Don’t let your fruit go to waste! Make use of it all with this simple, customizable mixed fruit cocktail for canning recipe. Perfect for end-of-summer fresh fruit, or when you find fruit on sale in season!

When I was a kid, I remember opening up cans full of heavy syrup and fruit cocktail from the store. They were a treat, and I really enjoyed them, but I haven’t had any in a long time as we don’t shop in the canned fruit aisle anymore!

We can a lot of fruit here. From canned peaches and canned plums to pickled cranberries and delicious lemon curd… along with tons of jams and jellies. But, I never thought to can fruit cocktail…

I started wondering, though, could I can my own fruit cocktail? I was happy to find out you can water bath can fruit cocktail right at home. The best part? You get to control the syrup you can it in. No weird high fructose corn syrup, no artificial sweetener, no need for massive amounts of sugar… just whatever you’re comfortable with.

Fruit Cocktail Ingredients

You can choose whatever fruit you have sitting around to make your own fruit cocktail. In this particular batch, I had some pineapple, mandarin oranges, red grapes, honey-crisp apples, and a handful of sweet cherries.

You could also use peaches, pears, plums, or your favorite fruit to make this delicious recipe… the sky is the limit on the options.

Other than fruit, you’ll need to make sugar syrup. While technically you can safely can fruit with just water as a liquid, the water tends to pull the flavors of the fruit out. For the best results, I recommend using an extra light syrup which is 1 1/4 cups of sugar in 5 1/2 cups water.

Alternatively, if you want to go sans sugar, you could make the same syrup with honey or even can the fruit cocktail in fruit juice such as pineapple juice, unsweetened apple juice, or white grape juice.

Fruit Cocktail for Canning

Wash jars, lids, and rings in hot soapy water. Place pint jars in a water bath canner and fill them and the canner 2/3rds full of water. Begin heating over medium-high heat to a simmer. Continue simmering while you prepare the fruit and syrup.

Core a pineapple and slice it into 1″ cubes. Peel and core two apples and slice them into 1″ cubes. Wash grapes in cold water and remove from stems, and peel mandarins, removing as much of the white pith as possible, and section them.

Combine the fruit into a large bowl and mix it well. Lastly, wash and remove pits and stems from a handful of cherries and leave them to the side.

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and water, bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, and stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Keep hot while you pack the jars.

Remove the hot jars to a towel-lined counter and pour 1/2 cup of hot syrup into the bottom of each hot jar. Then place 3-4 pitted, sliced cherries into the bottom of each jar. Ladle the fruit mixture into the jars, packing tightly and leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Once packed. ladle more sugar syrup over the top of the packed fruit.

Remove air bubbles and adjust for headspace if necessary. Wipe jar rim with a clean towel dipped in vinegar. Center the lids. Finger tighten the screw bands. Place jars back in the boiling water canner and make sure there is enough water to cover them with at least 1″ of water.

Place lid on the canner and bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat. Process pints at 1,000 feet or below sea level for 20 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude.

Once processed, remove the lid from the canner and allow the jars to sit an additional 5 minutes before removing them to a towel-lined counter. Check for good seals after 12-24 hours, remove the rings and store in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.