If you've never made fruit butter before, this Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter is the perfect place to start. Rich, smooth, and bursting with concentrated blueberry flavor, it's an easy, mostly hands-off recipe that's safe for water bath canning so you can enjoy it all year long.
I've been making my pectin-free blueberry jam for years, and while I absolutely love it, getting it to set means cooking the berries to a much higher temperature. The result is a rich, deeply flavored jam with slightly caramelized notes, but I've always wondered if there was a way to capture more of that fresh blueberry flavor. This Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter is exactly what I was looking for.
Because the berries cook low and slow, they keep their bright, fruity taste without the need for added pectin, or as much sugar. The result is a smooth, intensely blueberry spread that tastes like summer in a jar. It has quickly become my new favorite preserve and the one of the most requested from friends and family. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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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
Yes, this recipe is pretty customizable and you can add or decrease sugar according to your personal preference. Just keep in mind that blueberry butter with little to no sugar is going to have a thinner consistency.
Absolutely! I love this recipe with just a little bit of cinnamon but it's also great with nutmeg and vanilla extract. Feel free to experiment to your taste.
If properly water bath canned this jam is best consumed with 18 months of making. If you make it and store directly in the fridge I recommend consuming within 2-3 weeks, though it can go longer as long as there is no mold and it smells fresh.
*Note- if you reduce significantly reduce the amount of sugar then you will also slight reduce the fresh period (if you do not can) as sugar works as a preservative by reducing moisture content.*
More summer canning recipes for you to enjoy.
Made this homemade Blueberry Butter recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter {for canning}
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- immersion blender or stand blender
- Water bath canning equipment See equipment notes above
Ingredients
- 10 cups blueberries, washed
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add blueberries and the juice of one lemon to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for about 90 minutes until the blueberries are bursting. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth. Then add in white and brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Blend again, then cover and cook for an additional 90 minutes on high heat, stirring occasionally so that the bottom does not catch. Once the mixture has thickened remove the pot from the heat. At this point you can either spoon the jam into jars and store in the fridge or can them using the instructions below.
Water bath canning instructions
- Ladle the jam into about 5-6 half pint jars leaving about ¼th to ?rd inch of headspace.Remove air bubbles and wipe the jar rims.Place on new, clean lids and bands. Then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjusting time for altitude). *Remember - do not start the timer until the water has come to a full rolling boil.*Turn off the heat and allow the jars to rest in the warm water for 5 minutes before removing and placing on a towel on the counter (do not place directly on the counter).Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for about 24 hours until all the lids have sealed.Store sealed jars in a cool dry place for 12-18 months for best quality.*Note* If any of the jars do not seal simply store in the refrigerator and consume within 2-3 weeks.Enjoy!
Charah
Great recipe, will try this soon. thanks for sharing
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this on some toast for breakfast this morning, and started my day off right! Easy, smooth and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!
Michaela Scurlock
I'm new to canning so bare with me. But what is the difference Blueberry Butter and Blueberry Jam?
jamjarkitchen
Hi there- Blueberry butter has a much smoother consistency. It's blended so there are no chunks of fruit, similar to apple butter, Blueberry jam is cooked on high heat with whole berries and is much thicker and chunkier. Hope this helps!
Rebecca
I am new to canning. The butter will not be runny without pectin? Just want to make sure.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Rebecca - The consistency of this blueberry butter is a bit looser than your average jam (as are most fruit butters) but it shouldn't be runny. You're thickening it by reduction, rather than added pectin. This means that you're basically steaming off liquid until the butter is nice and thick. You can continue to cook it until it reaches your desired consistency (keeping in mind that it will tighten up a bit after it cools). Hope this helps!
Priscilla Dark
I have a lot of frozen blueberries that I would love to use up. Would I be able to use these for this recipe?? Thanks!
jamjarkitchen
Absolutely!
Alicia
Can I add pectin instead of reducing the volume?
jamjarkitchen
You can add pectin, but just keep in mind that if you’re using it instead of reducing the mixture, you’ll end up with more of a blueberry jam, not a true blueberry butter. Fruit butters get their thick, silky texture and deep flavor from slow cooking and letting the liquid evaporate. So pectin will thicken it quickly, but it won’t give you that same blueberry-butter vibe. Totally fine if jam is what you’re going for, though!
Alinda Maxwell
Can I use bottled lemon juice in place of fresh lemon?
jamjarkitchen
Absolutely!
Dona Fellows
I don't have an immersion blender. Suggest ions?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Dona - You can ladle the preserves into the blender and blend until smooth. It works just as well as the immersion blender, just a bit messier. 🙂
Harlie
I’m planning on doubling this recipe. Anything I should do differently?
jamjarkitchen
I’ve doubled it before and it works great! The main difference is that it will take longer to cook down, usually an extra hour or two. Just keep checking on it toward the end and stop when it’s reduced to the consistency you like.
Maureen Hughey
I went ahead and jarred it up. Can I put it back in a pot on the stove? Or should I put it back in the crockpot?
Maureen Hughey
I followed all directions to the T. and my butter did not set up. It is a slightly thickened syrup. What can I do to thicken it?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Maureen - Blueberry butter has a much looser set than blueberry jam but it shouldn't be syrupy. That probably means that not enough liquid evaporated. You can put it back in the slow cooker or in a pot on the stove to reduce it to your preferred consistency. Temperatures of slow cookers vary, as does the liquid content in fruit, so it's typically best to cook until you are happy with the end result, even if that adds time to the recipe. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy!
Danielle
I made this recipe by half and was easy to split. I still ended up with a little over six 4 ounce jars. Doing it all in the crock pot was great. We’ve already sampled the little extra that wouldn’t fill another jar and it’s approved by the whole house. Thank you!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Danielle - So glad your family likes the recipe. This is one of our favorites!
Ashley
Will this same recipie work with other fruit like strawberries or peaches?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Ashley! I haven't tested this recipe with those fruits, so I can't say for certain how it would turn out. Different fruits have different water content, natural pectin levels, and acidity, which can affect both the texture and the cooking time.
That said, the slow cooker method should work well for making fruit butters in general. I think peaches would probably be the closest substitute, while strawberries may require a bit more tweaking since they tend to be juicier and lower in pectin.
If you decide to experiment, I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Barbara
I’d like to freeze this instead of hot water canning it. Any reason that would be a problem?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Barbara - While I haven't tried this myself, you can freeze the blueberry butter instead of canning it. Just be sure to use freezer-safe containers and leave a little room at the top for expansion. Enjoy!