Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter {for canning}

This slow cooker blueberry butter is a delightful preserve made by cooking fresh blueberries with sugar and spices until thick and flavorful.

This recipe is safe for water bath canning and makes a wonderful addition to breakfast spreads, desserts, or as a homemade gift for friends and loved ones.

I have been making a pectin-free blueberry jam for years. In order to get it to the gel stage you do have cook it to quite a high heat. This caramelizes the blueberries slightly and gives it a rich taste, which I do like, but over the years I've been looking for a fresh alternative. This blueberry butter made in a slow cooker is just that!

Because the berries cook slowly they retain their fresh fruity flavor without the need for pectin and thus, additional sugar. Honestly, this is my new favorite preserve! I canned it but we've gone through it so quickly I probably didn't even need to!

I hope your family enjoys this slow cooker blueberry butter as much as mine does!

Jump to:

• What is water bath canning?
• Safe canning resources.
• More preserving recipes you will love.
• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Recipe FAQs
• Recipe

What is water bath canning?

Canning is simply the process of applying adequate heat to high acid food that is sealed in jars for the allotted time necessary to kill off bacteria and micro-organisms that cause food spoilage. During heating, oxygen is driven out of the jars, causing a vacuum seal to form when the jars cool down. This prevents any outside micro-organisms and oxygen from getting back into the food. When done correctly, canning preserves food safely for at least a year, although probably much, much longer.

You can check out my guide on How to Safely Water Bath Can at Home more resources on safe home preserving.

Safe canning resources.

If you are new to canning you can find great resources, recipes and tutorials at Ball Canning and the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

More preserving recipes you will love.

Equipment

For the blueberry butter:

For this recipe you will need a slow cooker. I love this All Clad Slow Cooker.

To blend the jam I love to use this immersion blender. But you can also use a stand blender if preferred.

For water bath canning:

• Mason jars: Make sure the jars are clean and that the lids are brand new. You cannot reuse canning lids.
• Large pot with rack OR Electric Canner: If you only can once in a while using a large pot with a canning rack works just fine. As someone who personally does a lot of canning and I absolutely LOVE my Ball FreshTech Electric Canner.
• Jar lifter: You will need a jar lifter to remove the hot jars from the water bath.
• Funnel: I personally love this canning funnel because it also allows you to measure the headspace easily.
• Ladle: This Prepworks Canning Scoop is my favorite.

Ingredients

• Blueberries: I recommend using fresh blueberries but frozen also work. You'll want to thaw them a little before using. You also might need to increase the cook time by 30 minutes to an hour.
• Lemon: You can use fresh or bottled for this recipe.
• White granulated sugar
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown will work. Keep in mind that dark brown will give it a richer taste.
• Cinnamon: This is optional but I love the flavor.
• Salt

Recipe FAQs

Made this Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Recipe