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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)
    Prevent your screen from going dark
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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. Ward says

      May 09, 2019 at 2:33 pm

      2 stars
      I am afraid this recipe didnt work as I have cooked over 2 hours, the jam didnt gel at all, still running like water.

      I read the comments and added some lemon juice and simmered for awhile but still, it's runny. I dont understand what did I do wrong and how did those who succeed.

      Even though it cant turn into the lemon jam, it's good lemon syrup.

      By the way, I have read the instruction over and over again and I want to ask you a question.

      You zest the lemon and put it in a pot. Did you put it with the content on the step 2? If you did, when you strain the water, how can you keep all the lemon zest as it's so fine?

      Thank you~

      Reply
    2. Caroline Stewart says

      December 29, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Hi. i am loving your recipe and I'm inspired to make your delicious lemon recipe.
      please could you answer 1 question for me.
      I'm wondering if you strain through muslin or a jam strainer to achieve such a clear end product ?
      Thank you. looking forward to trying this very soon

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        December 30, 2018 at 10:58 pm

        Hi Caroline! Well, I don't strain the jam as a final step. It is just as it is.
        Make sure you boil the lemon zest and lemon slices with some water and strain a few times until their bitterness is gone.
        Hope you love it as much as we do.

        Reply
    3. Tung says

      November 07, 2018 at 12:50 pm

      I did it, and it worked great!!!
      Thankyou~

      Reply
    4. Moipone Jeanette Makhakhe says

      July 27, 2018 at 3:18 pm

      very interesting I want to make lemon jam and juice at the same time.
      Is it possible?

      Reply
    5. Gunen Mayrow says

      December 29, 2017 at 3:28 am

      Hi, I was so excited to try this out but it didn't work! The taste was too bitter and the zest/ sliced lemon didn't gel. It remained the same. Was it because I used sweetener instead of sugar? Am really confused. What did I do wrong?

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        December 29, 2017 at 10:59 am

        Hi Gunen, I'm sorry it didn't work for you. The bitterness might be coming from the type of the lemon you used. Some lemons have really bitter zest and you need to do the first step more than two times. You know boiling the grated zest and sliced lemon in water and draining until that bitterness is gone. You can taste it after doing this 2 or three times and if it's still bitter, repeat this step until the bitterness is removed.
        As for the second question, I have no idea about sweeteners, but sugar helps its consistency.
        Hope these help.

        Reply
    6. roberta mosenfelder says

      March 12, 2017 at 5:47 pm

      so 4 lemons are used, 3 only for the zest. one entire lemon is used for the remainder of the jam?. are seeds used for extracting pectin? in a cloth bag so they can be removed easily..this might aid in jelling. Also, not using the variety of lemons you mention that are extra tart/?bitter..another variety might mean one does not need to extract so much bitterness from the peel. The peel is a source of pectin also. by pouring off the water several times, you are deleting a lot of the pectin too. This means some experimenting could be done on other varieties. If people have a large quantity start with a single recipe amount and be prepared to play around a bit to get good results. I do not find ordinary lemons that bitter, just they can be really strong tasting. Meyer Lemons are milder and a better result can easily be obtained.

      Reply
    7. CJ says

      January 19, 2017 at 11:21 am

      Thank you Zerrin for the suggestion & for the quick response. I will try that & let you know if that worked or not.
      If it doesn't work , there is always vanilla ice cream. 🙂

      CJ

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        January 21, 2017 at 11:08 pm

        I hope it works. And I love your idea if it doesn't. Lol!

        Reply
    8. CJ says

      January 17, 2017 at 10:00 am

      Hi Zerrin,
      I made one jar of his jam today with Meyers lemons. I followed the directions exactly, but after the 30 minutes, it was still runny. so i thought I would cook a bit longer, 30 minutes longer but it still didn't setup. It does taste lovely and the color is beautifully clear. I hoped that it would set up when i put it in to the refrigerator to cool. Butt hat didn't happen either. So if you have any suggestions to get it to set up . would appreciate it. I thought of pectin but wasn't sure how much for one small jar.
      I am new to your site & love your recipes.

      Thank you, CJ

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        January 18, 2017 at 2:56 am

        Hi CJ,

        I'm sorry you didn't get the des,red result. Could it be because of Meyer lemons? as far as I know they are sweeter and less acidic. Maybe it's better to add a little (1 tablespoon) tangy lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. Tangy lemon juice will help it get thicker.

        Hope this helps.

        Happy to hear that you loved our blog!

        Reply
    9. sue weiker says

      December 02, 2016 at 5:18 am

      I bought a bag of beautiful lemons a week ago and they are perfect to make this jam now. Making 3 jars tomorrow. thanks. I love citrus jams that have a little tart flavor to them. Two of my best friends love it also, so they'll be happy. Thanks much.

      Reply
      • Teresa Lisi says

        April 09, 2019 at 7:11 pm

        Hi, I'm in the UK, so when you say 'cup' of water, are you using American/ Australian measures?
        Liquids in Mls please!...Xx

        Reply
        • Zerrin says

          April 13, 2019 at 11:04 pm

          The cup I use is 250ml.

    10. Kerryn says

      September 16, 2016 at 10:40 pm

      Just made this and I zested 4 lemons and then cut up 1 of those 4 lemons. I used a fine grater for 3 and a course grater for 1. Also I cooked it for 10, 10, then 60 mins to get the right consistency but it's nice and clear.

      Reply
    11. vanessa says

      August 02, 2016 at 4:24 pm

      What sugar do you use

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        August 02, 2016 at 4:32 pm

        Hi Vanessa, I use regular granulated sugar.

        Reply
    12. Narri says

      July 30, 2016 at 12:57 pm

      Could one of the problems of the jam being runny be because people are not covering the pot to let it simmer? I think I made that mistake.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        August 01, 2016 at 2:23 am

        Well, I don't cover the pot indeed. I'm not sure what makes it runny. You can add extra lemon juice and simmer for 5-10 minutes more to make it thicker.

        Reply
    13. Alice Mitchell says

      April 14, 2016 at 10:46 pm

      I made the lemon marmalade, but it did not thicken at all! Way to runny to put on toast. I even cooked it longer, but that did not make any difference.
      I was hoping to give the marmalade to friends for gifts. Is there anything I can do to thicken the mixture, or do I just throw it out? It tastes ok so I could possibly use it as a topping for cheesecake. Other ideas appreciated.

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        April 14, 2016 at 10:50 pm

        You can add a few drops of lemon and then simmer it for some minutes to thicken the jam.

        Reply
    14. Teresa says

      November 22, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      So not to sound stupid but I haven't done a lot of canning, when you say grate 3 lemons are you meaning just the zest? And when you strain the water out of the lemons do you just discard the strained water and put new water in? Also, do you not need pectin to make this gel? I don't see a step to make the pectin so just wondering. Lastly, I have what I believe to be Meyer lemons (the tree was here when we moved in but the fruit is slightly sweet) would those work and if so should I decrease the amount of sugar? Thank you! I'm a newbie with lots of questions

      Reply
      • Zerrin says

        November 22, 2015 at 11:00 pm

        Hi Teresa, it's always a pleasure for me to answer our readers' questions. I'm happy you ask them here in the comments section, maybe some others have the same questions in their mind.
        As for your questions, let me go one by one:
        For your question 1: yes I mean grate the zest of 3 lemons.
        For your question 2: You are right, just discard that water because it's too bitter and we are trying to remove the bitterness of lemons by repeating this process. So after boiling and straining 2 times, we start the real step of lemon jam by adding sugar, lemon juice and water.
        For your question 3: We don't use pectin for this jam.
        For your last question: I think meyer lemons should work fine for this recipe. Although I'm not 100% sure, I don't think you need to reduce the sugar because we use the zest and they still need sugar. If the zest of your lemons are sweet too, then maybe you can use 150g sugar instead of 200g.
        Hope these help.
        Would love to hear the result when you try! Feel free to come back here and share it.

        Reply
    15. Gabriela Paloa says

      March 24, 2015 at 10:46 am

      Hello it looks wonderful and I want to make it but the recipe itself does not appear for me and I am unable to click on anything. Can you Please send it to me.
      thank you
      Gabriela

      Reply
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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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    Zerrin & Yusuf

    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

    • Chicken seasoning in a glass jar and a small spoon in it.
      Dry Rub For Chicken - Chicken Seasoning
    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
      Kuru Fasulye Recipe (Turkish Beans)
    • Roasted tomato soup topped with feta cheese and basil leaves in a white bowl, grilled cheese sandwich dipped into it and more grilled cheese sandwiches behind it.
      Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
    • Turkish chicken dish with a tomato sauce served in a bowl and a fork inside it.
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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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