Homemade Wild Grape Jelly

Classic jelly made from wild grapes has a rich, deep grape flavor and is one of the best things to make with your harvest. Makes 7 cups or half pint jars.

Prep time: PT45M

Cook time: PT15M

Total time: PT60M

Rating

5 stars (10 reviews)

Keywords

recipe for wild grape jelly, recipe wild grape jelly

Ingredients

32 oz (4 cups) wild grape juice (you’ll need about 5 lbs of grapes)
1 cup water
8 teaspoons powdered apple pectin (full strength, such as Ball Classic Fruit Pectin )
28 oz (4 cups) sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or from concentrate )
1/2 tsp unsalted butter (to reduce foam )

Cuisine

American

Steps

Harvest the grapes
- Harvest whole clusters of wild grapes.
Juice the Grapes
- Mash the grapes.
- Add water to the grapes and heat.
- Strain the grape juice.
Make the Jelly
- Put a metal plate in the freezer.
- Mix the pectin and sugar and mix with the juice. Heat until 220 F.
Set Tests
- Spoon hot jelly onto a plate to do set tests.
- Cook the mixture to 120 F.
Storing
- Pour the jelly into jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 TBSP
Calories: 46 kcal
Carbohydrates: 12 g
Protein: 0.04 g
Fat: 0.05 g
Saturated Fat: 0.003 g
Sodium: 1 mg
Sugar: 12 g
Unsaturated Fat: 0.003 g

Reviews

Glenn Smith on 2025-10-21 (5 stars):
Hi Alan, I’m just about to knock out this recipe, and I wanted to let you know there are a bunch of references to 220°F, 223°F – 225°F. And also the correct temperature of around 120°F…. Totally looking forward to the wild Grape goodness! And the vinegar recipe has been bubbling away for a couple of days. 🥳 Cheers, Glenn
Melody Walker on 2025-10-10 (5 stars):
The apartment I moved into on the new england coast had a huge garden that was taken care of by the previous tenant. Got really lucky and he had planted wild grape that was already huge. Well we harvested like 10lbs of grapes already. I even left them on the stems and just mashed them and then boiled them all down. Seriously made the best grape jelly I've ever tasted. Baked a fresh loaf of bread just to try it.
Jen from the Colquitz Creek on 2025-10-05 (5 stars):
This thing about batching up and how it doesn’t work- is so good to know!! I currently need to go get more pectin but at least now I know why :-) Ps. I added 10 jalepeno peppers to mine (maybe that’s also why I need more pectin? )
Leo on 2025-09-30 (5 stars):
Clear directions, and great results! It's a lot faster the second time when you come back to the recipe. Our first batch turned out great. I think I'll cook it down a little more this time though. We used perfect concord grapes from my benevolent neighbor's yard. Thank you!
Tim on 2025-08-31 (5 stars):
I just completed your recipe. Sitting in jars on the counter
Joanna Engstrom on 2025-08-28 (5 stars):
Erik, Oliver and I collected 17 lbs of wild grapes on our property on Starlake (Birdwing Farm). Erik found your recipe and we made 12 jars of delicious grape jelly. We were new to canning and the recipe provided us with everything we needed to prepare, process and can the grapes. Erik is also going to make grape vinegar from the grape scraps. Thank you so much for your detailed recipe and canning guidance. We look forward to making more wild recipes using your foraging experience.