How to Can Tomatoes without a Canner (2024)

A step-by-step tutorial on canning tomatoes for beginners! Canned tomatoes are a great base for stews, soups, and sauces. Preserved by “hot packing”, summer tomatoes are blanched, peeled, stewed, and placed into jars. No pressure cooker or water bath! Learn how to can tomatoes by hot packing.

It’s summer time and you’re wondering what you are going to do with all those beautiful ripened tomatoes! Whether you picked up an abundance at a farmer’s market or they are fresh from your garden, this canning process will ensure your sauces and soups have that summer ripened tomato flavor all winter long!

This recipe was passed down through my grandmother, Ruth Miller, from deep in the holler of Madison County, North Carolina.

Because she grew up without many of the luxuries we have today, this canning process is truly a back-to-basics recipe – with minimal ingredients and no electric pressure cooker. In fact, many people from her generation still can tomatoes this same way. It’s my hope that I can encourage you to carry on the tradition.

Benefits of Homemade Canned Tomatoes

The great thing about this process is you know exactly what’s in your preserved tomatoes! There’s no excessive salt, seasonings, or preservatives. Just tomatoes with a dash of sugar and salt.

While the process is time-consuming, this is a simple process anyone can do.After the canning process is complete, you can add them to stews, sauces, and any other recipes that call for crushed tomatoes.

Plus, the money you will save by not rushing to the store to buy a can of tomatoes here and there!

What are the best tomatoes for canning?

The short answer is that any tomato can be canned. It just depends on the purpose. There are better tomatoes for sauces and pastes, salsas, juices, and so on. If you are getting your tomatoes from a farm or farmer’s market, you can always ask the farmer for their recommendation. They are usually very helpful and will be happy to offer tips, too!

I would recommend steering clear of beefsteak or “slicing” tomatoes as these tend to disintegrate during the canning process.

The tomatoes we used came from a local farmer’s market in North Carolina, so I’m not sure of the exact breed.

Here are a few breeds that do well as canning tomatoes:

• Bison
• Roma
• San Marzano
• Big Mama
• Jersey Giant

Waterbath Canning vs. Hot Pack Canning Methods

There are a few different methods to can tomatoes. You can use a pressure canner, hot water bath, or even in the oven. However, this tutorial provides instructions on hot packing.

Hot Packing Canning Method

Hot packing is the process of “cooking” the tomatoes down, then transferring them to the mason jars. The tomato mixture reaches boiling point and is kept there for several minutes to kill off any bacteria that may be present in the stock pot, tools used, and tomatoes. The mixture reaching the boiling point is key for food safety.

Cold packing or raw packing is a similar method. Instead of cooking the tomatoes, they are peeled and quartered and transferred to a jar. Then, boiling water is poured into the jar to cover the tomatoes.

Water Bath Canning Method

Water bath canning is the process of adding raw, uncooked tomatoes to a jar, then submerging the jars in hot water to seal. This process is also popular and equally as safe as hot packing.

Since the tomato mixture is reaching a boiling point with both methods, either option is perfectly safe.

While there are many opinions on the safety of this process, I can assure you this hot packing canning method is tried and true. My grandmother has been canning tomatoes for almost 80 years and has never had a batch go bad. I can vouch the same for each of my canning days, too.

Also, if for whatever reason your tomatoes do not seal properly, it will be obvious the moment the jar is opened!

Hot Pack Canning Tomatoes Tutorial

Yes, it’s possible to can tomatoes without a canner or pressure cooker. As a fair warning, this process is labor intensive, but so rewarding.

Supplies you will need:

• Mason jars: You can store tomatoes in various sized jars depending on your needs. These do not have to be new jars. Just be sure they are not cracked, chipped, or have any blemishes that might impact the processing.
• Lids and rings: These may or may not come with the jars at purchase. However, the lids must be brand new and never used prior to canning. The lids “pop” down as the jars seal. Once lids pop, they cannot “re-pop” on another jar.
• Ripe tomatoes: Of course, plump, juicy, bright red tomatoes are key for a successful canning day.
• Large Stock Pot
• Pot holders and bath towels: You will be moving hot jars of boiling tomato flesh around your kitchen. Make sure you have something to handle them with and a soft place to place them as they seal.

Follow the steps below for canning homegrown tomatoes. The process moves at a gentle pace to start, but speeds up significantly as the food goes into the jars.

Step 1: Sterilize Canning Jars and Work Area

I recommend doing the sterilizing prep work the day before, then the actual canning the next day.

The first step in preparing for canning is to sterilize your canning jars. Make sure you have the proper number of lids and rings for each of your jars.

Sterilize the jars and lids by running them alone through a dishwasher on a regular cycle with a heated dry, or boiling them. We chose the dishwasher option as that’s what my grandmother always does.

There’s a lot of argument out there about the cleanliness of your dishwasher and how bacteria could breed inside the sealed jar. My grandmother has always used this method without fail. Especially with the heated steam drying everything, I don’t see how any bacteria could remain.

After the jars are sterilized, allow them to cool and place them in a clean dry place until you are ready for canning. Some opt to leave them in the dishwasher until they are ready to begin.

Here are a few other things to do before beginning the canning process:

• Clear and disinfect the kitchen counters. Make sure your countertops are clear because you will need to be able to work quickly as the process speeds up.
• Set out the jars, lids, and rings for easy access.
• Clear out your sink of any dishes. You will need lots of room for the next steps.

Step 2: Prep the jars, lids, and rings

On the day of canning, line up the sterilized jars on the counter. If you have a stone countertop, place a bath towel underneath the jars to avoid accidentally shattering one while working.

Next, add one teaspoon of sugar and one teaspoon of salt to the bottom of each jar.

Place the lids and rings in a small pot and cover with hot water – almost boiling. This is not to sterilize, but to help the lids seal properly.

Tip: Drop every other lid right side up, then right side down in the pot. This prevents them from sticking together.

Step 3: Prepare the Tomatoes for Canning

Before washing or blanching, bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. It should be enough to cover the tomatoes when they are all in the sink.

Then, wash tomatoes twice with hot water and place them in your clean sink with the stopper. Be sure to remove any dirt, and set aside any tomatoes with “bad” spots or signs of spoilage. Leave all of the cleaned tomatoes in your sink for the blanching process.

Step 4: Blanch and Peel tomatoes

Now, when your stock pot of water comes to a boil, carefully pour the boiling water onto the tomatoes in the sink. Allow them to soak for about 15 minutes to blanch.

The blanching process makes the skin peel right off of the tomato. After a few minutes of soaking the tomatoes in the sink, you will be able to see the skin start to separate from the flesh of the tomato.

After 15 minutes, skin and core each tomato. You do not need to remove the seeds.

Quarter the tomatoes and place them in a large pot. When the pot is full, roughly “smash” up the tomatoes with a potato masher. This makes the cooking and canning process easier.

You will mash your tomatoes more or less, depending on the consistency you desire. If you want more of a crushed tomato, mash more. If you want more of a stewed style, mash until the tomatoes are in chunks.

Keep in mind, they will continue to break down as they cook.

Step 5: Cook the Tomatoes

After your tomatoes have been peeled, cored, quartered, and smashed, add enough water to the stock pot to cover the smashed tomatoes. Then, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.

Again, additional cooking time will cause the tomatoes to continue to break down.

Step 6: Packing the tomatoes

This is where the process speeds up quite a bit. Do a quick double-check to make sure you have all of your tools handy. You’ll want to move fast so each one of the jars seal properly.

Working with one jar at a time, spoon tomato mixture into each jar, leaving about 1-1.5 inches of headspace.

Immediately cover with a lid and ring. Seal tightly and place to the side.

Working quickly through this process allows the heat to remain inside the jar and seals the lid properly. If the lid does not seal properly, the tomatoes will not keep more than 3-5 days in the refrigerator, so this step is very important.

As the tomatoes “seal”, you will hear a beautiful popping noise, which means your lids are sealing properly, and you will have plenty of tomatoes for cooking. The lids will begin to “pop” or within an hour to 12 hours from placing the lids on the jars.

Ways to use canned tomatoes

We like to use our jarred tomatoes as bases and additions to soups, stews, and sauces.

Check out these recipes:

• Lasagna soup
• Spaghetti sauce

Thinking outside the box, TheKitchn has 25 creative ways to use up canned tomatoes. Sloppy joes, braising meat, cooking pastas or grains, simmering meatballs, and pizza sauce were all great ideas!

Tips for Home Canning Tomatoes

Break up this project into two days: Sterilizing and canning. On day one, sterilize jars and clear off your work space. On day two, clean the kitchen and can tomatoes.

Allow the sealed jars of tomatoes to cool before storing. I do not recommend moving the jars until the lids have sealed. Then, wait for the jars to cool completely before transferring them to storage.

Do not move or tap on the lid after the jar has been placed aside. This affects the internal pressure of the jar.

If the lids do not “pop” within 12 hours, gently press down on the center of the lid until it drops down. If the lid does not seal after 12 hours, store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or the freezer for 3 months.

Canning Tomatoes FAQ

Do you need a pressure canner to can tomatoes?

No. Processing tomatoes via water bath or hot packing creates the same chemical reaction. The tomato mixture reaches a boiling point which kills all bacteria.

What is the difference between hot pack and cold pack canning tomatoes?

The difference between hot pack and cold pack is what happens to the tomatoes after they are blanched, cored, and peeled. Cold Pack means you will transfer them immediately to a jar and process. Hot Pack means that you will cook the tomatoes down (as described above) and then transfer them to a jar to process.