Lemon Jam Recipe (2 Ingredients Only!) (2024)

Lemon jam has a stronger flavor and aroma than any other jam. This delicious and tangy jam can brighten up your breakfast table, or go on top of your favorite desserts (fruit tarts, cheesecakes, classic cakes). This recipe is using the whole lemon (even its seeds).

I don't know why Lemon Jam is not as famous as other jams (at least in Greece). For me, this is one of the tastiest jams out there. But this may be because, for one, I absolutely love the flavor of lemons, and especially on sweets. And for two I think this jam is so amazing because it has the right amount of acidity and bitterness to it, to contrast the excessive sweetness that exists in a jam.

This Lemon Jam Recipe is made with only 2 ingredients. Without counting the water. All you need is lemons and sugar to make it!

And nothing gets wasted out of the lemons. The whole lemon is used. Even its seeds, which release natural pectin and help with the thickening of the jam. So with few lemons, you can make a good amount of this jam.

Wondering how it's done? I will tell you how right away. But first, there are two important things you need to keep in mind, for the absolute success of this lemon jam.

For one, you have to get the right lemons. To make a lemon jam, you need lemons that have thicker skin. Thinner-skinned lemons are better for juicing. While thick-skinned lemons are better used for making sweets like this jam. They do not produce much juice, but enough skin to give the right texture to a jam. The ideal variety is the "Citrons" but "Lemonade" or "Femminello" are two other great varieties you can use. You may check out this article to see how they look like.

For two, the bitterness of the lemons has to be removed before you cook them into a jam. To do this, you cook the lemons for a few minutes in plenty of boiling water and then transfer them into a big bowl with cold water. This process needs to be repeated at least 3 times. At this point, you can proceed with making the jam if you like it to be strong and a bit bitter.

Taste the lemon to see if the flavor is to your liking. If it's too strong then let the lemons soak in plenty of water for about 18 hours. Changing the water they soak in, with some fresh cold one at least 2-3 times. This is the way I prefer to go, as I don't like the flavor of the jam to be too overwhelming.

How To Make Lemon Jam

To make a nice and thick lemon jam, the ratio of sugar has to be 1:1. This means you have to weigh the lemons and the liquid and add the same amount of sugar.

And to keep things precise, I prefer to use a digital food scaler. And also to weigh the lemons after they have been boiled and soaked. As there will be some quantity of water absorbed by the lemons, that needs to be taken into account as well.

So let me explain this in a few simple steps...

1. Prepare the lemons by cutting off the bottoms and slicing them in half.
2. Squeeze the lemons saving both the juice and the pulp along with the seeds separately.
3. Cook the lemons and then soak them in water, a few times to remove their bitterness.
4. Weigh the lemons.
5. Weigh the lemon juice. Add water to the lemon juice so its weight will be equal to that of the lemons.
6. Weigh the sugar. The amount of sugar should be equal to that of the liquid (lemon juice with water) plus the weight of the lemons. Ratio= 1:1.
7. Cut the lemons into thin slices or chop them into smaller pieces, depending on how chunky you want your jam to be.
8. Add the sugar and liquid into a large cooking pot. Add the seeds and pulp and tie them inside a cheesecloth add to the pot as well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes until most sugar dissolves.
9. Add the lemons and simmer until jam sets.
10. Transfer the jam into sterilized canning glass jars.

Where To Use This Lemon Jam...

• On top of custard cream.
• As a topping over vanilla or strawberry ice cream (or frozen yogurt).
• Inside a tart.
• Inside a cake batter. To make a cake with lemon chunks in it. Soo yummy!
• To decorate a cake or cheesecake on top.

Recipe

More Breakfast & Brunch