How to Make Quince Jelly

August 17, 2020 by Helen Best-Shaw 45 Comments

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Quince jelly is a quintessential British preserve. Delicious flavours of roses and apple come together in a golden pink jelly. Perfect for spreading on toasted crumpets, it’s easy to make. This quince jelly recipe tells you everything you need to know to make perfectly set jelly every time.

Toasted crumpets spread with butter and pale pink quince jelly on a white plate,

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What are Quinces?

Quinces are close relative of the apple, being a golden coloured hard fruit that’s notable for the fuzz covering the skin. Originating from an area spreading from eastern Turkey to Afghanistan, it’s long been thought that the famous golden apple that Paris gave to Aphrodite triggering the Trojan war was a quince. They are now found all over Europe, as both an ornamental and orchard tree.

The fruit is inedible raw, and the most common use is to make quince jelly and quince cheese, or membrillo. It can also be stewed, and used like stewed apple as a topping to breakfast cereal, porridge or similar.

Why make Quince Jelly?

Quince jelly has a delicate flavour, hinting at apples and roses (the tree is a relative of both). It both looks and tastes delicious with it’s rose pink colour and subtle flavour. It’s not the easiest fruit to find in stores, so making a few jars when the fruit is in season will set you up for the year.

Also, quinces are a fruit that’s high in pectin, so it’s an easy jelly to make and get to set.

Where can I find ripe Quinces?

This can be a little tricky. The fruit is ripe in October and November in the UK, when they turn from a light yellow to a golden colour. It’s best to store them in a cool, dry place not touching each other for six weeks before using to allow them to mature.

Greengrocers may well be able to order some in when they’re ripe, or an online search for “buy quince fruit” can show suppliers.

How to Make Quince Jelly – Recipe Step-by-Step

A picture of quinces, from above, before and after cutting into pieces.

Step one – wash and cut the quinces into chunks, about 2cm / 1″ cubes. You don’t need to core or peel them. Cut out any bad bits, but don’t worry about any speckled light brown flesh.

White casserole dish with quinces, before and after cooking in water. The cooked fruit is pulped.

Step two – add quinces and the water to a large saucepan, and simmer gently until the fruit is soft. Quince are very hard so you will need to cook for some time, about half an hour.

Give cooked quince a mash with a potato masher to break them up.

A jelly bag hanging from an upturned side table, dripping juice into a glass bowl.

Step three – strain the fruit through a jelly bag. For the clearest results, don’t poke the jelly bag! Leave it for at least 12 hours, until juice stops dripping through.

A jug of juice on scales weighing 1kg, and a 750g bowl of sugar.

Step four – weigh the juice, and weigh out 3/4 of the weight of juice in sugar.

Step five – return the juice to a large saucepan (at least twice the size of the juice and sugar), add the sugar and gently heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Skim off any scum.

Step six – place jam jars in a baking tray and warm in an oven set to 140°C / 275°F / GM 1.

Step seven – turn up the heat to maximum to a rolling boil. Start testing for set.

How to test for jelly setting point

There are three methods you can use to test for setting.

First, the wrinkle test. Drop a teaspoonful of the liquid onto one of your chilled plates and leave it for a few seconds. Then push the drop of jelly with your fingernail to see whether the jelly wrinkles. If it does, your quince jelly will set and can be transferred into the hot jars and sealed.

Second, temperature. The other ways to test are to watch the temperature of the boiling liquid. Keep boiling until it reaches 105°C – the setting point. You can use a jam thermometer for this; they’re easily available and not expensive. Use another method as well as temperature.

Third, the flake test. Take a spoonful of jelly from the saucepan, and turn the spoon vertical so that the jelly runs out of the spoon. When it starts to thicken, a flake of jelly will hang from the edge of the spoon, showing that you have reached the setting point.

A digital thermometer reading 105C, taking the temperature of a saucepan of jelly.

Step seven – Once the setting point has been reached, take the jelly off the heat.

Pouring quince jelly into jam jars from a glass jug.

Step eight – fill the jars. I find the best way is to use a glass jug. For the least mess, use a jam funnel. Screw on the lids – take care, as the jars will be very hot; I find a pair of nomex oven gloves perfect here. Allow the jelly to cool. As it does so, the lids will pop as the vacuum forms.

Waterbathing Jams and Jellies
I am based in the UK, here we do not routinely waterbath high sugar preserves such as jams and jellies, nor is there any official advice to do so.
I’ve been making jam this way for over 30 years, it is how my mother and grandmother made jam and we have never had a problem.
Please do your own research, follow the guidance in your own country, as best practice may vary according to where you are located.

Flavour Variations

I love quince jelly. It’s simple, fuss-free and as it comes as I adore the flavour. But if you want to play with the recipe and flavours:

Make a mix of quince and apple jelly. This will make a few quinces go much further.
Add a kick of chilli. Just add a pinch of crushed chilli, or add a whole chilli as you cook the jelly, and remove it before jarring.
Throw in a few scented geranium leaves as you cook the jelly, and remove before jarring.

Hints and tips for making quince jelly

Don’t overcook the fruit, or the flavour of the final jelly will be lost. Just simmer the fruit gently.
Never poke or squeeze the bag, as this will result in cloudy jelly.
If your quince needs cooking but you don’t have time to make the jelly right away, then cook and strain and either keep the juice in the fridge for a few days, or freeze and make the jelly later.
For best results, tap the jam jar as you fill it, so that any air bubbles come out. Put the lids back on the jars while still hot, to help seal them tight.
For safety I always stand the jars in a tray when filling them in case one cracks. This has only happened to me once, but having a tray to catch any hot jelly is far safer.
Use any plain white sugar – granulated or caster. You don’t need preserving sugar as there is plenty of pectin in quinces.
You can reserve the fruit pulp to make membrillo or quince cheese.

More jelly recipes

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Close up of a small bowl of quince jelly

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4.80 from 24 votes

Quince Jelly

Quince jelly is fragrant and so delicious. Thanks to high levels of pectin in the fruit,, it is one of the easiest jellies to make so ideal for a beginner preserver.

Servings: tbsp

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Ingredients

1.7 kg quinces
2 litres water
granulated sugar (see recipe for quantities)

Instructions

Prepare the quinces – Wash the quinces, and cut into chunks – about 1" / 2.5cm cubes. No need to peel or core.
1.7 kg quinces
Cook the quince – Add the quinces to a saucepan and just cover with water, and heat until simmering. Cook for about 30 minutes until the fruit is soft. Lightly mash with a potato masher to break the fruit up.
2 litres water
Strain – Spoon or ladle the cooked quinces into a jelly bag suspended over a bowl. Allow to drip for at least 12 hours or overnight.
For the clearest results, don't poke or squeeze the jelly bag.
The strained liquid will be pale pink, cloudy and slightly thick. It will clarify once you cook the jelly.
Weigh the sugar – Weigh the juice. Weigh out 75% of the weight of juice in granulated sugar.
granulated sugar
Dissolve the sugar – Add the juice and sugar to a large saucepan, stock pot of preserving pan (which should be less than half full). Heat gently, stirring all the time, to dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile place the jam jars in a roasting tray in an oven set to 140°C / 275°F / GM 1 to sterilize them.
Boil the jelly – Once the sugar has dissolved turn the heat up high to until the jelly is at a rolling boil.
Test for set – Start to test for setting either by temperature (when jelly reaches 105°C), or by the wrinkle or flake method. See notes below
Pot the jelly – Once the jelly has reached the setting point, remove from the heat. Fill the jam jars: I spoon the jelly into a glass jug, and then pour into the jars using a jam funnel. Seal the hot jars with their lids.
As the jelly cools, the lids will pop showing that a seal has formed.

Notes

Don’t overcook the fruit, or the flavour of the final jelly will be lost. Just simmer the fruit gently.
Never poke or squeeze the bag, as this will result in cloudy jelly.
If your quince needs cooking but you don’t have time to make the jelly right away, then cook and strain and either keep the juice in the fridge for a few days, or freeze and make the jelly later.
For best results, tap the jam jar as you fill it, so that any air bubbles come out. Put the lids back on the jars while still hot, to help seal them tight.
For safety I always stand the jars in a tray when filling them in case one cracks. This has only happened to me once, but having a tray to catch and hot jelly is far safer.
Use plain white sugar – granulated or caster. You don’t need preserving sugar as there is plenty of pectin in quinces.

Setting Point

First, the wrinkle test. Drop a teaspoonful of the liquid onto one of your chilled plates and leave it for a few seconds. Then push the drop of jelly with your fingernail to see whether the jelly wrinkles. If it does, your quince jelly will set and can be transferred into the hot jars and sealed.

Second, temperature. The other ways to test are to watch the temperature of the boiling liquid. Keep boiling until it reaches 105°C – the setting point. You can use a jam thermometer for this; they’re easily available and not expensive. Use another method as well as temperature.

Third, the flake test. Take a spoonful of jelly from the saucepan, and turn the spoon vertical so that the jelly runs out of the spoon. When it starts to thicken, a flake of jelly will hang from the edge of the spoon, showing that you have reached the setting point.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.

Nutrition Facts

Quince Jelly

Amount Per Serving (20 g)

Calories 80 Calories from Fat 1

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.1g0%

Saturated Fat 0.003g0%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.01g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.01g

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 56mg2%

Carbohydrates 21g7%