Mandarin Marmalade | Mandarins.com.au

Mandarin marmalade is softer and sweeter than classic orange marmalade. The peel is thinner, the bitterness is lower, and the set is quicker. That makes it a good starting point for cooks who find Seville-orange marmalade too demanding, while still producing a proper preserve that keeps for months on the shelf.

Make it in June and July, when Imperial and Honey Murcott are both available and at full flavour. This is the classic Australian jar gift: a dozen filled jars from a single batch will cover most of your Christmas and birthday obligations from midwinter onward.

Quick guide

Five mandarin marmalade styles worth knowing:

Classic Imperial marmalade: the standard, whole-fruit simmer method, light and clear
Honey Murcott marmalade: sweeter and richer, made for cooks who want less bitterness
Whisky or Cointreau marmalade: a splash of spirits added at the end, for gifts and entertaining
Mandarin and lemon marmalade: the multi-citrus style, firmer set, more complex flavour
Mandarin and ginger marmalade: a warm spiced version, good on toast or with aged cheddar

Best mandarin variety for marmalade

Honey Murcott is the best choice for most marmalades. It has high juice content, deep sweetness, and enough aromatic peel to give a strong mandarin flavour in the finished jar. The seeds contain pectin, which helps the set; collect them in a muslin bag and simmer them with the fruit.

Imperial is the easier variety to work with because the peel is thin and the flavour is clean and bright. It makes a lighter, more golden marmalade. Use Imperial if you want a cleaner appearance in the jar.

Avoid Afourer for marmalade: the peel is very thin and can disintegrate during the long simmer, and the flavour is less suited to a cooked preserve.

Classic Imperial mandarin marmalade

The approach used by Coolum Farm Fresh and Women’s Weekly Food: simmer whole, unpeeled mandarins in water until completely soft, remove and cool, then tear apart to remove seeds. Return the fruit and cooking liquid to the pot, measure the combined volume, and add an equal weight of sugar. Cook at a steady boil, stirring regularly, for 20 to 30 minutes until the marmalade reaches setting point.

Test for set using the flake test: take a metal spoon of marmalade, let it cool for a moment, then tilt the spoon. If the marmalade drips as a solid sheet rather than individual drops, it is ready. Or use the cold saucer method: a spoonful on a frozen saucer should wrinkle when pushed after two minutes in the freezer.

Pour into hot, sterilised jars immediately and seal. Label when cold. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 12 months.

This is the version to make for a first batch. It is forgiving, uses standard quantities, and produces a clear, set marmalade with a genuine mandarin flavour.

Key ingredients: Imperial mandarins, water, caster sugar, lemon juice (optional, to assist set).

Honey Murcott marmalade

Victorian Farmers Direct suggests simmering Honey Murcotts in boiling water for 40 minutes before processing, which removes bitterness from the rind. After simmering, drain, peel, and de-seed. Keep the rind and discard only the seeds. Process in a food processor until roughly chopped, then return to a saucepan with sugar over medium heat.

This method gives a more consistent texture than the whole-fruit approach, because you control how finely the peel is cut. The finished marmalade is sweeter and slightly darker than an Imperial version.

Good on sourdough with butter, or used as a glaze for duck or pork.

Key ingredients: Honey Murcott mandarins, water, caster sugar.

Whisky or Cointreau marmalade

A standard mandarin marmalade made richer with spirits. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of whisky, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier per kilogram of fruit just before potting, once the marmalade has reached setting point and been taken off the heat. Stir through and allow the marmalade to settle for 10 minutes before ladling into jars.

The alcohol does not cook off significantly at this point, which is the intention. The spirits add depth and a slight warmth to the finished jar.

This is the version to make for gifts. It travels well, looks handsome in a small jar with a label, and suits a wider range of accompaniments than plain marmalade. Whisky suits the more bitter, darker-set version. Cointreau works better with a lighter, sweeter mandarin base.

Key ingredients: mandarins, sugar, water, whisky or Cointreau.

Mandarin and lemon marmalade

Belinda Jeffery’s version combines oranges, mandarins, and lemons in a single batch, sliced and soaked overnight before a long simmer. The technique is more involved than a standard marmalade, but the flavour is more complex and the set is firmer because of the additional pectin from the lemons.

For a mandarin and lemon version, use roughly 800g mandarins to 400g lemons. Slice all fruit thinly, soak overnight in cold water, then simmer uncovered for 1.5 to 2 hours until the peel is completely soft. Collect the pips in a muslin bag and simmer them with the fruit: they release pectin and help the marmalade set. Add sugar in proportion to the measured liquid (roughly 200g sugar per cup) and boil rapidly to setting point.

This version stores well for up to a year and has a more complex citrus flavour than mandarin alone. The lemon sharpens the sweetness and adds bitterness back to the mix.

Key ingredients: mandarins, lemons, water, sugar.

Mandarin and ginger marmalade

Follow the classic Imperial or Honey Murcott method, adding finely grated or finely chopped crystallised ginger to the pot for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Fresh ginger is sharper; crystallised ginger is sweeter and softer.

About 30g ginger per kilogram of fruit is enough to flavour the marmalade without overpowering the citrus. Taste before potting and adjust.

Good on toast or crumpets, or served alongside aged cheddar and crackers. This version is the most gift-friendly of the lot: a distinctive flavour that stands out from a shelf of plain jams.

Key ingredients: mandarins, sugar, water, ginger (fresh or crystallised).

What to do with the peel

If you have leftover mandarin peel from a batch where you only used the juice, see candied mandarin peel for how to preserve it.

When to make mandarin marmalade

June and July are the ideal months. Imperial is available from April, but June gives more choice of variety and the fruit is at its most fragrant. Honey Murcott arrives from July to August. See when Australian mandarins are in season for the full variety calendar.