The following guidelines are for preparing and using fruit syrups for canning on a scale from very light to very heavy syrup.
Types of canning liquid
Fruits may be canned in water, juice or a sweet syrup. The sweet syrup doesn't preserve the fruit but helps the fruit maintain its shape, color and flavor.
Buying commercial juices
Commercial unsweetened apple juice, pineapple juice or white grape juice make good canning liquids. These may be used directly or diluted with water.
Extracting your own juices
Juice can also be extracted from some of the fruit that is being canned or from fresh apples, pineapple or white grapes.
Guide to extracting juice for canning
Preparing and using syrups
Syrup is not a food safety control, so you can choose what strength of syrup to use based on personal preferences and intended use. The benefits and the ratio of water-to-sugar for each type are outlined below.
- Very light syrup: Highlights the fruit’s natural flavor and minimizes calories added to the fruit.
- Light syrup: Use with fruit that is naturally very sweet.
- Medium: Use with sweet apples, sweet cherries, berries, and grapes.
- Heavy: Use with firm fruits like tart apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums, and sour cherries and gooseberries.
- Very Heavy: Use with very sour fruit or if you intend to use the fruit for a pie or pastry filling.
Procedure
- Heat water and sugar together.
- Bring to a boil and pour over raw fruits in jars.
- For hot packs bring water and sugar to boil, add fruit, reheat to boil and fill into jars immediately.
- See canning processing guide for processing times.
Other sweeteners
- Light corn syrups or mild-flavored honey may be used to replace up to half the table sugar called for in syrups.
- Artificial sweeteners should be added just before serving the fruit.
- Saccharin-based sweeteners can become bitter and aspartame-based sweeteners may lose their sweetening power during processing.
Guidelines for making different types of syrups for canning
| Syrup type | % sugar (approx.) | Cups water (for 9 pt. or 4 qt. load) | Cups sugar (for 9 pt. or 4 qt. load) | Cups water (for 7 qt. load) | Cups sugar (for 7 qt. load) | Fruits commonly packing in syrup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very light | 10 | 6 1/2 | 3/4 | 10 1/2 | 1 1/4 | Very sweet fruits |
| Light | 20 | 5 3/4 | 1 1/2 | 9 | 2 1/4 | Sweet fruits |
| Medium | 30 | 5 1/4 | 2 1/4 | 8 1/4 | 3 3/4 | Sweet apples, sweet cherries, berries |
| Heavy | 40 | 5 | 3 1/4 | 7 3/4 | 5 1/4 | Tart apples, apricots, sour cherries, gooseberries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums |
| Very heavy | 50 | 4 1/4 | 4 1/4 | 6 1/2 | 6 3/4 | Very sour fruits |
Reviewed by Amy Johnston, Extension Educator, Food Safety
Reviewed in 2026