(This recipe, which I published in 2008, is still making the rounds on Pinterest, but it didn’t have a printable recipe. Such things did not exist in 2008. So, here it is, updated with a printable.)
This is kind of a cheater’s recipe for homemade grape jelly because it doesn’t involve squeezing the juice out of real grapes.
While that sort of method might produce some very tasty jelly, it’s not at all cost-efficient unless you grow your own grapes or have access to free ones somehow.
How cheap your jelly is depends on the price you pay for your ingredients. If you buy grape juice and sugar on sale and you have a coupon for pectin, it will be really, really cheap.
Plus, your homemade jelly will have no high fructose corn syrup in it (this is actually the reason I first looked into making my own).
I got this recipe from The Hillbilly Housewife, (and it’s basically the same as the one on the insert from the pectin box) but I thought that some of you might be terrified of making your own jelly and would prefer a pictorial guide. 
It’s actually really, really easy. I promise.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 3 cups grape juice (either in a bottle or prepared from concentrate)
- 1 package powdered pectin
- 4 cups sugar
- glass jars that will hold 1.5 quarts of jelly
(they don’t need to be canning jars…glass jars that used to hold fruit or applesauce, or jelly will work fine)
Combine grape juice and pectin in a saucepan (I stir it with a whisk to get rid of the lumps) and bring to a boil.
As an aside, do NOT add the sugar before you bring the pectin to a boil.
I’ve done this waaaay too many times, and it causes the jelly to not, well, gel.
After the pectin/juice mixture has come to a boil, stir in the sugar. Bring it back up to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil for a full minute.
Remove from the heat. During cooking, some foam may have appeared on the top of your jelly. I like to spoon this off.
It’s harmless, but it’ll make the top of your jelly look cloudy if you leave it there.
Ladle the jelly into your clean jars, screw on the lids, and let the jelly cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
If you want the jelly to be shelf-stable, you can process the jars in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. I don’t mess with that usually…I store mine in the fridge, and they keep just fine.
The color of your jelly could vary depending on the grape juice you use.
In my experience, the bottled grape juice makes a more purple jelly than reconstituted grape juice does. The jars above are made from bottled juice, and the jars below are from a concentrate.
They’ll both taste good, though, so use whatever sort of grape juice you like.
Sometimes, my jelly gels right away, but sometimes it takes a while(like 6-8 hours).
So, don’t become distressed if at first it seems that all you have produced is some very sweet grape juice. Be patient, and as long as you’ve followed the recipe properly, your grape juice will have turned into jelly.
Homemade Grape Jelly
This jelly is super easy because it's made from store-bought juice! And it doesn't even need to be canned. It makes a nice addition to a gift of homemade bread.
Ingredients
- 3 cups grape juice (either in a bottle or prepared from concentrate)
- 1 package powdered pectin
- 4 cups sugar
- glass jars that will hold 3 pints of jelly
Instructions
Combine grape juice and pectin in a saucepan (I stir it with a whisk to get rid of the lumps) and bring to a boil.
Do NOT add the sugar before you bring the pectin to a boil. I've done this waaaay too many times, and it causes the jelly to not gel.
After the pectin/juice mixture has come to a boil, stir in the sugar. Bring it back up to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, and boil for a full minute.
Remove from the heat. Spoon off any foam that has appeared.
Ladle the jelly into your clean jars, screw on the lids, and let the jelly cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
Mommy Frisbie says
I remember doing this with my Mom! This is a great tutorial. Thanks so much!
Marie mucala says
I followed the grape jelly recipe I made mine from fresh grapes I picked turned out great I double the recipe since I had lot of juice I made 6 pints of jelly thanks for the cipie
MrsMoney says
Wow, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I hate HFCS. One tip I learned from canning is if you tip the jars on the lids and leave them there, they normally will seal automatically too!
Christie says
When you are canning do you water base it while the jelly is in there? Or water base the jars only
Liz says
I don’t believe that is a safe practice to just tip the jars. In order to be safe the interior of the jar has to reach a certain temperature and that can’t happen without water bathing the jars. https://104homestead.com/flippin-jelly-canning/
J says
Yes! Better safe than sorry! It’s not so much about sealing but killing microbes!
Emily says
Hi Kristen,
Miriam shared your website with me a little while ago, and though it sounds cheesy…I must confess, your frugal-ness is inspiring!
Though we do not use much jelly in my house…I may have to try making some just because.
Bethany says
Why do you make jelly? Is it really that much cheaper?
Megan says
If you can get the fruit for free then yes, it is much cheaper! I have family that has berry vines and grape vines that I pick from every year. When we move next spring I will finally be able to get my own started. Besides the cheap factor for me, I know exactly what my kids are eating because I know where the fruit comes from.
SoBoMama says
It’s not just cheaper. Much healthier.
Sydney says
It’s cheaper unless you are usinf organic bottle juice at full retail, then it is about the same. It tastes better. No high fructose corn syrup or other mystery ingredients. And, I can make a batch in the time it takes to get to the store and back. Easy peasy!
Jo says
Thanks for the advise
CanadianSaver says
Ahhh this is cool! I have some recipes that call for grape jelly… this is a great way to make it!
frugal dreamer says
mmm…
I love grape jelly. This is a great, easy recipe!
Kristen says
Bethany, I originally looked for the recipe because I couldn’t find any jelly without high fructose corn syrup in it…not even at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods!
I do think it’s cheaper, as long as you get your pectin cheaply. I should do a cost breakdown, though!
dana says
I made my own liquid pectin. its easy
Jessica says
I would love to know how to make my own pectin… can you please share
Bonnie says
I agree that HFCS is evil! Ok so not evil, but it’s in everything. I am trying to eliminate it as much as I can from our diets so I’ve been making many things from scratch. What I’m wondering is how does the jelly taste? Thanks for the recipe and I love that site.
Lora says
I actually think it tastes better than store bought jelly. It doesn’t have that “in your face” sweetness (I’m guessing the HFCS makes store bought extra sweet). I make apple jelly with store bought juice and it’s just so much better.
Lisa @ Cents To Save says
I had no idea it so easy to make Grape jelly!! So Simple!
Lisa
Jessica says
That looks like a fun thing to do with the kids. Could you do the same thing with apple juice for apple jelly?
Darlene says
You can. I did cherry juicy juice. very good.!!!
Jenny says
If you actually meant the brand “Juicy Juice”, isn’t that fake juice?
Lyn says
Last I checked, Juicy Juice is always 100% juice. It’s just not 100% *cherry* juice – the first ingredient is probably apple.
Kristen says
Yep, Juicy Juice is 100% juice, as far as I know! And I would imagine that the grape version is indeed all grape juice.
Tammy Hendrick says
Yes, you can. And add abt 1/2 cup red cinnamon candies. Makes candy apple flavor. Doesn’t make it hot, just a thing of cinnamon. Really yummy.
Carole says
I would hesitate to make jelly or jam with anyone younger than a teenager. Boiling sugar & fruit is HOT! As a youngster, Mom would order us out of the kitchen when making jams & jellies.
Bunny Abraham says
I began my canning training when I was five years old. My mom taught me and so did my Aunt Dorothy. I learned from the best. Now I teach young people. Some of them have to stand on a chair to help but with proper supervision and a good experienced trainer, kids can and do learn how to can.
Kristen says
Yep, you sure can! I’ve been wanting to try it but haven’t yet.
Bonnie, it tastes almost exactly like the stuff you buy. Basically, it will taste like a sweeter version of the grape juice you use.
Jessica says
I’m definitely going to have to try it.
Julius says
Of course, this will work with juice from other fruit as well, particularly apples – in which case, if done right, you may not need added pectin as apples contain quite a lot (I haven’t done this myself, mind you). For other fruit, I have a “recipe” somewhere on how to make fairly concentrated pectin extract out of otherwise non-edible apples (i.e. you use cores, skins, cooking apples, crabapples etc.). Various sorts of wild berries are edible when processed into jelly, and if you can spare the time to collect them they’re free…
(As an aside, I may be stating the obvious here, but I believe the usual way to juice things for jellies is by steaming and then straining through a muslin cloth, rather than squeezing. That’s how my grandmother once showed me how to make apple jelly, and how the recipes I’ve seen do it.)
Becky says
Or I mine they a colander.
Becky says
Sorry, I didn’t pay attention to my typing! I meat I run mine thru a colander.
Jenny says
Is there a reason one would not want to squeeze the fruits?
jill says
This actually looks really interesting!! I thought it was jam until I re-read it and it’s jelly!! Reminds me of the peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches I used to read in books!! I’m not sure if I’ll ever make them but I like it!!
Trish says
I want to pour the jelly into wine glasses for gifts. How do I seal them? Pour parafin over the tops after the jelly gels or cools? Help!
Sarah says
Sealing the jars/bottles with wax is not recommended since the seals could be faulty which can lead to bacteria growth. They do make wine glass mason jars – maybe you can try those & properly can the jelly?
Kristen says
Trish, I googled it, and it seems like paraffin wax is the way to go. I’ve never done that myself, though, so I can’t offer any great advice.
ben says
Do you suppose there is a way to do this in a lower calorie/less sugar sort of way?
HeidiC says
Look up Pomona’s pectin. It will give you recipes for low sugar and even no sugar. You can also use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener with their pectin. I’ve been using it for a few years and love it!
TAMSYN S ANGELINI says
I know you can buy sugar free pectin and light grape juice from Welch’s, which has less sugar. I, too, would like to know if you could use a sugar substitute to sweeten it.
Kristen says
Ben, I’ve never tried it, but I know there are low-sugar ways to make jelly and jam. Try googling it, and I’m sure you’ll find something. I know that there are special techniques you have to use if you want to cut back on the sugar content.
Ronni says
Does the store bought grape juice already have high fructose corn syrup?
Kristen says
Nope, not if you get 100% juice.
Rachel Gontz says
We do strawberry every year when strawberries come into season. I have a pretty big family and Pb&j is a staple here. I do two flats of berries and we get almost enough jelly to last a full year. The best part is I get to control the amount of sugar and it is 100 times better than the grocery store jelly.
Mikala says
Can this recipe also be frozen?
amanda- The Sweet Details says
have you every tried this with red wine? I wonder if you could use the same recipe??
Kristen says
I have not…in fact, I’ve never had red wine jelly.
Derek says
Thanks! I have been searching for a recipe that didn’t make like 15 jars of jelly. I really don’t need that much for 2 people nor have the storage for it. Thank you so much! I may mess with it a bit with some homemade juices too to get ones with less sugar. Thanks again!
Amanda says
Can fresh fruit be used for this jelly? I’d love to make strawberry jelly, but I’m not sure how to do it. Could I just puree the fruit, or would I need to do extensive straining?
Thanks for the great recipe and tutorial, I love your website!
Kristen says
Well, you’d need strawberry juice, I think, and I’m not sure how to do that.
I have a recipe for strawberry jam on my blog, though!
Sara says
Extracting strawberry juice is actually not difficult at all. Purchase at least 4lbs of fresh starwberries (I always get 4-5 lbs, pending on the size of the berries) and two large lemons. Wash the berries; cut the “caps/tops” & slice berries into quarters; once all cut, mash berries into large stock pot, one layer of berries at a time (I use of stainless steel potato masher); cut lemons in half and squeeze to produce 1/4 Cup lemon juice; mix into berries.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently so as not to burn, and then simmer uncovered for 10 mins. Take a strainer (not a collander, a hand-held strainer) that has a full covering of cheese cloth (can purchase @ wal-mart, just ask), place over a deep bowl, slowly pour berries into strainer & allow juice to “fall”.
You need 3 3/4 Cups juice per batch of strawberry jelly you wish to make.
That’s all it takes to extract strawberry juice! Follow a basic jelly recipe from there if you have one. If not, Certo’s recipe says:
3 3/4 Cup juice (return to pot)
7 1/2 Cups sugar
2 pouches of Liquid Pectin
(1)Stir sugar into juice & bring to a full rolling boil (does not reduce when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
(2) Quickly stir in pectin & bring back to full rolling boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly.
(3) Skim foam from jelly; laddle into jars
Louise says
Not straining the fruit would make jam and not jelly. This is my preference using the whole fruit.
Jo says
Mine too I like jam better
Celeste says
I use a food processor to chop my strawberries I don’t like big chunks of fruit in my jam it’s basically the same recipe only I use 5 cups of the crushed berries in place of the juice. I used this recipe this evening to make a batch of apple jelly using juice I’ve never made jelly that want from fruit that we have grown so I’m curious to see how it turns out.
Sara says
Hello! I was wondering if adding the pectin-whether it be liquid or powder-prior to the sugar works for other fruits as well? (IE–strawberry, cherry, or apple?)
I have been having a bit of difficulty with my canning lately, where I have needed to re-set my jellies despite following my usual recipes. Granted on one I did try to reduce the sugar, but I did not compensate for the subtraction, so that one I understand. But is the “adding pectin & boil prior to adding sugar” a universal rule used for how you can? Do you think it would work for various fruits?
Kristen says
Well, I imagine you can use this sort of recipe with other prepared juices…but to be on the safe side, I’d stick to the recipes like you can find on the insert in the pectin box.
I can say that adding the sugar prior to the pectin has always equalled disaster for me!
Sarah says
Yes, add pectin before the sugar & make sure it’s fully incorporated. I have found that when I can’t get my jelly or jam to set, it’s because I didn’t bring it to a high enough temperature. Regardless if it includes pectin or not, I bring mine to at least 218 degrees F (depending on your altitude) and boil it for a full minute at that temperature. The following website is such a helpful resource:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/jellyproblems.html
Farzana says
Hi! Great post! Does the bottled or concentrated juice jelly taste better? Also, I wanted to try honey/reduced sugar version, and also adding chamomile or elderflower flavour to the jelly but I dont know what amounts to do, does anyone have advice please? Thank you
Kristen says
Reducing sugar will only work with special pectin-look for low-sugar pectin at your store.
Bottle or concentrated tastes the same to me!
Bonnie Rippe says
can you double the recipe for bigger batches and it turn out ok?
Kristen says
I’ve read that that’s not a good idea (the pectin package directions say not to double) so I’ve never tried it.
Louise says
Use Pamonas pectin and it allows you to multiply or divide recipes for jams and jellies and also gives directions for low sugar.
Donica Mitchem says
This was my first time doing anything like this. This was fun, simple, tasty, and very easy to do!! I really had fun doing this recipe and can’t wait to do it again!!
Canadian Budget Binder says
That seems fairly easy. We make crab apple spice jam every year with the apples on our tree. The first year we lived here we were giving the apples away as they would fall to the ground and create a mess. One day the lady who picked them up for free knocked on our door the next day with apple butter and apple jelly, it was amazing. We thought, why can’t we do that and there was plenty to go around even to offer for free to whoever wanted apples. I shared this post as well on the blog but the reality is sometimes we put inconveniences first before thinking outside the box. If it wasn’t for that lady we would have never thought to make something with those apples rather than tossing them in the compost heap! Cheers Mr.CBB
Barbara Thompson says
I’m going to make the grape jelly for hostess gifts at Christmas. Thanks!
Barbara Thompson
shavelle says
Thank You for putting this recipe for me and everybody i preciate you for doing that
Liane says
I never thought to use store bought juice! I’ve canned various jams for years, but grape jelly was too much effort (& I prefer jams!) I go a little crazy with my kids at u-pick berry places, but we eat lots of pb&j and many a hostess has received my homemade jams. Much more personal than another bottle of wine.
julie says
Love this. We recently discovered that my son is fructose intolerant. It has made me very aware of how much of our food contains it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Angel says
Just tried the recipe and waiting for them to cool. So excited! Another tip on skimming the foam: if you didn’t get it all as it was cooking, you can wait a bit after pouring the jelly into the jars. As they cool, the foam becomes a skin-like cover and can be easily removed from the top. So much easier:) Thank you for this recipe. I can feel better about my kids eating their pb&j’s since I know EXACTLY what’s in it and where it comes from…my kitchen:) Thanks again.
Louise says
Add a teaspoon of butter to the pot of jelly as it is boiling and it will control the foam. This does not affect the jelly.
Kristen says
My baby boy loves grape jelly and I wanted to try my hand at this. Do you use grape juice that is no sugar added or sugar free?? I thought that would make it really sweet if not. Just curious what to buy. Thanks for sharing
Kristen says
I use the sort that’s 100% grape juice.
cristy says
O.K. This might be a stupid question but I am going to ask anyway, when using the Frozen Juice do I make it up like you would to drink then measure out or do I just measure it straight from the can??
Kristen says
Yep, just make it up like you would to drink it.
Lindsay says
Just made this for the first time with great success! I accidentally bought liquid instead of powdered pectin but it worked out the same.
I’m amazed at how much more powerful the flavor is — my husband is thrilled and asked me to make some biscuits ASAP.
So long, store-bought grape jelly!
Barb says
Thank U for this recipe, I made grape jelly from real grape juice, I hope it jells.
Have a nice day.
Claudette says
Have you ever used wine grapes to make grape jelly? I have been given grapes that originally come from vines that were brought here from Greece and tried one batch. It is very tacky like taffy. do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Kristen says
Oh, I wish I could help, but I’ve never used anything but commercial grape juice.
Racheal says
I’ve been canning or helping to can all of my life. If your jelly is not gelled enough, put it back in a water bath for twenty minutes. If that does not fix the problem, try refrigerating; that sometimes helps too.
pam says
Does the grape juice need to unsweetened? and 100 percent juice?
Kristen says
That’s what I’ve always used.
Geri says
Where do you get the coupon for Pectin??
Kristen says
I’ve found them inside the boxes of Ball pectin before.
Ramona says
Hi, could this be treated like a freezer jelly?
Kristen says
I’m not sure! I think it could be frozen after you make it, but I also know that pectin comes with recipes specifically for freezer jelly, so you might want to follow those instructions to be safe.
Bel says
Hi, many thanks for this recipe- we cannot buy grape jelly in Scotland so I’m excited to try this! I do have one question, by package, do you mean box? Thanks, I’ve sourced pectin here (quite hard to find) but is a different size box so I need to measure.
Kristen says
Yep, one box. Here in the U.S. each box contains on packet of pectin.
Bart says
It is strange that nobody on here has made grape jelly using beet juice as the base instead of grape juice. My mother in law made this every year and it was fantastic and cheap
Holly Bilski says
Wouldn’t that be beet jelly? Seems like it would taste a bit like dirt, but the color would be gorgeous.
I’m wondering if I would get the same results from wine grapes processed for juice in a steam juicer. Thoughts?
Jenn says
Can i use liquid certo instead of powder? Wld it be 2 pkgs?
Anxious to try this.
Then apple jelly……1st time…made cherry jelly and its actually really good.
Kristen says
I’ve never used liquid pectin before, but your Certo should come with directions for making jelly with prepared juice. I’d consult those directions.
Kathy says
This is a fantastic recipe and so easy. I’ve tried several kinds of juices and each one turned out perfect. It’s important to follow the directions with boiling the juice and pectin first. This year I am giving homemade jelly as special gifts to people who love jelly. Thank You for sharing this recipe.
Kim says
Please note that is water bath canning USDA recommends filling to 1/4 inch of top of jar
Bobbie says
Have you tried to make other jellies from different fruit juices?
Kristen says
I have not! I’m sorry I can’t be helpful in that regard.
Claire says
Hi there I have a container of pectin is there anyway you can put the amount of pectin used in spoon measurements .? I’m not sure how to convert your pkg size. Thank you
Kristen says
Hmm. It looks like a box of pectin is 1.75 ounces, usually. Do you have a scale you could use to weigh it?
On the Ball site, it looks like they’re saying 6 tablespoons of pectin equals one package. That seems like a lot, but I assume they’re right because they’re the experts!
Jennifer says
Was wondering if the grape jelly does not set the first time , can you re cook and re add all ingredients?
Kristen says
I know the directions that have come with my pectin packages have had recipes for remaking failed jellies, so I would look there for information, or try googling for help.
Momma L says
Guests left some grape juice in my fridge and I have been wondering what to do with it! DH loves grape jelly with his peanut butter, thank you!
Karen. says
I would urge anyone giving it as a gift to use new two-piece lids on a proper mason jar and to waterbath it so that in case the recipient doesn’t refrigerate or use it right away, it won’t make them sick. And don’t invert, and definitely refrigerate if not waterbath canning it.
Much more information is here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can7_jam_jelly.html
Kristen says
Oh yes, if I give this as a gift unsealed, I always make sure to tell the recipient that it needs to be refrigerated.
Processing the jars is a safe bet, though!
JD says
I have made jelly for years — it is actually pretty simple, once I got past my initial nervousness. Even so, I once did the silliest, most amateur thing, which was using a smaller pot than I should have. Scraping boiled over and burnt jelly off of my glass stove top was not fun!
Be sure to use the proper sized burner, too. The juice needs to come to a boil fast, every time, or the jelly will be quite tough, so don’t use a small burner. I know someone who did that, too, because her big burners were occupied with the water bath canner and a big pot of extra water to finish filling the canner.
Momma L says
Thank you for this! My sister left some grape juice at my house and I was wondering what to do with it when I read this post. Thanks to you I have 2 jars of fresh jelly now.
Matt says
I live in Australia and missed getting my PB&J fix after twenty years in the US. Grape jelly is very difficult and expensive here. It is only available from specialist American style stores and postage is a killer. We can’t ger it direct from the US either because of quarantine laws. This recipe is great, simple and almost foolproof. Thanks for sharing it and the additional explanation makes it clearer to follow,