How to Make Cherry Juice with a Steamer Juicer

Marie Overton
Sep 8, 2021
3 min read

Updated: Jun 30

One of my favorite food preservation seasons is Cherry Picking Season … yes, around here when it is time to pick cherries we practically consider it its own season. When cherry season arrives I know it is time to pull out two of my staple food preservation equipment; my boiling water bath canner and my steam juicer. One of the first things I like to do at the beginning of the cherry season is to make cherry juice using a steam juicer. Cherry juice has such great flavor and color. In addition to tasting great on its own, cherry juice can be a lovely juice to add to other juices like apple juice or make into beautiful jelly.

Preparation to Make Cherry Juice:

Begin by preparing to juice your cherries. Fill your boiling water bath canner high enough to cover 3 quart-sized jars. Place the water bath on medium heat to warm up. Fill the bottom of your steam juicer with water and start heating the water on medium heat as well.

Hands using an orange cherry pitter on a speckled countertop. Cherries in a glass dish and a bowl. Hands stained with cherry juice.

Since I am planning on using the leftover pulp from the cherries to make cherry butter I will de-stem and pit 10 pounds of cherries. If you are only planning on using the juice and throw out the cherry pulp you could skip this step.

How to Make Cherry Juice with a Steam Juicer:

A large pot filled with dark purple cherries on a speckled countertop. Two handles are visible, suggesting it's being prepared or handled.

Place the cherries in the top basket of the juicer and turn the heat up to high. Continue to check the water level on the bottom as you do not want to burn your pan. Over the course of 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the ripeness of your fruit, the juice will collect in the middle portion of the juicer.

I like to use a stool as my working surface because it is a good height below the level of the stove to allow gravity to drain the cherry juice from my steam juicer into my jars. Place something like a wood cutting board or a folded cloth on the stool to protect it from the heat and sticky messes that are inevitably made. It is useful to have an additional jar available to catch any drips from the steam juicer hose as sometimes the clamp allows a little to leak.

Person in apron transferring red liquid into a large metal pot using a hose in a kitchen setting. Background has stainless steel appliances.

After the juice has collected in the middle portion of the steam juicer I strain it into a large pot. Then, I heat the juice up to 190 degrees and maintain it there for 5 minutes.

Three glass jars on a granite countertop; one filled with purple liquid under a metal funnel. Background shows a kitchen setting.

Using a jar funnel, fill your hot jars to 1/4-inch headspace.

Processing Cherry Juice:

After filling your jars, wipe the rim with a clean cloth, place the lid and ring on fingertip tight, and place them in the boiling water bath canner. Process for 15 minutes if at sea level. (Adjust the processing time if you are above 1000 feet.)

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

Two dark jars with golden lids on a woven mat in a kitchen. A person in an apron holds a red jar lifter. Oven shows "5:54".

Place the jars on a heat-resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart so they can cool a little faster. Allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours so that they can get a nice seal. you know they are sealed if the little "button" in the center of the lid is depressed down.

Then remove the lids and wash the jars in warm soapy water. Store in a cool dry dark location. Home canned goods are generally best in the first 1-3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.