Pure, homemade tomato juice can be easily canned. It’s delicious.
If you’re not a fan of store-bought tomato juice, either for its texture or taste, this may win you over. The real thing is totally different. And even if not, don’t forget tomato juice can be used as an ingredient in many recipes.
This can be a great way to deal quickly with a sudden glut of cherry tomatoes before the fruit flies get them all.
We’re going to work with the USDA Complete Guide’s recipe, looking at the Ball / Bernardin Complete book for comparison.
See also: Tomato juice in 1.5 litre (quart) jars, Garden Vegetable Juice, Tomato Vegetable Juice Blend.
Quantities of tomatoes needed
Numbers are approximate guidelines.
On average, as a very rough guideline, expect to need about 1.5 kg (3.25 lbs) of tomatoes per 1 litre (US quart) jar of canned tomato juice
10 kg (23 lbs) of tomatoes = 7 litres (US quarts) canned tomato juice
6 kg (14 lbs ) of tomatoes = 9 x half-litres (US pints) canned tomato juice
1 bushel tomatoes = 24 kg (53 lbs) = 15 to 18 litres (US quarts) canned tomato juice
The recipe
Jar size choices: Either half-litre (1 US pint) OR 1 litre (1 US quart)
Processing method: Water bath or steam canning or pressure canning
Yield: varies
Headspace: 2 cm (½ inch)
Processing time: For water bath or steam canning the times are as follows. Half-litres (pints) 35 minutes; litres (quarts) 40 minutes
Tomato Juice
Ingredients
- tomatoes
- lemon juice (bottled. OR citric acid)
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes.
- Stem them, and trim off and discard bruises. Don't peel or seed or core.
- Take 6 of the tomatoes, cut into quarters and add to a large pot over high heat.
- Crush them with a potato masher or other similar tool.
- Stirring the pot frequently and keeping the heat high, continue to quarter the remaining tomatoes, adding them as you do and crushing them, so that they heat rapidly, too, and the mixture keeps on boiling, uncovered.
- When all the tomato is in, let simmer strongly for another 5 minutes.
- Pass tomato mixture through a sieve or food mill to remove skin and seeds.
- Put juice back in pot, bring back to a boil, then lower to a simmer to keep quite hot.
- MANDATORY. Acidify jars. To each half-litre/ pint jar add either 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice OR ¼ teaspoon citric acid. To each litre/quart jar add either 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice OR ½ teaspoon citric acid.
- OPTIONAL: ½ teaspoon salt per half-litre/ pint; 1 teaspoon per litre/quart jar.
- Ladle hot juice into jars.
- Leave 2 cm (½ inch) headspace.
- Wipe jar rims.
- Put lids on.
- Process in a water bath or steam canner.
- Process half-litres (pints) for 35 minutes; litre (quart) jars for 40 minutes. Increase time as needed for your altitude.
Nutrition
Pressure canning process
The USDA also offers a pressure canning process. See here for pressure-canning tomato juice time and pressures.
Reference information
How to water bath process.
How to steam can.
When water-bath canning or steam canning, you must adjust the processing time for your altitude.
Recipe notes
- USDA Complete calls for 2 cm (½ inch) headspace for water bathing / steam canning and pressure canning. Ball / Bernardin Complete calls for 3 cm (1 inch) headspace if you are pressure canning.
- The technique of how the tomatoes are sliced and heated is to prevent juice separation. An enzyme called ‘Pectinesterase’ is released when tomatoes are cut that causes a tomato’s liquid to separate from its solids. Heating the tomatoes as soon as they are cut destroys the enzyme before it has a chance to act, resulting in a better quality end product.
- The writers of the Ball / Bernardin Complete say, “It is very important that you reheat the tomato juice before filing the jars. Processing times are based on hot juice in a hot jar: if the juice is tepid, the processing time won’t be sufficient to vent the excess headspace gases and / or destroy spoilage microorganisms.” (Page 360.)
- If you pressure can it, Ball / Bernardin allows for the addition of a sprig of fresh herb. “Prepare as directed above, adding one well-rinsed sprig of favourite fresh herb to each jar before ladling in the hot juice.” (Page 373.) They do not mention this option in their water-bath directions.
- All home-canned tomato juice must be acidified or it’s not safe for consumption. The added acidity ensures a pH below 4.6, which prevents botulism spores from germinating.
- See a separate recipe, Tomato and Vegetable Juice Blend, if you want to add a flavouring vegetable such as celery, onion, carrot, and / or pepper. It’s in the USDA Complete Guide 3-6.
Recipe source
- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Complete guide to home canning. Agriculture information bulletin No. 539. 2015. Page 3-5.
- Kingry, Judi and Lauren Devine. Ball / Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving. Toronto: Robert Rose. 2015. Page 360 and Page 373.
Modifications made:
- none
Nutrition information
Per 1 cup (250 ml / 8 oz), no salt added
- 68 calories, 18 mg sodium
* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com
Workouter
Strain the tomatoes a batch at a time to remove the skins and seeds. You can do this by pressing through a sieve or strainer, or passing through a food mill. Bring juice to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium simmer, uncovered, until sauce reaches desired thickness.
Gisele Gauthier
why is there water in my tomato juice when done half my jars is water?
Healthy Canning
https://www.healthycanning.com/tomatoes-separating-jars/
Lynn
My husband just canned 10 jars of tomato juice without boiling the juice first, and with only salt added. Will it be OK?
Healthy Canning
I can’t say, all I can say is canning recipes are meant to be followed as directed, and the recipe writers meant the juice to go into the jars boiling hot. The processing time giving would have been for juice already hot in the jar. If recipe writers meant the juice to go in cold, then it is quite likely that they would have extended the processing time. So if will be a question of whether the product was underprocessed.
Gloria Freeman
With the food processors we have now, what is the reason for pre-cooking the tomatoes before using the food processor? Why not just after the skins and seeds have been removed for juice or sauce?
Healthy Canning
That is a good question, and many ask the same thing. The reason they ask is because the recipe developers actually had a very good reason for giving the directions the way they did, but didn’t explain why. The reason is to prevent unsightly separation of tomato solids and water in the jars after canning. The process the recipe writers gives deactivates the enzyme that causes this separation. See here: https://www.healthycanning.com/tomatoes-separating-jars/
AnnaB
I forgot to put salt in my tomato juice. Will it be ok?
Healthy Canning
Yes, that is fine. In this canning recipe, salt is just a seasoning, and not a safety control factor.
Keith
How long after canning tomato juice before you can drink it?
Healthy Canning
You can start drinking it right away.
Gayle H Brown
30+ years ago I was the nurse responsible for the care and emergency transfer of a 6 year old boy who presented to our community hospital with unusual and progressively worsting paralysis. So before the paralysis prevented his chest muscles from working and he had to have assistant to breath and still not knowing why this occurred; his doctor ordered his immediate transfer to the closest high level trauma center. As the ambulance speed down the interstate at 80 to 100 miles/hour, I prayed he wouldn’t have to be intubated & we wouldn’t all die in a high speed wreck! He did survive, but had to go on a ventilator while a multitude of doctors determined the cause. Several days later his doctor received the final diagnosis – BOTULISM! The last thing on our radar. He had had a glass of home canned tomato juice. Unaware that hybrid tomatoes often have little acid, his mother had canned tomatoes just like her mother, in a hot water bath. It could have been the whole family or the whole church if she had used it in a casserole. Long story, but it won’t be wasted on anyone intelligent enough to realize that they would not want to be responsible for the death or injury of a loved one or friend.
Beth
I have a juicing machine. I was wondering if the tomatoes, cellery and carrots can be juiced and then preserved, adding citric acid of course or would that be wasting more of the potentially useful veggies.
Healthy Canning
See these two recipes: https://www.healthycanning.com/tomato-vegetable-juice-blend/ and https://www.healthycanning.com/garden-vegetable-juice/
Lilia
This is healthy and helpful during abundant harvest time
Deborah K Ault
when cooking my tomatoes for canned juice is there a way I can tell if the tomatoes have any spoilage. Mine have some foam on the top as I cook them
Healthy Canning
You check for spoilage as you are preparing them for the pot.
Jane James
I have canned tomato juice for 40 years and never added lemon juice, only the salt was added to each jar. What does the lemon juice do?
Healthy Canning
By ensuring the product is acidic enough to prevent any botulism spores from germinating, it helps to ensure another 40 years of hospital-trip-free tomato juice.
Nonna B
Great explanation concerning the need for added lemon juice! Apparently from what I have read elsewhere, some tomatoes are bred to be sweeter but in the process it lessened the natural acidity in tomatoes. We just can’t be too careful when we are canning from home. Every step is important.