This grape juice recipe shows you the healthiest way to make grape juice. It also provides valuable information about the benefits of grapes to your body and mind, the best way to clean them, and much more!
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Why grape juice is healthy
We all know that grapes are incredibly healthy, but do you know what they can do for your body? Here is a big list of the benefits that grapes bring to your body and mind:
- Boost cardiovascular health;
- It may promote smooth skin and anti-aging benefits;
- Help with constipation;
- Promote eye health;
- Contain high amounts of dietary fiber;
- Are a great source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber;
- Packed with powerful antioxidants, they improve immune functions, prevent certain cancers, and protect your body against inflammation;
- It may help with weight control;
- Increase brain function;
- Aid in diabetes management.
As you can see, grapes are incredibly healthy, and so is homemade grape juice. Just follow the steps on this post to ensure you get the most out of it.
Which type of grape is the healthiest?
There are wide varieties of grapes, but to simplify, we'll classify them as red, purple, and green grapes. Although they are all healthy and full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, red and purple grapes may provide even more benefits due to their high amounts of resveratrol, flavonoids, and phytonutrients found in their darker skins, which prevent the development of certain diseases and help protect cells against free radical damage and inflammation. Here is a great article that talks about their differences and health benefits.
Grape Juice Nutritional Information
A ½-cup serving of unsweetened grape juice contains:
- Calories: 76
- Protein: 0.5 gram
- Fat: 0.2 gram
- Carbohydrates: 19 grams
- Fiber: 0.3 gram
- Sugar: 18 grams
Grape juice provides:
- Calcium: 13.9 mg
- Iron: 0.3 mg
- Magnesium:12.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 17.7 mg
- Potassium: 131.6 mg
- Sodium: 6.3 mg
- Zinc: 0.1 mg
- Vit B3 (Niacin): 0.2 mg
- Vitamin C: 31.6 mg
- Vitamin K: 0.5 mcg
- Choline: 4.1 mg
Ingredients to Make Grape Juice
Grapes: 1 pound/450 grams of grapes can give you an average of 8oz / 240ml of juice. Any variety of grapes you find in grocery stores is fine to use, even the seeded ones, although the more seeds they have the more bitter the juice can get. Also, remember that some grapes are sweeter than others, so you may want to consider this when choosing the grapes. Seedless Concord and black grapes are the most commonly used to make juice since they're very healthy and sweet.
Water/Ice: Optional. Some people like a strong flavored juice, while others like it less intense. Add cold water or ice cubes if you prefer a more delicate flavor.
Sweetener: The sweetness will vary by the type of grape and ripeness. Green grapes usually need an added sweetener, while darker grapes are generally sweet enough.
* Check the recipe card in this post for all the amounts and details on making it.
Tips
How to choose grapes
Green grapes are sweeter when they're yellow-green colored, and red and purple grapes are sweeter when they are darker and homogenously colored. They all should be firm and plump, have green stems, and be firmly attached to them. Dry, brittle stems are a sign of poor quality. Avoid moldy and wet grapes and those shriveled or soft close to the stem connection.
How to properly clean grapes
After choosing the best grapes for your homemade grape juice, it's time to clean them well.
A new study from the University of Massachusetts suggests a method that may be effective in removing pesticides from fruits: soaking them in a solution of baking soda and water. It doesn't guarantee to remove all pesticides since there are hundreds of them, but the study showed significant results after soaking fruits for 12-15 minutes. The Consumer Reports have a great article explaining this study's results about removing pesticides.
So here's how you do it:
Pick through your grapes, removing the moldy and shriveled ones. Place them in a glass container with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Soak them for about 15 minutes, then rinse them in running water, rubbing your fingers against each one. This will help to remove pesticides, bacteria, and any dirt that could have clung to the grapes.
If you can, give preference to organic grapes, but still wash them using this method.
How to make Grape Juice
FAQ
The white residue found on grapes is a yeast that grows in the soil and migrates to the skin of the grapes called saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast is waxy and water-insoluble to protect the fruit from harmful fungi and bacteria. It's hard to rinse it off, but there's no need to worry about it since it's harmless to humans and tasteless.
Some grape juice recipes suggest cooking the grapes, sieving them with cheesecloth or fine mash sieve, and waiting many hours to strain them completely. While this method works, the heat can destroy part of the antioxidants that are heat sensitive, and you will also miss nutrients and fibers from the skin. So I instead prepare homemade grape juice using a blender, so you don't need to cook the grapes, and the sieving is optional. This way, you get to enjoy all of the benefits of the grapes (especially from the skin) including fibers.
Homemade grape juice can last in the fridge for about 5 days if stored properly in a tightly sealed cup or jar, and it should be refrigerated as soon as possible. But note that it's always better to drink it right away since exposure to light and air can cause the degradation of the antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.
Yes, you can freeze grape juice. Freezing grape juice is a good way to preserve it for later and can help slow the oxidation process, which can cause the juice to lose its flavor and nutritional value. You can pour the leftover juice into an ice cube tray, leaving some room at the top for expansion, and seal it tightly with the lid. Frozen grape juice will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. When ready to use it, simply drop the ice cubes in a cup or jar and let them thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Just note that freezing and thawing grape juice can cause some changes in the flavor, so it may not taste the same as freshly made.
Yes, homemade grape juice can turn into wine when fermented. Fermentation is the process by which yeast or bacteria consume the natural sugars in the juice, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products.
This could happen naturally to your juice if it gets in contact with wild yeast present in the environment. If you purposely want to turn your juice into wine, I suggest you follow a recipe since the type of yeast, the conditions used during fermentation, and the variety of grapes can influence the final results. If you want to keep your juice from fermenting, make sure to use clean utensils and containers and consume it or freeze it within a week.
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📖 Recipe / Receita
Grape Juice Recipe
Equipment
- 1 blender
Ingredients
For the Juice
- 1 lb grapes (concord and black are the sweetest)
- ¼ cup water optional
To properly clean the grapes
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Add 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to a large glass bowl and mix it well. Add the grapes and let them soak for about 15 minutes.
- Drain and wash them under running water, rubbing your fingers on them. Remove them from the stems and discard any bad grapes.
- Add the grapes and ¼ cup of fresh water into the blender and blend until no big pieces of grapes are left.
- For maximum health benefits don't strain the juice, but you may strain it if you don't like textured juice. Add ice cubes if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Estimate:
All nutritional information above is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Nutritional content may vary according to brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, substitutions, optional ingredients, etc. Simple Living Recipes is not responsible for any miscalculation or misinformation in the nutrition label.
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