Canning Blueberries – Sustainable Cooks

An easy step-by-step tutorial on Canning Blueberries. This recipe for how to preserve blueberries is perfect for beginners and experienced canners alike. Instructions include low-sugar and no-sugar options. 

I have great news for you! Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to can. And they’re also delicious, so we have that going for us.

And as if life couldn’t get better, I’m going to teach you how to make canned blueberries in a light syrup, so you can actually taste the fruit and not just sugar. Need no-added-sugar options? We’ve got them!

And if you decided that canning blueberries is just not for you (no shade), check out our tutorial on how to freeze blueberries.

After trying this recipe, you’ll want to can the other stars of summer produce – peaches and cherries! Check out our tutorial on canning peaches and canning cherries for step-by-step guides on preserving those tasty fruits.

How to can blueberries

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Canning prep

Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You need to have enough water to cover the jars by 1 inch once the water is boiling.

Set the canner on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to a simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the fruit is.

Wash and clean your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170˚F.

Wash your lids and set them aside in a clean place. You no longer need to simmer lids in water to keep them sterile. Woot!

Rinse the blueberries, removing stems and blossom ends (those weird looking little brown dried leaf-like things).

Next up, let’s prep the syrup! <—-that exclamation point is meant to get you freaking stoked. Did it work?

Hot Packing blueberries

Hot packing involves cooking the blueberries briefly in boiling water before packing the fruit into jars for canning.

Fill a large heavy-bottomed saucepan (I used my enameled Dutch Oven), half-full with water. Bring to a boil. Add the blueberries, cook for 30 seconds, and then drain.

Pro tip: If you’re doing multiple batches, use a skimmer or a slotted spoon to remove the blueberries from the boiling water. That way you don’t have to wait for water to come back to a boil before adding more berries.

Using a canning funnel, ladle the drained blueberries and syrup into your jars until the jars are full and there is 1/2 inch of headspace. Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove all the air bubbles from the jar.

Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag. Place a new, clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.

Using canning tongs, add your jars to the boiling water, and put the canner lid on. Pro tip: you must have at least 1 inch of water over the tops of the jars for safe canning. Processing times will vary based on altitude. See the chart below.

Once the jars have been processed for the appropriate amount of time, remove the canner from the burner, wearing oven mitts carefully take off the lid of the canner, and allow the jars to sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Pro tip: I tend to just slide the canner into the middle of my stove, as it weighs a ton.

Carefully remove the jars with canning tongs, and place them on a thick towel in a place where they can be undisturbed for 12 hours.

The lids will likely start to pop within 20-30 minutes of being removed from the water. That popping sound is music to your ears, as it tells you that everything has been sealed. It’s a reward for all your work!

After the jars have rested for about 12 hours, press down in the middle of each lid. If it “gives” at all, the jar didn’t seal. Either enjoy it that day, put it in the fridge, or reprocess it using a new lid.

Pressure Canning Blueberries

If you prefer to pressure can your blueberries, follow the prep and packing process above and the canning process below.

Add 3 quarts of water to your pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.

Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner. Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe (I call it the steam chimney).

Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator (I call it the chimney cap) on top. (see the 4 photo grid below for a visual of this process step by step)

Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up. That is a sign that you’re starting to build pressure inside the canner (get excited. This is happening!). Processing times will vary based on altitude. See the charts below.

When the dial gauge reaches the appropriate PSI, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at the PSI or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time.  You’ll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.

When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive “click” of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid of the canner (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is super hot). Let the jars sit in the canner with the lid off for 5 minutes.

Place hot jars on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.

After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.

Frequently asked questions