How to Make Quince Jelly

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. 

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

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. 

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.   

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. 

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 sauce pan, 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.

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 crab apple 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.

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.

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

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. 

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 – see my crab apple jelly recipe for instructions.