Apple Jelly Recipe

apple jelly

Apple Jelly is a bit bland on its own so additional flavouring is added by picking from the suggestions below or to suit your own taste. Apple carries flavour really well.

Ingredients for Apple Jelly:

  • 4 lbs (1.8 kg) crab or cooking apples
  • 2 pints (1200 ml) water
  • Stick cinnamon/a few cloves/root ginger/strips of lemon rind/fresh mint
  • 1 lb (450 g) of sugar per pint of juice obtained.

Method for Apple Jelly:

  • Wash the apples and wipe. Cut into quarters but do not remove the skin or core.
  • Put the fruit into a pan with the water and the choice of additional flavouring tied in a piece of muslin.
  • Stew until the fruit is pulpy.
  • Test for pectin.
  • Remove the flavouring ingredients.
  • Turn into a jelly bag and leave to strain overnight.
  • Measure the juice and heat in a pan.
  • Add 1 lb (450 g) warmed sugar to each pint juice, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.
  • Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until the jelly sets when tested.
  • Remove the scum.
  • Pot and seal whilst still hot.

General Information on Making Jelly Preserves

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Posted in Val's Preserves, Apples, Jellies, Fruit, Vegetarian Recipes, All Recipes
42 comments on “Apple Jelly Recipe
  1. Doreen says:

    I decided to look up some jam recipes and found this site It is the best site I have found and I dont think I will find any better

    Thank you

  2. Val says:

    Glad you like the site. Hope to have a load more up on all types of preserves soon.

  3. Deirdre Howe says:

    Straight away i found the recipe i wanted and to and for a change it was not over complicated….thank you!

  4. Val says:

    Thank you for the thanks! I find it’s best to keep it as simple as possible with links to general guidance notes on jams and jellies.

  5. Deepti says:

    Excellent! Came out PERFECT…very pleased & have passed on this recipe to family.

  6. Rosemary says:

    I would like to add herbs to the jelly to make Mint, Rosemary or Thyme jelly. How do I go about it or specifically how much herbs would I put in?

  7. Val says:

    At the end when it has set, chop one handful of mint per pint of juice. Throw in pot and stir. Cook for a few minutes while stirring. I’ve not tried it with rosemary or thyme.

  8. adella Jackson says:

    Fabulous recipe; even I could not get it wrong! It came out perfectly and I am so thrilled with the results that I’m currently making more. Plan to use it in my gravies because it will save on buying jelly from the shops. Can’t wait to give redcurrant jelly a go next summer!

  9. soyka says:

    Making the apple jelly- How do you ‘check for pectin’?

  10. Val says:

    Follow the link under the recipe – Making Jam & Jelly at Home – Methods. It explains how to test for pectin.

  11. senga peacock says:

    my husband fancied making apple jelly, as we have had an abundance of apples on our trees this year, so for quickness I went online and came up with this recipe, now I think there is a jam factory going onin my kitchen, he is having great success and adding all sorts as he goes, but more importantly, he is having fun as he goes, so keep coming up with simple but good recipes.

  12. Tony McCormack says:

    Afraid I messed up somewhere unable to get jelly to set.It is now cool but still watery. Any suggestions.Thanks Tony

  13. Val says:

    Top it out of the jars. Re-heat and try letting it boil for a little longer. If it still seems watery, add some dried (Silver Spoon) or liquid (Certo) pectin. Make sure you don’t add too much or it could go the other way. Don’t forget to thoroughly wash and re-sterilise the jars before you put it back in.

  14. Brian says:

    Fantastic collection of recipes ! I am away to make some apple jelly and hope it is just like mother used to make!

  15. Mavis Jones says:

    Val, I am not sure if these jelly recipes are jam with the seeds etc missing.I made the blackberry jelly and it is delicious. We don’t eat a lot of pickles but do eat a lot of jam.By the way, your recipes are fantastic, so easy to follow. Well done.

  16. Kathy Bird says:

    What sugar should I use – preserving sugar, granulated, caster sugar substitute? It’s something that frequently confuses me.

  17. Val says:

    Ordinary granulated sugar is fine.

  18. Michaela says:

    OMG!!! I have made some crab apple and rosehip jelly and put some cloves and cinnamon in too! The smell is divine. So christmassy!! Im going to give them as pressies in a little homemade hamper. The colour is so pretty too. Although you dont seem to get much juice of of these ingredients. I simmered for over an hour to extract the juice and make it pulpy. Always leave in jelly bag overnight, and last lot I made I only got 600mls!!! I managed to pot 3 x 8oz hez jars. Any tips on how to make more juice from this recipe????? I also have just strained some more juice last night and have only 500mls of juice. Is it possible to maybe do some other juice from say blackberries and mix it with the 500mls? As long as I can have 1200mls to mix 900gms of sugar with surely I will ok?

  19. Sharon says:

    is there an alternative to using a jelly bag? Can it just be strained through a strainer and does the juice need to be left overnight or is that just because you are using the bag?

    Thanks

  20. Annie says:

    I have just tried to make apple jelly jam and have it cooling at the moment. Waiting to see if its going to set but am a bit fearful it wont. Will follow the advice above though if it does not.

    In answer to Sharon, I used muslin doubled up. I used my bath to lay a pole across and strung the muslin onto that and let it drip into a pot over night. Worked just fine 🙂

    Annie

  21. Jane says:

    have had great fun with the jam and jelly making but last batch of apple and blackberry jam turned out rather solid. I used jam making sugar with added pectin …could that be the reason? I have used it in all my batches and they have been fine . Great web site thanks.

  22. alice jahns says:

    Made apple jelly with royal gala and to one batch added 1 tabsp cinnamon. Its delicous and set good . The plain jelly however has not set . Should I add pectrin or re boil.
    Used 4 lbs apples water to cover [about 2 pts] added 450 gr
    sugar trying to work out where I went wrong ….any tips welcome

  23. alice jahns says:

    How much jam should the above make , I only got 4 lb jars is that correct, its very sweet also , could I have added less sugar. Made blackberry jelly earlier and it was delicous. Started last year making apple and plum and we had some the other day and it has matured over the year and tastes much better.

  24. Rotraut Anderson says:

    For years now I have saved all the peelings and cores of cooking apples which I used in cakes, pies etc. after washing them well before use, bagged them up and put them into the freezer until I have enough to make a batch of apple jelly, usually 6lbs or less if I add brambles or some crab apples.
    I like it best with some cloves added to the boiling skins which give the jelly a delicious fragrant flavour.
    This way I do not just save what is otherwise a waste product, but a well filled freezer is cheaper to run than an almost empty one

  25. claire lang says:

    Just made a few pots of apple jelly, they are cooling now and seem to be jelling. I didn’t have any pectin but I remembered my mother used lemons or some vinegar in her jams as they didn’t know much about pectins when she was young. I am now 78 and I think my gran maybe did the same to sell in her little shop.

  26. Steve Lawrence says:

    Tried this recipe yesterday with two pints of water and only got three quarters of a pint back out,!!! Maybe left it on the range for to long.Trying it again today with three pints..
    I’ll let you know how it goes..:)

  27. Dianne Hockenhull says:

    I made Rosemary and apple jelly years ago and I strained it using a clean teatowel. I tried this again last night and the juice was just sucked up by the tea towel. Should I have wet it before? Any suggestions?

  28. paula stafford says:

    Great recipe, I have added chilli flakes to a batch for a sweet and spicy version. Tastes lovely with pork.

  29. mags says:

    I used to do it all the proper way with a jelly bag, then realised I was NOT entering a W.I type competition, so I now use a colander, then a sieve. The longer you leave the juice to drip the more you have to make jelly with so overnight is worthwhile, but not essential. Crystal clear jelly needs a jelly bag !

  30. tom says:

    Great site . Just going to have a go at apple jelly. Can I freeze the finished jelly? thanks

  31. jackie says:

    I tried the Apple Jelly recipe yesterday, but it has not set. We rapidly boiled it for much longer than probably necessary. Approx 20-30 mins! Not sure what to do abot it? Can I pour it back into a pan and retry. Or should I add something and reboil?

  32. Joanne Jones says:

    Fantastic recipe.
    Did exactly what it was supposed to. I thought afterwards that it would look nice with a sprig of mint inside it, or maybe a little rosemary sprig. It would look very decorative. I love the colour, it looks like honey.

  33. Annie says:

    @jackie:

    Reboil it and (carefully) add pectin. You can also add a little lemon juice, as the acidity helps it set.
    Clean and resterilise jars and utensils before using again.

  34. Rachel Swatton says:

    Hi First, thanks for the great recipes, Liking not having to peel and core! Second, a couple of tips on straining jelly.
    1. Doesn’t need to be a jelly bag – any fine weave fabric will do (baby muslin square, net curtain, cheap muslin available at most fabric shops). Use clothes pegs to fix it to the top of your saucepan or bowl.
    2. Wet the cloth first, the juice will flow through rather than soak into the cloth.
    3. to get maximum juice, leave overnight, then squeeze hard to extract as much juice as possible. If you don’t mind it being cloudy, use as it is, but if you want it clear, simply empty the pulp, rinse the muslin and re-strain through a double layer. THIS WILL ONLY TAKE A COUPLE OF MINS TO DRAIN, NOT ANOTHER NIGHT!
    Hope this helps!

  35. Jane says:

    Having been looking for a (British) recipe ideally for apple cider jelly, came across this site and this recipe – MANY thanks! Easy to ‘play’ with recipe to get exactly what I want…and more importantly, didn’t have to trawl through pages and pages of recipes I don’t want to try and find the one I do! As they say “I will return’….

  36. Mary Youngs says:

    I want to make a batch of crab apple and mint jelly, and crab apple and sage.
    My juice is ready strained, but am hoping for an answer to this before I boil it with the sugar.
    I have heard that the sprigs should be added when almost set, but another source says the herbs will go mouldy which obviously I don’t want.
    Help ASAP, please.

  37. jacqie Hitchcock says:

    You saved my sanity!! grey matter is not as brilliant as before….but memory is not that bad, came up with the right measurements. Rosemary is in the liquid simmering on the hob, jars are sterilizing in the oven and ladle ready for use……………………………….Thank you

  38. Lolli says:

    I have to preserve any type of fruit for a school project and my gran told me about apple jelly. I found this site so I’m sure I’ll get good marks now.

  39. Ray says:

    @Jane: If the jam turns out to be solid, usually because it has been boiled too long, just to make sure it sets, just put the small amount you need on a saucer in the microwave oven for a few seconds and it will be spreadable. This has happened to me several times.

  40. Ray says:

    @Rachel Swatton: Made several batches of apple jelly last year, from small crab apple and windfall cooking apples.
    Strained carefully overnight through a bag, then as there was still plenty of liquid in the pulb, squeezed a second separate quantity of juice. The first batch of jelly was very clear, but the second batch almost as good. Unless you are looking for competition standard, use every bit that you can. The only problem is keeping apple jelly on your bread as it tends to fall off, but delicious.

  41. Steve Mortimer says:

    You can add cider vinegar to the apples before boiling, for flavoured jelly with herbs, strip sprigs of herbs use the stalks and boil with the apples.when boiling with the sugar add the herb leaves tied up in muslin bag or square, chopped herbs may be added for extra flavour, sage, rosemary, mint, lemon verbena, chilli.
    Apple jelly with cider vinegar tastes a little more tart and good with cold meats.

  42. Gwen says:

    Just come across this site while looking for easy Apple Jelly. This is perfect for me as I have bad arthritis and peeling and coring so many apples is now hard. I have just chopped them all in no time and they are now in the pan stewing! Easy Peasy! Just hope it all turns out well. I will report back. Thank you.

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