Description
Making muscadine jelly at home feels like bottling up a little piece of Southern tradition. These thick-skinned grapes, often found in backyards across the South, are perfect for a rich, sweet jelly that’s as good on biscuits as it is on a charcuterie board. This recipe uses no added pectin—just sugar, lemon juice, and patience—so every spoonful tastes as natural as it gets.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 2 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen muscadines or scuppernongs, washed and drained (remove any stems or leaves)
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Slice muscadines in half, place in large pot with water, bring to boil, stirring often
- Reduce heat, simmer 30–40 minutes, mash grapes with potato masher
- Pour mixture into food mill or sieve, extract juice (measure 4 cups)
- Return juice to pot, bring to boil, add sugar and lemon juice, boil 20 minutes until 220°F
- Skim foam, ladle into sterilized jars, seal with lids
- Refrigerate for short storage or process in water bath for 5 minutes for canning
Notes
This recipe makes about 4 to 5 half-pint jars. Refrigerated: lasts a few months after opening. Canned: keeps up to a year. Frozen: up to 12 months. If jelly doesn’t set, reboil with sugar/lemon juice or enjoy as syrup. Serving ideas: biscuits, toast, oatmeal, yogurt, charcuterie, or thumbprint cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 0mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg