Mint jelly is a delicious jam-like condiment that's the perfect accompaniment to roast lamb and more. It may take a little time, but it's easy to make and so much better homemade than anything you would buy. Bright, just the right amount of sweet and so good.
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While I didn't grow up with the Sunday roast tradition (it's more an English that Scottish habit), I did, however, enjoy roast lamb now and then. It was always a favorite, both as I enjoyed the meat itself but also for the range of sides like roast potatoes and other vegetables. And with lamb, you had to have a spoonful of mint sauce or mint jelly on the side.
Lamb and mint pair really well, and the little bit of sweet works well with the meat, in much the same way as Swedish meatballs typically have lingonberries on the side.
Though I didn't know any better growing up, some of the bought versions are not exactly the best. Very sweet, not a lot of mint flavor (or at least not real mint) and often vivid green from food coloring.
Making your own homemade mint jelly lets you avoid all of these issues. And it's surprisingly easy to make, particularly if you are used to making jams or jellies of other kinds.
Ingredients in mint jelly
This jelly needs just a few ingredients - though some of them might be surprising! To make this you need:
- Mint - you can use most kinds of mint for this but spearmint, the common/garden mint is the most typical and works well. It is also conveniently what you will most likely find in the store (or may grow). The key is you need fresh mint, not dried, and use both the stem and leaves.
- Sugar - this is key for any jam or jelly for flavor, as a preservative and as part of helping it set. Regular white sugar is fine for this.
- Apples - this is what may be surprising! Apples provide pectin that's necessary to help the jelly to set, without adding much flavor. They also let you get as nice clear jelly. Green golden delicious apples are the best for this as they are tart and don't add too much flavor to distract from the mint.
- Lemon - this adds a nice little bit of tartness and freshness, as well as adding pectin. I like adding some lemon juice in most of my jams, though here you add the whole chunk in to get the most pectin from it as you can.
I guess arguably you could call this an apple and mint jelly, though to me it's still all about the mint. You may notice I don't add any liquid pectin as I find the combination above is enough for it to set naturally. If you prefer, you can add some to help things along.
I know some choose to add some green food coloring to make it seem more fittingly minty, but to me there's no need. Some extra chopped mint at the end adds a little fresh flavor and color. Plus the natural golden hue of the jelly is much prettier, in my mind.
Steps to make mint jelly
As I mentioned, this is not difficult to make but does take a couple steps and a little patience. In addition, there are a couple things worth watching out for as you go to make sure it turns out as just right.
Step 1 - simmer together apples, mint, lemon and water
You start by making a minty, pectin-loaded liquid that you then make into jelly. Chop the apples into chunks but you don't need to remove the core or skin. In fact you actively don't want to remove the skin. Much of the natural pectin in apples sits right under the skin, so you want all of that in the pot. Leave the mint leaves on the stem to get all the flavor come out into the liquid.
Cook the mixture for a good 20 - 30 minutes, covered, until the apples are really soft and pulpy (as in the photo below).
Step 2 - strain the liquid
Once the apples are all soft and you've got all the goodness from them, as well as flavor from the mint, it's time to strain away the solids. You want a very fine strainer for this - if you have a jelly cloth, use that. If not, here I used a double layer of cheesecloth in a very fine strainer which worked well.
DO NOT PRESS the solids. This one is one on the biggest pointers in makig jelly. You want the solids to drain naturally. If you press them, you will almost certainly make solids go through which will lead to a cloudy jelly. So just give it plenty time to drain on it's own. Don't worry, it might look a little opaque at this point but as long as you didn't press on the solids, it should clear up fine in the next stage.
Step 3 - simmer strained liquid with sugar
This is where it becomes a jelly! Your liquid will have reduced down a little and so it's worth measuring what you get after straining to get the right amount of sugar. I got 1 ¾ cups (420ml) liquid so added 1 ¼ cups (250g) sugar which worked well.
Some use equal volume liquid to sugar, others feel you can get away with a bit less sugar, but it will take longer to cook down. Make sure you use a wide, heavy based pot to have plenty surface area to help it reduce.
At the start, stir gently to dissolve the sugar then bring the mixture to a simmer. You want it to bubble enough to reduce but not to get sugar solids all up the pot. As it simmers, remove foam from the surface with a spatula. These lumpy solids can make the jelly cloudy but they are easy to remove as it cooks.
Once the liquid has reduced down and thickened, it's time to test if it is able to set. You can do this in a few ways, but one of the easiest is by preparing a small plate by putting it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Place a small spoonful of the jelly on the cold plate and let it cool. Try nudging the edge - the surface should wrinkle a little. If you tip the plate, it should have some resistance rather than just flowing off quickly. If it might not be ready, cook a little more.
Step 4 - cool slightly and add chopped mint
Once the liquid is the right consistency, remove from the heat. Transfer to jars after a minute or two, leaving a small amount of space at the top (use proper canning methods if you plan to store for a while - see this website for current advice).
Before adding the lid, let it sit a couple minutes and in the meantime finely dice some mint. Carefully stir the mint into the jelly - it can be a little tricky to avoid spilling, but try your best. It may also sit more towards the top, but that too is OK. It generally mixes down better if it is cooler, but that's then a trade off with putting the lid on while hot. Just try to mix as best you can, as it helps add a bit of texture, bright mint flavor and looks pretty, too.
Then, seal up the jar or jars and store until you are ready to use. Here I make a relatively small batch - in fact just one jar - but you can easily increase as suits. Just multiply up all the ingredients and use a larger pot. Bear in mind each stage will likely take a little longer, particularly the final simmering to get it to reduce and set.
Uses for mint jelly
As mentioned above, the classic use for mint jelly is as an accompaniment to roast lamb. You could also use some spread in a sandwich with leftover lamb as a tasty lunch - some peppery arugula/rocket would be good in there, too.
It would also work paired with other meats, particularly thinking of chicken, as well as various vegetables like peas and carrots. Stir some of the jelly into warm steamed vegetables to brighten up their flavor. Alternatively, why not try mixing some with some yogurt to make a dip. Really, where you can imagine mint and a little sweetness, it's worth a try.
Mint jelly is a lovely balance of bright mint flavor and sweet spreadable goodness. It's a wonderfully tasty compliment to roast lamb, but can be used in many more ways, too. So give it a try, whether to get through an abundance of mint or just because. A tasty excuse either way.
Try these other condiment ideas:
- Tapenade - this French spread is made with olives and packed with flavor.
- Cilantro mint chutney - a classic "green chutney" used with various Indian dishes.
- Muhamarra - an easy, flavorful walnut and pepper sauce/dip.
- Romesco sauce - another flavorful, versatile sauce, made with nuts and tomato.
- Plus get more condiment recipes in the archives.
Mint jelly
Ingredients
- 1 lb Granny Smith apples
- 5 stems mint approx - 5 stems is around 1 cup loosely packed
- 2 cup water
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
At end
- 2 tablespoon mint finely chopped
Instructions
- Chop the apples into chunks but don't remove the core or skin. Place the apple chunks and mint - on the stem - in a pot /pan along with the half lemon. Add the water then bring the place over a medium heat, covered, and bring to a boil.
- Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers then let it cook for a good 20 - 30 minutes, covered, until the apples are really soft and pulpy. Let the pot sit a couple minutes while you prepare bowl etc for straining.
- If you have a jelly bag, use that, or else line a fine sieve/strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth. Pour all of the apple-mint mixture into the jelly bag/lined sieve and allow the liquid to strain through. Do NOT press down the solids at all or you'll likely get cloudy jelly. Leave the mixture to strain for at least two hours, but you can also leave overnight.
- Remove and discard the solids and measure the liquid. You should have around 1 ¾ cups/415ml. Place the liquid in a pot/pan along with the sugar - if you have less liquid, you may want to reduce the sugar a bit, or similarly add slightly more if you have more.
- Place the pot over a medium heat, uncovered, and stir now to help the sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat a little so that it simmers, but strongly. Continue to cook to let the mixture thicken, a good 10 minutes or so. Foam will likely form on the top around the edges - as it does, skim the foam off and discard.
- As the mixture thickens, test that it has reached jelling point. Place a small spoonful of the jelly on the cold plate (ideally one you pre-chilled in the freezer) and let it cool. Try nudging the edge of the mixture - the surface should wrinkle a little. If you tip the plate, it should have some resistance rather than just flowing off quickly. If it might not be ready, cook a little more.
- Once ready, pour into a prepared jar and let cool a couple minutes while you finely chop the additional mint. Stir in the mint, trying to get it down in the jar a bit, then cover and seal the jar.
Notes
Nutrition
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