Lime Marmalade

There’s something so satisfying about turning a bowl of fresh limes into a couple of jars of glowing homemade lime marmalade. It feels like proper old-fashioned preserving: slicing the fruit, soaking and then simmering the peel until tender, then watching it transform into a glossy, golden-green spread.

This Lime Marmalade is sharp, sweet and fragrant. It uses just a few simple ingredients and no added pectin, relying on the natural pectin in the lime peel to help the marmalade set.

This recipe is a beautiful way to make the most of fresh limes, especially during citrus season. If you have a lime tree producing more fruit than you can use, this is a very handy recipe to have up your sleeve! You might also want to check out my Key Lime Pie and Lime Cordial recipes.

Jump to:

• What does lime marmalade taste like?
• The recipe
• Ingredient notes
• How to make Lime Marmalade using fresh limes
• Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• More favourite jams and marmalades
• Lime Marmalade Recipe

What does lime marmalade taste like?

Lime marmalade has a sharper, brighter flavour than orange marmalade. It’s sweet, tangy and slightly bitter in the best marmalade way, with a fragrant citrus flavour that works beautifully on toast, scones, crumpets or as a glaze for cakes and desserts.

The recipe

The recipe you'll find in the recipe card at the end of this post is based on my popular Orange Marmalade recipe and these old-fashioned lime marmalade recipes I found in a Women's Weekly magazine from 1979 and a newspaper clipping from 1927.

Ingredient notes

All you need is water, caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) and limes. Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Which limes are best for marmalade?

The common lime variety found in many Australian gardens and supermarkets – Tahitian Limes – is ideal for marmalade. They’re juicy, aromatic and easy to slice. They are mostly seedless, too. Ripe yellow-green limes are perfectly fine to use. They can actually be a little juicier and less harsh than very firm, dark green limes.

You can use Key limes or West Indian limes, though they’re smaller and more fiddly to prepare. Avoid Makrut limes if you're making marmalade – they have a very strong flavour and less juicy flesh.

Finger limes can be added for a special Australian native citrus twist. Use Tahitian limes as the main fruit, then stir through finger lime pearls towards the end of cooking or just before bottling.

How to make Lime Marmalade using fresh limes

Before you start

Here are some tips before starting:

• the recipe makes 700-800 mls of marmalade, enough to fill about two medium jars
• you'll need to sterilise the jars and lids before filling them (use the hottest setting on your dishwasher if you have one or simply boil and allow to air dry)
• you'll need to make this marmalade over 2 days as the sliced limes need to soak in water overnight, so plan ahead
• the trickiest part of the method is knowing when the marmalade reaches setting point and is ready to take off the heat – I've included plenty of tips, pics and advice below to help you meet the challenge, and you can also read my detailed how-to guide.

Day 1

Start by washing and drying the limes. Next, chop the very ends off the limes and then cut into quarters. Remove any visible seeds. Thinly slice the lime quarters (see image 1).

Place the sliced lime into a glass, china or plastic bowl. Add the water (see image 2), cover and allow to rest overnight.

TIP: Do not leave lime to soak overnight in a metal container as limes are highly acidic, and a long soak in a reactive metal container can sometimes cause a metallic taste or discolouration.

Day 2

The next day, place the limes and water into a saucepan or large frypan. Place over medium-high heat on the stovetop and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring every now and again, for 8 minutes (see image 3).

Warm the sugar in the microwave for 1 minute before taking the limes off the heat. Add the warmed sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar before returning to medium heat. Bring to the boil again and then adjust so the mixture is simmering at a medium pace – not furiously and not gently.

Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll know the marmalade is ready when it loses its watery appearance and starts to look shiny and "grab" the bottom of the saucepan a little as you stir (see image 4).

When it's reached this setting point, pour the hot marmalade into sterilised jars and seal with a lid.

TIP: Use a jam funnel – a wide-mouthed funnel that's made for getting that hot and sticky jam into a jar. I bought mine at Aldi during a special buy sale. You can also find them online and at specialty kitchen stores. Otherwise, carefully spoon or ladle your jam into the jar.

Storage

Once cooled, place the jars in the fridge and store for up to 6 months (unopened) or 2 months (once opened).

TIP: There is the option of "canning" this marmalade so you can store it for longer periods on the shelf in your pantry. However, you'll need to rely on your own knowledge of canning and preserving or read more about the fundamentals of canning. The process is too extensive to cover here.

Recipe FAQs

More favourite jams and marmalades

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)

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