Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

Blueberry pie filling is a simple way to preserve the fresh taste of blueberry pie right in a jar.  Use them to bake a pie later or to top cheesecake, ice cream, or anything else you like!

Keeping homemade blueberry pie filling in your pantry across all four seasons will spread the delight throughout the year. This pie filling is splendid when combined with other fruits in cobblers or pies or simply spooned atop cakes and puddings!

Blueberries are loved by all, and it’s no mystery why. This sweet and mild berry is lovely in desserts and preserves alike. Blueberries are high in pectin, which makes them an ideal fruit for making jam or jelly. 

Fresh blueberries can be added to loaves, fermented into a homemade blueberry wine, or blended into frozen treats. Dried blueberries can be added to make lemon blueberry scones. 

In fact, you may wish to simply can blueberries to keep these beauties within arm’s reach for all their potential applications! But always be sure to save some for pie filling – with canned blueberry pie filling tucked away in your pantry, you’ll be able to make homemade blueberry pie all year round. 

Ingredients for Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

For canning pie fillings you’ll want to use a modified starch known as Clear Jel. Unlike other household starches (like tapioca or cornstarch) that break down and become runny over time, Clear Jel ensures a reliably thick consistency. Clear Jel comes in two varieties: regular and instant. You’ll be needing the “regular” variety for this recipe, which thickens once heated. The “instant” variety cannot be substituted. 

A pound of clear Jel is equal to about 3 cups. For this recipe, you’ll need ¼ cup of Clear Jel per canned quart.

When selecting your blueberries, choose berries that are firm and ripe. If using frozen, use an unsweetened variety. If unsweetened berries are unavailable, try rinsing the frozen berries to remove the sugar or decreasing the sugar added to the recipe.

For each quart jar of blueberry pie filling, you will need the following ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups fresh blueberries (or frozen berries)
• ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Clear Jel
• 1 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

The reason these numbers are odd is because they have been altered based on a full 7 quart canning batch. However, you may wish to first try a one quart batch to experiment with the ratio of sugar or spices to ensure it meets your individual tastes before leaping into a full batch. 

Be aware that the amount of lemon juice cannot be altered as it ensures the safety of your canned pie filling. Clear Jel however can be decreased slightly for a looser pie filling.

To yield a full 7 quart canner batch, the ingredients and measurements are as follows:

• 6 quarts fresh blueberries (or frozen berries)
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ cups Clear Jel
• 7 cups cold water
• ½ cup bottled lemon juice

Altering the Canning Recipe for Blueberry Pie Filling

There are a few small alterations that can be made to this recipe that won’t affect the canning safety.

You can adjust the amount of sugar and spices in this recipe to suit individual tastes. The lemon juice, however, cannot be decreased as it ensures canning safety of your pie fillings as well as their storage stability. 

Additionally, you cannot increase the amount of Clear Jel beyond that given in the recipe.

You can, however, increase the lemon juice to make a more tart pie filling or decrease the Clear Jel for a looser-set filling that is less dense. If curious, try decreasing your Clear Jel to 3 to 4 tablespoons per jar.

How to Can Blueberry Pie Filling

Before beginning, prepare jars, lids and water bath canner.

If using fresh blueberries, wash and drain them – especially if they are fresh-picked – you don’t want any residue or little insects in your pie filling. 

If using frozen berries with added sugar, wash this off while still frozen – you’ll want to use unsweetened berries for this recipe (otherwise you’ll need to adjust the sugar added). Allow frozen berries to drain in a colander over a bowl and collect the juice – you can add this in place of water later.

For fresh blueberries, add 6 cups of fruit to about one gallon of boiling water at a time (or 3 cups of fruit to about 2 quarts water). Return to boil and allow the batch to boil for a full minute. Carefully drain (or remove the berries with a slotted spoon) and keep the heated fruit in a covered bowl or pot so the berries stay warm while you make the Clear Jel mixture. 

To make your Clear Jel mixture, combine the Clear Jel and sugar in a large pot and add the cold water (or cold water with added fruit juice) and whisk until Clear Jel is fully dissolved. Turn on heat and cook this mixture of Clear Jel, sugar, and water on medium-high heat until it bubbles and thickens. 

Once bubbling, add lemon juice and boil for a full minute while stirring or whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and fold in your drained berries.

Immediately ladle into prepared canning jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Apply 2-part canning lids and process in a water bath canner for 30 minutes, adjusting time for higher altitudes.

After the processing time has passed, it is a good practice to turn off the heat of your water bath canner and leave the jars in your canner for another 10 minutes. Remove and place on a towel (this towel acts as a buffer – placing jars directly on a countertop can cause cracking or breaking of the jars due to the abrupt temperature change).

Following these additional steps will reduce the risk of siphoning – an annoying mess that causes loss of pie filling. Siphoning can occur when jars cool too quickly on the countertop, de-bubbling is skipped, or adequate headspace is not left.

Jars that have experienced siphoning are still safe to store, just give them a quick clean first.

Altitude Adjustments for Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

Altitude adjustments for pints and quart jars are as follows:

• 0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation: 30 minutes
• 1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation: 35 minutes
• 3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation: 40 minutes
• Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation: 45 minutes

Juice or Water for Canning Liquid?

You have the choice of using fruit juice instead of water when making the canning liquid and Clear Jel mixture. If using fresh blueberry juice, you’ll want to extract the juice from the berries beforehand.

For best results, follow these instructions from this blueberry jelly recipe. In summary, add the berries to a pot with some water, mashing the berries as you bring them to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, finally straining with the help of cheesecloth or a jelly bag. Discard berries. 

To extract blueberry juice, you’ll need about one quart of water for each quart of fruit (4 quarts of berries will yield around 4 cups of juice).

If using frozen blueberries, thaw in a colander, placing a bowl underneath to collect the juice for the Clear Jel mixture. Measure the resulting liquid and add water to make the correct amount.

Another option for gathering blueberry juice is to juice the blueberries with the help of a countertop juicer.

There is also the option of adding another type of fruit juice such as apple or cranberry. Do note, this will alter the taste of your blueberry pie filling! 

If you are unwilling to sacrifice your precious blueberries to extract juice, water can be used instead, as well as a mix of water with ½ to ¼ amount juice. Just be sure to chill whichever liquid you choose – you’ll want to add cold water or juice to make the pie filling.

Using Blueberry Pie Filling

Blueberry pie filling can be used in countless ways – and trust me, pie isn’t the only option! Although this pie filling is spectacular in blueberry cobblers and streusels, it can be added to a variety of other recipes for delightful concoctions.

Try adding blueberry pie filling to pancakes, waffles, or yogurt parfait for a dessert-inspired breakfast.

Add blueberry pie filling to coffee cake or swirl into quick breads for a decadent pie-inspired loaf.

Still feeling like pie? Use this pie filling to make blueberry hand pies or blueberry pie bars.

Additionally, blueberry pie filling can top cheesecakes, ice cream, or be mixed into a no-bake cream pie.

Blueberry Canning Recipes

There’s more than one way to preserve blueberries in a jar!  Take a look at these blueberry canning recipes:

• Blueberry Butter
• Blueberry Syrup
• Blueberry Rhubarb Jam
• Simple Blueberry Jam (without Pectin)
• Canning Blueberry Lemonade Concentrate

Yield: Makes 1 quart or 7 quarts (see notes)

Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Canning and storing blueberry pie filling is a delightful way to keep those summer blueberries in circulation all year round. Keep some on hand to top breakfast foods or bake into enticing desserts.

Print

Ingredients

For a Single Quart:

• 3 ½ cups fresh blueberries (or frozen berries)
• ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon Clear Jel
• 1 cup cold water
• 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

For a 7 Quart Canner Batch:

• 6 quarts fresh blueberries (or frozen berries)
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 2 ¼ cups Clear Jel
• 7 cups cold water
• ½ cup bottled lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prepare jars, lids, and water bath canner beforehand.
2. Wash and drain your berries. For frozen fruit, thaw and collect juice with the help of a bowl placed below a colander.
3. Bring a few quarts of water to boil in a large pot and add fruit, boiling for one minute. Boil your fruit in batches (3 cups berries to 2 quarts water or 6 cups to a gallon).
4. After boiling for one minute, drain or remove berries with a slotted spoon and place in a covered bowl or pot to keep warm.
5. Next, you’ll make the Clear Jel mixture. Combine the Clear Jel and sugar in a large pot (large enough to hold added fruit). 
6. Add cold water (or cold water and juice) to the pot, whisking to dissolve. The Clear Jel must be completely dissolved before you begin to heat the mixture.
7. After the Clear Jel has dissolved, heat on medium-high and whisk or stir the mixture continuously until it thickens and bubbles.
8. Once bubbling, add lemon juice and boil for a full minute.
9. Remove from heat and fold in your drained blueberries.
10. Immediately, ladle the hot liquid into prepared canning jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. De-bubble the jars since the mixture will be thick.
11. Clean the rims of any lingering residue with a damp cloth and apply 2-part canning lids, screwing until finger-tight. Process in a water bath canner for 30 minutes, adjusting for altitude.
12. Once processed for the adequate amount of time for your altitude, turn off the heat and allow jars to sit in the water bath canner for another 10 minutes. This helps prevent siphoning, which occurs when jars cool too quickly.
13. Carefully remove your jars using a jar lifter, allowing them to cool undisturbed on your countertop. Check the seals after 12 to 24 hours. Any unsealed jars should be moved to the refrigerator for immediate use.
14. Jars that are properly canned and stored will keep at peak quality for 12 months. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

Follow the instructions above for the best results.

The measurements have been given for both a 1 quart and 7 quart yield. For batches in between, simply multiply the 1 quart yield to achieve the desired quantity.

Remember, allow the Clear Jel to dissolve completely in cold water before heating. If added to hot water, it will clump and become unusable.

Be sure the blueberries are slightly cooked before being added to the Clear Jel.

Adjust canning times for altitude:

0 to 1,000 Feet in Elevation: 30 minutes

1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation: 35 minutes

3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation: 40 minutes

Above 6,000 Feet in Elevation: 45 minutes

After your canning time has passed, turn off the heat and allow the jars to cool at least 10 minutes in the water before removing. If you skip this step, there is a greater chance of siphoning, as the jars may cool too quickly on the counter.

Home Canned Pie Fillings

Looking for more recipes for canning pie filling at home?

• Canning Apple Pie Filling
• Canning Blackberry Pie Filling
• Canning Peach Pie Filling
• Canning Cherry Pie Filling

Fruit Canning Recipes

Blueberries aren’t the only fruit you’ll want to preserve this season! There are many fruit canning recipes to try!

• Canning Peaches
• Canning Blackberries
• Canning Plums
• Canning Blueberries
• Canning Cherries