How to Make Marmalade from Honeybell Oranges

Honeybell oranges are one of the most delicious treats of winter, but if you want to enjoy the sweet taste of Honeybells all year round you can make Honeybell marmalade at home. Well preserved orange marmalade can stay fresh for up to a year unopened, so you can make up jars of Honeybell marmalade during the limited time that the Honeybells are in season and have them for the rest of the year. Pretty jars of home preserved Honeybell marmalade, or even grapefruit or tangerine marmalade, make beautiful gifts for holidays, birthdays, and other occasions. If you’re planning a beach wedding in the summer you can preserve some sweet Honeybells in the winter and use the marmalade over ice cream at the wedding reception if you want to serve something unique that very few other brides will have.

One of the great things about making your own marmalade from Honeybell oranges is that you can control how much sugar goes into the preserves. Commercial preserves tend to be loaded with sugar, because sugar is a good preservative, but if you’re making your own you can preserve the marmalade with just the sugar in the natural Honeybell juice or with just a little bit of sugar. Some people have found using one third of the sugar that a normal marmalade recipe calls for is plenty of sugar for Honeybell marmalade because Honeybell oranges are so naturally sweet. You also don’t need to use any additional pectin when you make Honeybell marmalade because the Honeybell peel has enough pectin in it to gel the actual marmalade.

The first step in making Honeybell marmalade is to put Honeybell segments in a blender with some sugar and Honeybell juice. Once that mixture is made you can chop up some of the Honeybell peel into strips about an inch long and place those in the mixture. Those peel strips will add pectin and will also add nutrients, color, and texture to your marmalade. Marmalade is supposed to have a little bit of texture to it so if you want to add in some chopped, not blended, segments of the fruit go ahead. Some chunks of fruit in the finished marmalade will be absolutely delicious. To tell when your marmalade is ready to go into jars spoon a little of mixture into a large spoon and place it in the freezer for about five to ten minutes. If the marmalade on the spoon gels as it cools then your Honeybell marmalade is ready to be canned.

Taste the Sunshine with Hale Groves

At Hale Groves, we believe the best gifts come from the land, not a factory. For generations, our fruit has been grown slowly under the Florida sun, picked at its peak, and delivered fresh to your door. From sweet Navel Oranges to rare Honeybells, every gift shares the simple joy of real flavor—perfect for holidays, milestones, or everyday moments worth celebrating.

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