All three are delicious ways to enjoy preserved fruit. Marmalade tends to be more expensive than jam or jelly, which means it’s often reserved for special occasions. Jelly is the most expensive of the three because it requires more time and effort to make than either of its counterparts.
Marmalade
Marmalade is a combination of citrus fruits, usually oranges and lemons. Marmalade is a citrus fruit preserve. It’s made by boiling down the juice of citrus fruits, then adding sugar and sometimes spices. Marmalade is often used as a spread on toast or in sandwiches, but it can also be eaten on its own as dessert.
Jam
Jam is made from either fresh or cooked fruit. Marmalade is made from citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes that are boiled with sugar and sometimes spices. Jelly is a sweet spread made from fruit juice, usually boiled down to a syrupy consistency that can be used as an ingredient in other foods (such as peanut butter sandwiches).
Jelly
Jelly is made from cooked fruit that has been strained through a mesh strainer to remove the solids. The resulting juice is then boiled with sugar and pectin (a gelling agent), which causes it to set into a gel-like substance. Marmalade, on the other hand, is simply citrus peel cooked in sugar until it becomes tender enough to be cut into strips or chopped up into small pieces.
So, the next time you’re at the grocery store and looking for a delicious snack, remember that marmalade is made from citrus fruits, jam is made from fresh or cooked fruit and jelly is made from cooked fruit that has been strained through a mesh strainer to remove solids.
