Canning crushed tomatoes is an easy way to preserve an abundance of ripe tomatoes quickly. Canned tomatoes are handy to use in chilies, soups, stews, and casseroles.
My goal each year is to grow enough tomatoes to preserve tomato sauce and salsa to last us a year. Since we have a short growing season, this means planting a lot of tomatoes in early summer. The fruit begin to ripen in August and continues until frost kills the plants in October.
If the weather is exceptionally nice, the plants can produce a bumper crop. This is when things can get tricky.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed when the tomato harvest comes in all at once. It is a busy time in the kitchen making and canning sauce and salsa before the next round of tomatoes are ready.
There is only a small window available once tomatoes are ripe. If it is clear that I won’t be able to keep up with the tomatoes in baskets piled all over the kitchen, my strategy switches to survival… to get the tomatoes preserved in jars before they spoil.
Steps for Canning Diced or Crushed Tomatoes
Canning your own crushed tomatoes is a quick way to preserve a bumper crop of ripe tomatoes. You can use the canned tomatoes in so many ways, including adding to chilies, soups, and casseroles. You can also substitute canned crushed tomatoes for fresh in this tomato sauce recipe and tomato salsa recipe.
Before you begin, it may be helpful to review this article on water bath canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
This is a safe caning recipe from both the NCFHP website and the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The full and printable recipe can be found at the bottom of this article, but these are the steps for making and canning tomato puree.
The recipe below is for canning pint sized jars of crushed tomatoes in their own liquid using a water bath canner. If you would rather can in quart-sized jars, you will need about 22 pounds of tomatoes for a canner load of 7 quarts.
Equipment Needed to Can Tomatoes:
- Water bath canner and canning rack
- 9 pint jars (or 7 quarts)
- Lids and bands (new lids for each jar, bands can be reused)
- Canning tools: magnetic lid lifter, jar lifter, canning funnel, ladle, and bubble popper
- Kitchen scale
- Plus basic kitchen supplies such as a large sauce pot, large bowl, small pot, towels, knife, large spoon, potato masher, and a cutting board.
Step 1: Prepare the Canning Equipment
Wash the canning jars, lids, and canning tools in warm, soapy water and rinse well. Inspect the jars carefully, and don’t use any that have cracks or chips, as these may break when heated.
Place the water bath canner on the stove. Put the jar rack into the canner, set the jars in, and fill with enough water to cover the jars. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water boils vigorously, boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize, and then reduce the heat to low and keep warm.
Warm your lids in a small pot over low heat (Follow the manufacturers directions). Keep everything warm until you are ready to can the tomatoes.
Step 2: Prepare the Tomatoes
Weigh the tomatoes and wash well under clean, running water. You will need about 15 pounds of fresh tomatoes for a canner load of 9 pints, and 22 pounds for a canner load of 7 quarts.
To peel the tomatoes, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Dip your tomatoes into the boiling water until the skins crack and loosen – about 30-60 seconds. Check out this tutorial for more information: How to Peel Tomatoes.
Remove the tomatoes from the pot and place in the bowl of ice water to cool. Discard the water and peel your tomatoes once they are cool enough to handle.
Step 3: Cook the Tomatoes
Quarter about a pound of the peeled tomatoes and place them into a large stainless steel saucepan. Heat the tomatoes over medium-high heat, and crush with a potato masher once they soften to release the juice.
Heating tomatoes quickly after cutting will help preserve the pectin in the fruit and prevent the canned tomatoes from separating in the jars.
Once the pot comes to a boil, cut the remaining tomatoes into quarters, and add these to the pot as your work. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
There is no need to crush the additional tomatoes. They will soften with heating and stirring. Continue until all tomatoes are added, and then boil gently for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Can the Crushed Tomatoes
Remove the warm jars from the canner, drain, and add the citric acid or lemon juice. Using the canning ladle and funnel, fill each jar with the hot tomatoes, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
Run the bubble popper through the jars to release air. Wipe the rims, add the covers, and process in a water bath canner for the times indicated in the recipe below. Let the jars cool, test the seals, wash, label, date the jars, and store the canned tomato puree in a cool, dark location for 12 to 18 months.
Canning your own crushed tomatoes is a quick way to preserve a bumper crop of ripe tomatoes. You can use the canned tomatoes in so many ways, including adding to chilies, soups, and casseroles. You can also substitute canned crushed tomatoes for fresh in this tomato sauce recipe and tomato salsa recipe.
Canning Crushed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 15 pounds tomatoes (see notes for quarts)
- citric acid or bottled lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare the Canning Equipment:
- Wash your jars and lids in warm, soapy water and rinse well. Place the jar rack into the water bath canner, set the clean jars in the canner, add water, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize.
- Warm your lids in a small pot over low heat. Keep jars and lids warm until they are ready to use.
Prepare the Tomatoes:
- Wash your tomatoes in plain water.
- To peel the tomatoes, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water.
- Dip your tomatoes into the boiling water until the skins crack and loosen – about 30-60 seconds. Remove the tomatoes from the pot and place in the bowl of ice water to cool. Peel your tomatoes once they are cool enough to handle.
- Quarter about a dozen of the peeled tomatoes and place them into a large stainless steel saucepan. Heat the tomatoes over medium-high heat, and crush with a potato masher once they soften.
- Once the pot comes to a boil, begin cutting the remaining tomatoes into quarters, and adding to the pot as your work. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. No need to crush these tomatoes. They will soften with heating and stirring. Continue until all tomatoes are added. Then boil gently 5 minutes.
Can the Tomatoes:
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove warm jars from the canner, drain, and line up on the towel.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each pint sized jar. (Add 1/2-teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons lemon juice to each quart sized jar.)
- Use the canning funnel and ladle, and fill the warm jars with hot tomatoes leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Run the bubble popper through the jars to release air bubbles. Wipe the rims. Use the magnetic lid lifter to lift lids out of the warm water, center lid on the jar, and screw on band until it is fingertip tight.
- Use the jar lifter to place jars into the canner leaving space in between them. Once jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is at least one inch above the jar tops. Add more hot water if needed so the water level is 2-inches above the jar tops. When adding water, pour the water in between the jars and not directly onto them. Use the hot water from the small pot your lids were in.
- Cover the canner and bring to boil over high heat. Once water boils vigorously, process pint sized jars for 35 minutes (quart sized jars for 45 minutes) at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. Adjust processing time for your altitude if necessary - See notes.
- When processing time is complete, turn off heat, remove the cover by tilting lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face, and allow the canner to cool down and settle for 5 minutes.
- Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use a jar lifter to remove the jars one at a time from the canner. Keep the jars upright, and place them on the towel. Do not tighten ring bands or test the seals yet.
- Allow the jars to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24-hours. You should hear the satisfactory "ping" of the jar lids sealing as the jars cool.
- After 12 to 24-hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate jar and use up within a few days.
- Remove the screw on bands and wash the jars. Label, date, and store the jars in a cool, dark place and use within 12 to 18 months. Yields about 9 pint jars of crushed tomatoes.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on October 8, 2017. Updated August 28, 2021: Removed the reference to canning diced tomatoes. There is no safe tested recipe for canning diced tomatoes. Confirmed with local extension office that testing failed because the density of the diced tomatoes is different than crushed. Canning crushed tomatoes is the only safe method using this recipe.
You May Also Like:
Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden
Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years, you will benefit from some planning each year. You will find everything you need to organize and plan your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook, Grow a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden.
Deb says
Could I use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled? Is there a difference?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Deb, Always use bottled lemon juice in canning recipes that call for it. Bottled lemon juice has been uniformly acidified so there is a consistent and known acid (pH) level that is needed for safe canning. There is no way to know the level of acid in fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Ari says
Do you have a particular variety of tomato you like to grow for canning?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Ari, I grow a lot of plum or paste tomatoes each year in the garden. My favorites are Roma, Amish paste, Juliet, and San Marzano.