Name: Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 8 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen); 1 cup water; 2 cups raspberry juice (from above, see note); 4 cups lemon juice (fresh or bottled, see note); 4 cups granulated sugar

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Canning Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate is an easy way to bottle up summer raspberries and turn them into refreshing drink that you can enjoy year round. It’s bright, punchy, perfectly sweet-tart, and it tastes like real fruit, not powdered mix.

Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
Ingredients for Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
Canning Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
Altitude Adjustments
Serving Ideas
Raspberry Canning Recipes
Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate Recipe
Drink Canning Recipes

This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

This recipe is based on the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s fruit purees canning instructions, and it’s the same tested method that Ball Canning used to develop their recipe for canning strawberry lemonade concentrate.

Since raspberries are seedy, I’m using just the strained raspberry juice, but you can also use pureed raspberries instead with the same canning instructions. I used this same technique when I made blackberry lemonade concentrate for canning, and they’re both delicious.

Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!

I love that this is a pantry shortcut that still tastes homemade. When I have jars on the shelf, I can turn plain water into something that feels like a treat in about ten seconds, even in the middle of winter.

It’s also one of my go-to “save the berries” projects. If I’ve got raspberries that are a little soft, a little seedy, or just too many to eat fresh, turning them into juice and then into concentrate feels like the most satisfying use of the batch.

A Quick Look at the Recipe

Recipe Name: Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate
Recipe Type: Lemonade Concentrate Recipe (drink canning)
Canning Method: Waterbath Canning or Steam Canning
Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour
Canning Time: 15 Minutes
Yield: 4 pint jars
Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint, Pint or Quart
Headspace: 1/4 inch
Ingredients Overview: Raspberry Juice, Lemon Juice and Sugar.
Safe Canning Recipe Source: NCHFP Fruit Puree’s Instructions
Difficulty: Easy! Once you’ve extracted the juice, everything is quickly heated and ladled into jars.
Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to making other lemonade concentrates, like Blueberry Lemonade Concentrate, Plum Lemonade Concentrate, Watermelon Lemonade Concentrate or Cherry Limeade Concentrate.

Ingredients for Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate

This concentrate is built on three simple components: a small batch of raspberry juice for flavor and color, plenty of lemon juice for that classic lemonade tang, and enough sugar to make it shelf-stable and truly “concentrated.”

Raspberries: Provide the flavor, color, and that unmistakable berry aroma.
Water: Helps release juice from the raspberries without scorching, and makes straining easier.
Bottled lemon juice: Gives consistent acidity and that bright lemonade bite (and it’s the canning-safe choice).
Sugar: Sweetens the mix and creates a true concentrate that dilutes well in the glass.

You can swap the raspberry juice for other berry juices made the same way (blackberry, mixed berry, or even strawberry).

The sugar is added for flavor, not preservation, and this recipe is fine for canning even without sugar. Feel free to reduce it, but know that this is a concentrate and the sugar will be diluted in the final drink.

How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate

This recipe is simple: make a quick raspberry juice, combine it with lemon juice and sugar, heat just until the sugar dissolves, and then can it hot.

Make the raspberry juice

Put the raspberries and water in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer. Cook until the berries are soft and have released their juice, then mash them lightly to finish extracting flavor. Strain through a jelly bag or fine mesh strainer (lined with damp cheesecloth if needed) until you have smooth juice, then measure out 2 cups of raspberry juice for the recipe.

Combine the concentrate

Add the measured raspberry juice to a non-reactive pot along with the bottled lemon juice and sugar. Heat the mixture, stirring often, just until the sugar fully dissolves and the liquid is steaming hot.

Prep the jars and canner

While the concentrate heats, wash jars and keep them hot. Set up a water bath canner and bring it to a simmer. Prepare lids according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Fill the jars

Ladle hot concentrate into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, and apply lids and rings to fingertip tight.

Canning Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate

Place the filled jars into the water bath canner on a rack, making sure they’re covered by at least an inch of water. Bring the canner up to a full rolling boil, then start the processing time once it reaches a boil.

Process jars for 15 minutes adjusting for altitude. (Canning times are the same for half pints, pints and quarts.)

When processing is complete, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the canner for about five minutes before removing them to cool. Let jars cool undisturbed for twelve to twenty-four hours, then check seals, label, and store.

Altitude Adjustments

The altitude adjustments for water bath canning blackberry lemonade concentrate are as follows:

For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for half pints, pints and quarts.
For 1,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for half pints, pints and quarts.
Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – 25 minutes for half pints, pints and quarts.

Serving Ideas

I generally use one part lemonade concentrate to 3 parts water to make a quick lemonade.

Stir a splash into ice water for the fastest lemonade, or mix it with sparkling water for a homemade soda feel. I also love it drizzled into iced tea, shaken into cocktails or mocktails, or used as a punch base with sliced citrus and plenty of ice.

For kids, it’s perfect in freezer pops, just diluted a bit first so it’s not too intense.

Raspberry Canning Recipes

Black Raspberry Jelly (Seedless)

Canning Raspberry Pie Filling

Classic Raspberry Jam (without Added Pectin)

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Servings: servings, makes 4 pints

Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate

This raspberry lemonade concentrate is a bright, berry-forward twist on classic lemonade that’s safe for water bath canning. Make a quick raspberry juice, dissolve it with lemon juice and sugar, then can it hot so you can mix up lemonade anytime.

Prep: 1

Cook: 15

Canning Time: 15

Total: 1 30

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Equipment

Ingredients

For the Raspberry Juice

▢ 8 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
▢ 1 cup water

For the Concentrate

▢ 2 cups raspberry juice, from above, see note
▢ 4 cups lemon juice, fresh or bottled, see note
▢ 4 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Make the Raspberry Juice

Place the raspberries in a large pot with the water to keep them from scorching, and crush them lightly with a potato masher or the back of a spoon.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have completely broken down and released their juice.
Pour the hot mixture into a damp jelly bag or a strainer lined with several layers of damp cheesecloth set over a large bowl. Let it drip for at least 4 hours or overnight, then measure out the finished raspberry juice.

Make and Can the Concentrate

Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids before you begin.
Juice the lemons and strain well to remove the seeds and pulp.
Combine the raspberry juice, lemon juice, and sugar in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar.
Heat the mixture to 190°F, stirring often, until it is steaming hot and the sugar is fully dissolved. Do not boil.
Ladle the hot concentrate into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, center the lids, and apply the bands fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat and let the jars rest 5 minutes, then remove and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check the seals.

To reconstitute, mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts cold water.

Notes

Yield: This batch uses 4 cups raspberry juice, 4 cups lemon juice, and 6 cups sugar, and makes about 5 pints of concentrate. The 4 cups of raspberry juice come from about 3 1/2 quarts of raspberries, roughly 14 cups, which is about four 16-ounce bags if you are working from frozen. Raspberries are juicy enough that they do not need any added water to release their juice, and frozen berries tend to break down a little faster since freezing ruptures the cell walls.

Lemon Juice: Fresh or bottled both work here. Fresh lemon juice, strained well to keep out the bitter pulp, tends to taste a little brighter, while bottled is the more consistent option for acidity and flavor from batch to batch and saves time when you are canning larger quantities. The lemon juice is a flavor choice rather than a safety one in this recipe, since raspberry juice is high enough in acid to can on its own, so use whichever you prefer. If you go with bottled, make sure it is plain lemon juice with nothing else added.

Straining: Raspberries are seedy, so this recipe uses strained raspberry juice rather than puree. Simmer the berries to release their juice, mashing as they heat, then strain through a jelly bag or fine mesh strainer to leave the seeds behind. The canning time is the same whether the raspberries go in as strained juice or as puree, so straining is a quality choice rather than a safety one. Strain it once for a smoother drink, run it through dampened cheesecloth a second time for a clearer juice, or leave a little pulp in for more body.

Reconstituting: Mix 1 part concentrate with 3 parts water and adjust to taste from there. A pint jar of concentrate makes about a half gallon of prepared lemonade. For an easy method, pour a pint of concentrate into a half gallon mason jar and fill the rest of the way with cold water. Serve over ice with lemon slices, fresh raspberries, or mint, or mix the concentrate with sparkling water for a fizzy version.

Storage: Sealed jars are shelf-stable in the pantry for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening and use within a few weeks. This same concentrate can also be frozen instead of canned. Leave 1 inch of headspace in freezer-safe jars and use within about 6 months.

Altitude: Process for 15 minutes below 1,000 feet, 20 minutes from 1,001 to 6,000 feet, and 25 minutes above 6,000 feet. The times are the same for half pints, pints, and quarts.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup prepared, Calories: 127kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 102mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 12IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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