Here’s how to can homemade blueberry syrup the easy way. Get the simple homemade canned blueberry syrup recipe here, plus tips about canning without making a mess. You may have read my post about my quest to use the berries from our freezer. My latest venture has been making blueberry syrup. Even if you are not interested in canning blueberry syrup, the easy steps here will show you how to make blueberry syrup for using right away as well. When I go to the trouble of getting my canning supplies out, I want to make it worthwhile. I modified a recipe to make a larger quantity, then fiddled with some other ingredients to develop this easy recipe. I love the fact that I can use eight cups of berries in this. If you have fewer berries feel free to reduce the ingredients in this blueberry syrup canning recipe. This blueberry syrup makes a great addition to any blueberry-themed party, and may be used to make refreshing sodas or as a dessert topping. Read on, fellow blueberry enthusiasts, for this homemade canned blueberry syrup recipe!
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Table of Contents
Supplies
Of course, you do not have to can this blueberry syrup. If you reduce the quantity, you may just want to store the syrup in the refrigerator. The full blueberry syrup recipe for canning makes about seven half-pints, so here is the equipment you need to assemble beforehand. You will need:
7 half-pint canning jars, lids and bands
A large boiling water bath canner
A small metal saucepan with lid (for heating the jar lids)
A large, non-reactive stockpot (for mixing the syrup)
An immersion blender (hand blender) is optional, but it helps thicken and smooth the syrup. It is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.
1 set of canning tools (optional, but these sure have made canning easier)
Preparation
Set seven canning bands (some call them rings) aside, near where you will be filling the jars.
Place the seven glass jars in the water bath canner. The water should cover the jars by at least an inch. Turn the heat to medium high.
Place seven jar lids in the small saucepan with enough water to cover the lids. Cover the pan and heat the water on low. I’ve always been told not to let the water come to a boil. Now it’s time to make the blueberry syrup!
Ingredients for Easy Homemade Canned Blueberry Syrup
8 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (you could also use canned blueberries, drained)
1 and 1/2 cups sugar (or 2 cups, if you want the syrup extra sweet)
1 and 1/3 cups water
4 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh is best, but bottled is fine as well
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, some say it brings out the flavor of the berries)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
Directions for Easy Homemade Canned Blueberry Syrup
Rinse and drain the blueberries.
In the large stockpot, whisk together the sugar and salt, if using. Stir in the water and lemon juice.
Turn the heat to medium-high and stir in the blueberries. Bring to a boil.
Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Using an immersion blender, puree the syrup to thicken it.
***WARNING! The blueberries float, so the immersion blender (which I love to use) needs to skim along the surface of the syrup. This is the best way to make sure the blueberries get pureed, but it can be very messy.
In the photos, I used a large skillet, and it was a big mess. The deeper stockpot should keep the mess contained. Just be prepared!
Stir in the vanilla extract, if using.
Filling the Jars
Using tongs, if you have them, lift hot jars out of hot water. I usually place mine in the sink. Next to the sink, I place my trusty wooden breadboard. You can use a cutting board or something similar to protect your counter. Bring the pot of hot syrup over and place it next to the jars. Ladle hot syrup into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Once all jars are filled, wipe jar rims. Place lids on jars and place bands on jars. Adjust until they are fingertip tight.
Processing the Filled Jars
Place jars (using a jar-lifter, if you have one) in the hot water bath in the canner. Water should cover the jars by at least one inch. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. When processing is done, remove the jars (again using a jar-lifter, if you have one) and place on a towel to absorb the drips and to cool.
Checking the Seal
If all has gone as it should, you should hear the jars seal as they cool. When they are cool, press the center of each lid. They should not flex. Label and store the jars in a cool, dry place. The quality is best if used within 18 months. Refrigerate any jars once opened. Yum!
How to Use This Blueberry Syrup Canning Recipe
This easy homemade recipe for blueberry syrup may be used as a blueberry pancake syrup, but it’s much more that just blueberry syrup for pancakes. If you are looking for a blueberry simple syrup for adding blueberry flavor to lemonade or other beverages, this homemade blueberry syrup would work as well. It would contain some small blueberry seeds and pieces, but would impart a fabulous blueberry flavor. You could also use this recipe for blueberry syrup as a topping for waffles and ice cream. This is one of the best blueberry syrup recipes because it’s so versatile.
Easy Canned Blueberry Syrup
Equipment
- 7 half-pint canning jars, bands and lids
- Large boiling water bath canner
- Small metal saucepan with lid
- Large, non-reactive stockpot
- Set of canning tools (optional)
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1½ cups sugar more or less to taste
- 1⅓ cups water
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice fresh is best
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the blueberries.
- In the large stockpot, whisk together the sugar and salt, if using. Stir in the water and lemon juice.
- Turn the heat to medium high and stir in the blueberries. Bring to a boil.
- Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the syrup to thicken it. (The blueberries float, so the immersion blender (which I love to use) needs to skim along the surface of the syrup.)
- Stir in the vanilla extract, if using.
- Using tongs, if you have them, lift hot jars out of hot water and place in a sink.
- Protecting the counter with a cutting board or trivet, take the pot of hot syrup off the stove and place it on the counter next to the sink.
- Ladle hot syrup into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.
- Once all jars are filled, wipe jar rims.
- Place lids on jars and place bands on jars. Adjust until they are fingertip tight.
- Place jars (using a jar-lifter, if you have one) in the hot water bath in the canner. Water should cover the jars by at least one inch.
- Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. (Add 5 minutes if you are above 1,000 feet.)
- When processing is done, remove the jars (again using a jar-lifter, if you have one) and place on a towel to absorb the drips and to cool.
- If all has gone as it should, you should hear the jars seal as they cool. When they are cool, press the center of each lid. They should not flex.
- Label and store the jars in a cool, dry place. The quality is best if used within 18 months. Refrigerate any jars once opened.
Notes
Looking for Other Ways to Use Blueberries?
If you have an abundance of blueberries, you may want to try making easy blueberry lime jam. Since I am always on a quest to make good use of the berries in the freezer, I also like to make easy raspberry blueberry jam and simple blueberry syrup. For instant gratification of your sweet tooth, you could also try making berry gelato, blueberry cobbler, blueberry hand pies, or blueberry rhubarb crisp. I’m constantly adding to my list of favorite ways to use fresh or frozen blueberries.
Other Canning Ideas
Homemade canned goods make excellent gifts for the holidays or for gift baskets any time of the year. If you are a fan of home canning, you might want to try making canned blackberry syrup or canned raspberry syrup. If you like canned jam, you could make some orange rhubarb, pineapple rhubarb, seedless raspberry, or raspberry blueberry jam. Looking for a way to use an abundant apple harvest? Make some delicious canned beets or canned applesauce. There are many possibilities!
Are You Now Craving Homemade Blueberry Syrup?
Blueberry syrup is delicious on so many things. If you decide to try this recipe, I’d love to know your favorite way to use blueberry syrup. For an easy way to plan when to serve homemade blueberry syrup, I’ve got something for you. Free, editable meal planners! The templates can be used over and over, as often as you need them. You can make as many duplicates as you like, and you’ll be able to save old meal plans for future reference. I hope it simplifies things for you.
Get my digital, editable, printable templates!
Have a fabulous day, and have fun making easy canned blueberry syrup!
Lisa Mitchell is a wife, mom, and school librarian who likes to create and share recipes, often using fresh ingredients from her family’s small Pacific Northwest farm. To learn more about what this website has to offer, click on over to the Welcome page.
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This syrup if fabulous!! The taste is amazing!!! I added my homemade vanilla paste instead of extract. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
What a good idea to add homemade vanilla paste! Yummy! So glad you liked the blueberry syrup recipe. Thanks for the kind words.
Sounds delicious! What a fun hobby! Blueberry syrup is not big here in the UK, but I always enjoy it when we visit the US.
Thank you for the kind words. If you ever want to make blueberry syrup from blueberries you grow yourself, here is all you need to know about planting and growing blueberries.
Thanks for this recipe! This looks delicious and cannot wait to try it.
Great! I hope you get to try making this blueberry syrup canning recipe soon.
I am definitely going to try this! My son asked me to make a topping for a plain cheesecake. This might be exactly what he’s looking for. Thanks for posting!
You are certainly most welcome! Yes, I think this canned blueberry syrup would make an excellent cheesecake topping.
Hi Thanks so much for sharing> I was wondering if using frozen blueberries do you thaw them first? Also could you use fresh and frozen together? Thanks so much
No need to thaw the frozen blueberries. When they get rinsed in the colander, they start to thaw quickly. Yes, fresh and frozen may be used together in this canned blueberry syrup recipe. Have fun making blueberry syrup!
I’m wondering if I could add fresh basil to this. I would like to make syrup for blueberry basil lemonade. It’s awesome!
I have never made blueberry syrup with basil, but what a good idea. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d love to know how it turns out!
What do you think about processing in a maple syrup loop-handled bottle?
That seems like an attractive idea, but how could you be sure of the seal on the lid? That would be my main concern. Here are some decorative swing-top bottles that seal well, according to reviews. If your bottle has a lid with a good seal, it should work. Please let me know how it turns out.
Made the “canned” recipe but syrup is runny (like water). What can I do to fix it?
Hmmm…were you able to use an immersion blender to chop up the blueberries? If that didn’t thicken the syrup (it will not be as thick as regular maple syrup), then you could try using cornstarch. If your syrup is already sealed in jars, this is a bit of a pain, but you could use 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/3 cup of water, and add to a pint of syrup in a saucepan. Cook and stir until mixture thickens. Note: I’m not a big fan of using cornstarch to thicken berry syrup. To me, it affects the flavor, which is why I purposefully left it out of this recipe. If you really would like to thicken your syrup and the immersion blender strategy didn’t work, you could try this.
So happy you shared your recipe. I am going to make the syrup today instead of blueberry jam. LOTS less sugar which is a plus! Thank you so much!
You are most welcome! I hope you enjoy your homemade blueberry syrup.
I’m going to try mashing with a potato masher before using blender. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe.
You are welcome! I have found that the round potato masher works better than the rectangular one when mashing blueberries for canned blueberry syrup.
Can I use a normal blender to blend up the blueberries? 🙂
Yes, you could try doing this: Add other ingredients first (sugar, salt, water, lemon juice), then blend. After that, heat the mixture in a stockpot or skillet and follow the other recipe directions. Other people have asked about this, but no one ever gets back to me about how it works. If you try this method for making canned blueberry syrup, would you please let me know how it turns out? I’d sure appreciate it. I hope it works well!
Made a double batch. It’s DELICIOUS!!! Not only good on pancakes and waffles but also on lemon pound cake and even better ice cream!
Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed the blueberry syrup on so many foods. I’ll have to try it on lemon pound cake. Yummy!
What would be the processing time for pints as opposed to half pints?
To be safe, keep the processing time at 15 minutes. I can half pints of this blueberry syrup and frequently give the little jars aways as gifts. The half pints turn out well with 15 minutes of processing.
I don’t have an immersion blender. What would you recommend instead?
Do you have a blender? You could add the other ingredients first (sugar, salt, water, lemon juice) before blending. Then you could cook the blended mixture in the stockpot or skillet. If you don’t have a blender, you could try mashing the blueberries first, then adding the other ingredients. Let me know what works best for you. I could add the variation to the post.
I’m not a fan of the grittiness. So I strained it until there was not any. However, it was very foamy even after straining it….Other than that it tasted great. I must admit I’m a bit concerned about the foam….
I’m glad you liked the taste, and I am glad the straining worked well for you. I have not had problems with this canned blueberry syrup foaming, but in other recipes I have used a bit of butter when heating to prevent foam.
I was wondering if I could purée the blueberries first instead of using an immersion blender which I do not own.
That could work! If I were you, I would add the other ingredients first (sugar, salt, water, lemon juice) before blending. Then you could cook the blended mixture in the stockpot or skillet. I’d love to know how it turns out!
I made your blueberry syrup today; delicious! Since I don’t have an immersion blender, I made the syrup and then used my regular blender. It blended nicely, I just jarred it and currently canning it. Cannot wait to use it thank you.
Thanks for letting me know that using a regular blender for this recipe can work well. Great! Enjoy the blueberry syrup!
Made yesterday and kept a jar for today. My son came by and tried it, loved it and took a jar home. lol It is really, really delicious. Will definitely make and can again. Thank you for this recipe. I’m in my 70’s and have been canning for 50 plus years, Always looking for new things to can
Wow, thank you so much for your kind words. I’m really glad you liked the easy canned blueberry syrup recipe. That means a lot coming from someone with so much canning experience!
Oh my goodness I just made this for my grandchildren which will be shipped to Florida this stuff is absolutely fabulous the recipe was easy the whole process was easy thank you so much for posting this
Hooray! I’m so glad you liked the canned blueberry syrup recipe, and I hope your grandchildren like it as well.
I’m making this today and printed out the recipe to have nearby but noticed that the amount of water needed is missing. Had to come back to the computer to read your step by step to find that info. Just thought I’d let you know so you can make an edit to the printable recipe. Looking forward to trying the end results!
Thank you so much for pointing that out. It is now corrected. I hope you enjoy the canned blueberry syrup!
WOW – I always thought canning was out of my league, but this post makes it seem pretty easy, once you’ve got the tools you need. Thanks, I think this is next on my list of things I WANT to do! Lol 🙂
Excellent! I’m glad I was able to ease your apprehension about canning. I know just how you feel. I hope you get to give this easy canned blueberry syrup recipe a try.
I absolutely love this! I haven’t made syrup out of anything because we don’t really use it, but my kid said it could replace maple syrup in cereals. Great sterilisation method (and I also check the jars the same way – it’s a proven method!:))
Oh, I hope you get to try this out. Great idea to use it in cereals. Maybe on oatmeal? Thanks for giving me another way to use canned blueberry syrup!
Blueberries are my favorite- I just bought a house and was thinking about planting a couple of bushes. They say that you should get two for some reason they grow better.
I’m not sure about that. Interesting! Have fun planting blueberries at your new house. How exciting!
This sounds so good and easy! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure!
This would be so good on top of my banana pancakes. Yummy 😋
Mmmm…I like your idea!
I love blueberries, I didn’t know yo can make syrup from them..
Under Flowery Sky,
Yes, it is totally easy!
Lisa
I’m always looking for Easy! And now I know what to do with my supply of mason jars.
Awesome! This would be a great way to use them.
Lisa
That looks delicious! I will be doing this the next time we have blueberries!
It was delicious and super simple. Have fun trying it!
Okay first of all, ever even heard of blueberry syrup but I dig it! I need to make this! Thanks for sharing!
You are most welcome!
Already pinned. I love blueberry anything so this sounds good to make and have ready in the fridge! It wouldn’t last very long either 😉 Thanks for the recipe.
I hope you enjoy it! Yes, blueberry things disappear quickly around here as well.
I love blueberries and everything with blueberries! 🙂 Thank you for sharing how to make syrup! I love your ideas!
I’m glad you love my ideas! Thanks for the kind words.
I will love to start canning it’s so interesting to me. And I loved that you provided all the tools for it in this post.
The tools have seriously made all the difference!
Yummy!!
Thanks!
I love everything Blueberry–blueberry syrup, jam, and cheesecake! It’s almost time to start canning some blueberry syrup. Saving this recipe to try this year.
Terrific! I hope you enjoy it.
I am really looking forward to trying this come blueberry season. We always have an abundance that I make into muffins or smoothies but I think syrup will be a must this year!
I hope you get to try it. An abundance of blueberries is a great thing to have!
This blueberry syrup recipe sounds heavenly. I can just imagine drizzling it over hot pancakes with melted butter…yum!
Mmmm…now I’m craving that as well!
I have always wanted to make my own Blueberry Syrup! I’m going to do it this week 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
Stephanie,
Awesome! I hope you have great success!
Lisa