My easy sugar free orange marmalade recipe is zesty and full of flavour. Even better, at 2.1g net carbs per tablespoon it's suitable for low carb and keto diets.
I've lived in London for over half my life now and I've come to love many of the British staples, from English Breakfast to scones (I've linked to my keto versions of these wonderful dishes here!).
So, naturally, I also adore orange marmalade!
Regular orange marmalade contains astonishing amounts of sugar. It is not unusual for a recipe that requires 4 oranges to use 8 cups - almost 2 kilos - of table sugar!
The sugar helps preserve the marmalade, and also thickens it. But unfortunately it will also raise your blood sugar levels. Not a good choice!
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A Sugar Free Marmalade Recipe
Oranges contain a fair amount of natural sugar and carbs - about 12 grams of net carbs per orange. So, you could argue that there is no such thing as a sugar free orange marmalade.
Well, I'm asking you politely here to please not split hairs. I'm using the term "sugar free" because I have replaced the sugar in the recipe with powdered sweetener, which is zero carb.
This way, the only carbs and sugars you're consuming are from the fructose in the orange. There's also more fibre than you'd find in regular orange marmalade, because I'm using the ENTIRE ORANGE, including the skins. And fibre slows the absorption of glucose (sugar & carbs) into the blood.
And since one generous portion is 1 tablespoon, this adds up to no more than 2.1 grams per serving! Voila, you've got yourself a spoonful of sunshine to brighten up your keto breakfast.
IMPORTANT: My sugar free orange marmalade is not a clear jelly like the marmalade you may be used to. Because it contains all the fibre an orange has to offer, it's more like a jam. It's simply incredibly tasty, zesty and totally delicious!
Instructions
Let's make keto orange marmalade!
You start by scrubbing the oranges to remove all the wax. This will also improve the taste of the final product!
Then you chop off the tops and the bottoms or the oranges, where the skin is normally the thickest. Quarter the fruit, remove any seeds and slice into VERY THIN slices using a sharp knife.
Now, throw the slices into a metal saucepan, add the water and juice of 1 lemon. Bring to the boil and then simmer, lid on, for 2 hours.
After this, remove the lid, add the sweetener and turn up the heat to medium to bring the jam back to a boil. This now starts to reduce the liquid in the pan. Don't forget to start stirring frequently at this point!
(Note - now is the time to add in any flavours if you wish - a vanilla pod, a cinnamon stick, a little ginger or even a shot of whiskey.)
Basically, you want the temperature in the pot to go beyond 100 degrees Celsius, so the natural pectin in the orange pith - the white part of the skin - can release and thicken the orange jam so it sets nicely.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend that you use seedless oranges with a thin skin. The thicker the pith, the more bitter your marmalade will taste. Juicing oranges are normally thin-skinned. Ask your greengrocer for advice!
Don't use Seville oranges for this recipe. I know they are "it" when it comes to regular orange marmalade. But their skin contains more bitterness than that of regular oranges. You would not want to use as much skin as we are for this sugar free marmalade recipe. Seville oranges NEED A LOT MORE sugar than we are using here.
I used a powdered erythritol / monk fruit mix, but xylitol or allulose would work equally well here. I felt that 1.5 cups was sufficient, but you could increase it to about 2 cups if you prefer a sweeter marmalade.
Since I'm using the entire orange in this recipe, I'm aware some people may feel it's too intense. You know yourself best! If you have a real sweet tooth, consider not using the peel from ALL the oranges. So, if you're using 3 large oranges, simply discard the peel of one and only use the fruit.
Yes. Several readers have now told me that they made this sugar free marmalade recipe with a mixture of orange, lemon and lime or made the marmalade with only lemon or with lime. Lemons and limes are a lot more zingy than oranges. You will need to increase the sweetener to taste.
How to know when marmalade is ready
Cooking times will depend on how hot your stove it. So if you're using a lower temperature than I did, your jam will take a little longer.
This is the rule of thumb: If your marmalade looks thick at the end of cooking, you KNOW it's ready. However, if it looks still a little thin, you can test it by putting a spoonful on a plate, which you put it in the fridge or freezer for a little bit.
If the top of the mix starts wrinkling when you touch it with a finger or spoon, it's set! Otherwise, reduce it a little longer.
Marmalade WILL continue to set for up to 48 hours after you stop cooking. So, be patient.
Storage
Fill your sugar free orange marmalade into clean glass jars and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
I do not recommend trying to can this marmalade. Regular marmalade has a long shelf life because of the sugar, which helps preserve it. The acid in the lemon (and the oranges) helps preserve this jam, but essentially, this is NOT a long life product.
UPDATE: I have now had reports from readers that they have canned the marmalade successfully. This is what Toni wrote me in June 2024:
"I made several pints, following your recipe exactly. Processed them in a water bath for 10 minutes. This was in February. We have opened one a month, the latest one today and it is as delicious as the day it was made. So happy to know I can preserve this, as it is my favorite marmalade/jam."
Uses
Spread over keto buns or on a slice of toasted low carb bread. Spoon over sugar free ice cream or blend a couple of spoonfuls into my keto cheesecake fluff!
Orange marmalade also works exceedingly well with pork or chicken - use a few spoonfuls brush over chicken towards the end of roasting!
More Sugar Free Jam Recipes
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Recipe
Sugar Free Orange Marmalade Recipe
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds / 900g oranges (about 3 large organic oranges)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups / 480ml water
- 1.5 cup / 240g powdered sweetener ***see notes
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the oranges to remove the wax on the skins and cut off the tops and bottoms. Quarter, remove any seeds and slice as thinly as possible. Put into a saucepan together with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 hours with the lid closed.
- Take off the lid and increase the temperature to medium. Add the sweetener and let the marmalade bubble away and reduce, stirring regularly (especially towards the end). Adjust sweetener, adding more if required.
- Fill the marmalade into glass jars and store in the fridge.
Beatrice
Please can anyone tell me of I can replace the oranges with limes. Thank you
Katrin Nürnberger
I would say yes. Do keep in mind that limes are a lot more zingy than oranges and you will have to adjust the amount of sweetener and most likely use quite a bit more.
Nicolas
I am using the zest to.make candied orange peel. Will this recipe work without the peel?
Katrin Nürnberger
I do not recommend it. In my opinion, you need the zest to make the marmalade taste good.
Pauline
Might recipe work with cumquats????
Katrin Nürnberger
That's a good question. Kumquats are more tart than oranges. You will definitely need more sweetener. It could work! Might be very intense in flavor because they are small, meaning there is more skin. Perhaps try a jam that's half kumquat and half orange?
Toni C.
I am so glad I found your recipe for orange marmalade. We have an orange tree, and I have tried many different recipes, all disappointments.
I love this marmalade. I wanted to test if it can be canned.
I made several pints, following your recipe exactly. Processed them in a water bath for 10 minutes. This was in February. We have opened one a month, the latest one today and it is as delicious as the day it was made.
So happy to know I can preserve this, as it is my favorite marmalade/jam. Thank you so very much.
Katrin Nürnberger
Thank you so much for testing this - now we know it can be done!
Zoe Archer
I have used this recipe several times. Every time is works great and hubby just loves the fact that he can have marmalade again. I use 250 ml mason jars, refrigerate one and freeze the others. I would love a recipe for ginger marmalade, I thought about just swapping out oranges for ginger, unless you have a recipe for it!
Thank you.
Katrin Nürnberger
A sugar free ginger marmalade sounds like a great idea. I'll think on it!
Jane Watson
It is so nice to have marmalade again. I made this using navel oranges (the only type available here) and Powdered Truvia. Allulose is not yet approved or available in Australia. I find the marmalade a little too pithy and bitter, in spite of the oranges being fairly thin skinned. Next time I will take off the rind with a grater and leave the pith behind. I hope this does not affect the setting properties.
Katrin Nürnberger
I think that should work just as well, Jane. A useful tweak for anyone who prefers no bitterness at all in their marmalade.
Jus
I love this recipe. The marmalade is fruity, colourful, with a lovely texture. I used xylitol though, just because that was what I had.
Julie Greaves
Hello Katrin, the first time I made this marmalade it was fabulous so when I finished my first batch I didn't envisage a problem with my 2nd attempt but when cooled this batch has set hard and crystallised. I don't know what I did wrong. I did use a different brand of erythritol and it is 100% erythritol. Would I have been better with a mix? Also is there anyway I can salvage it?
Katrin Nürnberger
Whenever I have used pure erythritol in jams, I have experienced re-crystallisation around the edges of a jar, but never in the middle. Is the entire jar unusable straight from the fridge? Warming it again will make the crystallisation go away. It sounds like this particular brand of erythritol is less suitable than others for jams and sauces. It should work fine in cakes and muffins though.