Sweet and Tangy Homemade Grapefruit Marmalade
Making Delicious Homemade Grapefruit Marmalade from Scratch
A delightful recipe for homemade grapefruit marmalade, perfect for making refreshing grapefruit tea or bubbly grapefruit ade! It also makes a wonderful homemade gift. Let’s get started!
Main Ingredients- 850g fresh grapefruit pulp (weight after removing peel and pith)
- 680g to 850g organic unrefined cane sugar (80% to 100% of fruit weight)
For Grapefruit Cleaning- 3-4 tablespoons baking soda
- 3-4 tablespoons baking soda
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, prepare your glass jars. It’s important to have clean jars with lids. Fill a large pot or steamer pot with about 5cm of water, then place the jars upside down in the pot. This allows for thorough sterilization of the inside of the jars.
Step 2
Once the water comes to a rolling boil, let the jars simmer for about 8-10 minutes to sterilize them using hot water. This step effectively eliminates any bacteria inside the jars.
Step 3
Carefully remove the sterilized jars from the pot and let them air dry completely, still upside down, ensuring no moisture remains. Any residual water can affect the shelf life of your fruit preserves, so drying them thoroughly is crucial.
Step 4
Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda evenly over the clean grapefruits. Baking soda helps to remove any residue or wax from the grapefruit peel.
Step 5
Rub the peel of the grapefruits vigorously with your hands while they are coated in baking soda. Scrub until they feel squeaky clean. Then, rinse them thoroughly under running water to remove all traces of baking soda.
Step 6
Make a cross-shaped cut with a knife on the top and bottom of each grapefruit. This cross cut will help you easily peel the skin. Gently rotate the grapefruit and carefully slice off only the peel.
Step 7
Following the score lines, carefully peel the outer skin from the grapefruits. Pay extra attention to thicker parts of the peel.
Step 8
Cut the peeled grapefruits in half by hand. This is the preparation step to remove the white pith (membrane) inside.
Step 9
The white pith inside the grapefruit can be surprisingly thick, but it often separates easily with gentle pulling. If you find it difficult to remove, you can also use a knife to carefully cut away the pulp, ensuring you only extract the juicy segments. The goal is to cleanly separate the fruit segments.
Step 10
See how cleanly the white pith has separated! Repeat this process for all four grapefruits, removing the white pith and isolating only the sweet, juicy pulp.
Step 11
Place the separated grapefruit pulp into a bowl. Add the organic unrefined cane sugar (or regular sugar). My scale showed approximately 850g of grapefruit pulp. Typically, fruit preserves are made with a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. However, today, I’ll be reducing the sugar content to 80% of the fruit’s weight for a slightly less sweet marmalade.
Step 12
So, for 850g of grapefruit pulp, I’ve added 680g of unrefined cane sugar, which is an 80% ratio. If you prefer a 1:1 ratio, you would use 850g of sugar.
Step 13
Gently mix the grapefruit pulp and sugar together until well combined. This allows the sugar to start macerating the fruit.
Step 14
Carefully spoon the grapefruit and sugar mixture into the clean, sterilized, and dried glass jars. It’s a good idea to leave a little space at the top of the jar.
Step 15
Finally, wipe any residue from the rim of the jar before sealing. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of unrefined cane sugar evenly over the top. This helps create a protective layer to prevent spoilage. Secure the lid tightly.
Step 16
Let the finished grapefruit marmalade sit at cool room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for about a day to allow the sugar to dissolve. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, transfer the jar to the refrigerator and let it mature for 3-4 days. Then, dilute with water or sparkling water to enjoy a refreshing grapefruit tea or ade! You’ll have a delicious homemade cafe beverage.
