Blueberry Butter is a rich, spreadable summertime treat that’s perfect on pancakes, ice cream or dolloped on top of a biscuit.
Blueberry butter is a sweet and savory spread that can be used on toast, biscuits, or muffins. It has a creamy texture, and the combination of the smoothness and tartness is perfect for a quick breakfast.
This unique fruit butter can also be used in baking, cooking, and as a side condiment to other meals. It’s a flavorful and unique way to enjoy the abundance of blueberries in season – even in the dead of winter.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to make blueberry butter at home, and how to properly preserve it through the process of canning – a process that’s far easier than you might think!
Ingredients for Blueberry Butter
The ingredients for canning blueberry butter are quite simple. To make a canner batch of six half-pint (250 ml) jars, you’ll need the following:
- 5 ½ cups (1.4) blueberry pulp (could be reserved from making either blueberry jelly or blueberry syrup)
- 3 cups (750 ml) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon zest
- 1 ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tbsp (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
The lemon juice in this recipe is optional, and not required for preservation safety. That said, it really does bring out the flavor of the blueberry butter, and I’d strongly reccomend it.
(Fresh lemon juice tastes much better, but bottled will also work.)
Likewise, the spices are optional, but highly reccomended. You can use other dry spices that suit your tastes, and vanilla is exceptional in blueberry butter too.
Making Blueberry Pulp
This recipe starts with blueberry pulp reserved from making either blueberry jelly blueberry syrup. Blueberries have a lot of flavor, and you can pull off blueberry juice, and still have an incredibly concentrated flavor in this bluerry butter.
You can just slow cook blueberries until they’re thick (like making apple butter), but believe it or not, it doesn’t taste nearly as good. Much of the blueberry flavor gets cooked out in the time it takes to concentrate the mixture down, and you’re much better off pulling off the juice and just using the pulp.
That’s ok, you get syrup or jelly too!
To make blueberry pulp, start with about 4 pounds blueberries and 2 cups water. Cook them together, mashing the fruit as much as possible, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the pulp for blueberry butter and collecting the juice for syrup or jelly.
Juice for Blueberry Jelly Draining in a Jelly Bag
How to Make Blueberry Butter
So, assuming you’re starting with strained blueberry pulp, the first step in making blueberry butter is to puree the blueberry pulp in a food processor until it’s very smooth. It should only take about one minute to get a nice, smooth consistency.
Once you’ve pureed the blueberry pulp, it’s time to combine it with the other ingredients. In a six-quart (six-liter) stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven, combine the pureed blueberry pulp, sugar, and all the other ingredients. Stir everything together until evenly combined.
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil – make sure you’re stirring often. Once it boils, you can reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for about an hour. Stir it frequently. The mixture should begin to thicken and hold its shape when placed on a spoon.
Canning Blueberry Butter
Before you can fill the jars with the blueberry butter, you need to take the time to prepare them. Make sure the jars, lids, and bands are sanitized, clean, and hot.
Ladle hot blueberry butter into the hot jars, leaving a quarter-inch (.5 centimeters) of headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a plastic utensil along the inside of the jar. Once the bubbles are removed, wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth.
Place the jars in a boiling water canner. Process them for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation). After processing, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars sit in the canner for five minutes. Remove the jars and cool them on the counter for 24 hours. Check that the jars are sealed properly, then store them.
Serving Blueberry Butter
Whether it’s summer or winter, there’s no better time to treat yourself to some delicious blueberry butter that you’ve canned yourself.
Most people prefer to serve blueberry butter as a condiment, and it pairs well with almost anything from toast to pancakes, waffles, scones, and biscuits. In fact, it’s an excellent alternative to jam, jelly, or honey. If you’re looking for something that’s sweet and a little tangy, then blueberry butter is the perfect solution for you. But that’s not all it has to offer!
You can also use it as a topping for ice cream or mix it into your yogurt for a lovely fruity twist. It makes a lovely filling for breakfast crepes, or you can even use it to top cakes, cheesecakes, pies, and much more. You don’t have to stick to the sweet route, either. Many people will use condiments like blueberry butter as marinades or glazes for meats and cheeses, like ham, pork chops, or baked brie.
Unlike some other products you might can for yourself at home, blueberry butter is generally heat-and-eat.
But suppose you’d like to remix it or tweak its flavor. In that case, you can always add other ingredients to it, such as a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or a squeeze of lemon juice, depending on your preference.
Just note that if you add anything to this recipe, however, make sure you do it only after you’ve finished canning and are about ready to eat the butter – adding other ingredients prior to canning may render this recipe unsafe for water bath canning, so it’s best to stick to the tried and true ingredients listed above and below.
All in all, though, blueberry butter can also be a great ingredient to experiment with when making some other desserts or baked snacks.
Blueberry Butter
Ingredients
- 5 ½ cups (1.4) blueberry pulp (could be reserved from making blueberry jelly or blueberry syrup, see notes)
- 3 cups (750 ml) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon zest
- 1 ¼ tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tbsp (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Puree the blueberry pulp in a food processor until it's smooth. This should take just one or two minutes.
- In a six-quart (six-liter) stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven, combine the pureed blueberry pulp, sugar, and all the other ingredients.
- Stir everything together until evenly combined.
- Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil - make sure you're stirring often.
- Once it boils, you can reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for about an hour. Stir it frequently. The mixture should begin to thicken and hold its shape when placed on a spoon.
- Ladle hot blueberry butter into the hot jars, leaving a quarter-inch (.5 centimeters) of headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a plastic utensil along the inside of the jar.
- Once the bubbles are removed, wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth.
- Place the jars in a boiling water canner. Process them for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation).
- After processing, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars sit in the canner for five minutes.
- Remove the jars and cool them on the counter for 24 hours. Check that the jars are sealed properly, then store.
Notes
To Make Blueberry Pulp
To make blueberry pulp, start with about 4 pounds blueberries and 2 cups water. Cook them together, mashing the fruit as much as possible, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer, reserving the pulp for blueberry butter and collecting the juice for syrup or jelly.
Blueberry Canning Recipes
There’s more than one way to preserve blueberries in a jar! Take a look at these blueberry canning recipes:
- Canning Blueberry Pie Filling
- Blueberry Butter
- Blueberry Syrup
- Blueberry Rhubarb Jam
- Simple Blueberry Jam (without Pectin)
- Blueberry Lemonade Concentrate
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