How to make pumpkin marmalade at home: step-by-step instructions and the best recipes

Pumpkin contains a huge amount of useful microelements. And what is surprising is that during heat treatment most of the vitamins remain in it. Pumpkin is a true natural healer. But not everyone likes its taste. However, it is possible to make a real homemade dessert from this vegetable.

Pumpkin marmalade is a healthy sweet that you can easily prepare at home. Simple step-by-step recipes will help you prepare a healthy treat for yourself and your family.

Selection and preparation of pumpkin

Not every pumpkin variety is suitable for making marmalade. You should not use large or overripe fruits for these purposes. The dessert from them will turn out pale and tasteless. The best option would be the Muscat pumpkin variety. This fruit is shaped like a guitar or pear and contains almost no seeds.

From the Candy variety pumpkin marmalade will be bright, aromatic and sweet. The Mandarin duck variety can also make a tasty treat. However, at the stage of its preparation you may encounter some difficulties, since this fruit has a hard and dense peel. Many people recommend trying the Kherson and Gribovsky varieties.

Preparation

1. To prepare the pumpkin for dessert, wash it thoroughly, preferably with soap. Then peel the fruit and cut into slices. The size of the pieces will depend on how the heat treatment will take place.There are several options - steam in a slow cooker or double boiler. The pumpkin is cut into small pieces, filled with water and steamed for 30 minutes.
2. Bake in the oven. The pumpkin is cut into slices several centimeters thick, placed on a baking sheet and baked in the oven for about 50 minutes at 180 degrees.
3. Boil in water. In this case, the pumpkin is cut into cubes, filled with water so that the liquid completely covers the pieces, and then placed on medium heat to cook for at least half an hour. During this time, the mass should be constantly stirred with a wooden spatula so that it does not burn.
4. When the pumpkin has become soft, grind it in a blender or mixer to obtain a uniform consistency. If you don’t have such utensils in your kitchen, you can make pumpkin puree using a fork. But in this case, you will have to additionally grind it through a sieve to get rid of lumps.

So, the pumpkin puree, which forms the basis of the marmalade, is ready. Now you can move on to preparing the pumpkin dessert itself.

How to make pumpkin marmalade - step by step instructions

There are several ways to prepare pumpkin treats.

Sugar based

If the marmalade is prepared without a thickener, then you will need to add more sugar. So, for 3 kg of vegetables you will need 1 kg of sugar.

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 3 kg;
• sugar - 1 kg;
• half a lemon.

Preparation:

1. Add sugar to the vegetable mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and then simmer over low heat for 40 minutes. At the same time, do not forget to constantly stir the mixture so that it does not burn.
2. Then add lemon juice to the puree. Afterwards, boil the vegetable mass again for another 15 minutes.
3. The next step is to remove the workpiece from the heat and let it cool slightly.In the meantime, prepare a form into which you will transfer the treat. This can be a regular baking sheet or special molds for sweets or ice.

To prevent marmalade from sticking to the walls of the mold, cover the container with foil, cling film or parchment. If the mold is silicone, then just grease it with butter.

Gelatin based

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 500 g;
• gelatin - 2 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 120 g;
• vanilla sugar - 10 g.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Add sugar and vanillin to the pumpkin puree. Next, pour in the gelatin. Mix the mixture well and leave for 20 minutes.
2. Heat the pumpkin puree again until the granulated sugar and gelatin dissolve. Let it cool.
3. Pour the future pumpkin marmalade into the mold and put it in the refrigerator for 1.5 hours to harden.
4. Cut the resulting marmalade into small cubes and sprinkle with sugar. After this, homemade pumpkin marmalade is ready.

Attention! Gelatin may “set” quickly, or may not set at all. Therefore, it should be added carefully, following the instructions on the package.

Based on agar-agar

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 800 g;
• sugar - 300 g;
• water - 200 ml;
• lemon juice - 50 ml;
• agar-agar - 50 g;
• coconut flakes - 100 g.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Add granulated sugar to the pumpkin puree and cook until melted. Then remove from heat and add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
2. Place the swollen agar-agar into the pan and mix thoroughly. Better yet, beat with a blender so that there are no lumps left.
3. When the mixture has cooled slightly, pour into molds. To prevent marmalade from sticking to the walls, moisten them with a little water before pouring into molds.
4. Leave in the refrigerator for a day.After it hardens, dip the resulting homemade marmalade into coconut flakes.

Important! With agar-agar, pumpkin marmalade is softer than with gelatin and healthier.

Based on pectin

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 550 g;
• sugar - 500 g;
• water - 1 tsp;
• syrup - 100 g;
• citric acid - 1 tsp;
• pectin - 4 tsp. with a slide.

Step-by-step preparation:

1. Mix pectin with sugar, and dissolve citric acid in water. In a saucepan with thick walls, heat the fruit puree to about 40 degrees.
2. Gently add sugar and pectin and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Now remove from heat and pour in citric acid.
3. Next you will need a silicone mat or a greased mold. You need to install a frame without a bottom on the mat. Pour the finished composition into the mold.
4. After about an hour, the marmalade can be removed from the mold and cut into pieces. After that, roll it in sugar.

Keep in mind that at first it has a consistency similar to thick jam. But after a few days the mass will acquire elasticity and become viscous. But in about a week it will be ready and take on a store-bought appearance.

Read also:

How to make pumpkin juice without a juicer - the most delicious recipes.

How to make delicious candied pumpkin.

What is pumpkin honey: medicinal properties and contraindications.

Pumpkin marmalade recipe options

There are many recipes for this treat, they are simple and are divided into two types: marmalade with and without gelatin, and marmalade with sugar or honey.

If you cook without gelatin, you will have to wait a long time for the final product (it will harden for about a week), but it can then be stored outside the refrigerator.

Note! Honey will add an original taste and smell, but there are people who are allergic to this product.

With lemon/orange

• pumpkin - 1 kg;
• half a lemon or orange;
• sugar - 400 g.

Preparation:

1. Add sugar to the pumpkin puree and cook for half an hour over low heat, remembering to stir constantly.
2. After this, add the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon/orange to the pan and cook the marmalade for another 10 minutes.
3. Next, remove from the heat and let the vegetable mass cool. Warning: boiling pumpkin puree may splatter.
4. While the future marmalade is cooling, prepare a form in which it will dry. To prevent marmalade from sticking to the walls of the mold, pour it in a small layer no thicker than 1.5-2 cm.
5. Dry the marmalade in the oven until the mass becomes elastic and a dense crust forms on top. Set the oven temperature to minimum.

You can dry marmalade at room temperature. To do this, leave the tray, without covering it with anything on top, in a warm place (near the battery) for 5-7 days. Cut the finished dessert into portions and sprinkle with sugar or powdered sugar.

With honey

This dessert has an unusual taste and rich aroma. Be sure to try replacing sugar with honey.

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 3 kg; water;
• honey - 500 g;
• gelatin - 100 g;
• cinnamon or vanilla sugar.

Preparation:

1. Add honey to the prepared pumpkin puree. Using a mixer or blender, grind the ingredients until smooth.
2. Now you can put the mass aside for a few minutes and work on the gelatin. Pour the thickener with warm water and stir until completely dissolved.
3. The next step is to combine the sweet vegetable puree with gelatin. Stir the mixture thoroughly and quickly, adding a packet of vanillin.
4. Pour the mixture into the mold and place it in the refrigerator for five hours.

The finished dessert is decorated with nuts and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Diet sugar free

Yes, this sweet treat can be made without sugar using a sweetener.

Ingredients:

• pumpkin pulp 350 g;
• gelatin 30 g (you can use agar-agar);
• sweetener to taste;
• vanillin;
• citric acid on the tip of a knife or lemon juice.

Preparation:

1. Add sweetener, lemon juice and vanillin to the prepared pumpkin puree. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
2. Warm the gelatin slightly until the granules dissolve. Now mix the puree with the gelatin solution and lightly beat the resulting mass with a whisk. Cool the mixture a little, but while still warm, place it in molds or on a baking sheet. But make sure that the layer thickness does not exceed 4 cm.
3. Place the mold in the refrigerator to harden for several hours.

When the marmalade has hardened, remove the “sweets” from the mold or cut into pieces (if the delicacy has hardened on a baking sheet).

Cooking tips and tricks

Pumpkin marmalade is easy to prepare, and any housewife will appreciate it. And the following recommendations will help turn this healthy delicacy into a culinary masterpiece:

1. For variety, try adding slices of apples, banana or orange to the recipe.
2. To make marmalade, it is best to use agar-agar. Then the dessert will be doubly useful. After all, it helps cleanse the liver of excess bile and remove waste and toxins from the body.
3. For natural flavorings, add cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, anise, or vanilla sugar to pumpkin puree. With these spices the delicacy will become even healthier.
4. Depending on the sweetness of the vegetable, the amount of sugar in the recipe can be changed - don't be afraid to improvise. Sugar will replace natural honey. It will make the taste richer and the homemade dessert more aromatic.
5. Instead of lemon juice, you can add orange juice to the pumpkin delicacy, or you can add both - make a citrus mix.
6. Pumpkin marmalade can also be colored. Use different colors of food coloring for this, or make natural dyes, such as from beets. Children will appreciate this and will treat themselves to this healthy delicacy with even greater interest and pleasure.
7. To ensure that the marmalade hardens evenly, place the mixture in the molds while it is still hot.
8. Store natural dessert in parchment or glass containers at a temperature no higher than 20 degrees and no more than three months. And best of all - in the refrigerator.
9. Before serving the dessert, roll the pieces of marmalade in powdered sugar, sugar or coconut flakes.

Pictured below is pumpkin marmalade:

Conclusion

Homemade pumpkin marmalade of a beautiful orange color will appeal to both adults and children. Preparing this original, natural and healthy delicacy at home is not difficult. And this dessert does not require any special ingredients. Pumpkin marmalade is traditionally served with tea, coffee, cocoa or hot chocolate.