How to make your own Blueberry Juice: Blueberry juice can be hard to find and expensive to purchase. Make your own blueberry juice using this simple recipe. A quart of blueberries will make 3 1/2 cups (about) of blueberry juice concentrate. Diluted that will make 10 cups of blueberry juice. A super way to make your own blueberry juice.
I got in a fight the other day with the catbirds over my blueberry patch. I let the catbirds eat the wild cherries, the mulberries, and the wild blackcaps. While out weeding in the garden, I spotted a darn catbird sitting on a bush in the middle of my blueberry patch. I swear he was waiting for the berries to get ripe. Shooo you noisy catbird- SHOO!! Those are my berries.
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I won that battle with berry netting. But wait, is that a catbird I just spotted hopping along under the mesh eating my blueberries. The net is now anchored down, and my berries are safe from marauding catbirds or any other creature who decides to try and eat them. FINAL SCORE!! Catbirds Zero, Doctor Jo; lots of blueberries for pies, cobblers, jams, juice, sauce, and eating. I WON!!!
Time to get picking and make some blueberry treats. YUM.
I love fresh blueberry pie, blueberry syrup, blueberry jam, and blueberry lemonade. The basis for all of these is blueberry juice. The store sells blueberry juice with extra sugar or watered down with other juice and water. So why not make your own blueberry juice? It’s easy to make, has no additives and best of all homegrown organic blueberries guarantee it is free of any pesticides and chemicals.
The juice I make is a concentrate and so healthy for you. Blueberries are high in antioxidants, especially the flavonoids. Say What? Flavonoids?? I know it sounds like a personal problem. Flavonoids are antioxidants, making blueberries a superfood. A superfood helps us stay healthy. It can improve the immune system, memory, blood pressure, and keep our muscles in shape. The list is long, and if you need more convincing that blueberries are a superfood here is an excellent resource. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries.
My SIS (Simple Is Smart) Rx for blueberry juice.
Boil the blueberries with a little water until they are soft and can be easily mashed.
Mash them in the kettle and once they have cooled strain out the juice using several layers of cheesecloth or a nut-milk bag. I love the nut-milk bag because it is reusable and doesn’t absorb the blueberry color. Just rinse it out after each use and let it dry. It is great for making cheese, nut milk (duh), and staining juices.
The juice is a concentrate that I dilute 1 part juice to 3 parts water. If you freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray, each cube is 2 Tbsp of juice. Add a cube to a tall glass of lemonade for a refreshing blueberry lemonade drink. Perfect for a hot summer afternoon and so healthy and delicious!
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Equipment
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Ingredients
- 4 cups blueberries fresh
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Wash blueberries and place in kettle with the water.
- Cook blueberries over medium heat stirring often to prevent scorching.
- Once blueberries are soft, mash them in the kettle.
- Let cool and strain mashed berries through several layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.
- Use the juice within a few days by diluting one part juice to four parts water. You may like it more or less concentrated so adjust the amount of water to suit your taste.
- Freeze the juice in a silicone ice cube tray and store it in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Vacuum pack the cubes and store them for three years frozen.
Notes
Nutrition
I’ve been trying to make blueberry juice to add to a Cobbler by a food processor, then using a potato masher ( not using same cup of blueberries ) and realized I would have to cook blueberries to get juice ( duh ). Thank goodness for GOOGLE which is how I got to this recipe, so thank you, to writer and Google.
I am so glad google got you to my recipe. Enjoy your blueberry juice.
Hi, does the cooking process destroy any beneficial nutrients of the blueberries? I have multiple gallon sized bags of organic hand picked, by me, blueberries in my freezer. When they thaw they become soft and release their “blue juice”. Would the freezing/thawing method be enough to make the juice? I was thinking of either mashing them or putting them through my juicer. I’d rather not heat them if it doesn’t serve a purpose other than softening them. Please advise. Thanks so much!
Thank you for your thoughtful question. How wonderful that you have these delicious blueberries. Cooking blueberries doesn’t destroy the antioxidants but will destroy some of the vitamins and minerals. Yes Freezing and thawing them will soften them. I would mash them and then strain the mashed berries through a nut-mild bag.
I use a juicer then heat the blueberries and sugar to 190°F . Then hotpack. Orange juice is a nice blend to add to the concentrate or just water and a little sugar
A juicer is a great method for extracting juice. Your method sounds yummy. Thanks for commenting.
So can I can the juice concentrate? Hot water bath?
Probably need to add Citric acid?
I just squeeze the juice from blueberries with a fruit press. You can dilute with water to your taste. My grandson enjoys it right of the press with nothing added.
Great suggestion and thank you for sharing it.
Hello and yes you can process/can it in a water bath. I add 1 tsp. of lemon juice per cup of juice. Enjoy. It is so yummy.
Hello~I used one pint of blueberries to 1/4 cup of water. The concentrate was very thick. Should I have added more water? Or can I add water after the fact, before storing in the fridge as a concentrate?
Thank you for the tip on making our own!
Lillian
Sorry about the delay in the reply. Yes the concentrate is very thick and you can add more water. I would consider freezing it is you are storing for more than a few days. The ice cube tray works great for freezing individual servings.
Thank you so much For Jo!
You’re welcome.
Love it- Thank you!
Thank you.
Can this recipe be used for grapes with seeds
It should be able to be used with grapes. I would be careful to not smash the seeds though as they can be bitter. Also, the grapes have a high water content so the juice may not need to be diluted.
Cooking destroys most of the anti-oxidants in the blueberries. A better way to soften them for mashing is to freeze and then thaw them to break the cell walls.
Great tip and thank you for the suggestion.