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Fermented Fruit: Blueberries, Cherries, & More!

Fermented berries, the simplest way to preserve summer fruit, including blueberries, raspberries and cherries.
Fermented berries, the simplest way to preserve summer fruit, including blueberries, raspberries and cherries.
How to make a fermented berry sauce for a sugar free jam alternative

Spring and summer is fresh fruit season. And it always arrives with abundance. Making fermented fruit is my favorite way to preserve fruit for winter.

Kombucha, kefir or honey fermented berries

This simple recipe will work with any combination of fruit: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. It works for peaches, plums, or apricots as well!

  • It’s so quick, easy, and delicious.
  • A zero-waste, energy-free way to preserve fruit.
  • It’s low-sugar and probiotic!

Fruit Preserves on Everything

Sweet fermented fruit

A fresh jar of fermented berries is so easy to use. It’s a probiotic and low-sugar (or sugar-free) alternative to jams and sweetened fruit sauces. It is a delicious treat served straight up in a bowl with a spoon. Sweet berries are an ideal topping for pretty much everything:

  • Oatmeal
  • Yogurt
  • Sourdough Pancakes
  • Waffles
  • Ice cream
  • Granola
Simple fermented berry sauce - preserve the taste of summer
Fermented cherries on vanilla ice cream.

Savory pickled fruit

If left to ferment for more than 7 days, the fruit will become savory and slightly acidic. They are more like a pickle than a sweet ferment.

  • They are great as a condiment served with a traditional meat and potatoes meal.
  • Served in salads (with goat cheese and pecans, yum!).
  • As a unique pizza or pasta topping.
Kombucha, kefir or honey fermented berries
Honey strawberries, kombucha cherries, and ginger bug blueberries, before and after fermenting.

Storing fermented fruit

Fermented fruits will last in the fridge for 1 month without any issues. It may even last for longer… but it will continue fermenting becoming less and less sweet over time.

The best way to store fermented fruit for winter eating is by freezing it. Here are some tips and tricks:

  1. Use straight-sided mason jars.
  2. After fermenting, put on a screw cap and place the jar in the freezer.
  3. It will remain delicious and probiotic for up to 6 months!
  4. Simply defrost it in the fridge and use it however you want.
Print

Simple Fermented Fruit

Fermented berries to preserve summer fruit
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Fermenting fruit is a great way to preserve the delicious flavors of summer. It is perfect with any combination of berries or soft fruit. See the section above for sweet and savory serving options.

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Fermented
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups of fresh fruit or berries (no bruises or bad spots)
  • 2 Tbsp of starter culture (see notes for some suggestions)
  • Water, enough to cover (chlorine-free)
  • 1 Tbsp raw sugar (optional, to feed the ferment)

Instructions

  1. Wash and prepare the fruit. If you are using stone fruit then you need to pit and slice them. Large strawberries should be sliced as well. 
  2. Pack the fruit into a glass jar for fermenting.
  3. Stir in the sugar and culture. 
  4. Add enough filtered water to keep the fruit submerged, leaving at least 1 inch of headroom at the top of the jar. 
  5. Use a weight to keep the fruit below the liquid. Cap with a fermentation-friendly jar lid or a cloth held in place with a jar ring to keep out any fruit flies. It’s going to bubble a lot, so don’t use a tight lid.
  6. Place the jar in a cool dark location (a cupboard is perfect) to ferment for 2-3 days.
  7. The fruit will start out “sparkling” but it should mellow out after a few days in the fridge.
  8. If you want a smooth sauce, without any chunks, then puree after fermenting.
  9. The fruit will be a lot less sweet than you expect. Even if you used honey as the culture, fermenting consumes most of the sugars. If you want your fruit to be a bit sweeter, stir in sugar or honey right before serving.
  10. Store the fruit in the fridge and enjoy them within 2 weeks. See the section above for details on how to preserve fermented fruit for winter eating.

Notes

  • The natural sugars in the fruit will ferment with any yeast-based culture. Try using water kefir, kombucha, milk kefir whey, or ginger bug. Raw apple cider vinegar is perfect for a savory ferment. My favorite culture is raw (unpasteurized) honey which naturally ferments into a sweet, then savory combination. 
  • I usually ferment in a straight-sided 500 ml mason jar which makes it easy to freeze them after fermenting. Regardless it’s important to keep the fruit below the liquid because there is an added risk of mold contamination with a sweet ferment.

Keywords: raspberry, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, blackberry, probiotic, keto, vegan, gluten free, paleo, sugar free, superfood, spring, summer, fall, jam, peach, plum, apricot, nectarine

Filed Under: Fermented FruitTagged With: Berry, Blueberries, Cherries, Strawberries, Sugar Free

Previous Post: « Fun and Summery Peach Wine
Next Post: Fermented Foods During Pregnancy »

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Comments

  1. Anamaria

    September 1, 2017 at 8:56 am

    This looks great! So there’s no salt? And is there any problem with doubling in a 1000 mL Jae? I’m new-ish to fermenting and just want to double check.

    Reply
    • Emillie

      September 1, 2017 at 10:06 am

      It’s not a salt based ferment. Salt is good to protect a ferment, however, fermenting for just a few days ensures that it doesn’t go yeasty or moldy! I actually do it in a quart sized jar normally. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Alexis

    October 14, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try!
    Would using frozen berries that are thawed work in this recipe by chance? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Emillie

      October 15, 2020 at 9:55 am

      Yes! Just make sure to use a very active culture as the frozen berries probably won’t have any wild yeasts on their skins. Good luck!

      Reply
  3. Charlie

    October 17, 2020 at 7:16 am

    We used this with our morning pancakes. The kids love the texture that the chia gives. Awesome!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      October 18, 2020 at 8:10 am

      Great! My kids love it too!

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    December 15, 2020 at 10:00 am

    Bu ve benzeri meyve ve şekerli fermente içeceklerde alkol oluşuyor mu?
    Anlayışına teşekkür ederim Emillie..

    Reply
    • Emillie

      December 15, 2020 at 10:12 am

      Yes… however, milk kefir and kombucha usually can’t handle alcohol levels of more than 1%. If you added winemaking yeast, then you would definitely end up with more alcohol! Though still not that much as there isn’t enough added sugar to ferment to a high alcohol level.

      Reply
  5. Shelby

    December 28, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    This is amazing! I made it and then got preoccupied and left it in the fridge for a few weeks. One day I was eating plain Greek yogurt and decided to put some in it (I made it with raspberries) and OMG!!! I will be making this with blueberries and blackberries next! It is absolutely delicious. Thank you❤️

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      December 29, 2020 at 8:11 am

      Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  6. Eliza

    September 22, 2021 at 9:58 am

    Hiya

    If I wanted to use raw honey as the culture, how much should I add?

    Would the honey alone be able to ferment the berries?

    Thank you! Look forward to your reply.

    Eliza

    Reply
    • Emillie

      September 23, 2021 at 10:11 am

      Yes! Raw honey is great at fermenting fruit. Using 2 Tbsp of raw honey will be enough to ferment the berries. Don’t add the sugar, and use up to 4 Tbsp if you want it to taste sweet. Raw honey tends to quickly ferment and is much less sweet than you would expect. Enjoy!

      Reply
      • Eliza

        September 23, 2021 at 12:59 pm

        Thank you Emillie for your reply 🙂

        I had no idea that raw honey could be used it such a way! I’m so excited to try it out and see what magic happens – just made my first jar. I’m using wild blackberries from the countryside.

        Wish me and my blackberries luck! I have a feeling that this will become a family tradition.

        Many thanks

        Eliza

        Reply
        • Emillie

          September 24, 2021 at 6:34 am

          I know it will work! I have a few other honey fermented recipes on the site. It’s always hard to know which culture to suggest for recipes like this. 🙂 It will be really bubbly, so keep an eye on it. Enjoy!

          Reply
  7. Pat

    August 16, 2022 at 7:19 pm

    I read in your notes you use honey for your culture so I don’t have to use whey right ?

    Reply
    • Emillie Parrish

      August 17, 2022 at 5:16 pm

      Yes! I’ve used all sorts of different cultures… it mostly depends on what is handy in my kitchen. Cheers!

      Reply
  8. Melissa

    November 14, 2022 at 9:04 pm

    Great I’ll make it right now!

    Thanks

    Just didn’t find where in the recipe is a Chia seeds because I saw in one of the comments that someone said the Chia makes a great texture, but I couldn’t find this year where it goes

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie Parrish

      November 15, 2022 at 1:51 pm

      I use chia seeds to thicken it, like jam. But only after fermenting… and only if that’s the condiment I’m looking for. Enjoy your fermented berries!

      Reply
  9. Portia

    February 28, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    Do you know if this will create an alcoholic ferment? Like actual wine, or more like kombucha levels, or alcohol free?

    Reply
    • Emillie Parrish

      March 1, 2023 at 9:23 am

      Great question! Yeast always converts sugar into alcohol. However, unless you use straight yeast (like bread yeast or brewing yeast) it will be low in alcohol. If you use ACV and let it ferment until it is quite vinegary, then it will be nearly alcohol-free. The acetic acid bacteria in ACV converts alcohol into acetic acid. Cheers!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Emillie, an island-dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed to feed your microbiome.
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