What is liquid fruit pectin?

Pectin is a natural, water-soluble starch found in some fruits and veggies. If foods don't have enough pectin to jell on their own (as with this lemon jelly) pectin can be added. It must be added with the right amount of sugar and acid to work. Pectin can be found in powdered and liquid forms in the baking supplies aisle of your grocery store, online, or at specialty stores. The main difference in using powdered or liquid pectin is when you add it to a recipe and how much you use so you can not make a one-to-one swap between them.

What is a boiling-water canner?

A boiling water canner (aka water bath canner) is basically a big pot with a lid and a rack in the bottom, is used for high-acid foods (like many fruits), which naturally resist bacteria growth. Learn more about the basics of canning .

Lemon Jelly

Name: Lemon Jelly
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 lemons; 1.5 cup water; 4.25 cup sugar; 0.5 6 ounce package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin

Lemon Jelly

3.8

(18)

2 Reviews

Jazz up a biscuit, English muffin, or toast with a spoonful of Lemon Jelly. You know what they say (or what they should say): When life give you lemons, make Lemon Jelly!

BHG Test Kitchen

Updated on May 3, 2024

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spooning lemon jelly on biscuit — Photo:
BHG / Crystal Hughes

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

5 mins

Stand Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

35 mins

Servings:

Yield:

4 half-pints

Jump to Nutrition Facts

End your search for a basic lemon jelly recipe here. We kept it to only four ingredients—lemons, water, sugar, and liquid fruit pectin—for the traditionalists out there who want only pure lemon flavor with no add-ons. Of course, if you are looking for more jelly flavor adventures, we have those too. if you like your jellies on the sweeter side, you could substitute Meyer lemons for the lemons called for in this recipe. Meyer lemons are smaller than regular lemons, so make sure you squeeze enough of them to get the volume of juice called for in the recipe.

As lemons are highly acidic, to can them as a lemon jelly, you'll use the boiling-water canner versus a pressure canner, which is used for low-acid foods. Though it takes a little while to bring the water in a canner to a full boil, you can get that started on another stove burner while you make the jelly itself. Then when your recipe is made, just process the jars for 5 minutes and let them cool. The bright, sunny color of the jelly will bring a smile to your morning as you spread it on your toast or a biscuit. It could also be used in thumbprint cookies or other sweets.

Ingredients

4 lemons
1 ½ cup water
4 ¼ cup sugar
½ 6 ounce package (1 foil pouch) liquid fruit pectin

Directions

BHG / Crystal Hughes

Finely shred enough lemon peel to make 1 tablespoon.
BHG / Crystal Hughes

Squeeze juice from lemons to make 3/4 cup. Combine peel, juice, and water; let stand 10 minutes. Strain to remove any pulp and peel; measure 2 cups juice mixture.
BHG / Crystal Hughes

In a Dutch oven, combine the 2 cups lemon juice mixture and the sugar. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
BHG / Crystal Hughes

Quickly stir in pectin. Return to a full rolling boil; boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon.
BHG / Crystal Hughes

Ladle into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.
BHG / Crystal Hughes

Process in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Remove jars; cool on a wire rack. Makes 4 half-pints.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is liquid fruit pectin?

Pectin is a natural, water-soluble starch found in some fruits and veggies. If foods don't have enough pectin to jell on their own (as with this lemon jelly) pectin can be added. It must be added with the right amount of sugar and acid to work. Pectin can be found in powdered and liquid forms in the baking supplies aisle of your grocery store, online, or at specialty stores. The main difference in using powdered or liquid pectin is when you add it to a recipe and how much you use so you can not make a one-to-one swap between them.
What is a boiling-water canner?

A boiling water canner (aka water bath canner) is basically a big pot with a lid and a rack in the bottom, is used for high-acid foods (like many fruits), which naturally resist bacteria growth. Learn more about the basics of canning.

Dietary exchanges:

1 other carbohydrate.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

65	Calories
0g	Fat
17g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 64
Calories 64.8
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.1g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 3.4mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 17g	6%
Dietary Fiber 0.6g	2%
Total Sugars 14.5g
Protein 0.2g	0%
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Vitamin C 10.1mg	11%
Calcium 4.8mg	0%
Iron 0.1mg	1%
Potassium 37.6mg	1%
Fatty acids, total trans 0g
Vitamin D 0IU
Alanine 0g
Arginine 0g
Ash 0.1g
Aspartic acid 0g
Caffeine 0mg
Carotene, alpha 0.6mcg
Choline, total 1.2mg
Copper, Cu 0mg
Cystine 0g
Energy 270.9kJ
Fluoride, F 4.2mcg
Folate, total 3mcg
Glutamic acid 0g
Glycine 0g
Histidine 0g
Isoleucine 0g
Leucine 0g
Lysine 0g
Methionine 0g
Magnesium, Mg 2.4mg
Manganese, Mn 0mg
Niacin 0.1mg
Phosphorus, P 3.9mg
Pantothenic acid 0mg
Phenylalanine 0g
Phytosterols 0.7mg
Proline 0g
Retinol 0mcg
Selenium, Se 0.2mcg
Serine 0g
Starch 0.1g
Theobromine 0mg
Threonine 0g
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.1mg
Tryptophan 0g
Tyrosine 0g
Valine 0g
Vitamin A, IU 8.2IU
Vitamin A, RAE 0.4mcg
Vitamin B-12 0mcg
Vitamin B-6 0mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 1.3mcg
Water 23.5g
Zinc, Zn 0mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Lemon Jelly

Ingredients

Directions

Frequently Asked Questions

Dietary exchanges:

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

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