

Selecting Fruit for Blueberry Jelly

Blueberry Jelly Yield
A quick note on yield…
I’ve sized this blueberry jelly recipe for a single box of standard pectin, and it yields about 5 cups (5 half-pint jars). It’s not a large batch, but blueberries don’t give much juice. You’ll only need 4 cups of blueberry juice, but that means 4 quarts of fresh blueberries.
If you only have a few cups of blueberries, feel free to cut this recipe in half or quarters. Starting with 4 cups (1 quart) of blueberries and using 1/4 box of pectin will yield just over one 8 oz jar of blueberry jelly.
You can also use bottled blueberry juice instead of using the berries yourself.
(Yields are slightly different if you use the low sugar blueberry jelly variation discussed later.)
How to Make Blueberry Jelly

Juice for Blueberry Jelly Draining in a Jelly Bag


Low Sugar Blueberry Jelly

The finished texture of blueberry jelly is more or less the same when you use Sure-Jell Low Sugar pectin (as compared to full-sugar), but the yield is lower. Using Pomona’s pectin, the texture will be different (less smooth/spreadable).
Blueberry Jelly with Liquid Pectin
Just to provide all the options, I’ll cover blueberry jelly with liquid pectin. I don’t like this option, because liquid pectin requires ABSURD amounts of sugar to properly gel. You’ll need 7 cups of sugar to 4 cups of juice.
If using liquid pectin, go ahead and add the juice and sugar into a pan together. Liquid pectin is added last, as opposed to boxed pectin which must be added before the sugar.
After the juice/sugar come to a full boil, add in the liquid pectin and return to a boil for 1 minute before pouring into prepared jars.
Canning Blueberry Jelly

Ways to Preserve Blueberries
Looking for more ways to preserve blueberries?
- Freezing Blueberries
- Drying Blueberries
- Canning Whole Blueberries ~ Coming Soon
- Canning Blueberry Pie Filling ~ Coming Soon

Blueberry Jelly
Blueberry jelly is a silky smooth homemade preserve bursting with fresh blueberry flavor.
Ingredients
- 4 cups blueberry juice (purchased, or extracted from 4 quarts of fruit)
- 4 cups sugar (see notes for low sugar variation)
- 1 box powdered pectin (1.75 oz)
- Lemon Juice (optional, see notes)
Instructions
Extracting Blueberry Juice
- To extract blueberry juice from fresh blueberries, place them in a saucepan with 1 cup of water per quart of fruit. (This recipe requires 4 quarts of berries and 4 cups water.)
- Slowly bring the mixture up to a simmer, mashing the berries as they cook.
- Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes, until the berries have completely fallen apart and released their juices.
- Strain the fruit through a jelly bag or a colander lined with a double-thick layer of cheesecloth. Allow the bag to drain for at least 2 hours, squeezing if necessary to extract more juice.
- This should yield 4 cups juice. If you have extra, save it for other uses. If you're short, make up the difference with another fruit juice (ie. apple, cranberry, etc) or reduce the recipe.
Making Blueberry Jelly
- Prepare jars & lids. If canning, preheat a water bath canner.
- Place 4 cups of strained blueberry juice into a jam pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and add one box of powdered pectin. Whisk to incorporate and fully dissolve the pectin.
- Boil the pectin/juice mixture for 1 minute before adding sugar.
- Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve.
- Return to a boil and cook 1 minute before lading into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- If canning, process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
- For a refrigerator or freezer jelly, allow the mixture to cool completely on the counter before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Lemon Juice - Adding lemon juice is optional, as blueberries are acidic enough on their own for jelly. The added acidity will help balance the sweetness of the sugar, and lemon goes nicely with blueberry anyway. If you choose to add lemon juice, I'd recommend somewhere between 1 tablespoon and 1/4 cup. Add the lemon juice in with the blueberry juice during the jelly making phase.
Low Sugar Variation - For a low sugar blueberry jelly, substitute low sugar pectin such as Sure-Jell Low Sugar, Mrs. Wages Low Sugar or Ball Low Sugar powdered pectin. The sugar can then be reduced but I'd suggest adding at least 1 cup to 4 cups juice. (You can also substitute honey or maple, though they'll really compete with the fresh blueberry flavor.)
If using Pomona's Low Sugar pectin, follow their directions on the package, as there are 2 parts to that pectin and the order of addition is different than with standard powdered pectin.
Liquid Pectin Variation - I don't recommend liquid pectin because it requires exorbitant amounts of sugar to gel properly. That said, if you'd like to make this recipe with liquid pectin use 2 pouches of pectin and increase the sugar to 7 cups (with 4 cups juice).
This recipe can be made with purchased blueberry juice, or with juice extracted from fresh fruit.
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Laurie Hoyt
Can I add a vanilla bean or caviar to this recipe?
Administrator
I don’t see why not. Let me know how it goes.
Beckie
Great recipe. Just made 14 jars from fresh picked blueberries.
Administrator
That’s wonderful. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Lisa C.
This tastes so good! My kids and I picked fresh blueberries this week and I just made 13 jars (8oz). Not sure if I did something wrong though since I got 8 cups of juice from 4 quarts of berries. I canned 12 jars and I had an extra jar that I didn’t can so we could enjoy now!
Administrator
Sounds like you must have had some really juicy berries.
John
I have tried multiple recipes to try and get the right consistency in my jelly but, until now, it has come out as a syrup or has been turned into a paste. Not this recipe. This recipe is spot on! I used both powdered and liquid pectin, making sure to follow the recipes for each and I can’t make it fast enough! I do a LOT of canning so I will have gifts to hand out at Christmas time and this jelly is absolutely perfect!!! Well done!!! I have since added this recipe to my Jellies and preserves recipe book knowing that this recipe will now become my go-to every year when I pick 30+ gallons of these delectable berries.
Administrator
That’s great! We’re so glad your blueberry jelly turned out so well.
Jayne
Have you ever used a steam juicer? I wonder which method releases the most juice. Can’t wait to try jelly instead of traditional jam.
Administrator
A steam juicer is definitely the way to go if you have one available to you. It can be much quicker and more effective.
Beckie
Great recipe. I am making my second batch. I added jalapeno peppers this time and I used my fruit/vegetable attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer this time to strain the berries. OMG, big time saver.
Administrator
Thank you. We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Lesa
I want to make this soon. How many jelly jars will I need for this recipe?
Thanks
Administrator
This recipe makes 4 or 5 half pint jars.
John
I have run into a variance with this. Depending on how much water you use to boil down the berries, this will offset the total number of jars you will get. I have run this three times and got more than expected.
Administrator
The amount of water will affect the amount of juice that you get from the berries, that’s true. You want to measure out 4 cups of juice for the jelly recipe and then save the remaining juice for another use.
Melanie
Just made this jelly. How long does it take for it to ‘set’? Finished about 3 hours ago, not set yet.
Ashley Adamant
It depends on the type of pectin you use, but mine usually take about 48 hours to set fully. The pectin brands say that it can take up to 7 days to fully set depending on the fruit.