13 Tomato Recipes for Canning (2024)

Whether you are just getting started canning or you’ve been canning a long time, you’re always going to want to be on the lookout for good tomato recipes for canning, especially if you are growing tomatoes in your garden. I don’t know about you, but I always plant more tomato plants than I’m ever going to possibly need. You will probably recognize some of these recipes, but there might be a couple of new ones for you to try, like pickled cherry tomatoes, and tomato soup that tastes even better than Campbell’s tomato soup.

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Canning Tomato Sauce

When I’m trying to decide what to do with all of the tomatoes from my garden every year, tomato sauce always comes to mind. It’s really easy to make, and if you have a food mill you can easily get rid of the skins and seeds to make a thick and smooth tomato sauce that is perfect when you need a jar of tomato sauce for quick dinner. Check out my recipe for canning tomato sauce, you won’t be disappointed.

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Canning Diced Tomatoes

Diced tomatoes are also pretty high on my list of things to can with fresh garden tomatoes. They take a little prep work too, but if you have a vegetable chopper, it makes the work easy and you will have diced tomatoes all ready for winter in no time. Here’s my recipe for canning diced tomatoes.

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The Best Homemade Salsa

This homemade salsa recipe is my favorite salsa recipe for canning. I have tried a number of different salsa recipes, and this one is the best. It’s not too runny and not too thick. My family loves it! I give a lot of it away to family and friends during the holidays.

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Canning Tomato Soup

This tomato soup canning recipe has a secret ingredient–Clear Jel, a thickener used in canning (for sauces and pie fillings). It ensures you don’t have runny soup and gives your tomato soup the same consistency of store bought tomato soup. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

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Canning Chili

This chili recipe takes a little prep work. Make sure to leave yourself time to soak the beans and to cook the hamburger ahead of time. It’s worth the extra work though, so make sure you give it a try! It’s one of my favorite soup recipes for canning. Here’s my recipe for canning chili.

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Canning Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

If you’ve never tried pickled tomatoes before, you need to give this recipe for canning pickled cherry tomatoes. I wasn’t sure if I would like them or not, but preserving them in this way is a great way to use up an excess of cherry tomatoes from your garden. They are great in salads, or just by themselves as a snack!

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Canning V8 Juice

I have always liked V8 juice, and until I started searching for canning recipes I didn’t realize that you could can it! It’s relatively easy to make and you can use it in soups and stews as well as drink it. Here’s my recipe for canning homemade V8 juice.

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Canning Pizza Sauce

I had never thought about canning homemade pizza sauce before, but it’s really good! You prepare it the same way that you do tomato sauce or barbecue sauce. It just has different spices added to it. It’s definitely worth trying, my family really enjoys homemade pizza once in awhile. Here’s my recipe for canning pizza sauce.

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Canning Green Tomato Salsa

The end of summer always seems to sneak up on me, and I always end up with a bunch of green tomatoes that I don’t know what to do with. You can bring them indoors and try to ripen them, but they are also great when you make them into some green tomato salsa verde. It’s really easy to make, and really good!

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Canning Sweet and Sour Sauce

The first time I tried canning sweet and sour sauce, I was hooked. It’s really easy to make and even better than the sweet and sour sauce you can buy at the store. I started giving it away to family and friends as holiday gifts and they kept asking for more. It makes a great gift!

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Canning Spaghetti Sauce

Homemade spaghetti sauce is so good! Canning spaghetti sauce is easy too, although you will need a pressure canner for canning it. The vegetables in this spaghetti sauce have a low acidity level that require pressure canning. It is worth the effort, though! Pressure canning instructions are included.

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Canning Barbecue Sauce

Homemade barbecue sauce is fun to make, and tastes really good too. It is similar to making homemade pizza sauce, the seasonings are just different. If you like this recipe you might also like my recipe for apricot barbecue sauce. It’s so good! Here’s my recipe for canning barbecue sauce.

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Canning Relish

I’m a big fan of relish, on hot dogs and hamburgers! I didn’t know you can make and can homemade relish, but you can! I was skeptical of how it would turn out, but it’s really good. One jar lasts quite awhile, so you probably only need to make a couple and they will last you a long time. Here’s my recipe for canning relish.

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Follow my canning and preserving board on Pinterest.

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13 Tomato Recipes for Canning (2024)

FAQs

How do you can tomatoes the old fashioned way? ›

Here's how to do it:
  1. Wash and peel the tomatoes; halve, if desired.
  2. Fill the jars, pressing to fill spaces with juice.
  3. Add bottled lemon juice and salt (1 Tbsp. lemon juice and ¼ to ½ tsp. salt for pints; add 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and ½ to 1 tsp. ...
  4. In a boiling-water canner, process pints and quarts for 85 minutes.
Aug 8, 2023

How many tomatoes needed for canning? ›

The rule of thumb is to order three pounds of tomatoes for each quart of canned tomatoes you want to make. We usually pre-order ours from a local farm, and find that one large bushel yields about 16 to 18 quarts. Meaty tomato varieties work best for canning.

What can I do with 20 pounds of tomatoes? ›

  1. Slow-roast them. This is a VERY popular exit strategy for our CSA masters. ...
  2. Dehydrate them. Once again, I would recommend this step for Romas, globes, or cherry tomatoes — not heirlooms! ...
  3. Freeze them. ...
  4. Make Marinara Sauce. ...
  5. Make Salsa. ...
  6. Tomato Purée. ...
  7. Make Tomato Juice.

How much lemon juice and salt to can tomatoes? ›

Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to quart jars. Use half this amount for pints. Add 1 teaspoon salt per quart (1/2 teaspoon per pint) to jars, if desired. Fill jars with heated sauce, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

How to can tomatoes step by step? ›

8 Simple Steps for Canning Whole Tomatoes
  1. Prepare the tomatoes. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. ...
  2. Blanch the tomatoes. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set it aside. ...
  3. Peel the tomatoes. ...
  4. Prepare the jars. ...
  5. Cook the tomatoes. ...
  6. Fill the jars. ...
  7. Process the jars. ...
  8. Store the canned tomatoes.
Dec 17, 2021

What are the different ways to can tomatoes? ›

There are two ways to can tomatoes: in a boiling water bath or in a pressure canner. A pressure canner is different from a pressure cooker, which is not safe for canning. Pressure canners have a dial gauge or a weighted gauge and a rack for the jars.

Do tomatoes need lemon juice when canning tomatoes? ›

The short answer to the question is “Yes, to ensure safety, acid in the form of lemon juice, citric acid or vinegar must be added to tomatoes that will be processed by a pressure canning option”.

Do I need to add salt and lemon juice when canning tomatoes? ›

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product.

How to can tomatoes for beginners? ›

How to Can Tomatoes the Easy Way – Perfect for Beginners
  1. Gather all your Supplies the Night Before.
  2. Get the Pots Ready on the Stove.
  3. Start Prepping Tomatoes!
  4. Get 'em Boiling on the Stove. ...
  5. Fill the mason jars with hot tomatoes.
  6. Add Salt.
  7. Add Lemon Juice or Citric Acid.
  8. Put the Lids and Rings on Each Filled Jar.
Jul 31, 2020

How many quarts will 25 lbs of tomatoes make? ›

A 25-pound box of tomatoes will yield about 7 quarts of tomato sauce. To make sauce for canning, in the largest pot you have, add as many chopped tomatoes as will fit. Allow them to boil for 20 minutes, until soft, then use a food mill to remove the skins and seeds.

How much sauce will 25 pounds of tomatoes make? ›

I have learned that 25 pounds of tomatoes make about 40 cups of sauce (20 small jars, or 8-10 large jars). So if you need more (or less) than that, grab tomatoes accordingly. Here's the Italian tomato sauce recipe!

What can I make with 10 pounds of tomatoes? ›

6 Creative Ways to Use Up Extra Tomatoes
  • Cheese Shelled Tacos & Salsa.
  • Sweet & Spicy Salsa.
  • Bell Pepper Salsa Fresca.
  • Tomato Soup & Baked Mini Grilled Cheese.
  • Creamy Tomato & Bell Pepper Soup.
  • Tomato & Basil Soup.
  • Cherry Tomato Bruschetta.
  • Feta Bruschetta Chicken.
Jul 27, 2020

What happens if you forget to add lemon juice when canning tomatoes? ›

If the tomatoes have not been acidified prior to canning you are risking the possibility of bacterial growth, which can be fatal. If you just canned them, and they haven't been stored, you might be able to open the jars and start over, or maybe freeze them.

What happens if you forgot the lemon juice in canning? ›

If your recipe called for lemon juice and you forgot to put it in, your mixture will not be acid enough for safe canning. You have to open the jars and put the mixture into a sauce pan.

Why are my canned tomatoes sour? ›

Some (non-disease-causing) bacteria are thermophilic, which means that they can survive high temperatures. (There are bacteria that thrive in Yellowstone's hot springs, for instance.) These bacteria survive the canning process and will multiply rapidly at high temperatures. This process causes the flat-sour taste.

How do Italians preserve tomatoes? ›

As glass jars became more widely available, however, Italians began preserving their tomatoes by filling jars with their homegrown produce and submerging them in boiling water for sterilization. This process, known as “bain-marie,” is still used today.

Is it safe to can tomatoes without a water bath? ›

Recommended Methods. Boiling water or pressure canning are both accepted methods for canning tomatoes. Other methods such as oven canning and open-kettle canning can be hazardous and should not be used. All steps in preparing and cooking the foods need to be followed for the processing time as recommended by the USDA.

Do you boil tomatoes before canning? ›

They are quickly blanched in hot water, peeled, stuffed into jars, covered, and boiled to seal the jars. There's no point in sugar-coating it: The process takes some time and is a bit of a hassle.

Do you use vinegar or lemon juice when canning tomatoes? ›

To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of 5 percent vinegar, or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of 5 percent vinegar, or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid.

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