Homemade Grape Juice

5 from 12 votes

Homemade Concord grape juice made with a steam juicer. Enjoy it fresh, freeze it, or preserve it in a water bath canner.

Course Beverage, canning

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 10

Servings quarts

Calories 98kcal

Wash the grapes well. Leave the grapes on the stems.
Fill the bottom pan of the steam juicer with water according to the manufacturer's directions. Place the grapes in the top basket.
Bring the water to a boil and steam the grapes for 1½–2 hours, or until the juice stops flowing. Check the water level periodically and add additional hot water if needed.
Drain the hot grape juice from the collection pan.
To can the juice, heat the juice to boiling and pour into hot canning jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims and add lids and rings.
Process pints or quarts in a boiling water bath canner for 5 minutes at 0–1,000 feet, 10 minutes at 1,001–6,000 feet, or 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.
When ready to drink, dilute the grape juice with water to taste. Add sugar to taste if the juice is too tart.

Yield will vary depending on the grapes and how much juice they contain.
Check the water level in the bottom of the steam juicer during juicing and add more hot water as needed.
Sterilize jars when needed. If your water bath processing time is less than 10 minutes, empty jars must be sterilized before filling.
Dilute before drinking. The finished grape juice is concentrated. I usually start with equal parts grape juice and water, then adjust to taste.
Add sugar if needed. Depending on the sweetness of your grapes, you may want to add sugar to taste when serving.