How To Make Blueberries A More Vibrant Color In Your Baked Goods

Whether you're ending the night with a slice of warm blueberry pie or just getting it started with a rhubarb blueberry basil cocktail or mocktail, there's no denying that the blueberry is a fan-favorite fruit during the summertime. They're full of nutrients and antioxidants, and they're made up of 85% water, making them a super refreshing fruit to indulge in during the warmest months of the year when they are at their peak. Beyond their health benefits, blueberries are a breeze to bake with because the only prep they require is a quick rinse. However, there's one small step you can add to your baking-with-blueberries routine if you want to make their already-gorgeous color a little more vibrant: Alter their pH with a little bit of lemon juice.

If you've ever baked and noticed that your blueberry baked goods were a strange greenish gray color, you can blame the pH. This just means that there is too much baking soda in the recipe, which is a chemical base that creates an alkaline environment. Blueberry skins possess anthocyanins, which are natural pigments that give them their unique color. How the pigment is presented depends on the blueberry's level of acidity. When the berry's skin mixes with a base, like baking soda, it will turn a blue-green color. And when the berry's skin mixes with an acid, like lemon juice, their pH is lowered, and their color turns toward a show-stopping, deep purple and blue hue.

If you were to add additional baking soda to your recipe, you'd notice that the final product would be greener than intended. However, for many recipes, you can't just omit baking soda, since it plays a big role in letting baked goods rise in the oven. This is why leaving lemon juice out of your blueberry bakes is a major mistake, because you might just end up with a batch of not-so-pretty green and gray muffins. Your recipe might already call for lemon juice, but if it doesn't, feel free to add it to your berries before incorporating them into the dough — most recipes call for 1-2 tablespoons. And even though blueberries and lemon do pair well together, adding just a hint of lemon juice won't make your recipe overly sour because all of the sugar helps balance things out. 

If the color of your blueberries isn't necessarily the problem you're facing in baked goods but you're having trouble with them streaking and dyeing the batter, put away the lemon juice and focus more on your technique. If you're using fresh blueberries, make sure you're adding them at the very end of the mixing process. If you're using frozen blueberries, try rinsing them in cold water until you see the color get a bit lighter. Dry them off with a paper towel and, just like with the fresh berries, fold them in last, being careful not to overmix.