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–+ servings

Blueberry Butter

Straight on photo of blueberry butter in a glass jam jar with fresh blueberries off to the side.
Preserve those fresh summer blueberries - without any fancy equipment - and learn how to make your own fruit butter at home. Similar in texture to jam or preserves but with a silkier mouthfeel, this blueberry butter is perfect for topping toast in the morning, spreading on crostini for appetizers, slathering on grilled proteins at dinner, and drizzling on ice cream at dessert. It's the ideal anytime fruit sauce and spread you're going to love!
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Servings: 24 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Slow Cooker or Crockpot (for making the jam)
  • 1 Immersion Blender, Stand Blender or Food Processor (for blending)

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Slow Cook Blueberries on HIGH: Place the blueberries in the insert of your slow cooker or crockpot. Cover the cooker with the lid and turn it on to HIGH. Cook for blueberries for 1 hour. Remove lid and give the berries a good stir.
  • Slow Cook Blueberries on LOW: Re-cover the slow cooker and turn the element to LOW. Continue to cook the blueberries for another hour. 
  • Puree Berries: Use an immersion blender to puree the blueberries or transfer the blueberries in batches to a high-powered blender and puree.
  • Vent Slow Cooker: Place the lid back on the slow cooker, but this time leave it slightly cracked. You can prop the lid open with a large wooden spoon, chopstick, or simply crack it open by turning the lid slightly to the side. You just want to create enough room for the steam to vent out of the slow cooker.
    Slow Cook on LOW: Keeping your slow cooker set to LOW, continue to cook the fruit for 3 1/2 hours, giving the puree a good stir every hour or so, and making sure you replace the lid keeping it cracked.  
  • Add Flavorings: Add the sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the slow cooker. Use a whisk or spoon to thoroughly stir the ingredients into the pureed fruit sauce.
  • Slow Cook on LOW: Once more time, re-cover the slow cooker, keeping the lid slightly cracked to form a vent, and continue to cook on LOW for 1 to 2 more hours.
    After one hour, check on the fruit butter. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without dripping off excessively. If the jam isn't as thick as you'd like after 2 hours, switch the slow cooker to high and remove the lid entirely. Cook the butter for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from burning on the bottom of the slow cooker. Precise time will depend upon the strength of your slow cooker, the amount of jam you are preparing, as well as your personal preference.
  • Optional - Blend:  If you want a super silky smooth butter, use an immersion blender or stand blender to puree the butter again. Then suspend a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the butter to remove any large particles.
    (Note: If you're making raspberry, strawberry, or any similar fruit butter, you'll want to do this if you don't like those seeds.
  • Chill and Enjoy: Enjoy blueberry jam warm or transfer it to jars or storage containers and secure with a lid. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Video

Notes

  1. Blueberries: For the best flavor, be sure to use fresh blueberries. However, you can absolutely make this blueberry jam anytime.
    You can swap in frozen blueberries, just be sure to thaw them slightly before starting the recipe. And please note, you may need to increase the cook time since frozen berries release more liquid.
    And, you can use a blueberry puree instead of fresh blueberries, just skip the first three steps entirely.
  2. Less Sugar: If you prefer a tarter jam or are simply looking to cut some sugar, start by decreasing the brown sugar to 3/4 to 1 cup. And be sure you taste as you go, because you may need to add more sugar or honey.
  3. The total cooking process will take between 5-8 hours depending on the strength of your slow cooker and how hot it gets. If your slow cooker runs hot, make sure you stir the blueberries halfway through cooking in step 1. (My blueberry sauce typically takes 6 hours from start to finish.)
  4. Consistency: The blueberry butter will thicken up after refrigeration, so if you feel like the sauce is a little thin, just stick it in the fridge.
  5. Storage: Airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 1/2 week. Alternatively, you can freeze the fruit butter for up to 3 to 6 months.
  6. Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
  7. Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
  8. Yield: About 3 liquid Pints (48 ounces)
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 24 servings (2 ounces per serving). Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 55kcal    Carbohydrates: 14g    Protein: 0.03g    Fat: 0.01g    Saturated Fat: 0.01g    Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001g    Sodium: 16mg    Potassium: 19mg    Fiber: 0.1g    Sugar: 14g    Vitamin A: 0.4IU    Vitamin C: 0.05mg    Calcium: 12mg    Iron: 0.1mg
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Condiment
Cuisine: American