How Long Does Jelly Take To Set?
Making your own fruit jelly and jam is one of the delights of the fall season, enabling us to make the most of a bounty of seasonal produce!
But if you’re new to making jam and jelly, it can be difficult to get to grips with the process of getting it to set.
So, how long does jelly take to set? Homemade jelly preserves will take 24–48 hours to fully set, plus some prep time and patience. Once set, jelly should have a firm, spoonable texture, although some wobbliness is acceptable. The right balance of pectin, sugar, and acid is necessary to ensure that homemade jelly sets properly.
If you’re delving into the world of making homemade preserves, we’ve got everything you need to know right here! Let’s figure out exactly how jelly sets, what makes it set, and some top tips to make it set faster.
What Is Jelly?
Okay, so we need to make it clear here right from the start that we are talking about jelly as a form of fruit preserve.
This is the stuff normally sold in jars or plastic bottles at the store, meant to be spread on toast for breakfast or to make a PB&J for lunch.
This is not to be confused with the type of jelly also known as Jello! Although both are based on fruit juice, they are made in different ways. Jello uses gelatin to make it set whereas jelly preserve relies on pectin.
Fruit jelly is normally made by cooking concentrated fruit juice with sugar.
The finished product should be clear or slightly translucent and is normally the same color as the fruit. It should have a firm enough texture to hold its shape when scooped out of the container, yet also spread easily.
The basis of making fruit jelly follows a similar technique to jams, conserves, preserves, and marmalade. The intention is to make the most of a seasonal surplus of fruits or vegetables, to create a shelf-stable foodstuff.
People have been making jams and jellies for many centuries, and the technique has barely changed over all this time!
How Is Jelly Made?
Fruit jelly and jam are both made on very similar principles. The only difference is that jelly is made from the juice of the fruit (and sugar), whereas jam will also contain pieces of the fruit, either as pulp or chopped into small pieces.
To make jelly, pure fruit juice is heated and mixed with a relatively large amount of sugar. The quantity of sugar used will depend on the natural sweetness of the fruit.
Sugar-packed raspberries and strawberries may not need much extra sweetness, whereas tart currants and berries will benefit from plenty of sugar.
This sweetened fruit syrup is then simmered slowly until it reaches the setting point. This means it had reached the point where, when cooled, it will set into a firm jelly.
But what exactly is this mysterious process that can turn a fruit juice into firm jelly? The secret lies in a substance called pectin, which naturally occurs in many fruits.
When sweetened fruit juice and pectin are cooked together, the pectin forms a mesh that traps liquid as it cools. Think of it like cement that binds the liquid ingredients together!
Pectin is so efficient in its role that it can even suspend pieces of fruit with a liquid. And the best thing about it is that it naturally occurs in all fruits!
The level of pectin varies between different types of fruits, and some jellies may require additional pectin to be added.
Citrus fruits and apples are high in pectin and acid, and jelly can normally be made from these without any additions. You will commonly see these added to other fruits to provide the pectin necessary to cause jelly to set.
Other fruits, such as strawberries, are very low in pectin. Strawberry jelly will not set by itself without the help of pectin from other fruit or from artificial sources.
It is considered preferable to use natural pectin from fruits as much as possible when making jelly.
However, this may give you quite a loose-set softer jelly, and pectin from another source may be necessary to give you the firmness you desire.
Pectin can also be used to make jelly from non-fruit liquids such as tea infusions or alcoholic beverages.
Along with pectin, there are two other components critical in helping jelly to set.
The first of these is the acidity levels of the fruit juice. Low levels of acid mean the jelly will never set, and high acidity will give a firm jelly that weeps liquid.
A good jelly recipe will tell you how much acid to add to ensure you have the perfect jelly mix. This can come in the form of juice from citrus fruits such as lemons or limes, or as powdered citric acid.
The second is the sugar in the jelly, which is not only a preserving agent but also helps it set! Refined white sugar is normally used, ask, replacing these with corn syrup or honey may prevent gelling.
How Long Does Jelly Take To Set?
So you’ve gone through the jelly-making process and poured your delicious homemade preserve into jars. After all this work, how long before it sets and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor?
Well, we hate to break it to you, but there is no way you’ll get to try your jelly on the same day that you make it!
You can expect that your canned jelly will take at least 24-48 hours to fully set.
Yes, that’s right — it could be two or more days before you get to crack open a jar of your delicious jelly preserve!
The time it takes for jelly to set can be quite variable, and it will depend on the type of fruit juice used and the recipe you follow.
Higher pectin fruits such as apples tend to set faster than low pectin strawberries. Jellies that have had extra pectin added will set faster and to a firmer texture than those that rely on natural pectin alone.
If you’ve managed to leave your jelly alone and undisturbed for three or more days and it is still not set, then you may have a problem.
It will still be edible, but will not have a firm spoonable texture — it may also deteriorate more quickly and have a shorter shelf life. Jelly that has not set can sometimes be rescued though, so all is not lost!
Can You Make Jelly Set Faster?
There is not a great deal you can do to make a homemade fruit jelly preserve set faster once it is poured into jars.
If you followed a tried and tested recipe with balanced levels of sugar, pectin and acid, then your jelly should set within the normal time frame.
Jelly that is canned in smaller jars may set slightly faster, but there is very little difference overall.
Underripe fruits tend to be higher in pectin, so if your recipe contained a high proportion of very ripe fruit, then it may take a longer time to set.
Most recipes recommend that you use at least a quarter of under-ripe fruit to ensure that you have sufficient pectin.
And if you’re wondering whether putting homemade fruit jelly preserves in the refrigerator or freezer will help them set faster, forget it!
It is the long, slow process of cooling that allows pectin to form the jelly-like consistency you’re looking for.
Some things just can’t be rushed, and jelly is one of them!
How To Tell If Jelly Is Fully Set
So we know that you’re impatient to give your jelly a try, but the most important thing to remember is to leave it alone for at least a day.
Pop it on a cool, dark pantry shelf, shut the door, and forget all about it until tomorrow!
The following day, pick up a jar of jelly and tilt it very gently. If it moves even a little bit, it is not yet set and should be left to sit for another day.
A completely set jelly will wobble slightly when the jar is shaken or moved, but the overall structure should not change.
If you’re feeling brave, you could try turning the jar upside down and see if the contents remain in place. We would only suggest trying this if you’re 100% sure that your jelly is set, or it could all get a bit messy!
When it comes to trying your fresh batch of jelly, open a jar carefully and inspect the contents inside. The surface should be firm, free from liquid, and bounce back when pressed.
Now the time has come to give your homemade fruit jelly preserve a try. Take a clean spoon and gently scoop out a small amount — the jelly should hold its shape, although a small amount of wobbliness is acceptable.
Spoon the jelly onto your toast or breakfast yogurt, and enjoy!
Top Tips For Making Perfect Homemade Jelly
The key to making perfect homemade jelly preserves is to have the right balance of fruit, pectin, sugar, and acid.
The fruit adds flavor as well as juice, pectin, and some natural sugars. It is a good idea to ensure that at least a quarter of your fruit is underripe, as this will increase the pectin levels considerably.
If you are using a low pectin berry or a very ripe batch of fruit, then you can use store-bought pectin to top up the levels of this miraculous ingredient.
The sugar in jelly also contributes to its setting properties as well as acting as a natural preservative. And without the right levels of acidity, pectin will fail to set altogether.
When following a recipe for homemade Jelly, these factors should all have been figured out for you. However, there is always room for things to go wrong!
Luckily, there are some simple tests you can do to make sure that your homemade jelly is going to set perfectly.
The first of these is to look at the texture of your fruit syrup as it is heating on the stovetop:
- When you first start cooking, it will be thin and runny and gradually thicken up. Dip a cool metal spoon into the jelly mixture and lift it out of the pan.
- Watch how the syrup runs off the spoon — if it falls off in small drops, the jelly is not ready to set. You are aiming for two or more drops to join together and fall off the spoon in a sheet.
You can also test the temperature to see if your jelly has reached its setting point.
For this, you will need a jelly or candy thermometer that is able to withstand hot temperatures — the setting point for most jellies is 220°F.
One of the most effective methods to make sure your homemade jelly preserve is going to set is the freezer test:
- Remove the boiling jelly from the stovetop, and spoon a small amount of the liquid onto a clean plate.
- Place the plate in the freezer for 2–3 minutes, then check the consistency of the jelly mixture.
- If it has gelled and started to set, it is done and ready to pour into jars. If the jelly does not pass the freezer test, return the pan to the heat and repeat the test when the liquid has thickened a bit more.
Related Questions
Now we’ve got making the perfectly set jelly all figured out, let’s take a look at some other common preserve-related questions!
How do you know if jelly has gone bad?
Homemade jelly or jam preserves are designed to be shelf-stable for a long period of time, but how do you know if they have gone bad?
These fruity preserves can deteriorate quite quickly once they have been opened, so it is vital to check them carefully before lathering them onto your toast.
The key signs that jelly has gone bad include:
- A layer of mold or yeast on the surface of the jelly.
- A bitter or rancid smell, or any odors of alcohol or yeast.
- A change in texture, with pockets of watery liquid developing inside or on top of the jelly.
Any of these signs may indicate that your jelly or jam has been contaminated with bacteria and has gone bad. It’s not worth taking the risk of eating it, and it probably will taste quite unpleasant anyway.
If in doubt, throw it out and open a new jar of homemade jelly!
Can you eat runny jelly?
If you’ve made a batch of jelly that has failed to set, all is not lost!
Making the perfect fruit jelly preserve can be difficult to master, and even the most experienced jelly makers will occasionally have a batch that is runny and fails to set. But what can you do with several jars of jelly that did not set?
The best way to think of this is as a fruity syrup that can be drizzled over pancakes, desserts, or yogurt. It can be used to add flavor to cake batters or frosting, or spooned onto ice cream or fruit sorbets.
One important thing to remember with a batch of jelly that is failed to set is that it may not have quite such a long shelf life. It would be wise to keep it in the refrigerator and use it within a few weeks if possible.
All the more reason to enjoy a spoonful of fruity goodness on all of your favorite sweet treats!
