This Instant Pot Orange Marmalade is the AIP jam you’ve been missing. This classic recipe has been adapted to use honey which makes it completely Paleo and AIP friendly.
Is orange marmalade gluten free?
Yes, orange marmalade is naturally gluten free. However, if you are buying store bought make sure that it’s certified gluten free or made in a dedicated gluten free facility.
Is jam AIP friendly?
This recipe is AIP friendly. But most store bought jams or jellies are not AIP friendly. They generally use refined white sugar or other sweetener like corn syrup (and other additives) which is not allowed during the elimination stage of the autoimmune protocol.
Making marmalade in a pressure cooker
1.Put a few small plates in the freezer as you'll use them to test the marmalade later.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest in strips from oranges. Cut strips into 1-by-1/8 inch strips. With a knife, cut off all white membrane, or pith, from peeled oranges. Discard the pith.
3. Working with one piece at a time, set fruit on its cut end and use a sharp knife to remove the white pith from the outside. Be as precise as possible—you really don't want any of the pith left on the fruit, as it’s super bitter. Discard the pith.
4. Hold the peeled fruit over large bowl to catch the juice and hold with one hand. Then use a sharp paring knife to cut out the sections, letting the sections drop into the bowl below. Pick out the seeds and set them aside. You'll actually use them later.
5. Once you've cut the sections out of the fruit, you'll be left with a handful of the membrane that separates the orange sections. Over the bowl with squeeze out as the remaining juice into the bowl with the orange sections. Discard the membranes. Again, do not throw away the seeds.
6. Fill the instant pot with 2 cups of water. Set your instant pot to ‘saute’ on ‘more’ and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the zest and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pot, leaving the zest and then fill the pot with 2 cups of water again. Again, set the timer for 10 minutes (it's okay that it hasn't begun to boil yet when you start the time) and bring to a boil over high heat. One last time drain the water from the pot while leaving the zest and fill with 2 cups water, boil for another 10 minutes. Drain one last time while leaving the zest.
7. Next add the fruit and juices to the zest in the pot along with 4 cups of water and honey. Stir to dissolve the honey and bring everything to a boil, about 10 minutes.
8. While the orange mixture is heating up, make the ‘pectin bag.’ Put the seeds in a double-layer of cheesecloth. Lay a large layer of cheesecloth in a medium plate or bowl and add the seeds on top. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together so the seeds are held inside. You’re essentially making a teabag out of the cheesecloth or a ‘pectin bag.’
9. Once the orange mixture starts to boil, add the "pectin bag" to the mix. Let cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours while stirring occasionally.
10. For the final marmalade to set, it needs to be 220 F for at least 5 minutes. You can use a candy thermometer, but if you don't have one, you will need to do several tests using those frozen plates. If you’re not using a candy thermometer, make sure to watch it as it thickens. It’s easy to get distracted and forget about it.
11. After the marmalade has reached 220 F and stayed there for 5 minutes, you test the marmalade by dropping a spoonful of the mixture on one of the chilled plates you set in the freezer earlier. Let it sit for a minute, swirl the plate to spread the marmalade, then drag your finger through the mixture. If the marmalade is ready, it will leave a clean track behind it. The mixture will have also reduced and be thicker than water. When you hold your spoon up, you will notice that the liquid doesn’t roll off the spoon as quickly. You don’t want it to look like super thicker and already look like marmalade as it will continue to thicken as it cools. If it’s already super thick then it was end up hardening as it cools and won’t spread.
12. Once it's finished cooking, remove the pectin bag from the marmalade. Use a large spoon to press the bag against the side of the pot to get as much of the marmalade out of the bag as possible. Discard the bag and its contents.
13. Remove the pot from the heat and let the marmalade mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes before transferring it to the jars. You’ll want it to cool slightly before transferring it to jars.
Tips for making the best Instant Pot Marmalade
- This is an advanced recipe. It is not for beginners.
- Use fresh oranges. Older oranges will have tougher peels and you’ll have a hard time removing them.
- You must use home grown or organic oranges for this recipe. Anything else will have a waxy coating which you don’t want to consume. Either way, the must be clean as you’re eating the inside and outside of the orange. Nothing goes to waste in this recipe.
- I used Valencia and navel oranges. However, Seville orange are traditional in orange marmalade. But they tend to be more bitter.
- Instead of using pectin which is a processed manmade product, we’re using the seeds. The bitter seeds are used because they naturally contain pectin, which is a thickener and is what will "set" the marmalade. You will use this to make a large teabag or "pectin bag."
- This is the thermometer that I used. This was the recipe that convinced me to get a candy thermometer.
- To test the marmalade, by dropping a spoonful of the mixture on one of the chilled plates you set in the freezer earlier. Let it sit for a minute, swirl the plate to spread the marmalade, then drag your finger through the mixture. If the marmalade is ready, it will leave a clean track behind it. The mixture will have also reduced and be thicker than water. When you hold your spoon up, you will notice that the liquid doesn’t roll off the spoon as quickly.
- You’ve over cooked your marmalade if looks super thick and already looks like marmalade as it will continue to thicken as it cools. If it’s already super thick then it was end up hardening as it cools and won’t spread. You’ll end up with a taffy or hard candy-like substance. Not bad, but not marmalade. There’s a fine line between done and over cooked.
- Make sure to store in glass jars as citrus is too acidic for metal. I used mason jars like these.
- This recipe can be stored in the fridge or freezer but it’s shelf stable. You’ll need separate canning instructions for that to be done safely.
- Keep in mind that this recipe will continue to congeal as it cools.
- Do not try to transfer boiling liquid to jars. You can easily burn yourself and break the glass jars with such hot liquid.
- If you let your marmalade cool and realize that it’s too watery, you can dump it into a stock pot and cook it again. Please note that if you do a water bath and preserve the recipe in mason jars, you won’t have the ability to check the recipe after it cools. This only works for storing it in the refrigerator.
- If you over cook this recipe, you can put it into a stock pot with some water and heat it until melted and combined. The amount of water will depend upon how overcooked it is. But don’t go overboard. A quick way to loosen it up is just throw the jar or just a small bowl of marmalade into the microwave with a few teaspoons of water so help it melt as you’re ready to use it.
- Don’t over fill the mason jars if you plan on freezing them. Fill only to the fill line otherwise they may break as the marmalade expands.
- Don’t put hot marmalade filled mason jars directly into the freezer. Going from super-hot to super cold can easily break the glass.
If you like this Instant Pot Orange Marmalade recipe then you’ll love these AIP desserts.
- Coconut Panna Cotta (this would taste great with a dollop of this Instant Pot Orange Marmalade and a few orange slices)
- AIP Christmas Cookie (you could make a linzer cookie with this recipe and some Instant Pot Orange Marmalade)
- Plum Sticky Takeout Chicken (replace the plum with a few tablespoons of this Instant Pot Orange Marmalade)
- Pop Tarts (use the Instant Pot Orange Marmalade recipe for the filling)
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Instant Pot Orange Marmalade
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Candy Thermometer
- Cheesecloth
- Paring Knife
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Oranges
- 3 cups Honey
- 10 cups Water Divided
Instructions
- Put a few small plates in the freezer as you'll use them to test the marmalade later.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest in strips from oranges. Cut strips into 1-by-1/8 inch strips. With a knife, cut off all white membrane, or pith, from peeled oranges. Discard the pith.
- Working with one piece at a time, set fruit on its cut end and use a sharp knife to remove the white pith from the outside. Be as precise as possible—you really don't want any of the pith left on the fruit, as it’s super bitter. Discard the pith.
- Hold the peeled fruit over large bowl to catch the juice and hold with one hand. Then use a sharp paring knife to cut out the sections, letting the sections drop into the bowl below. Pick out the seeds and set them aside. You'll actually use them later.
- Once you've cut the sections out of the fruit, you'll be left with a handful of the membrane that separates the orange sections. Over the bowl with squeeze out as the remaining juice into the bowl with the orange sections. Discard the membranes. Again, do not throw away the seeds.
- Fill the instant pot with 2 cups of water. Set your instant pot to ‘saute’ on ‘more’ and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the zest and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pot, leaving the zest and then fill the pot with 2 cups of water again. Again, set the timer for 10 minutes (it's okay that it hasn't begun to boil yet when you start the time) and bring to a boil over high heat. One last time drain the water from the pot while leaving the zest and fill with 2 cups water, boil for another 10 minutes. Drain one last time while leaving the zest.
- Next add the fruit and juices to the zest in the pot along with 4 cups of water and honey. Stir to dissolve the honey and bring everything to a boil, about 10 minutes.
- While the orange mixture is heating up, make the ‘pectin bag.’ Put the seeds in a double-layer of cheesecloth. Lay a large layer of cheesecloth in a medium plate or bowl and add the seeds on top. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together so the seeds are held inside. You’re essentially making a teabag out of the cheesecloth or a ‘pectin bag.’
- Once the orange mixture starts to boil, add the "pectin bag" to the mix. Let cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours while stirring occasionally.
- For the final marmalade to set, it needs to be 220 F for at least 5 minutes. You can use a candy thermometer, but if you don't have one, you will need to do several tests using those frozen plates. If you’re not using a candy thermometer, make sure to watch it as it thickens. It’s easy to get distracted and forget about it.
- After the marmalade has reached 220 F and stayed there for 5 minutes, you test the marmalade by dropping a spoonful of the mixture on one of the chilled plates you set in the freezer earlier. Let it sit for a minute, swirl the plate to spread the marmalade, then drag your finger through the mixture. If the marmalade is ready, it will leave a clean track behind it. The mixture will have also reduced and be thicker than water. When you hold your spoon up, you will notice that the liquid doesn’t roll off the spoon as quickly. You don’t want it to look like super thicker and already look like marmalade as it will continue to thicken as it cools. If it’s already super thick then it was end up hardening as it cools and won’t spread.
- Once it has finished cooking, remove the pectin bag from the marmalade. Use a large spoon to press the bag against the side of the pot to get as much of the marmalade out of the bag as possible. Discard the bag and its contents.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the marmalade mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes before transferring it to the jars. You’ll want it to cool slightly before transferring it to jars.
Notes
- This is as advance recipe. It is not for beginners.
- Use fresh oranges. Older oranges will have tougher peels and you’ll have a hard time removing them.
- You must use home grown or organic oranges for this recipe. Anything else will have a waxy coating which you don’t want to consume. Either way, the must be clean as you’re eating the inside and outside of the orange. Nothing goes to waste in this recipe.
- I used Valencia and navel oranges. However, Seville orange are traditional in orange marmalade. But they tend to be more bitter.
- Instead of using pectin which is a processed manmade product, we’re using the seeds. The bitter seeds are used because they naturally contain pectin, which is a thickener and is what will "set" the marmalade. You will use this to make a large teabag or "pectin bag."
- This is the thermometer that I used. This was the recipe that convinced me to get a candy thermometer.
- To test the marmalade, by dropping a spoonful of the mixture on one of the chilled plates you set in the freezer earlier. Let it sit for a minute, swirl the plate to spread the marmalade, then drag your finger through the mixture. If the marmalade is ready, it will leave a clean track behind it. The mixture will have also reduced and be thicker than water. When you hold your spoon up, you will notice that the liquid doesn’t roll off the spoon as quickly.
- You’ve over cooked your marmalade if looks super thick and already looks like marmalade as it will continue to thicken as it cools. If it’s already super thick then it was end up hardening as it cools and won’t spread. You’ll end up with a taffy or hard candy-like substance. Not bad, but not marmalade. There’s a fine line between done and over cooked.
- Make sure to store in glass jars as citrus is too acidic for metal. I used these canning jars.
- This recipe can be stored in the fridge or freezer but it’s shelf stable. You’ll need separate canning instructions for that to be done safely.
- Keep in mind that this recipe will continue to congeal as it cools.
- Do not try to transfer boiling liquid to jars. You can easily burn yourself and break the glass jars with such hot liquid.
- If you let your marmalade cool and realize that it’s too watery, you can dump it into a stock pot and cook it again. Please note that if you do a water bath and preserve the recipe in mason jars, you won’t have the ability to check the recipe after it cools. This only works for storing it in the refrigerator.
- If you over cook this recipe, you can put it into a stock pot with some water and heat it until melted and combined. The amount of water will depend upon how overcooked it is. But don’t go overboard. A quick way to loosen it up is just throw the jar or just a small bowl of marmalade into the microwave with a few teaspoons of water so help it melt as you’re ready to use it.
- Don’t over fill the mason jars if you plan on freezing them. Fill only to the fill line otherwise they may break as the marmalade expands.
- Don’t put hot marmalade filled mason jars directly into the freezer. Going from super-hot to super cold can easily break the glass.
Helpful Info For All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise.
- I always use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt, unless otherwise noted.
- The majority of my recipes are strict AIP or include notations for reintroductions. However while I make every effort to label non-AIP ingredients and recipes sometimes they slip past me. If you have questions, please ask in advance.
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing your thoughts on my recipes so please rate and comment below.
Margaret says
Grandpa and grandson agree this is delicious.
Mary says
Step 5 says to discard the membranes but later it says to add them to the pectin bag. Should I put them in the pectin bag? Thank you
Beth says
Good eye! An earlier version of the recipe used the membranes but it made the marmalade too bitter so I removed it. Something must have happened to roll back the changes in the recipe. I'm sorry for the confusion. I hope you enjoy the marmalade recipe.