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A jar of apple jelly with a white bowl and a spoon.

Apple Jelly

Nicole Spiridakis
Glossy, sweetly fragrant Apple Jelly is a special way to prepare apples. Serve this homemade preserve on toast or roast meats.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Straining time and processing time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Course Jam
Cuisine American
Servings 5 cups
Calories 165 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 ½ pounds apples I used Gravenstein apples
  • 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 340mgFiber: 8gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 171IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 19mgIron: 0.4mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!