USDA MEDIAN BERRY · 12.7 mm · 1.5 gFREE · NO SIGN-UP
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Preserves

Slow-Cooked Blueberry Butter

Prep10 min
Cook1 hr 30 min
Total1 hr 40 min
YieldAbout 2 cups · two 8-oz jars
DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

  • 6 cupsfresh blueberries≈ 594 median blueberries
  • 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
  • 2 tbsplemon juice
  • 1/2 tspground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tspground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tspfine salt

Steps

  1. Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a heavy pot over medium heat.
  2. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook 60–90 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the mixture is very thick and dark.
  3. Purée with an immersion blender until completely smooth — this is what makes it a butter rather than a jam.
  4. Continue cooking uncovered another 10–15 minutes if it still slumps on a spoon. It should hold a mound.
  5. Ladle into clean jars, cool, and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

Notes

  • No pectin and no added liquid — all the thickening comes from long, slow evaporation.
  • Low heat and frequent stirring near the end; scorched fruit butter is unsalvageable.
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A 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberriesA 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberries