Blueberry Juice Recipe
Updated: April 24, 2023, By Swasthi
Blueberry Juice, a refreshing drink with all the goodness of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In this post I share a easy Blueberry Juice Recipe with plenty of tips and tricks. Blueberries are recognized as a superfood, universally touted for their amazing health benefits. Beyond the ways in which blueberries can contribute to good health, blueberries are really delicious.
They are wonderful for eating straight out of hand and fantastic in baked goods, offering a perfect balance of sweet and tart that is really satisfying.
But what about Blueberry Juice? It turns out you can make blueberry juice at home that preserves the nutritional value of this amazing fruit. My technique will show you how it’s done.
Health benefits of blueberries
Blueberries are a food you can feel good about eating and feeding your family. They are super high in nutrients including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese. They are rather low in calories, especially considering all of the benefits they deliver.
With powerful antioxidant properties, blueberries can help reduce DNA damage when eaten regularly. They are also believed to help protect against cancer and aging. Add to that the possibility of lowering blood pressure and the benefit of improved heart health, and you’ve got a lot of reasons to add blueberries to your diet.
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Store bought vs Homemade Blueberry Juice
With so many reasons to incorporate blueberries into your diet, it stands to reason that they are a fine choice for making juice. Of course, there are packaged options at your local grocery store, so you may wonder what would be the benefit of making your own juice.
The bottom line is that store bought blueberry juice has only a small percentage of blueberries and is often mixed with other fruits. The result is a product that tends to be higher in sugar and lower in the intrinsic properties that make blueberries so good for you.
My technique will show you how to make your own blueberry juice at home so that you can feel good about what you are serving your family. With a very short list of ingredients you will end up with a juice that delivers all of the goodness that blueberries have to offer.
Making blueberry juice at home
Making blueberry juice at home is a bit different that juicing other fruit. That is due to the amount of pectin that occurs naturally in blueberries. Pectin is a soluble fiber that has natural thickening properties.
It has some health benefits such as a possible decrease in the rate of colon cancer. It also helps promote a healthy body weight and aids digestion. These are all great reasons to consume fruit that is high in pectin, but it does tend to make juicing these fruits a bit tricky.
For that reason, you will notice that blueberry juice will change from a liquid to a gel-like consistency several minutes after it’s blended. For the best results, we recommend drinking it immediately after juicing.
Once you’ve tried making blueberry juice at home and have reaped the benefit of those amazing nutrients you will reaching for your blender or slow juicer again and again. Your reward is a great wealth of antioxidants that you can feel good about.
Photo Guide
How to make Blueberry Juice (Stepwise Photos)
Cleaning blueberries
As with any fruit or vegetables that you plan to eat, care must be taken in cleaning them properly to remove pesticides, dirt, and other residuals. For this, I like to use water, vinegar, and baking soda.
1. Add blueberries to a large bowl and rinse them very well once. Drain all the water and spray apple vinegar all over. Sprinkle 1 tbsp baking soda and gently toss to coat all of them. Leave them for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour fresh water and rinse them several times until clean. Drain completely.
Using a blender
2. My preferred technique for making blueberry juice at home is really simple. Start with one cup of clean, fresh blueberries. Once they are rinsed and drained simply add them to a blender jar.
3. Add any sweetener if you prefer.
4. Pour 3 cups chilled water (or chilled clear juice) or 2 cups water and 1 cup ice cubes.
5. Blend the berries thoroughly until liquefied.
6. Do not strain. Your blueberry juice should have a liquid consistency at this stage.
Pour to serving glass and consume immediately.
Making Blueberry Juice in a Slow Juicer
Alternately, you can use blueberries to make juice in a slow juicer, but there are further adjustments that you must consider. The best way to incorporate them into a juice is by incorporating other vegetables and fruit that are higher in water. Asian pears or cucumbers work well, but it is still best to drink that juice immediately as it will turn to a jelly-like consistency within 10 minutes.
Turn on your slow juicer and add the cleaned fruits to the juicer chute/ feeding tube. You may add 1 large Asian pears or 1 large cucumber for every cup of blueberries. Alternately 1 cup water or any other clear juice can be used.
This time I did not add any other liquid or fruit. 1.5 to 2 pounds of blueberries will give about 500 ml of cold pressed juice (pure without any added fruit or liquid). You can directly pour this to serving glasses and add ice cubes. It makes 4 servings of pure blueberry juice. Squeeze some lemon juice if you prefer. Remember to consume it immediately as it turns to a thick jelly within 10 minutes.
You won’t get a lot of pulp after juicing them. If you want you may add it back to the juicer chute with some liquid. Or save it for your smoothies or jam.
Pro Tips
- The trick here is to blend the blueberries with a substantial amount of chilled water or clear juice so that you can control the thickening. With a ratio of one part blueberries to 3 parts chilled liquid, you will end up with a much more palatable drink that is best enjoyed immediately after blending.
- After about 10 minutes, you will notice that it will thicken immediately, making it less palatable. So consume immediately.
Faqs
Start with a bowl of clean water. Add about a quarter cup of vinegar (white or apple cider work well) and a tablespoon of baking soda. Submerge the berries in the solution and stir them gently with your hand. Allow them to soak for about 5 minutes then drain and rinse well.
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Recipe Card
Blueberry Juice Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, maple syrup)
- 3 cups ice (or any clear fruit ice or 2 cups chilled liquid & 1 cup ice)
Instructions
How to make Blueberry Juice
- Place blueberries in a colander and spray some vinegar all over. Drizzle some baking soda and gently smear it all over the berries. Leave them for 5 minutes.
- Rinse them well under running water. Repeat the rinse several times until the water runs clear.
- Add them to a blender jar along with lemon, sweetener and 3 cups ice (or 2 cups chilled water and 1 cup ice)
- Blend until smooth, add more ice or water if needed for a thinner consistency.
- Pour to serving glasses and serve blueberry juice immediately. If you let it sit, it will set like a jelly due to high pectin.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
Iโm Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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