the best months to make a proper Seville Orange Marmalade here in the UK, for the rest of the year, we have to use other citrus fruits.

Rather than seeing it as a disadvantage, I think it’s great to experiment with different flavours and make a marmalade from other fruits.

Today, I wanted to share with you my favourite recipe for my homemade tangerine marmalade made without added pectin or special jam sugar. Tangerines are available throughout the whole year here in the UK.

Tangerines also are usually much cheaper than Seville Oranges and marmalade making is quicker, because their skin is much finer than oranges one.

Marmalade making equipment

• Large pan or a saucepan
• Mixing spoon or a wooden mixing spoon
• Jam thermometer (optional)
• Small plates (kept in the fridge for testing the jam later)
• 3-4 sterilised jam jars with lids (depening on the size)

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Ingredients for tangerine marmalade recipe

Tangerines

You can use any type of tangerines that you have. It’s sometimes worth trying one from the bag you buy, because they can really vary in flavour.

If you happen to get some that are watery and don’t have much flavour, you can add lemon or lime to compensate for this (or don’t use them at all and buy another batch from somewhere else).

Tangerine marmalade has a much lighter flavour, and it’s not as bitter as marmalade made from Seville Oranges.

Some people like that, but others (like me) like the tang of traditional marmalade. This is easy to achieve by swapping one or two tangerines with a lemon or lime. The tangy lemons balance out the sweetness of tangerines perfectly.

You can, of course use clementines too. These will be even more delicate in flavour and since they are usually smaller with a thinner skin they will be done even quicker.

Sugar

You’ll notice that I’ve used basic granulated sugar in this recipe and this is because tangerines have plenty of pectin in already, so you don’t need to spend your money on fancy marmalade sugars.

If you already have one in the cupboard, don’t worry, just use it and your tangerine marmalade will set slightly quicker and firmer than mine did.

It’s best to use basic white sugar, because it doesn’t have much flavour and the tangerines come through really nicely. I usually avoid using stronger types of sugars with this recipe, such as coconut sugar or coconut sugar alternatives as they are way too strong in colour and flavour.

Additional flavouring – spices, alcohol, honey

If the delicious flavour of natural tangerines wasn’t enough, you could always add complimenting spice in (such as cinnamon, nutmeg or mixed spice) or add a dash of whisky.

Make your recipe as described and add any flavouring after you’ve tested the marmalade for setting and you are ready to pour.

Alcohol evaporates around 70C, so leaving the marmalade to sit to cool down for a bit it’s not only good for the distribution of the tangerine rind but also for not burning out the flavours or alcohol.

Another lovely flavour addition for this easy tangerine recipe is honey. You can add 1-2 tablespoons in with the sugar and add a tiny bit less sugar.

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Tangerine Marmalade – Flavour suggestions

Tangerine & Gin Marmalade – add 2-3 tablespoons of gin in the marmalade mixture just before potting up

Christmas Tangerine Marmalade – add 2-3 teaspoons of ground mixed spice (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg etc.) just before potting up. You can also add some dried raisins or currants (or any dry currant substitutes) soaked in whisky for few days and added to the marmalade just before potting up.

Sharp Tangerine Marmalade – swap 2 tangerines for 2 lemons and follow the recipe as it is.

How to make tangerine marmalade at home

I’ve given you two different options with this homemade tangerine marmalade recipe without pectin. You can either cut the tangerines into very thin slices (with the rind on) and soften them by boiling or you can boil them first whole and then take out the inside pith and slice the skin/tangerine skin.

Both options take about the same time as slicing through the fresh tangerines takes longer than removing the pith from the boiled tangerines and slicing through 3-4 layers of the tangerine skin at the same time.

Tangerine Marmalade Option 1

Cut the tangerines into thin slices (across the tangerines) keeping the rind on. Remove any pips or green bits of stalks.

Simmer for 20 minutes to soften

Add sugar, boil etc as per recipe

Tangerine Marmalade Option 2

Simmer the tangerines whole, until soft – about 30-40 minutes

Cut into quarters, remove all pith and squeeze out any juice (add the juice to the boiled water), remove any pips

Shred the tangerine skin (put 3-4 skins on top of each other and cut through).

Add sugar, boil etc. as per recipe

STEP 1 – Soften the tangerines

First of all, wash all the tangerines and remove any bits that don’t look perfect.

Next, place tangerines and water in a large pot and bring to a boil if boiling them whole. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for about 30-45 minutes (for whole tangerines or 20 minutes for tangerine slices) or until the tangerine rind (peel) is tender. You’ll know when it’s done because the skin will become translucent.

STEP 2 – Measure out the tangerine juice/liquid

You shouldn’t have much of the tangerine water liquid evaporated during the first step, but if you do, add more orange juice, lemon juice, tangerine juice or water.

STEP 3 – Cut the tangerine into thin shreds – if not sliced at the beginning

Take the tangerines out, leave to cool down a bit. Cut in half and remove all the inside squeezing any juice out as you go.

If you add too much of the pith your marmalade will become cloudy but will have more flavour (as you are keeping more of the tangerine). Remove any pips as you go and make sure they don’t get mixed into the marmalade mix.

Cut the tangerine skin in thin shreds by layering two or three skins on top of each other and cutting through to save time.

STEP 4 – Dissolve the sugar

The next job is to add the sugar and stir it gently until the sugar dissolves. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved by checking on the back of a spoon. If you see any sugar crystals, then you need to leave it for a little bit longer to dissolve.

STEP 5 – Boil tangerine marmalade

When all the sugar is dissolved, bring the marmalade back to boil and carry on cooking for about 20-30 minutes, until the mixture is thicker and slightly darker than when you started.

Reduce the heat if you feel that the marmalade mixture is getting thick too quickly or running away from the pot! Stir occasionally, but don’t over stir as this might crystalise the sugar.

It’s best not to leave the cooker while you do this, as the marmalade takes a while to get going, but towards the end, the process is very quick, and you don’t want to end up with a burned mixture.

STEP 6 – Test your marmalade

Place a couple of small plates in a freezer or a fridge, before you start making your tangerine marmalade. You will need them later on to test your marmalade.

To make sure that your marmalade sets when you pour it, you need to test it first. Take the whole pot off the heat, put a spoonful of the tangerine marmalade on the cold plate and place in the fridge for 5 minutes. Then test it with your finger.

If the marmalade wrinkles when you push it sideways, it’s done. If the marmalade is runny or doesn’t wrinkle easily, bring the whole pot back to the boil and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Test again.

When your ‘wrinkle test’ comes up positive, take the pot off the heat, wait a few minutes and then add any flavours you were going to use.

STEP 7 – Add any additional flavours

This is optional, but you can add any warming spices such as cinnamon, mixed spice or cloves and orange liquer or gin to compliment the flavour of the tangerines.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of alcohol if using and about 1 teaspoon of the spices. Taste is very carefully, leaving to cool down a bit and add more if needed.

STEP 8 – Pour

Pour into sterilised jam jars or other glass containers, seal immediately and let to cool down.

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How to store your homemade tangerine marmalade & shelflife

If you’ve prepared your jam jars correctly (e.g. sterilised, airtight seal etc.) your tangerine marmalade will last easily up to 12 months (or longer).

You can also pour the marmalade into any other suitable container with a lid and keep it in the fridge if you don’t have a proper jam jars with sealed lids. This can be for instance sturdy plastic container. Keep marmalade in the fridge if it’s not properly sealed in a jam jar.

Keeping your homemade tangerine marmalade in the freezer

Other storage options can include freezing marmalade if you made too much tangerine marmalade to eat at one time. Leave the marmalade to cool down a bit after you’ve finished boiling it.

Pour into a suitable container for freezer (not glass!!!) and close it when it’s completely cold making sure you are not trapping any moisture in. Keep in the freezer for up to 6-8 months.

I would use smaller containers, so that you can take out the marmalade in a smaller quantities and don’t waste a large amount of marmalade in case you can’t eat it in one go.

Tips on how to achieve a clear tangerine marmalade

Cut the tangerines into thin slices by hand first.

Initially boil, but then simmer for most of the marmalade making process to make sure that the sugar in the marmalade doesn’t caramelise. This would make the marmalade slightly darker (but still tasting delicious!)

How to prevent foam on the top of the tangerine marmalade

Just before you pot the marmalade add a tablespoon of butter to the marmade and gently stir in. Leave the marmalade to set a little before potting. Any air bubbles will pop and you can take out any remaining foam from the top of the marmalade.

Can I chopp the tangerines in a food mixer or a processor?

Yes, of course you can, just bear in mind that your marmalade will become much more cloudy (not see-through and translucent) as if you cut the tangerines by hand. It does save time, so it depends on what’s more important to you.

My tangerine marmalade is too thick, can I do anything to troubleshoot that?

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This blog post was originally written on 7 January 2020 and last updated on 16 November 2022