If you have a bumper crop of tomatoes and don't know what to do with them, you should make canned tomatoes! This small-batch recipe is easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought!
If you like this recipe, try my popular canned spaghetti sauce next!
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Why I Love this Canned Tomatoes Recipe
As someone who loves to garden, I plant tons of tomatoes and peppers in my greenhouse every year to make enough salsa, spaghetti sauce, and canned tomatoes to last the entire year.
There's something incredibly satisfying about opening a jar of tomatoes in the winter and tasting a bit of summer. The flavor of homemade is just so much better than store-bought.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here's what you'll need to make 4 pint jars of canned tomatoes:
- Ripe Tomatoes: The star of the show! Pick the juiciest, ripest tomatoes you can find. If you grew them yourself, even better!
- Pickling Salt: This helps bring out their natural flavors and keep them safe for long-term storage.
- Granulated Sugar: Just a touch of sugar balances out the acidity of the tomatoes. It's not enough to make them sweet, but it rounds out the flavor beautifully.
- Lemon Juice: Use bottled lemon juice, not fresh. You can also use citric acid. Use one tablespoon of lemon juice per pint and two tablespoons per quart. If using citric acid, use ¼ teaspoon per pint and ½ teaspoon per quart.
How to Can Tomatoes in a Water Bath Canner
Step 1: Peel Tomatoes
- Wash the tomatoes well. Cut an 'X' in the bottom of each tomato to make the skins easier to remove.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. Boil for about 30 seconds, until the skins start to lift. Move the tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a large ice water bath. Peel the skins off with your hands; they should slip right off. Cut the tomatoes into chunks with a paring knife.
Step 2: Simmer Tomatoes
- Wash your jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water and rinse well. Place the clean jars upside down in a large pot of water, bring them to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes, or run them through a cycle in your dishwasher. Keep the jars hot until you're ready to fill them.
- Add the diced tomatoes to a large pot and boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Fill and Process Jars
- Add bottled lemon juice (or citric acid) to each jar. For pints, add one tablespoon of lemon juice (or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid) to each jar, and if using quart jars, add two tablespoons of lemon juice to each jar (or ½ teaspoon of citric acid). Add ½ teaspoon of pickling salt to each pint (or one teaspoon to each quart) and ½ teaspoon of sugar to each pint or one teaspoon of sugar to each quart jar. Next, ladle the hot tomato mixture into the jars, leaving about ½-inch headspace at the top. Use a canning funnel to reduce spillage.
- Run a plastic spatula around the inside of the jar to remove air bubbles. Top up with liquid if needed. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth, center the lids on the jars, and screw on the bands until they're fingertip tight.
- Place the jars in the rack of your water bath canner. Lower the rack into your canner, and top up with boiling water if needed so there is one inch of water above the jars.
- Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a rolling boil. Cover the canner with a lid, and process pint jars for 40 minutes and quart jars for 45 minutes.
Step 4: Cool and Store
- When the processing time is up, turn off the heat and carefully lift the rack. Carefully remove each jar with a jar lifter to a towel-covered counter, leaving space between each jar.
- Let the jars cool, undisturbed, for 12-24 hours. Then, press the center of each lid. If it doesn't move, you've got a good seal! If a jar doesn't seal, pop it in the fridge and use it within a week.
- Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
When you're done, you might notice that the jars look a bit watery at the bottom. Don't worry! This is totally normal. When you open the jar to use your tomatoes, stir them, and they'll be perfect.
How to Use Your Canned Tomatoes
Now that you've got jars of delicious tomatoes, what should you do with them? Here are some of my favorite ways to use them:
- Use them as a base for homemade pasta sauce.
- Add them to soups, stews, and casseroles.
- Use them in place of canned tomatoes in your favorite chili recipe.
- Blend them up for a quick tomato sauce or pizza sauce.
Variations
- Italian Style: Add a teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano to each jar before filling.
- Spicy: Add some red pepper flakes.
- Crushed: Squash tomatoes with a potato masher while boiling to make jars of crushed tomatoes.
A Few Helpful Tips
- I prefer Roma tomatoes, but any tomatoes will work.
- I recommend removing the skins for the best texture.
- If you're new to water bath canning, don't be intimidated! You can also download my FREE Canning Ebook!
- Heat the water in your canner while heating the tomatoes on the stove.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You don't have to cook down tomatoes before canning. You can use a raw pack method (packing raw tomatoes into jars) or a hot pack method like this recipe.
Adding lemon juice when canning tomatoes is strongly recommended for safety. It ensures the acidity is high enough to prevent the growth of bacteria. The National Center for Home Food Preservation and the USDA recommend adding lemon juice or citric acid directly to each jar.
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- Jeri
Printable Recipe
Canned Diced Tomatoes
Equipment
- Water bath canner
Ingredients
- 5 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons bottled lemon juice 1 tablespoon for each pint jar
- 2 teaspoons pickling salt or coarse salt - ½ teaspoon for each pint jar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar ½ teaspoon for each pint jar
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes and cut an 'X' on the bottom of each. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer them to an ice bath. Remove skins and chop tomatoes.
- Wash lids, bands, and jars in hot soapy water. Rinse well. Sterilize jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. You can also run them through a dishwasher cycle. Keep hot until ready to use.
- Add tomatoes to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce to low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or ¼ teaspoon citric acid), ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon sugar directly to EACH pint jar. Double these amounts for quarts. Then fill jars with hot tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a plastic utensil. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Apply lids and bands, tightening to fingertip-tight.
- Place the jars in a canner. Fill the canner with boiling water until one inch above the lowered jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes (pints) or 45 minutes (quarts).
- Remove jars with canning tongs and cool on a towel-covered surface for 12-24 hours. Check seals before storing. Refrigerate any unsealed jars. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Liquid separation is normal. Stir before using.
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Notes
- For safety, use bottled lemon juice as its acidity is consistent. Fresh lemon juice can vary.
- Roma or plum tomatoes work well as they're meatier and less watery.
- You can leave tomato skins on if you like, but the texture may be less smooth.
- Tomatoes expand during processing, so don't overfill jars.
- Adjust processing times for high altitudes: Add 5 minutes for 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes for 3,001-6,000 ft., and 15 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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