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Wild grape jelly turns free, foraged wild grapes into jars of deep, bright jelly with more flavor than anything you’ll buy. Wild grapes are too tart to enjoy out of hand, but that same tartness is exactly what makes them shine in a jelly, where a good bit of sugar balances them into something special.
Table of Contents
- Notes from My Kitchen
- Quick Look at the Recipe
- Foraging Wild Grapes
- Ingredients for Wild Grape Jelly
- Low Sugar and Pectin Options
- How to Make Wild Grape Jelly
- Don’t Overcook Pectin Jelly
- Canning Wild Grape Jelly
- Altitude Adjustments
- Yield Notes
- Ways to Use Wild Grape Jelly
- Wild Grape Jelly FAQs
- Grape Canning Recipes
- Wild Grape Jelly Recipe
- Jelly Canning Recipes
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Wild grapes can be incredibly prolific, and once you learn to spot the vines, you’ll find them just about anywhere. The catch is that while they’re free for the taking, flavorful, and abundant, they also tend to be intensely tart. That’s where wild grape jelly comes to the rescue.
Homemade jelly needs a good bit of sugar to set anyway, and wild grapes are tart enough to take all that sugar and still come through full of flavor. There’s one extra step with wild grapes that you don’t have with most fruit, which is removing the tartaric acid crystals from the juice, and I’ll walk you through exactly how and why below.
Notes from My Kitchen
I’ve got a real soft spot for foraged jelly, and wild grapes might be the most rewarding of the bunch, since they’re everywhere and completely free for the taking. Once you’ve got your eye in, you’ll start seeing the vines on fences and field edges all over the place. I make enough jelly each year that I lean on a steam juicer to keep up, but a pot and a jelly bag work just as well for a batch or two.
I’ll be honest about one thing: I love making old-fashioned jellies without boxed pectin whenever I can, and I’ve tried hard to get wild grape jelly to set on its own. Every single time, I’ve ended up with a runny, syrupy mess, so this is one recipe where I’ve made my peace with a box of pectin. It sets up beautifully every time, and that’s worth more to me than bragging rights.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Wild Grape Jelly
- Recipe Type: Fruit Jelly
- Canning Method: Water Bath Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: 60 to 90 Minutes (plus overnight chilling of the juice)
- Canning Time: 10 Minutes
- Yield: 5 to 6 half-pint jars
- Jar Sizes: Half Pint or Pint
- Headspace: 1/4 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Wild grapes, water, sugar, and pectin (no lemon needed)
- Difficulty: Easy, but plan for two days. The juice has to chill overnight so the tartrate crystals can be strained out before you make the jelly.
- Similar Recipes: Making wild grape jelly is much like other foraged fruit jellies, such as Pin Cherry Jelly, Saskatoon Jelly, and Gooseberry Jelly. If you enjoy putting up free wild fruit, Corn Cob Jelly is another fun one to try.
Foraging Wild Grapes
Wild grapes climb up just about anything, from fences and trellises to street lights, in the country and right in the middle of town. All it takes is a single bird-dropped seed and a bit of space to climb toward the sunlight, and before long there’s a sprawling vine loaded with fruit. They ripen in late summer into fall, turning deep purple to nearly black when they’re ready.
Be sure you know how to identify wild grapes, and separate them from look-alikes like Canada Moonseed and Common Buckthorn.
A single batch of jelly needs 4 cups of juice, which takes roughly 3 to 4 pounds of grapes (about 8 to 10 cups of grapes on the stem). They’re usually growing in big enough tangles that picking that much goes quickly once you find a good vine. Pick clusters that are fully colored and ripe, and leave the green, underripe ones to come back for later.
Ingredients for Wild Grape Jelly
Wild grape jelly keeps the ingredient list short, since the grapes bring so much of their own flavor and acidity. Here’s what each one does:
- Wild Grapes: The star of the show. Plan on about 3 to 4 pounds of grapes to get the 4 cups of juice this recipe needs. There’s no need to stem them perfectly, since you’ll be straining out the solids anyway.
- Water: A small amount of water in the pot helps the grapes start releasing their juice without scorching (used in the stovetop method).
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the jelly and works with the pectin to set the gel. Regular powdered pectin needs plenty of sugar, so this recipe uses 5 cups of sugar to 4 cups of juice. Wild grapes are tart enough to carry it. See the note below for low sugar options.
- Powdered Fruit Pectin (Such as Sure-Jell): Wild grapes do contain natural pectin, but in my experience, they won’t set reliably without help, so I use boxed pectin every time. Sure-Jell, Ball’s Fruit Pectin, or Mrs. Wages all work. See the note below for low sugar options.
You’ll notice there’s no lemon juice in this recipe. Wild grapes are plenty acidic on their own (more so than almost any other fruit), so the jelly sets and cans safely without any added acid. If anything, the trick with wild grapes is removing some of that acid, which brings us to the tartrate crystals below.
Low Sugar and Pectin Options
This recipe is written for regular powdered pectin (like Sure Jell original), which needs the full amount of sugar to set. If you’d prefer a less sweet jelly, use Sure Jell low sugar pectin (pink box) or Ball low sugar pectin and reduce the sugar following the package directions. Since wild grapes are so tart, they hold up nicely to a lower-sugar batch if that’s what you prefer.
Pomona’s Universal Pectin sets with any amount of sugar (or none at all), though the gel is softer. It works a bit differently with a 2-part calcium-water system. Strain the juice as described to remove the acid crystals, then follow the box directions for regular grape jelly, and read how to use Pomona’s pectin if it’s your first time.
Liquid pectin isn’t recommended here, since it needs more sugar to set and gives a less consistent result. If liquid pectin is what you have, use 4 cups grape juice, 7 cups sugar, and 2 pouches (one 6-ounce box) of Certo liquid pectin. The order of operations is reversed with liquid pectin too: you stir the sugar into the juice and bring it to a full rolling boil first, then add the pectin at the very end and boil hard for exactly 1 minute. That’s the opposite of the powdered method, where the pectin goes into the juice before the sugar.
How to Make Wild Grape Jelly
Making wild grape jelly is a three-part process: extract the juice, chill it overnight and strain out the tartrate crystals, then cook it with pectin and sugar into jelly. The middle step is the one that’s specific to wild grapes, and it’s the one you can’t skip.
One thing to keep in mind for the cooking stage: the pectin goes into the juice before the sugar, and the mixture has to reach a full rolling boil at each stage. That order is what activates the pectin so the jelly sets.
Extract the Juice
Place the grapes in a saucepan or stockpot with a small amount of water (about 1/2 cup) and heat gently, mashing the fruit with a potato masher as it warms. After about 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, the grapes will have fallen apart and are ready to strain. Pour everything through a jelly bag or a fine-mesh strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth.
Because I make a lot of jelly, I use a steam juicer instead, which pulls the juice out more efficiently and skips the straining and cheesecloth altogether. All wild grapes are a little different, but I find it takes about 3 pounds of grapes to make a quart of juice in the steam juicer, or closer to 4 pounds with the saucepan-and-cheesecloth method. Either way, measure out 4 cups of juice for a batch, and top off with a little water if you’re slightly short.
Remove the Tartrate Crystals
Once you’ve collected the juice, refrigerate it overnight. This step is recommended for all grape juice, but with wild grapes it is not optional. Grape juice contains tartrate crystals, which are crystals of tartaric acid. While the juice is warm, the acid stays dissolved, but as it cools it solidifies into hard crystals. There are small amounts in cultivated grapes (it’s largely been bred out of them), but wild grapes are loaded with it.
You have to remove these crystals before making your jelly, because otherwise they’ll form right inside the jars as the jelly cools. Beyond looking unappealing, tartrate crystals are intensely sharp, and eating them can irritate or even damage your digestive tract. This is a genuine safety step, not just a quality one.
To give you a sense of scale, I pulled nearly 1/2 cup of tartrate crystals out of a half gallon of wild grape juice. In a batch of jelly made with 4 cups of juice, that’s about 1/4 cup of crystals, or close to a tablespoon per 8-ounce jar. That’s a lot of sharp crystals to leave in your jelly, and it’s so easily avoided by simply chilling and straining the juice.
After the juice has chilled overnight, pour the cold juice through a double layer of dampened cheesecloth to catch the crystals. The amount will vary depending on the grapes you found, and some wild grapes have surprisingly little, so don’t worry if you only filter out a small amount. Once the crystals are removed, your juice is ready to become jelly. (At this point you can also sweeten and drink it, or can it as wild grape juice using the same instructions you’d use for cultivated grapes.)
Make the Jelly
While your juice is straining, prepare your canning setup. Fill your water bath canner halfway with water and bring it to a simmer, then wash your jars and lids in hot soapy water and keep them hot until you’re ready to fill them.
Measure exactly 4 cups of strained wild grape juice into a large 6- or 8-quart saucepot. Stir in the entire box of pectin until it’s fully dissolved, then place the pot over high heat and bring it to a full rolling boil, which is a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling even when you stir it, stirring constantly.
Once you’ve reached a full rolling boil, add all 5 cups of sugar at once. Stir vigorously to dissolve it completely, then return the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the pot from the heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
Don’t Overcook Pectin Jelly
Pectin jelly sets on chemistry, not on cooking time, and that trips a lot of people up. The jelly looks thin in the pot when you take it off the heat, and that’s exactly right, because pectin firms up as the jelly cools, not while it’s boiling. A full rolling boil for one minute after the sugar dissolves is the whole job.
Skip the thermometer and the cold-plate test here, since those are for old-fashioned no-pectin jellies that you cook to a gel point. And give the jars a full 24 to 48 hours to set before you decide anything went wrong (some batches take a little longer). If it’s still loose after that, my guide to troubleshooting jelly that didn’t set walks through how to fix it.
Canning Wild Grape Jelly
It’s perfectly fine to make a small batch as a refrigerator or freezer jelly. In the refrigerator, it keeps for about 2 weeks, and in the freezer, about 6 months. I prefer the simplicity of water bath canning, though, since it lets me store the jelly right on the pantry shelf for up to 18 months, and it only takes 10 minutes in the canner. If you’re new to it, my guide to water bath canning walks through all the basics.
Work quickly while the jelly is still very hot, since it begins to set as it cools. Ladle it into prepared hot jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the top. This headspace is smaller than most canning recipes because jelly is low in solids and doesn’t expand much during processing.
Wipe the jar rims thoroughly with a clean, damp cloth, since even a little jelly on the rim can keep a jar from sealing. Center the lids and screw the bands on fingertip-tight, then use a jar lifter to load the jars into your simmering water bath canner. The water should cover the jar tops by 1 to 2 inches.
Cover the canner, bring it to a full rolling boil, and process the jars for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude as needed). When the time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars rest 5 minutes before lifting them out onto a towel-covered counter.
Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals by pressing the center of each lid. If it doesn’t flex, the jar is sealed and shelf-stable for 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate any unsealed jars and use them within a couple of weeks, and refrigerate all jars after opening.
Altitude Adjustments
The altitude adjustments for water bath canning wild grape jelly are as follows:
- 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Yield Notes
You’ll need about 3 to 4 pounds of wild grapes (roughly 8 to 10 cups on the stem) to get the 4 cups of juice this recipe calls for. A steam juicer is the more efficient route at around 3 pounds per quart, while the saucepan-and-cheesecloth method runs closer to 4 pounds. Remember that the juice loses a little volume when you strain out the tartrate crystals, so measure your 4 cups after that step, not before.
A full batch (4 cups of strained juice, one box of pectin, and 5 cups of sugar) makes 5 to 6 half-pint jars. Don’t double the batch, since larger amounts don’t heat evenly and often won’t set. If you want more, make two single batches back to back instead.
Ways to Use Wild Grape Jelly
Wild grape jelly has that classic grape flavor, only deeper and brighter than anything from a jar at the store, which makes it right at home anywhere you’d reach for grape jelly.
- The Classic PB&J: This is grape jelly’s natural home, and homemade wild grape jelly takes the humble peanut butter sandwich up a notch.
- Toast and Biscuits: Spread on warm buttered toast, English muffins, or biscuits for a simple breakfast.
- Meat Glaze: Warm a few spoonfuls and brush over pork, ham, or meatballs for a sweet-tart glaze.
- Cheese Board: Serve alongside sharp cheddar or a soft brie, where the tart grape flavor cuts through the richness.
- Thumbprint Cookies: Spoon into the centers of thumbprint cookies before or after baking.
However you use it, there’s a particular satisfaction in spreading jelly you made from fruit you gathered yourself, for free, from a vine most people walk right past.
Great recipe! Thank you for explaining the tartrate crystals. I researched other Wild Grape recipes and found no one else who spoke of the important step to remove the crystals. I removed quite a bit of the tartrates from over a gallon of strained juice. You are my go-to site for canning!
Wild Grape Jelly FAQs
Yes. With wild grapes, this step isn’t optional. Wild grapes are very high in tartaric acid, which precipitates into hard, sharp crystals as the juice cools. Left in, those crystals form inside the finished jelly and can irritate or even damage your digestive tract. Refrigerate the juice overnight so the crystals settle out, then pour the cold juice through a double layer of cheesecloth to strain them out before making your jelly.
Wild grapes do contain natural pectin, so in theory they can set on their own, especially with a little tart green apple or crabapple added to boost it. In practice, I’ve tried many times and always ended up with a runny syrup, so I recommend using boxed pectin for a dependable set.
Common causes include not reaching a full rolling boil, incorrect timing after adding the sugar, or inaccurate measurements. Pectin jelly also looks thin when hot and firms up as it cools, so give it 24 to 48 hours before judging the results. If using Sure-Jell pectin and your jelly still hasn’t set after a couple of weeks, you can remake it by reheating with additional pectin. For detailed steps, see our guide on troubleshooting jelly set.
Yes, but you’ll need a low-sugar pectin like Sure-Jell Low Sugar or Pomona’s Universal Pectin and follow the package directions, since regular pectin needs the full amount of sugar to gel. Wild grapes are tart enough that a lower-sugar batch still tastes great. The yield will be a little lower with reduced sugar.
Grape Canning Recipes
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Wild Grape Jelly
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
For the Juice
- 3 to 4 lbs wild grapes
- 1/2 cup water, stovetop method
For the Jelly
- 4 cups wild grape juice, strained
- 1 box Powdered Pectin, 1.75 oz regular powdered pectin or 6 Tbsp Bulk Pectin
- 5 cups granulated sugar, See Notes for Low Sugar
Instructions
Juice the wild grapes
- Place them in a stockpot with the water, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 to 15 minutes, mashing as they cook, until the grapes fall apart. Strain through a jelly bag or a double layer of cheesecloth. (Or use a steam juicer.)
- Measure the strained juice. You want 4 cups; add a little water if you’re short, or save any extra for another use.
- Refrigerate the juice overnight, then strain it again through a double layer of cheesecloth to remove the tartrate crystals. This step is not optional with wild grapes (see notes).
Make the Jelly
- Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids if you’re canning.
- Pour the strained juice into a jelly pot and whisk in the pectin until dissolved. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Add all the sugar at once, stir to dissolve, return to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
- Ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, center the lids, and apply bands fingertip-tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Rest the jars 5 minutes, then cool 12 to 24 hours and check the seals.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi Ashley, I wonder if you can help me with my wild grape jelly that I made with powdered pectin Sure – jel that didn’t set? Also with apple jelly that didn’t set. Thank you for any help you can offer, Lori Hebdon.
Hi Lori, If you had two jellies back to back that didn’t set, it’s possible that your batch of pectin is out of date or was stored poorly at some point. The other common issue is doing the steps out of order, which can impact set depending on the brand of pectin you’re using (or using a low sugar recipe with a “high” sugar pectin).
I wrote a guide to troubleshooting common jelly set issues, and hopefully this helps:
https://creativecanning.com/troubleshooting-jelly-set/
Great recipe! Thank you for explaining about the tartrate crystals. I researched other Wild Grape recipes, and found no one else who spoke of the important step to remove the crystals. I removed quite a bit of the tartrates from over a gallon of strained juice.
You are my go to site for canning!
So glad that was helpful to you! Some grapes have more crystals than others, and even cultivated grapes sometimes have them in abundance. It’s a good idea to take this precaution with any grapes, and it’s odd to me that other recipes don’t mention it at all! Enjoy!
I have used the wild grape jelly recipe and it turned out great. People LOVED it.
I’m so glad to hear it!
Made this recipe. It came out too tart for our tastes. Is i ok to remove jelly from jars, cook own and add more sugar and re-can?
Yes, that’s fine from a safety perspective. Re-cooked jellies sometimes have trouble setting, but sometimes they set just fine, it’ll often depend on your pectin. You must have had VERY tart fruit, as usually a 1:1 ratio of juice to sugar results in a jelly that’s quite sweet. Hopefully sugar helps for you.
Do you not need to skim the foam off of this jelly?
I didn’t have much in the way of foam on mine, but yes, if yours has a lot of foam, go ahead and skim that off as it cooks.
So the wild grapes are getting ripe where I live. I filled half of a plastic grocery store bag with them yesterday and stemmed them last night. Ended up with 5 cups of grapes. I used my instant pot as a steam juicer and only got a disappointing 1.25 cups of juice out of them. I guess because it’s been really dry here lately? Most of the grapes are the size of large Elderberries, to be honest.
Anyway, the juice I have is nice and thick and clear. Just wondering how much water I could get away with adding to bring the volume up? Any thoughts? I wouldn’t want to dilute it too much. But I figured if other recipes use the boil and mash method, they’re adding a decent amount of water up front. It could be 50% for all I know. Just wondering what your experienced opinion would be.
I guess I could just go pick more but I’d have to wait a few days for more to ripen. Then I’m racing against the birds and critters. Thanks!
I’d say you could make a half batch by adding enough water to get to 2 cups of liquid. Wild grapes, especially dry ones, tend to have a pretty intense flavor and adding water should still leave you with a very flavorful jelly.
How long can I keep the grape juice in freezer? I froze some in 2022 and don’t know if I should use it. I always freeze some to make jelly when I have time but have never kept it this long.
It shouldn’t spoil in the freezer, but the quality will decline over time. Defrost it and try it, and if it still tastes good give it a go.
Do you think I could double this recipe with no issues?
My son and soon to be daughter -in- love (law), want me to make 100+ jars as wedding favors. I have the materials, and already have over 40 quart jars of grape juice from my vines. Even though I’ve canned a lot, believe it not, never made jelly.
You should be able to double this recipe, but I wouldn’t make bigger batches than that. Jelly can be finicky, and if the pot is too big then it’s not evenly heated and won’t set.
How much jelly does this make?
The recipe makes about 4 to 5 jelly jars (8 oz each). I usually get the full 5 jars when I make it.
If using low sugar pectin, how much do you use? Since not specified I am assuming the same amount as regular pectin? Thank you
Sheila Clark
Yup, low-sugar pectin and regular pectin are interchangeable in equal amounts. One box is 1.75 ounces by weight, or 6 tablespoons by volume.
I made this jelly without pectin and yes it is syrupy at first, but let it sit once the hars are sealed, for a couple of weeks and it thickens up.
I wondered if it was still good, if it had gone bad but it was perfectly good when opened. My husband loved it and we gave some out and everyone loved it.
Oh nice! I’m glad it set for you.
Fantastic my grandmother used to make wild grape juice and jelly I helped her! I want to do this myself!