A classic orange cordial, based on an old-fashioned recipe.

or scroll for handy tips and a little nostalgia.

This homemade Orange Cordial Recipe is the perfect solution for excess citrus. Bottle up those excess oranges and enjoy them throughout the year.

Forget the supermarket stuff. It’s so easy to make your own homemade orange cordial and you simply won’t beat the flavours of homemade cordial.

This recipe requires 4 or 5 small oranges, caster sugar, tartaric acid and water. It produces about one litre of cordial, so adjust the recipe according to how many oranges you have and how much cordial you’d like.

You’ll also need a muslin cloth to strain the cordial before bottling all that sweet orange-y goodness.

Love homemade cordial?

Explore more of Nana Ling’s old-fashioned cordial collection:

Passionfruit Cordial

Lemon and Mint Cordial

Orange Cordial

A classic orange cordial, based on an old-fashioned recipe.

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Australian

Keyword: orange cordial recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 5

Resting time: 15

Servings: litre

Calories: 2103kcal

Ingredients

300 ml fresh orange juice (4-5 small oranges, 3-4 larger oranges)
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons tartaric acid
2 1/2 cups caster sugar
2 cups water

Instructions

Add tartaric acid to juice and stir to combine.
Add sugar and water to a saucepan, along with the zest, and stir over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture just starts to simmer. This should take about 5 minutes. Remove mixture immediately as it starts to simmer.
Allow sugar mixture to cool for 10 minutes and then pour over orange juice and leave for 15 minutes.
Strain mixture using a muslin cloth. Pour into a sterilised bottle and place cap on bottle.
Allow to cool and store in the pantry for up to 12 months. Or pop it in the fridge to enjoy immediately.
Enjoy mixed with water or soda water, using 1 part cordial and 4 or 5 parts water.

Nutrition

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Lucy

Monday 28th of August 2023

I'm unable to find tartaric acid in stores at the moment. Can I substitute with citric acid?

Lucy Stark

Wednesday 30th of August 2023

@Libby Hakim, thank you!! I found it at foodland :)

Libby Hakim

Hi Lucy. Yes, citric acid is the best substitute. There's also a page which tells you where you can buy tartaric acid if you're in Australia: https://www.mckenziesfoods.com.au/product/mckenzies-tartaric-acid/ Thanks! Libby

Jason Harrow

Wednesday 26th of July 2023

I have a large orange tree that is dropping fruit, but the fruit isn't sweet enough to eat until September-October. I have made all the marmalade i care to and i was wondering if these windfall oranges would be suitable for your orange cordial recipe?

Absolutely! Just juice them up and follow the recipe when you're ready. The Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins recipe is also a winner.

Janelle

Sunday 5th of February 2023

Brilliant! My husband loves this cordial, "better than the supermarket" he says.

Awesome, thanks for the review and rating Janelle! My husband also notices when we run out of this cordial :) Happy cooking!

Bailee

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I make this fresh all the time but have never stored it long term. Does the cap need to seal? And what else can I use instead of Tartaric acid?

Hi! If you seal the cap properly it will store better/longer. You can substitute citric acid, however I recommend Tartaric acid as included in the original recipe. It is a better preserver and will also enhance flavour more, from what I understand. I avoid making suggestions re: how long cordials will last as this depends on so many factors. I personally take a risk averse approach and try to refrigerate my cordials within a couple of months or straight away.

Maurice

Wednesday 23rd of February 2022

Thanks, how long to is the shelf life for room temperature and refrigerated