How to Make and Can Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer
If you’ve ever had a pile of grapes sitting on the counter and thought, “There has to be an easier way to juice all of these,” a steam juicer is it. No crushing, no straining through jelly bags, and no purple splatters all over the kitchen. (Well...maybe a few.)
A steam juicer does the patient work for you. The steam gently heats the grapes until they release their juice, then that juice collects in the basin and comes out through the tube. From there, you heat it, jar it, and process it so you can enjoy homemade grape juice long after grape season is over.
My favorite grapes for this are Concord grapes because they make that classic, deep grape flavor. But you can absolutely play around with different varieties. Each type of grape gives the juice a slightly different flavor, color, and sweetness.
What you’ll need before you start
Before you turn on the stove, get everything ready. Canning goes much more smoothly when your jars, lids, tools, and workspace are set up first.
You’ll need:
Fresh grapes
Water
A large pot for collecting and heating the juice
Clean damp cloth
Heat-resistant surface or towel
Pick through the grapes and remove any that are moldy, shriveled, or damaged. You don’t have to be fussy, but starting with good fruit gives you better juice.
Give the grapes a good rinse. I usually leave them on the stems for steam juicing unless I’m dealing with a lot of debris. The steam will pull the juice out just fine.
Set up the steam juicer
A steam juicer has three main parts: the bottom water pan, the juice basin with the tube, and the fruit basket.
Fill the bottom portion of the juicer with water, stopping about 1 inch below the nozzle location. You need enough water to create steady steam, but you don’t want to overfill it.
Next, place the juice basin on top. Before you go any farther, make sure the tube is attached and the clamp is securely closed. This matters. Once the grapes start releasing juice, it can come out fast.
Add the fruit basket and fill it all the way up with grapes. Don’t pack them down hard, just fill the basket generously.
Then place the lid on the juicer and set it on the stove over high heat.
The goal is simple: get the water boiling so steam rises through the fruit basket. As the grapes heat up, they’ll soften, burst, and release their juice into the basin below.
Steam the grapes until the juice releases
At first, it might look like nothing is happening. That’s normal.
Then there’s a point where the grapes suddenly give up their juice. I think of it as the “release threshold.” One minute the basin looks quiet, and the next minute there’s a lot of juice collecting.
This is where I like to keep an eye on things.
I’ve had batches where so much juice released at once that it overflowed the juice basin and ran down into the water pan at the base. After that happened, I started removing juice as it collected instead of waiting until the very end.
To do that, place the end of the tube into a clean pot, carefully open the clamp, and let some juice drain out. Close the clamp again when you’re done.
Most batches take about 45 minutes to 1 hour to fully steam. The exact time depends on the grape variety, how full the basket is, and how hot your stove runs.
You’ll know the grapes are mostly spent when they look pale, collapsed, and soft, and the juice flow has slowed way down.
Heat the grape juice before canning
Once the steamer is done, collect all the juice in a large pot.
Place the pot on the stove and heat the juice to 190°F. Hold it at that temperature for 5 minutes. This step gets the juice hot before it goes into the jars and helps you keep the canning process consistent.
Try not to boil it. A gentle heat is all you need here.
While the juice is heating, get your jars ready. Use clean quart-size jars and inspect the rims for chips or cracks. Any damaged jars should be set aside and not used for canning.
Fill the jars with the right headspace
Ladle or pour the hot grape juice into quart jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Headspace is the space between the top of the food or liquid and the top rim of the jar. For this grape juice, you want just a small amount of space at the top.
After filling each jar, wipe the rim with a clean damp cloth. This removes juice or stickiness that could keep the lid from sealing.
Place a lid on each jar, then add the ring and tighten it until it’s fingertip tight. That means snug, but not cranked down hard. Air still needs to escape from the jar during processing.
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Process the jars in a boiling water bath
Place the filled jars into a boiling water bath canner. The jars need to be covered by 1 to 2 inches of water.
Bring the canner to a full rolling boil before you start the timer. This part is easy to rush, but don’t start timing while the water is still coming up to temperature.
For my quart jars, I process them for 15 minutes at sea level. If you live above 1,000 feet in elevation, adjust your processing time according to current canning guidance for your altitude.
When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Let the jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes before taking them out. This short rest helps reduce sudden temperature changes and siphoning.
Use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Place them upright on a towel or heat-resistant surface, leaving 1 to 2 inches of space between the jars.
Now leave them alone. Don’t tighten the rings, press the lids, tilt the jars, or move them around.
Let the jars rest undisturbed for 24 hours.
Check the seals and store the juice
After 24 hours, check the seals. The center of each lid should be pulled down and should not flex when pressed.
Remove the rings before storage. This helps you notice seal problems later, and it keeps the rings from rusting onto the jars.
Wash the outside of the jars, then label them with the contents and date.
Store your canned grape juice in a cool, dry, dark location. For best quality, use it within 3 years.
If any jar didn’t seal, put it in the refrigerator and use it soon.
Ways to use canned grape juice
Homemade canned grape juice is wonderful chilled and served as-is, but that’s not the only way to use it.
Try it for:
Breakfast drinks
Grape jelly
Smoothies
Homemade popsicles
Sparkling grape drinks
Marinades or sauces
Hot spiced grape juice in winter
You can also dilute it with water if the flavor is stronger than you like. Concord grape juice especially can be rich and bold, which is one of the reasons I love it.
Making grape juice with a steam juicer is one of those canning projects that feels old-fashioned in the best way. You start with a basket full of grapes, let the steam do the work, and end up with jars of beautiful juice lined up on the shelf.
Once you’ve done it this way, it’s hard to go back.
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