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    Home » Breakfast » Homemade Lemon Jam

    Published: May 14, 2019 · Modified: Jan 29, 2021 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Homemade Lemon Jam

    Jump to Recipe

    Make the best Lemon Jam at home with this super easy recipe. You need 3 simple ingredients only: lemons, water and sugar. No pectin here. Fill your crepes or top your cakes and tarts with it.

    You really don' need pectin when making jams. Here are our other jam recipes without pectin: Black mulberry jam, easy strawberry jam, orange jam and unripe figs jam.

    Homemade lemon jam in a jar accompanied by flowers

    This jam has a zesty, refreshing and a little tangy flavor, so it’s good for warm spring days! You can either have it at breakfast, spread it on biscuits or use it as a topping on lemon bread. I have another plan with it though. I’m going to make lemon jam thumbprint cookies and fill them with it very soon!

    Don’t you think even the name of this recipe sounds so tempting? I know it’s not the jam season yet, we mostly make it at the end of Summer or in September here in Turkey. So why did I make this lemon jam last night? Why am I that crazy to make it at night? Did I tell you that I forget about time concept when it comes to cooking?

    Easy lemon jam recipe picture

    My parents sent us a big box of lemons from their garden a few months ago and we’ve finally come to the end of these lemons! It was really hard to accept this sad reality when I saw last night that we had about a kilo left!

    These lemons are coming from Mersin, which is a city famous for its citrus fruit. The lemons from there have such a heavenly fragrance that when you cut them in halves, you feel like you’re in a citrus yard!

    So making jam with those lemons was my solution to keep the flavor of those wonderful lemons longer in our kitchen. It was the first time I was making it, so I was a bit excited and curious about the result. Despite all my fears, it came out perfect! No recipe could go wrong with these incredibly fragrant lemons! So use the best lemons you can find to make this jam. Maybe I could use some of them to make Turkish Delight with lemon flavor next time.

    Lemon jam recipe ingredients

    What Goes In Lemon Jam Recipe

    We don't need many ingredients for this recipe. You can make it right now if you have lemons, water and sugar. Nothing else is needed. This is the basic version of making lemon jam. If you want to enrich the flavor, add different ingredients like nuts or ginger.

    Lemons are used in three different forms in this jam:

    1. Lemon zest
    2. Chopped lemons
    3. Lemon juice
    Woman chopping lemons to make lemon marmalade jam

    Lemon Marmalade or Jam?

    Do you know the difference between marmalade and jam? To my childhood knowledge, they have two main differences. Marmalade is thicker than jam and looks more like fruit puree. This is how we know in Turkish cuisine. When I searched these terms on the Internet, I discovered a few more details.

    For one thing, jams contain fruit pulp and are like a combination of smashed fruit and sugar.

    Marmalades, on the other hand, are made with citrus fruit and contain the peel of the fruit. Please read more about this on Primer Magazine:

    What's The Difference Between Jelly, Jam, Marmalade, Preserves and Fruit Spread?

    So I think we can call this lemon marmalade recipe too because it has lemon zest and chopped lemons with the skin on.

    Making Lemon Jam

    The recipe has three straightforward steps.

    Woman making lemon jam in a pot

    First, prepare the lemons. Grate the zest of three lemons in a small bowl. Squeeze one of them. Put the lemon juice and grated lemons aside. Slice the fourth lemon into thin strips or chop it in bite size pieces or even in rings.

    Lemon zest and chopped lemon in a pot for lemon jam making.
    Lemon zest and chopped lemon in a pot for lemon jam making.
    Cooked lemon slices and lemon zest on a strainer with a small wooden spoon.
    Cooked lemon slices and lemon zest on a strainer with a small wooden spoon

    Second step is about removing the bitterness of lemon peel. Put the lemon zest and chopped lemons in a pot. Pour water over them and bring it to boil. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain the lemon zest and lemon pieces, put them back in the pot with clean water and repeat this step for the second time. Bring it to boil, simmer for 10 minutes and strain.

    Woman pouring lemon juice in a pot with lemon zest to make lemon jam.
    Woman pouring lemon juice in a pot with lemon zest to make lemon jam.
    Hands stirring lemon jam with a wooden spoon in a pot.
    Lemon jam cooked in a pot

    Third step is about making the jam. Put the cooked lemon pieces and zest in the pot along with sugar and water. Bring it to boil over medium high heat and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat. Let it cool in the pot and then keep it in a jar. You will see it is still runny when you remove it from heat. Don't worry! It will get the right consistency as it cools down.

    Woman with a blue shirt taking a spoon of lemon jam from a jar

    I'm leaving the image in the original post which was published in 2013 when we don't have much experience about food photography.

    Homemade Lemon Jam in a bowl

    Other Lemon Recipes

    • Lemon Cookies (naturally yellow)
    • Lemon Ice Cream Recipe
    • Lemon Poppy Seed Cake With Oil

    Other Jam Recipes

    • Small batch plum jam without pectin photographed in a glass jar.
      Damson Jam No Pectin
    • Orange jam in glass jars and a slice of orange on the side.
      Orange Jam Recipe
    • Mulberry jam on a slice of toasted bread.
      Mulberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin
    • Homemade Strawberry Jam. Easy to make. Only 3 ingredients needed.
      Strawberry Jam Without Pectin

    As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

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    📖 Recipe

    Homemade lemon jam in a jar accompanied by flowers
    3.34 from 15 votes

    Homemade Lemon Jam

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    Zesty, refreshing and fragrant lemon jam with three simple ingredients.
    Yields: 1 small jar (200 g)
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    PREP 5 minutes mins
    COOK 50 minutes mins
    TOTAL 55 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    • 4 large lemons 3 of them for their zest, 1 of them to be chopped
    • ¾ cup sugar
    • 2 cups water to boil lemons zest
    • 2 cups water to make the jam

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Grate zest of 3 lemons into a small bowl. Make sure to grate only the yellow skin, not the white part underneath.
    • Take one of those lemons and squeeze it to have 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 
    • Chop one whole lemon (with the skin on) or slice it thinly into strips or rings.
    • Put the zest and chopped lemon pieces in a pot.
    • Pour 1 cup water over them. Bring it to boil over medium high heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Strain and repeat this step one more time. The bitterness of lemon zest will be removed this way.
    • Add sugar, lemon juice and 2 cups water over strained lemon zest in pot.
    • Bring it to boil over medium low heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. It will be runny at this step but gets thicker as it cools down.
    • Keep it in a jar.

    NOTES

    These ingredients make about 200 g jam, so double or triple the ingredients if you want a larger amount.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 703kcalCarbohydrates: 190gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 57mgPotassium: 599mgFiber: 12gSugar: 161gVitamin A: 95IUVitamin C: 229mgCalcium: 142mgIron: 3mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine Turkish
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      3.34 from 15 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Linda says

      January 20, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      I made the jam and it was delicious but too thin. I cooked it 30 minutes. Could it be that my lemons were too small and I should use 4 lemons zested instead of 3? Help........I love the taste!

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        January 20, 2015 at 10:29 pm

        Linda, it's most probably about the size of lemons you used. If the jam is too thin, you can grate even 5 or 6 lemons and slice 2 or 3 lemons instead of 1. Glad that you love the taste.

        Reply
      • Christina Lowe says

        March 15, 2016 at 9:12 am

        I tried this recipe today, excited & prepared to can. I was going to do 8 jars & 4of Orange. However w/ a few bad lemons, I decided on 7 jars of lemon. I Alterd the recipe & set out hopeful. The larger amount & Being a busy Mom of 5, it took me much longer than I expected. Grating 21lemons is NO Joke! In the end, my jam is STILL runny & no where near as pretty as yours 🙁 & the taste is a bit bitter. (I used Papa's Lemons. They're the size of my fist to a med Orange.)Any suggestions on a quick fix so i can wrap it up for the night? ?? More Sugar or Zest for flavor & sweetness? I thought about chia seeds for thickening? Idk? Don't wanna throw out a good days work....

        Reply
        • Zerrin says

          March 15, 2016 at 10:55 pm

          Hi Christina, I'm really sorry that the recipe didn't work for you. You grated only the zest of lemons, didn't you? It's my fault that I didn't stated it in the recipe. We should grate the yellow parts only and be careful not to grate the white parts as they give a sharp bitterness. Sorry but I'm not sure whether adding more sugar helps it. As for its consitency, did you change the amount of lemon juice in the recipe? What gives the jam the right consistency and thickens the jam is lemon juice. I used 2 tablespoons for 4 lemons. So I guess you should have used almost half of a lemon and get about 10 tablespoons of lemon juice. So to thicken it, you can put it over heat, bring it to boil and add lemon juice, let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes and then remove from heat. You can check it with a spoon. Mix with a spoon and if the jam sticks on the back of the spoon, it's done. Hope these help.

    2. Jan Jones says

      November 05, 2014 at 4:37 pm

      4 stars
      I am a little confused. Do you use the 3 lemons you zested, or only the one you sliced into rings, or all of them? I could not figure out when and how to add in the 3 lemons.

      Reply
    3. Heidi says

      June 20, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe! I found this in March of this year, and have made three batches of this since then! We have a very bountiful lemon tree, so I made five times the recipe at once. The end result was delicious - almost reminiscent of a tart lemonade! I found some lovely limes and ruby red grapefruits at the market the other day. Tomorrow I'm planning on trying this recipe, but substituting a grapefruit or perhaps a few limes for some of the lemons. Do you have any advice, or have you perhaps tried this recipe with other citrus fruits? Thanks again for such a deliciously spritely recipe, without the heavy bitterness common to most marmalades!

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        June 20, 2014 at 11:11 pm

        Thank you for sharing your feedback on my lemon jam. It is one of the greatest hits, isn't it? Well, I tried the same recipe for orange leaving all the skins, but not with grapefruit. I think the skin of grapefruit is not so appealing, so you might leave them out or just use little. Would love to hear the result when you try!

        Reply
    4. Tzippi says

      March 19, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      The first instruction says to "grate 3 lemons". Does that mean zest/grate the peels, or grate the entire lemon?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        March 19, 2014 at 11:11 pm

        No not the entire lemon, just the zest.

        Reply
        • suzyq says

          April 13, 2014 at 9:15 pm

          Hi Zerrin,
          It came out AMAZING. Do you think it would be okay to double the amount without affecting the beautiful color of the jam and would it take 60 instead of 30 minutes to cook. Not sure if you tried. Thank you soo much for sharing your recipe.

    5. Tel says

      March 03, 2014 at 4:27 pm

      I made this Jam and it has been very popular i ended up with just one jar for my household will make it again but keep it a secret

      Reply
    6. Judy @ Season of Sweets says

      November 01, 2013 at 8:11 am

      Thank you Zerrin! I love the idea of making Lemon Jam late at night-I too lose all track of time in the kitchen. I have made lemon curd but never lemon jam. I am blessed with a lemon tree and can't wait to try this one 🙂

      Reply
    7. gabriela nadine says

      June 23, 2013 at 11:19 am

      Hello, Zerrin ! Love your site, it makes me dream of my beautiful holidays in Turkey, where I go with my husband almost every year (near Marmaris). A question, please: do I have to squeeze the juice from the 4 grated lemons ? Or is it enough to put only 2 tablespoons ? Thanks and all the best to you and your little one !

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        June 23, 2013 at 3:43 pm

        Hi Gabriela! Thanks for stopping by! Turkey is a wonderful place for summer holidays, isn't it? And the west of it has the best sea!
        As for your question, add just 2tbsp lemon juice to give the right consistency to the jam. The lemon flavor will be from the grated zest.
        Cheers from Turkey

        Reply
    8. Sarah says

      June 21, 2013 at 4:52 am

      When you say grate the 3 lemons do you mean the whole lemon or just the zest?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        June 21, 2013 at 11:42 pm

        Hi Sarah! I mean just the zest of lemons.

        Reply
        • BJ Ohliger says

          July 11, 2016 at 2:21 am

          I am glad that you are telling us that NOW......after I wasted 4 lemons , sugar and time. When I read to grate that is what I do. I will try again now that I know how it is to be made.

    9. Jenn says

      April 20, 2013 at 11:18 pm

      Do you happen to know if this can be canned? It seems like it should be acidic enough, haha. Looks great but if I make it I want lots of it 🙂

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 24, 2013 at 5:00 pm

        This jam can be kept in jars for months! You need to make several jars of it then:)

        Reply
    10. Samah( Good Cooks) says

      April 18, 2013 at 4:56 am

      Love how it came out clear and sure it is so delicious like it looks.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 18, 2013 at 9:53 pm

        Hi Samah! It has a great tangy flavor! We still have a little left. Thinking on how else I can use it!

        Reply
        • Patricia says

          April 14, 2016 at 9:55 pm

          Uses: on top of ice creams, puddings, inside little filo dough pillows, on pancakes, waffles, crepes, toasts, bagels, muffins, English Muffins, as a glaze with grilled or baked meat and fish, g(Salmon.. Chicken .mmm) on top or in, chicken or fish salads, add to sweet or savory smoothies. Pasta (Linguine, Orzo) Rice., Filling inside cupcakes, tarts, topping on full sized or mini cheesecakes. My mouth is now watering, have some fresh lemons from my neighbor's tree, going to go make some. Thanks for the beautiful photos and recipe!

        • Zerrin says

          April 14, 2016 at 10:51 pm

          All these are great ideas Patricia! Would love to hear your thoughts when you try it.

    11. Reeni says

      April 17, 2013 at 3:00 am

      It's not often I see a lemon jam Zerrin! I LOVE it! So refreshing and pretty! Like lemon sunshine. I'm off to check out your cookies!

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 17, 2013 at 10:41 am

        This lemon jam is not too sweet, its fragrance and tanginess are outstanding, so we love it! Its color is great, isn't it?

        Reply
    12. Chris at Hye Thyme Cafe says

      April 15, 2013 at 10:20 pm

      Looks and sounds delicious ... and got an OOOOH out of me as I was scrolling through posts in my Reader feed. 🙂

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 15, 2013 at 11:29 pm

        Lol! Thank you Chris! It is that good when combined with a little butter on bread:)

        Reply
    13. Bam's Kitchen says

      April 15, 2013 at 12:37 pm

      My lips are puckering and my mouth is watering. I love lemony lemon desserts and I know this would be beautiful as a topping on so many things. I know how you feel about being in a time warp when we are creating and cooking in our kitchen. I totally loose track of time. I love your cloth napkins and ornate spoons so beautiful to see some of your favorite things on display.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 15, 2013 at 11:27 pm

        I've already used it to fill thumbprint cookies today and it was perfectly tangy! It balances the sweetness of cookies. Happy to hear that you love the props!

        Reply
    14. FERIDE - AZ COOKBOOK says

      April 15, 2013 at 8:03 am

      This is going in my TO MAKE list! Looks and sounds so good. I have never attempted to make lemon preserves, but this recipe is very tempting. Great shot too! Thank you for sharing, Zerrin!

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 15, 2013 at 11:23 pm

        Hi Feride, you will love the lemon zest in it! I cut them in big slices, but you can chop into pieces too!

        Reply
      • Kathy says

        October 21, 2016 at 6:59 am

        Don't bother. I have just spent several hours with this shocking recipe. The final result is only half a jar of jam that isn't even set. It is an absolute shocker!

        Reply
    15. Ilke says

      April 15, 2013 at 2:20 am

      I love how sharp the jam looks...How clear! Wonderful, Zerrin. I will try this jam recipe for sure. We are not that much into very sweet jams and marmalade but this one will be a good one to make and keep around with its tangy flavor.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 15, 2013 at 11:22 pm

        Thank you Ilke! It is not too sweet, so I'm sure you will love it! Try to use fragrant lemons for this jam.

        Reply
    Newer Comments »

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    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

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    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

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    Woman with a blue shirt taking a spoon of lemon jam from a jar.
    Lemon jam in a jar and a spoon on it.

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