Muscadine Jelly is a sweet-tart jam that’s perfect as an appetizer or dessert.
The name “muscadine” comes from the word “muscat,” which means “mossy” in French.
Muscadines originated in Europe but were brought to America by European settlers during Colonial times.
They were originally cultivated in Southern France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Germany before being introduced into Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
How Do You Make Muscadine Jelly?
There are two ways to make this delicious muscadine jelly.
You can either use fresh muscadine grapes or frozen muscadines (which have been thawed).
In both cases, the same basic steps will be followed:
- Wash and drain your muscadine grapes.
- Pour them through a strainer to remove any seeds.
- Remove the stems if they aren’t already removed.
- Add the strained muscadines to a pot of water.
- Bring it to a boil over high heat until the skins start to split open.
- This process usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Remove the muscadines from the boiling water and place them on paper towels to cool down.
- Once cooled, peel off the skin by gently squeezing each grape between your hands.
- If there are still seeds inside, rinse them out with cold water.
- Scoop out all of the pulp from each muscadine using a potato masher or other utensil.
- It should look like mush.
- Place the muscadine pulp back into the boiling water and bring it up to a simmer again.
- Once the muscadines reach a rolling boil, add 1 cup sugar per pint of muscadine pulp (or 1/4 cup per quart of muscadine pulp).
- Stir constantly while adding the sugar so that it doesn’t lump together and burn.
- Continue stirring the mixture at a low boil for 10 more minutes.
- After the 10 minute cooking time has elapsed, turn off the heat and stir vigorously for another 5 minutes.
- Strain the muscadine jelly through a jelly bag or cheesecloth.
- Discard the solids left behind after straining.
- Store the muscadine jelly in jars or plastic containers with tight lids.
Can I freeze my own muscadine jelly?
Yes! As long as you follow these simple steps when freezing muscadine jelly, you can enjoy it year round.
Simply pour muscadine jelly into freezer bags or mason jars, label them clearly, and store them in the freezer for future enjoyment.
Keep in mind that muscadine jelly freezes relatively well.
However, we recommend not storing it for longer than three months because it does tend to lose its sweetness over time.
What Is The Best Muscadine Jelly Recipe?
Muscadine jelly is usually made from fresh fruit rather than processed food products like jams and jellies.
To make muscadine jelly, all of the following ingredients are mixed together on low heat until thickened:
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 cups (700 milliliters)
- 4 cups (950 milliliters)
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 6 ounces (170 grams) muscadine grape pulp (or 2 cups [500 grams])
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
This recipe produces about 3 1/2 quarts (32 liters).
If your volume measurement system doesn’t have this many cubic inches, divide the total amount needed by 4 to get the approximate number of quarts.
How Do You Can Muscadine Jelly?
There are several ways to make muscadine jelly.
You can use fresh fruit, or if you have access to frozen berries, this would be the easiest way to go about it.
If you want your muscadine jelly to be more like traditional grape jelly, then using only raisins will give you a sweeter flavor.
In order to get a smoother consistency, you may need to add some gelatin powder.
- Put all of the ingredients except the water and gelatin in a large pot over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely.
- Add the water and reduce the temperature to low heat while continuing to stir frequently.
- Cook at least 30 minutes longer, or until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 C).
- Once the mixture has reached its target temperature, remove it from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Add 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold water to the liquid and whisk together to break up any lumps.
- Once smooth, pour the mixture through a strainer set over another bowl.
- Discard the pulp left behind in the first strainer.
- Repeat this process two more times.
- Pour the strained juice back into the original pan and bring to a boil again.
- Continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture reaches 110 degrees F (45 C), stirring occasionally.
- Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
- Test it by putting a small amount onto a plate and placing it in front of a fan to see how quickly it melts.
- Let the mixture cool down and refrigerate overnight.
- It should thicken after 24 hours.
What Is The Difference Between Muscadine Jelly And Grape Jelly?
Grape jelly has been popular since the late 19th century.
It was first produced when American farmers began cultivating grapes on their land instead of growing wheat or corn.
When making grape jelly, you boil down the juice of red or white grapes until it reaches its desired consistency.
You then add some pectin (a natural substance found in fruits) to help preserve your jelly.
Muscadine jelly is similar to grape jelly except that you use only the juice of muscadine grapes.
That’s because muscadines are native to the Southeastern United States.
Muscadines have thicker skins than other types of grapes so they require more time and effort to process them into usable fruit juice.
Ingredients for Making Grape Jelly
- 1 gallon fresh grape juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons powdered pectin
- Powdered sugar for garnishing
Ingredients for Making Muscadine Jelly
- 1 gallon fresh muscadine juice
- Water for boiling
- Sugar
How Do You Make Muscadine Wine Jelly?
This muscadine jelly is easy to prepare if you follow this step-by-step guide below.
- First, wash your muscadine grapes thoroughly under running water.
- Then drain them on paper towels until all of the moisture has been removed.
- Cut off both ends of each grape so it will stand upright on its own without falling over when sliced.
- Place the grapes in a large pot filled with enough cold water (about 4 cups) to cover the grapes completely.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of pectin per cup of juice to the boiling fruit, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid sticking and burning.
- Simmer another 5 minutes.
- Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer lined with dampened cloth.
- Pour into hot sterilized jars, seal, and store in the refrigerator up to 3 months.
Is Muscadine Jelly Good For You?
In general, yes!
There have been no studies on whether muscadine jelly has any health benefits.
However, because it contains vitamin C, it can help boost your immune system.
It also helps prevent scurvy since it contains high concentrations of Vitamin A and B6.
Additionally, muscadine jelly is low in calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrates.
Ingredients for muscadine jelly
- 1 1/4 cups muscadine grape juice (or other fruit juice)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pectic enzyme powder
For this recipe, use one gallon muscadine grape juice and two cups of water.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring everything to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens.
Pour into jars and refrigerate overnight.
What Are The Benefits Of Eating Muscadine Jelly?
Muscadine jelly has been around since the early 19th century when it was first discovered and popularized by U.S. farmers.
Nowadays, people enjoy this delicious food product because it can be eaten in moderation without any major health concerns.
Here are some of its benefits:
- Highly nutritious and healthy
- Tastes great!
- Delicious on toast
- Good for diabetics and those who have high blood pressure
- Aids digestion
- Good source of vitamins A, B1, B6, C, E, K, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, potassium, selenium, sodium, chloride, and fluoride
- Reduces risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity
- Can help reduce body weight and lower cholesterol levels
- Maintains strong immune system
- Improves sleep quality
- Promotes dental hygiene
- Helps maintain overall wellness
- Has anti-inflammatory properties
- Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
- Contributes to a healthier heart
But there’re also disadvantages to eating too much muscadine jelly.
It should never be consumed more than twice per week and only if you follow a balanced diet.
If you consume too many muscadine jellies, your kidneys may start to work overtime to process all the extra sugars and acids.
How Does Muscadine Jelly Taste?
You can find muscadine jelly at your local grocery store or online.
It may be sold under different names such as muscadine grape jelly, wild grape jelly, or even just grape jelly.
There are many types of muscadine jellies on the market today.
Some have added spices like cinnamon while others are more basic in flavor.
Types of muscadine jelly
- Sweet muscadine jelly has no added spice flavors.
- Cinnamon muscadine jelly adds cinnamon.
- Spicy muscadine jelly contains chili peppers.
- Sour muscadine jelly is made using tart apples, lemon juice, and sugar.
There are also muscadine jams you can buy, which are typically sweeter than jellies.
If you choose this option, it’s best to avoid adding additional ingredients to make them more flavorful since these recipes tend to contain less fruit compared to jellies.
What Is The Nutritional Value Of Muscadine Jelly?
There isn’t any solid scientific research on the health benefits of muscadine jelly.
However, it has been found to be low in calories (just 15 per tablespoon) and high in vitamin C and potassium.
It also contains antioxidants like anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.
Antioxidants help fight free radicals.
Antioxidant activity may have something to do with the fact that muscadine jelly is traditionally used to make relish, which can be eaten on sandwiches, added to salads, or spread on crackers.
Because muscadine jelly has such a tart flavor, it’s often paired with other foods with sweeter flavors.
Ingredients for muscadine jelly
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups muscadine grapes
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid powder
- Pinch of salt
For this recipe you will need two 5-quart stock pots.
You should use glass jars and rubber bands to store your muscadine jelly.
If you don’t want to buy a new set of jars, simply put lids on regular mason jars.
What Are Some Of The Uses For Muscadine Jelly?
You can use muscadine jelly on toast, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, scones, cakes, pies, and more!
It also makes a delicious topping on ice cream sundaes.
You can put it on top of ice cream too if you want to create your own frozen treat.
How do I make muscadine jelly?
To start making your muscadine jelly, you will need:
- 1 cup sugar (you may add additional cups depending upon how thick you would like your jelly)
- A 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Two 2-inch strips orange zest (optional)
- One 3-ounce package powdered pectin
- 10 pounds muscadine grapes
Place all ingredients aside except the grapefruit. Bring the sugar, lemon juice, and orange zest to a boil over medium heat.
Stir constantly until sugar dissolves completely.
Add the pectin and continue stirring for one minute.
Pour mixture through a strainer into another pan set over simmering water.
Cook for five minutes while stirring occasionally.
Remove from the stovetop and stir in the muscadine fruit.
Return to the stove and cook for about 30 minutes.
Skim any foam off the surface using a spoon as needed.
After cooking, strain again to remove any remaining solids.
Ladle into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.
Wipe rims and seal according to manufacturer’s directions.
Process for 10 minutes at 240 degrees Fahrenheit.
Equipment
- 1 Paper towels
Ingredients
- 4 cup muscadine grapes
- 4 cup cold water
- 2 teaspoon pectin
Instructions
- First, wash your muscadine grapes thoroughly under running water.
- Then drain them on paper towels until all of the moisture has been removed.
- Cut off both ends of each grape so it will stand upright on its own without falling over when sliced.
- Place the grapes in a large pot filled with enough cold water (about 4 cups) to cover the grapes completely.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Add 2 teaspoons of pectin per cup of juice to the boiling fruit, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to avoid sticking and burning.
- Simmer another 5 minutes.
- Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer lined with dampened cloth.
- Pour into hot sterilized jars, seal, and store in the refrigerator up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.