Whether you have an abundance of grapes growing in your yard, or you just love the taste of fresh juice, you can easily make homemade grape juice without using a juicer.
Living in Southern California allows us to grow a number of fruits and vegetables in our own backyard. I do not have a green thumb, but I keep trying. Tomatoes are hit or miss for me, but I do grow herbs and chard very well.
Several years ago we planted two grape vines. It took a few years to figure out what to do to make them flourish. Basically, water the grapes until they start to fruit. Then don’t water them anymore.
It seems counter-intuitive but the stress of not having water tells the plant to spend its energy on the grapes themselves. I have no idea what variety of grapes we own, but they seem to be happy when we started ignoring them!
A bumper crop of grapes means 50-100 bunches in one summer. We had plenty to share with friends and family, as well as enjoy ourselves or in recipes.
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Recipe highlights
- Healthy: Just like everything else homemade, you control the ingredients in your foods. Homemade grape juice means you can control how much sugar is in your juice. And for those of us who prefer low-sugar options, this is life changing. And my grapes were plenty sweet, so I didn’t add any additional sugar.
- Simple: It is super easy to make your own grape. And you don’t need a fancy juice machine!
- Flavor: I am not a fan of commercial grape juice, but OH MY GAWD!!! This homemade grape juice is so incredible! Although I did strain out the pulp using a fine mesh strainer, but the juice is still not crystal clear. I think that is a good thing, because some of the delicious pulp was in my juice.
When you are swimming in delicious red grapes, you find yourself using them any which you can. I have share my recipe for grape jam and an upside down grape cake. I have even added grapes to make an apple grape crisp.
Last year we juiced a large amount of our grapes using a spiral juicer. I truly hate using that juicer because it is such a pain to clean out. This year I decided to juice the grapes using my blender, following the same method used in making watermelon juice.
Ingredients you need
I used only grapes for my grape juice, and did not add any additional sugar. You can add water, but seriously all you need are your favorite grapes. Choose grapes that are sweet and full of flavor, otherwise you will need to sweeten your juice with granulated sugar or honey.
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Step-by-step directions
- Clean the grapes. Wash the grapes and remove them from the stem. Be sure the tiny bits and pieces of stem and vine are removed. I place my grapes in a strainer with larger holes (not a fine mesh one) so that those bits could pass through.
- Blend. Place the grapes in a blender. You can always add water later to thin out the juice. Process the grapes until mixture is smooth. Taste your juice. If bitter, add sugar. If the flavor is too strong for your taste, add water. I added about ¾-cup of water and no sugar.
- Strain. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the blended grape juice through it to strain out the pulp.
- Press the pulp. Using a rubber scraper, push the pulp mixture into the strainer to squeeze out all of the juice. You will be left with a clump of pulp in the strainer and juice in the bowl. You can use this pulp in smoothies. If you want to remove more of the pulp, pass the filtered juice through a coffee filter or cheese cloth.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Some people simmer the grapes in a pot to cook and release more of the juices. The blender method produces raw grape juice.
If using red grapes, especially concord grapes, be careful as the juice can stain your clothes. The skin of the concord grapes give your juice a very deep and vibrant color compared to red globe.
The flavor of my homemade grape juice is incredible. You can add water if you find it too strong. The dark concord grapes give the deepest color, but you can use this method to make any kind of grape juice, white or red.
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Homemade grape juice will last 5-7 days after making it in the refrigerator. Like other juices, keep it chilled in the refrigerator in an airtight jar or pitcher.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze homemade grape juice in plastic freezer safe bags, ice cube trays or in popsicle forms.
If you have a lot of grapes and want to save them for later, they can easily be frozen. They will last up to six months in the freezer. Use them in smoothies or thaw them to make homemade grape juice. Kids love eating frozen grapes, especially during hot summer months.
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Homemade Grape Juice
Ingredients
- 2- pounds grapes removed from stem (red or green)
Instructions
- Clean the grapes and remove them from the stem. Be sure the tiny bits and pieces of stem and vine are removed. I place my grapes in a strainer with larger holes (not a fine mesh one) so that those bits could pass through.
- Place the grapes in a blender. You can always add water later to thin out the juice.
- Process the grapes until mixture is smooth. Taste your juice. If bitter, add sugar. If the flavor is too strong for your taste, add water. I added about ¾-cup of water and no sugar.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the blended grape juice through it to strain out the pulp.
- Using a rubber scraper, press the pulp mixture in the strainer to squeeze out all of the juice. You will be left with a clump of pulp in the strainer and juice in the bowl. You can use this pulp in smoothies.
- If you want to remove more of the pulp, pass the filtered juice through a coffee filter or cheese cloth.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Wanted to drop by to say we’ve just posted our last blog post. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your blog, and I’ll still be visiting. But we’ve got a lot of activities lined up that will be occupying my time, so my visits will be much more sporadic in the future. Best wishes to you.
Hi John-
Oh no! So sorry to hear that you’re not going to write anymore. I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog and your humor. All the best to you and your wife.
Laura
Our tomatoes didn’t do well this year — it was too hot in June, when they flower, so they really didn’t develop many tomatoes. Alas. Anyway, never grew grapes, although I had a great aunt who did (and make both jelly and wine). I’ve never made grape jelly — should try this. 🙂 Thanks!