How to Make Grape Juice (Homemade Concord Grape Juice)
Learn how to make grape juice the easy way! Homemade Concord grape juice is a delicious, antioxidant-rich beverage that has a deep purple color and unique robust, fruity sweet grape flavor.
Put the grapes in a heavy-bottomed, lidded 5-quart pot and mash them with a potato masher. Cover the pot, bring to a boil over medium heat, and then turn heat down slightly and simmer 10 minutes.
Turn the heat off and cool to room temperature (this will take a couple hours).
Strain the juice through a cheesecloth-lined sieve fitted over a bowl to catch the liquid. Gently wring the cheesecloth to extract as much liquid as possible (wear food-safe gloves if possible, as grape juice will stain your hands and take a few days to wear off. And yes, I’m speaking from experience, lol!).
Transfer the juice to glass bottles or jars, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
I read about the method for making homemade grape juice on Simply Recipes.
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 4 cups of juice, or 8 (½-cup) servings.
Washing and Weighing: Wash the grapes before you de-stem them, but weigh them after.
Diluting the Juice: Homemade Concord grape juice is very thick and rich. If you like, you can dilute it with water or serve it over ice, but I prefer drinking a small quantity of undiluted juice.
Sweetness Level: I used very sweet grapes and the juice didn’t need any sugar. If you use ripe Concords, you shouldn't need to add sugar either. However, if your grapes aren’t sweet enough for your liking, add sugar to taste.
Storage: Store the juice in glass bottles or jars in the fridge for up to 1 week. Shake before serving.