Kumquat Marmalade with Ginger is a treat during citrus season and beyond. It's lovely on toast, bagels, muffins, and it's also excellent served alongside poultry.
Kumquats are in season approximately November through July, usually peaking in March. During that time, it's near impossible not to walk or drive by a kumquat tree that's full of fruit.
What are kumquats?
- kumquat is a citrus fruit that looks like a tiny orange, and is just a bit bigger than a grape.
- Originally grown in China, they're now grown in many parts of the world.
- There are two main kumquat varieties: Nagami and Marumi. Nagami are the more common variety, and they are the ones pictured and used in my kumquat marmalade recipe. The Marumi variety is a bit more round, yellow, sweeter and juicer.
What do kumquats taste like?
Unlike most other citrus fruits, kumquat peel is sweet and edible. The inside flesh is quite tart, and the combination of the two is what people love about them.
How to Serve Kumquat Marmalade
- Of course this is lovely on toast, bagels, muffins, etc.
- It's also delicious alongside chicken, turkey or duck.
- You can finely chop it and toss it into a salad for added sweetness.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- I prefer cooking the kumquats whole for this recipe and removing the seeds afterwards. I love the big chunks of fruit in my marmalade, and some people enjoy the crunch of the seeds. You can however, also cut the kumquats in half and remove the seeds before you cook them.
- The flavor of the ginger and citrus is delicious together, but the ginger can be omitted if it's not your thing.
- If you'd like to use dry ground ginger instead of fresh, use 1 teaspoon. (The fresh packs a bit more of a punch.)
- Other fresh herbs that would be lovely are basil and oregano.
How long will kumquat marmalade last?
If you find yourself with tons of kumquats, make as much of the marmalade as you can at once. If stored correctly, they will last about a year. Here is a guide to Sterilizing Jars for Preserves.
Marmalade can last up about three months in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
I hope you love this Kumquat Marmalade as much as I do!
More kumquat recipes:
Other favorite citrus recipes:
Kumquat Marmalade with Ginger
Ingredients
- 1¾ pound fresh kumquats
- ⅓ cup water
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger pulp (It's easiest to use a microplane zester to grate the ginger.)
- approximately 10 sprigs fresh thyme, washed and dried
Instructions
- Prepare the kumquats. Place the kumquats in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Drain the kumquats and rinse them with cold water. Remove any remaining bits of stems from the fruit and set aside.
- Combine the ingredients and cook. Add the water, sugar and ginger pulp to a medium-sized pot and place it over medium heat. Let this get hot and stir a bit, just to dissolve the sugar. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs and add them, along with the the kumquats and and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until it becomes thick, about 40 minutes.
- "Pop" the kumquats and remove the seeds. Gently "pop" each kumquat with the back of a fork. The seeds should easily come out -- as they do, remove and discard them with a small spoon.
- Cool and serve or store. Let the preserves cool and store them in a jar or tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to about three months.
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Deb
Pairing kumquats with ginger is a robust flavor combination! A stellar preserve!
Colette
You know, this kumquat preserve would make my Russian pancakes irresistible!
David
Valentina! Thank you for the shout out for my candied kumquats! Your preserves look amazing and as soon as I can get kumquats again, I will be making a TON of it! Happy cooking this weekend! ~ David
valentina
Hi David! A friend of mine just made your kumquat recipe, with kumquats from her neighbor's tree and rosemary from her yard. Lovely. Where are you located? I've still been seeing kumquats around here in S. Cal, (though not as many).
David Scott Allen
Wow - this was so long ago and I never knew you asked me a question! Well, but now my secret location (haha) is no longer secret - love all the citrus in Tucson and this post is a great reminder of how it can be used.
valentina
Ha! Wow, we've been checking out each other's recipes for quite a while now. 🙂 ~Valentina
angiesrecipes
I love the pairing of kumquats and ginger. The preserve looks excellent!
angiesrecipes
valentina
Many thanks, Angie! 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
I adore kumquats (I always call them the best breath freshener ever 😉 ). They are so delicious on their own and I know that I would love these preserves. Love the warmth of ginger in this too.
valentina
Thank you, Marissa. A lovely breath freshener indeed! 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
Such gorgeous marmelade. I am a kumquat fan from way, way back. Very early on in my cooking life, I made a kumquat pudding that I love making to this day. I've never thought to pair kumquats with ginger, but it's an obvious choice! Nice!
valentina
Jeff, Kumquat pudding sounds fantastic! Would love to check that out. Thanks for visiting. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
This looks great -- the ginger must add some nice tingle to the flavor. Really super recipe -- thanks.
valentina
Thank you, John. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kelly Shaban
Valentina, I'm so happy to have found this recipe! I see kumquats but I've never had one and was not sure what to do with it or how to eat it. Thanks for the great information and recipe to try something new!
valentina
Thanks so much, Kelly! I hope you try and love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Erin Engman
Excited to try the end product, but want to share that I wished I sliced and deseeded the kumquats prior to breaking them down over heat. I followed the recipe as written and ended up needlessly burning myself when the hot liquid from the kumquats popped on my hands.
valentina
Hi Erin. Thanks for writing in. I'm so sorry you burned yourself! 🙁 I indicate in the "recipe tips" are that you can do it either before or after -- the reason for this is that some people actually like the crunch of the seeds and keeping the fruit whole. I'm with you though, if you're not interested in the seeds of the bigger chunks of fruit, removing them first is probably the way to go. (I will update the tips accordingly asap.) Thank you again for sharing -- this is exactly how I can make improvements for other readers. 🙂 And happy new year! ~Valentina