Glossy, sweetly fragrant apple jelly is a special way to make great use of seasonal fruit. Serve this gorgeous homemade preserve on toast, scones, and more.
If you're looking for a new way to use up apples, make apple jelly! This gorgeous homemade preserve is a different yet utterly delicious way to use up all the apples from your tree. You'll need just four ingredients and a few hours to turn out a handful of jars of pretty jelly that's lovely on warm squares of gluten free maple cornbread with butter, oat flour scones, or even as a glaze when you make a roast.
This recipe is adapted from The New York Times, and it's just perfect spread on gluten free honey cornbread muffins or gluten free apple scones. If I have time, I'll preserve it properly so we can enjoy it all year, and it lasts for up to 2 weeks in the fridge without canning it (if you don't eat it all up before then!).
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Why Make Homemade Jelly?
There's a lot to love about this unique jelly! After all, how often do you find apple jelly in the store? (Answer: not often.) It's so uncomplicated to make this easy homemade apple jelly at home. Here's why you'll love it:
- Special. As mentioned, you won't find apple jelly everywhere. I love preserving jars of apple jelly and giving them away as special holiday gifts.
- Easy. I love this recipe because you don't need to peel or core the apples - you simply chop them up and place them in a pot with water. So easy!
- Short ingredients list. I love a recipe with a short ingredient list, and you'll need just apples, sugar, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and water to make it.
- A great way to use apples. You can use any kind of apple you have on hand to make this jelly, which means it's a perfect option to dive into when you've made applesauce, apple butter, and pie but still have apples leftover!
Ingredients Needed
Here's a glance at what you'll need to make this beautifully colored apple jelly. The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Apples - You can use whatever cooking apples you like. I used our Gravenstein apples.
- Granulated sugar - Sugar helps to thicken and sweeten the jelly.
- Lemon juice - Lemon juice adds a gorgeous balance of slightly tart to the sweet apples, and its natural pectin content helps the jelly to set.
- Salt - A touch of fine sea salt offsets the sweetness and enhances the apple flavor.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Follow my simple method outlined below to make these homemade preserves. Note that I included a lot of photos here so you can really get an idea of each stage of the process!
1. Prep: Cut the apples into 1-inch pieces without peeling or coring.
2. Cook the apples: Place the apples in a large pot with water, bring to a boil, then simmer.
3. Strain: Strain the apples through cheesecloth and a fine-mesh sieve into a pot.
4. Juice: This photo shows how the juice looks after being strained.
5. Cook: Mix the apple juice with the sugar and lemon juice, then bring to a boil.
6. Simmer: Reduce the heat to a simmer.
7. Continue cooking: Cook the jelly until it reaches 225°F.
8. Store: Ladle the jelly into clean, sterilized jars.
Tips & Recipe Notes
Making homemade jam or jelly can feel intimidating, but you can definitely do it yourself in your own kitchen! Here are a few tips for making the best apple jelly:
- Try different apples. You can use any kind of apple you like to make apple jelly! I typically make apple jelly with our homegrown Gravenstein apples, but you could use another type of apple. A sweeter apple will produce a sweeter jelly.
- Make it with honey. If you wish to make this jelly refined sugar-free, you could experiment with using honey instead of sugar. You may find you want to reduce the amount of honey because it is naturally quite sweet.
- Try this method to make pear jelly. You can substitute pears for the apples and follow the method outlined above!
- Can or make fridge jelly. You can easily keep this jelly in the fridge and enjoy it without needing to can it. However, I love taking an extra step and canning preserves! If you have never canned preserves before, the USDA guide is a great place to start.
How to Enjoy Apple Jelly
Sweet jelly is wonderful when enjoyed on freshly baked bread or toast! I love it on gluten free pumpkin scones and gluten free cornbread. You could also use it as a sweet glaze on roast meats or, in a vegetarian version, baked tofu.
Storage Suggestions
You can keep uncanned apple jelly in glass jars with screw-top lids in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Store properly canned apple jelly in a cool, dark place - like your pantry - for up to 2 years.
More Preserves Recipes
If you tried this apple jelly recipe, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Recipe
Apple Jelly
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds apples I used Gravenstein apples, and any apple variety will work
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice from about 2 lemons
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cut the apples into 1-inch pieces without peeling or coring, but discard any damaged or spoiled spots.
- Place the apples in a large nonreactive pot and pour in 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook without stirring until the apples soften, 35 to 40 minutes (sometimes less).
- Remove from the heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth over another large pot, and pour the apple-water mix into the sieve. Try not to press on the apples so that the jelly does not become cloudy. You should end up with about 7 cups of juice. The NYT recipe notes that some apples can take hours to strain, but mine did not! If it does take awhile to strain the apples you can place the sieve and pot in the refrigerator.
- Place a small plate in the freezer to use for testing the setting point of the jelly. Set the pot with the juice over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, skimming and discarding any foam that rises to the surface.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid reduces by about three-quarters and a candy or deep-fry thermometer registers 225 degrees. This will take about 40-50 minutes, occasionally longer. To test for doneness, spoon a small amount of liquid onto the cold plate from the freezer and return to the freezer to cool completely, about 2 minutes. Drag a spoon through the jelly. The setting point has been reached if it wrinkles and the wrinkles hold their shape. If they don't, continue to cook the jelly and test every few minutes on the cold plate.
- Once the jelly is done cooking, add the salt and stir to dissolve. Ladle the hot liquid into clean, sanitized jars, screw on the lids, and follow the steps to can your jelly, or allow to cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
-
- This recipe is adapted from the New York Times.
- Try different apples. You can use any kind of apple you like to make apple jelly! I typically make apple jelly with our homegrown Gravenstein apples but you could use another type of apple. A sweeter apple will produce a sweeter jelly.
-
- Make it with honey. If you wish to make this jelly refined sugar-free, you could experiment with using honey instead of sugar. You may find you want to reduce the amount of honey because it is naturally quite sweet.
-
- Try this method to make pear jelly. You can substitute pears for the apples and follow the method outlined above!
-
- Can or make fridge jelly. You can easily keep this jelly in the fridge and enjoy it without needing to can it. However, I love taking an extra step and canning preserves! If you have never canned preserves before, the USDA guide is a great place to start.
Nutrition
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Shirley Tree says
Hi ! I don't usually have any problem with my jelly setting but my first batch this year didn't what do I do,thanks Shirley Tree,Canada
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Nicole Spiridakis says
Hi Shirley, Oh that is frustrating! Do you have a candy thermometer? I use that to double-check that my jelly is cooked enough to set (in addition to doing the cold plate test). You want it to get to 220F for proper setting. Sometimes my apple juice takes awhile to reach that point but using the thermometer gives you peace of mind that you know it will reach the right setting point. I hope that helps!