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Apple jelly (without added pectin) — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple juice (about 3 pounds apples and 3 cups water)
- 2 tablespoons strained lemon juice, if desired
- 3 cups sugar
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water bath canner with rack
- 1 Large stainless or enamel preserving pot
- 1 Canning jars with two-piece lids
- 1 Headspace and bubble tool
- 1 Jelly or candy thermometer
Directions
- Sterilize canning jars and prepare two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer s directions. To prepare juice. Select about one-fourth underripe and three-fourths fully ripe tart apples. Sort, wash, and remove stem and blossom ends; do not pare or core. Cut apples into small pieces.
- Add water, cover, and bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until apples are soft. Extract juice. To make jelly. Measure apple juice into a kettle. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir well.
- Boil over high heat to 8 degrees F. above the boiling point of water, or until jelly mixture sheets from a spoon. Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour hot jelly immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner .
- Processing: Process Hot, Half-pints or Pints, boiling-water canner, 0 - 1,000 ft - 5 minutes.
- Altitude-adjusted processing table: Table 1. Recommended process time for Apple Jelly in a boiling water canner. / Process Time at Elevations of / Style of Pack - Jar Size - 0 - 1,000 ft - 1,001 - 6,000 ft - Above 6,000 ft / Hot - Half-pints / / or Pints - 5 min - 10 - 15
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
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Share your results how it turned out.Safety classification
Tested NCHFP home-canning recipe.
Processing details
Method: Boiling water bath. Hot pack; half-pint or pint jars; 1/4-inch headspace; yield about 4–5 half-pints.
Tested source
Preparation timeline
Simmer prepared apples 20–25 minutes; extract juice; combine measured juice, sugar, and optional lemon juice; boil to the jelly endpoint; fill sterile jars; process.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, half-pint or pint jars, jelly bag, jar lifter, funnel, thermometer or spoon, and large kettle.
Visual method guide
- Prepare and accurately measure the ingredients.
- Fill the approved jars at the stated headspace.
- Process by elevation and cool upright, undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Keep the tested apple-juice and sugar proportions, 1/4-inch headspace, approved jar sizes, and altitude process unchanged.
About this recipe
A traditional clear apple jelly that relies on natural apple pectin rather than commercial pectin.
Before you begin
Use a mixture of underripe and fully ripe tart apples. Sterilize jars because the base process is only 5 minutes.
Altitude/pressure schedule
| Elevation | Half-pints or pints |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 5 min |
| 1,001–6,000 ft | 10 min |
| Above 6,000 ft | 15 min |
Serving suggestions
Serve on toast, biscuits, cheese, or as a glaze.
FAQ
Why use some underripe apples? They provide more natural pectin for the no-added-pectin set.
Recipe context and comparison
This recipe reaches its set through apple pectin and a temperature or sheeting endpoint, unlike commercial-pectin jelly.
Troubleshooting
Avoid squeezing the jelly bag if clarity matters; verify the endpoint before filling jars.
Source and provenance
Safety-critical values remain tied to the original NCHFP source.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
Varies by mature apple tree; not calculated
This recipe does not have a reliable garden conversion. Plan a purchase or harvest separately, and do not use garden estimates to alter the tested recipe.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.