Canning blueberries is quick and easy and canned blueberries have a ton of uses in the kitchen. They are a great ingredient to have on the shelf for toppings, sauce, to add to baked goods, and more!
We live in blueberry country, thank God! There are blueberry bushes everywhere around here and many many blueberry farms. These bushes love our soil and weather and are very easy to grow here in central NC. In season, the market is full of fresh blueberries.
In fact, there are so many of them, and so many blueberry bushes owners get so tired of picking the berries that you often can find someone that won’t mind if you come over and take the berries away (in case you don’t have your own plants).
Canning Blueberries at Home…
And so, around this house you won’t find anyone complaining about too many blueberries, we end up with a ton of them. To be honest, right at this moment I have three-gallon bags of frozen blueberries in my freezer from three years ago. I haven’t gotten to those yet and blueberry season is just around the corner.
With all due respect for berries, and I have a ton, I can only devote so much space for them in the freezer. Since I want to keep all of the berries, canning them is a great solution. Canning blueberries (and blackberries, and strawberries, and raspberries!) is very easy, and in the jars, they can last on the shelf at room temperature for a very long time.
Ingredients…
- Blueberries – choose firm blueberries. Ripe and sweet yet firm. I started with five pints of fresh blueberries and ended up with six pint jars.
- Sugar – good old white sugar is what I used. If you need a honey option check the FAQ section below.
Kitchen Tools…
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Small pot or saucepan
- Pint or quart jars with two-piece lids
- Canning utensils
- Paper towel
- Water bath canner
Raw Pack Vs. Hot Pack…
Raw Pack – we are going to use the raw pack method when canning blueberries so you’ll see the exact steps below, but just as an overview, in this method we pack the jars with the fruit, make a syrup, add the syrup to the jars, and process the jars.
Hot Pack – this method consists of cooking the fruit for a few minutes before packing it. I feel like overall it produces a better product in the long run because it preserves the taste a bit better. In this method, we are going to let the fruit sit with the sugar for a little bit. This produces a very flavorful juice that we are then going to heat (with the fruit) and use when canning.
Since the fruit is packed in its own juice I think that the flavor is preserved better. I use this method when canning blackberries or when canning strawberries. However, blueberries don’t really produce much juice and raspberries tend to fall apart when cooked so it’s hard to use the hot pack method when canning these two kinds of berries.
How to Can Blueberries…
Step one – prep the berries and make the syrup. Start by washing the blueberries well with cold water. Set them aside and get to work on the syrup. To a small pot or a saucepan, add 2 1/4 cups of sugar and 5 1/4 cups of water. Set on the stovetop and bring to a simmer. This is a light syrup, if you want to use more sugar or are looking for other syrup options you can find a helpful table here.
Fill the water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch and set it on the stovetop. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil (while the water is heating up we’ll keep working on the blueberries since it takes some time for the water to come to a boil).
Step two – pack the jars. Wash the jars and two-piece lids with hot water and dish soap. Then, pack the blueberries in the jars leaving one inch of headspace. Next, add syrup to the jars, again, leaving one inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to remove air bubbles by scraping the inside of the jars. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jars before closing them finger-tight with the two-piece lids.
Step three – process the blueberries. Elevate the rack of the water bath canner. Place the packed jars on the rack and let them warm up for a few minutes. Lower the rack into the boiling water of the canner (I usually lower the heat to medium-high to keep a rolling boil), cover the canner, and process both pint and quart jars for 15 minutes.
Storing Canned Blueberries…
Once processing time is up, turn the heat off and uncover the canner. Let the jars rest in the water for five more minutes. Then use the jar lifter to lift them out of the water and onto a wooden cutting board or a kitchen towel on the counter. Let the jars cool slowly and undisturbed for 12 hours.
Before storing your canned blueberries, make sure that the jars are sealed by pressing the center of each lid. If there is no movement there, the jars have sealed and are ready for storage. Remove the band (it sticks to the jar, rusts over time, and you can use it when canning something else), wipe the jars, and store them in the pantry, a kitchen cabinet, or on a shelf. Somewhere away from direct sun and at room temperature.
Serving Canned Blueberries…
- As a snack – feel free to open a jar and just snack on the berries right from the jar as if you are eating them fresh. They are delicious! Make sure to keep the juice to use in baking or in homemade drinks.
- Over pancakes or crepes – we make pancakes or French crepes or toast at least once every couple of weeks. These canned blueberries are delicious as topping with some good old condensed milk. Or I sometimes use them to make a quick sauce for topping.
- With yogurt – we love raw goat milk yogurt or crock-pot yogurt (made with store-bought milk). I usually top it with homemade granola and fruit. These blueberries work great.
- With sour cream – if you need a tiny yummy snack just add some canned blueberries and a bit of their juice on top of a few tablespoons of sour cream and call it a day!
- In shakes or other drinks – any fruit smoothie is going to benefit from a few blueberries. Add them to shakes too or even homemade alcoholic drinks.
- Use in baking – you can use these blueberries in any baked recipe that calls for blueberries. One thing to take into consideration is that you might want to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe if the berries are very sweet (since we used sugar to preserve them). You might want to give this strawberry bread a try (substitute strawberries for blueberries).
- Use to make ice cream – ice cream making is still a mysterious world to me, however, homemade blueberry ice cream definitely sounds like a thing I’d want to try.
Frequently Asked Questions…
Yes! You can use this method to can raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are better processed using the hot pack method.
Yes, you can combine a few of the kinds of berries that I mentioned above and can them together. Let’s say, a mix of blackberries and blueberries is totally fine.
You can add mint, thyme, rosemary, a piece of a cinnamon stick… Add whatever you choose to use to the syrup as you cook it, then remove the herbs or seasonings and use the syrup.
Yes. You can use honey instead. Make your syrup by mixing one cup of honey and four cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil (make sure the honey dissolves in the water) and use that to fill the jars. Process the same exact way/time.
Sometimes it happens that a jar or two won’t seal. In this case, you can try to process the jar again (I usually recommend changing the lid before you do that) or you can simply save this jar in the fridge and use it first. Since the blueberries are in a sugary syrup they should last a few weeks in the fridge.
Home-canned blueberries should last about a year on the shelf before they start to lose their taste.
I try to put up as many jars of blueberries as I can every year. They are such a great ingredient to have on the shelf. There are so many ways we can use them and they are delicious in every way. I hope that this was helpful!
More Canning Tutorials…
- Canning Strawberry Mango Jam
- Low Sugar Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Canning Apples
- How to Make Mulberry Jam
- How to Can Peaches
Canning Blueberries
Learn how to can blueberries step by step.
Ingredients
- 5 pints of blueberries
For the Syrup:
- 2 1/4 cups of sugar
- 5 1/4 cups of water
Instructions
- Fill the water bath canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch and set it on the stovetop. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.
- Wash the blueberries well with cold water. Set them aside and get to work on the syrup. To a small pot or a saucepan, add the water and sugar. Set on the stovetop and bring to a simmer (180 -200 degrees F).
- Wash the jars and two-piece lids with hot water and dish soap. Then, pack the blueberries in the jars leaving one inch of headspace. Next, add syrup to the jars, again, leaving one inch of headspace. Use the bubble remover to remove air bubbles by scraping the inside of the jars. Then use a damp paper towel to clean the rim of the jars before closing them finger-tight with the two-piece lids.
- Elevate the rack of the water bath canner. Place the packed jars on the rack and let them warm up for a few minutes. Lower the rack into the boiling water of the canner (I usually lower the heat to medium-high to keep a rolling boil), cover the canner, and process both pint, and quart jars for 15 minutes.
- Once processing time is up, turn the heat off and uncover the canner. Let the jars rest in the water for five more minutes. Then use the jar lifter to lift them out of the water and onto a wooden cutting board or a kitchen towel on the counter. Let the jars cool slowly and undisturbed for 12 hours.
Before storing your canned blueberries, make sure that the jars are sealed by pressing the center of each lid. If there is no movement there, the jars have sealed and ready for storage. Remove the band (it sticks to the jar, rusts over time, and you can use it when canning something else), wipe the jars, and store them in the pantry, a kitchen cabinet, or on a shelf. Somewhere away from direct sun and at room temperature.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions...
- Can I use this method to can other berries?
Yes! You can use this method to can raspberries and blackberries. Strawberries are better processed using the hot pack method. - Can I combine a few kinds of berries for canning?
Yes, you can combine a few of the kinds of berries that I mentioned above and can them together. Let’s say, a mix of blackberries and blueberries is totally fine. - Can I add seasonings to my canned blueberries?
You can add mint, thyme, rosemary, a piece of a cinnamon stick… Add whatever you choose to use to the syrup as you cook it, then remove the herbs or seasonings and use the syrup. - Can I can blueberries without sugar?
Yes. You can use honey instead. Make your syrup by mixing one cup of honey and four cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil (make sure the honey dissolves in the water) and use that to fill the jars. Process the same exact way/time. - What should I do if one of my jars didn’t seal?
Sometimes it happens that a jar or two won’t seal. In this case, you can try to process the jar again (I usually recommend changing the lid before you do that) or you can simply save this jar in the fridge and use it first. Since the blueberries are in a sugary syrup they should last a few weeks in the fridge. - How long should home-canned blueberries last?
Home-canned blueberries should last about a year on the shelf before they start to lose their taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 pintAmount Per Serving: Calories: 431Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 111gFiber: 6gSugar: 99gProtein: 2g
Hi! I’m Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.
can you water bath can blueberries and/or other berries that have been frozen?
Yes, I think that you can.
Hey! Just wondering why citric acid isn’t added to these?
No need for it. The syrup is enough to preserve the berries.