Have you ever peeled apples for a recipe or your child’s snack and felt guilty about wasting the scraps?
No? Then you’re normal! I, on the other hand, was born with quite the guilt complex. When I was little, I used to feel bad for the toys I wasn’t playing with and would quickly run over to them to apologize for leaving them out of the fun (this was probably due, in part, to this 1986 Christmas movie by Jim Henson that led me to believe my toys were alive).
If you are still reading, appreciate my quirk, and are finding yourself nodding your head in agreement, then this recipe for Apple Scrap Jelly is for you! (And the good news is, we might not be the strange ones. It is now trendy and hip to be environmentally conscious and reduce your waste.)
This post contains affiliate links. Opinions are my own.
Ingredients:
- Apple peels and cores from about 20 apples
- 6 cups of water
- 6 TBSP classic pectin
- 9 cups of white sugar
- Cheesecloth
Directions:
1. Peel the apples. Prepare your canner, lids, and jars.
2. Cook the peels and cores in 6 cups of water until soft (30-45 minutes).
3. Place cheesecloth inside of a strainer. Pour the apple parts and water into the cheesecloth and allow them to drain. Don’t squeeze out the excess liquid or your jelly will be cloudy!
4. Add water to the liquid, as needed, to obtain a total of 7 cups. Put the 7 cups of liquid back into your clean pot. Add classic pectin and bring to a rapid boil.
5. Add sugar, stir, and boil hard for 1 minute. You’ll know it’s ready when the jelly starts to bubble up the pot. Remove the pot from the heat.
Dawn @ Pin-n-Tell says
This is a PERFECT recipe for when I make applesauce each fall! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m so pinning this! I hope to see you at our next #PinUP Pin Party… we host them every Friday 🙂
jane says
Thank you for sharing. I have always thought it was a waste to throw all the scraps in the garbage. Making today as I made apple pie filling yesterday.
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Awesome!!
Ashley says
can the peels and cores be frozen first? like so that i dont need to peel 20 apples all at once and can just toss the peels and cores into the freezer through the week instead and make this on the weekend
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
I’ve never tried that before. The only thing I can think of is you might lose some color because of oxidation. Go for it and let me know how it turns out!!
Allison Sutterfield says
Yes! I save mine up in freezer bags until needed.
pip says
Hi, to answer Ashley’s question, you can freeze them, it allows them to be collected over time and then used all together. I make something similar called compost jelly (doesn’t sound as pretty) but it uses citrus peel scraps too. In the past I’ve flavored it with herbs , spices or chillis for variation.
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Thanks for helping out!
Laura says
I was curious about the freezing. I’ve kept peels and cores in my freezer for soup stock. I love this idea. Thanks.
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Others say freezing the peels and cores works fine!
carol says
is there a version of this to use stevia instead of sugar?
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
I don’t know. I don’t like the taste of Stevia, so don’t use it.
Heidi says
9 cups of sugar seems like a lot, would it still jell with less?
Tina b says
If you use Pomona pectin, available at Whole Foods, you control how muchmsugar you add or honey or sugar substitute.
Amber says
I made something similar to this, with 5 c. of juice, 7 cups of sugar, and 1 box of Surejell. It gelled beautifully! I had enough cores and peels to fill a 5qt pot. The apples were Pink Lady and Gala. The jelly is a fantastic clear pink color.
Breanna says
All I had on hand was liquid pectin so I used 5 tablespoons and 9 cups of sugar.. but it doesn’t look like it’s going to set up. Then water bathed it for 5 minutes. Let it set in water bath afterward for 5. Any ideas on what to do with it or how to make it jell? Thank you!
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
My friend who used the wrong pectin enjoyed the recipe as apple syrup for pancakes, and said it was still delicious. Maybe you could that too! To make it set like jelly, use classic pectin, as specified in the recipe.
Ashley Pickrell says
Could you tell me how many jars you got from one batch? Also, is classic pectin the same as powdered pectin? I have lots of those little boxes around.
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
It should say classic pectin on the box if that is what it is. As for the # of jars, I wish I could remember. I didn’t make apple scrap jelly this year, and don’t remember how many I ended up with years prior.
Lila Deveney says
I just made a batch and I got 8- 1/2 pints and a whole pint plus a little left over, I just put it in a dish and put in fridge. will have it on toast for breakfast. My apples were very sweet, so only used 7 cups of sugar. not sure yet how it will set up. some recipes I have read say to add 1/2 cup sugar for each 1 cup of liquid. We shall see.
Kathryn says
A friend linked me to this recipe, and I gave it a try today while I was making applesauce. I ended up with 11 half-pint jars; probably would have 12, but I spilled some toward the end. I’m so excited to have something different (and delicious) for teacher gifts!
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
kari says
i was wondering i didn’t hvae the classic pectin and no store in town had it in stock. i had to order from amazon took a few days. i already put my apples and cores in the water and make the liquid i needed before hand. its in the frig ready to make this. i was wondering do i need to heat it up again and then make sure 7 cups are equal again or do i just start with adding the pectin and then bring to the boil. i don’t want to mess it up. also can i do 2 recipes at once or not?
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
I would pick up from where you left off. I also don’t see why you couldn’t double the recipe if you wish! Hope that helps!
Kendr says
What it u don’t have a cheese cloth
Fireflies and Mud Pies says
You could try using a clean cotton t-shirt?
Melisa Hemmelgarn says
I made this over this past weekend, added just about a teaspoon of cinnamon and it’s amazing! I had a case of apples and hated to throw away all the peel and cores; so I hit Pinterest and came across your Pin for this. I’m SO glad that I did!
Erin says
How long do I need to let them sit before we can eat them? The pectin says like a few weeks or so something like that
Melissa, Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Follow the direction on your pectin.
Julie says
I made it the first time exactly how the recipe states, but it did not get very firm. So today i did it again and used:
6 cups water (instead of 7 cups) 8
8 1/3 cups of sugar (instead of 9)
7 Tbsp of classic pectin (instead of 6 Tbsp)
and
boiled it for 4 minutes (instead of 1 min)
worked like a charm and is delicious.
PS I used 100% apple berry juice instead of water
Melissa, Fireflies and Mud Pies says
Cool! I bet the juice is why it didn’t set the first time. Good thing you made adjustments!
michele says
I made this once with friends and once alone… and both times, it didn’t get very firm… I like the taste, so I think I will try this next time. Thanks!
Shirley Carpenter says
If I use something like Suregel couldn’t I just use the same amount of juice and the amount of Suregel recommended in the instructions on their recipe sheet ?
Shirley Carpenter says
I meant to say the liquid from the apple scraps and water instead of juice
Ruby says
Thanks for the recipe! I have used this recipe a few times to make jelly, and it turns out beautiful!
Pamela says
How long are the jars of jelly good for? Should I refrigerate after opening a jar?
Melissa Lennig says
Yes, you should always refrigerate jams and jellies after opening.
Kristie says
I used to make this every fall when I was making home canned applesauce or apple butter to use the scraps. One important thing to consider is if you are going to save the peels to use make sure your apples are organic and well washed, otherwise you are preserving a pretty tasty spread of concrntrated pesticides.
Melissa Lennig says
Yes, that is very true.
Laura says
Do you think I could add jalapenos to this recipe to make an apple pepper jelly?
Melissa Lennig says
Probably. I would consult a canning book to make sure you don’t have to alter any other ingredients. Apple pepper jelly sounds delicious!
Debbie says
This jelly is fantastic! I feel like I get more for my money by using the scraps. Beautiful color and the grand kids love it. It’s so easy to make even if you are a beginner!
Sara J says
This is great! We make apple cider every year from the trees in our yard. I always use the leftover bits for a jelly base. So yummy!