How to Make Grape Juice

Last Updated: November 1, 2022 Tested

Homemade grape juice is made without chemicals and preservatives, making it a healthy choice as you can be sure of the ingredients. It's not too difficult to make grape juice from scratch and once you've tried it the first time, you'll improve with practice.

Ingredients

Concord grapes (or grapes of your choice)

Steps

1
Remove the grapes from their stems.
2
Wash the grapes. Put all the grapes in a colander and rinse them in warm water. This will help to get rid of the pesticides and chemicals used to grow them.

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3
Mash up the grapes. Use a potato masher until their juice begins to come out.
- An alternative to using a potato masher is to use a blender on pulse. Be sure not to blend them to a puree though.
4
Cook the grapes. Put the mashed grapes in a pot and cook them on medium heat for around 10 minutes.
- Mash up the grapes using a spoon or a potato masher if they start clumping up or retain their chunkiness.
5
Strain the juice. Put the sieve over a container or directly to a drinking glass. Pour the grapes into the sieve and then strain the mixture through.
- An alternative to using the sieve is using a cheesecloth. Put the cheesecloth over the pot and strain the mixture through (you might need to fold the cloth over twice).
- If you have a food mill, this would work beautifully.
6
Cool the juice. Remove the sieve or cheesecloth and put the juice in the refrigerator so it can cool, or pour the juice over ice in a drinking glass.
7
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I freeze grape juice?

Community Answer

Yes, you can freeze grape juice.
Question

Do I need to add sugar?

Community Answer

Sugar is optional. If the juice is lacking sweetness, add sugar to taste.
Question

Should I add water while heating the grapes?

Steven Wolford

Community Answer

I put all my grapes in a big pot, mash them with a potato masher, and then add just enough water to cover them. You should not need more than 1-2 cups of water.