• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Healthy Canning in Partnership with Facebook Group Canning for beginners, safely by the book
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by category
    • Recipe Index
    • Drying food
    • Other online sources
  • Equipment
    • General Equipment
    • Pressure Canning
    • Steam Canning
    • Water bath canning
    • Food Dehydrators
  • Learning
    • Learn home canning
    • Home Canning Safety Topics
    • Unsafe home canning practices
    • Home canning concepts
    • Ingredients for home canning
    • Issues in home canning
    • Learning resources
  • Contact
    • Sitemap
    • About
    • Contact Page
    • FAQ
    • Media
    • Copyright
    • Privacy
    • Terms of Use
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Equipment
  • Learning
×
Home / Tomatoes / Tomato Juice

Tomato Juice

Filed Under: Juice, Seasonal Summer, Tomatoes Tagged With: Juice, Tomatoes

tomato-juice-pn1

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.

Contents hide
  • 1 Quantities of tomatoes needed
  • 2 The recipe
  • 3 Tomato Juice
    • 3.1 Ingredients
    • 3.2 Instructions
    • 3.3 Nutrition
  • 4 Pressure canning process
  • 5 Reference information
  • 6 Recipe notes
  • 7 Recipe source
  • 8 Nutrition information

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

Print

Tomato Juice

Directions on how to safely home-can quality tomato juice from the USDA.
Course Beverages
Cuisine American
Keyword Juice, Tomatoes
Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
Servings 1 varies
Calories 68kcal

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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.6g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 0.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 18mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 9.9g

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.

tomato-juice-102

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

tomato-juice-nutrition

* Nutrition info provided by https://caloriecount.about.com

tomato-juice-pn2

Tagged With: Juice, Tomatoes

Filed Under: Juice, Seasonal Summer, Tomatoes Tagged With: Juice, Tomatoes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Workouter

    September 23, 2020 at 8:24 pm

    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.

    Reply
  2. Gisele Gauthier

    September 07, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    why is there water in my tomato juice when done half my jars is water?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 21, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      https://www.healthycanning.com/tomatoes-separating-jars/

      Reply
  3. Lynn

    September 02, 2020 at 12:15 am

    My husband just canned 10 jars of tomato juice without boiling the juice first, and with only salt added. Will it be OK?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 22, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      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.

      Reply
  4. Gloria Freeman

    August 18, 2020 at 9:25 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 22, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      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/

      Reply
  5. AnnaB

    August 10, 2020 at 8:01 pm

    I forgot to put salt in my tomato juice. Will it be ok?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 22, 2020 at 1:39 pm

      Yes, that is fine. In this canning recipe, salt is just a seasoning, and not a safety control factor.

      Reply
  6. Keith

    August 10, 2020 at 3:41 am

    How long after canning tomato juice before you can drink it?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 22, 2020 at 1:40 pm

      You can start drinking it right away.

      Reply
  7. Gayle H Brown

    December 13, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Beth

      September 18, 2020 at 7:48 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Healthy Canning

        September 21, 2020 at 6:50 pm

        See these two recipes: https://www.healthycanning.com/tomato-vegetable-juice-blend/ and https://www.healthycanning.com/garden-vegetable-juice/

        Reply
  8. Lilia

    October 16, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    This is healthy and helpful during abundant harvest time

    Reply
  9. Deborah K Ault

    August 11, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 11, 2019 at 7:37 pm

      You check for spoilage as you are preparing them for the pot.

      Reply
  10. Jane James

    June 29, 2018 at 3:17 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 11, 2019 at 8:11 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Nonna B

        August 22, 2020 at 7:12 pm

        5 stars
        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.

        Reply
If you need FAST or relatively immediate canning help or answers, please try one of these Master Food Preserver groups; they are more qualified than we are and have many hands to help you. Many of them even operate telephone hotlines in season.
3.68 from 25 votes (24 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

SEARCH

HealthyCanning is a sub-project of cooksinfo.com. Read More…

What's New in Home Canning

What's New in Home Canning

Quote of the day

“Don’t substitute dishwasher canning, oven canning, or open-kettle canning for an approved canning method – boiling water canning or pressure canning.”

— Dr Barb Ingham, 5 Tips for a Successful Home Canning Season. May 2011.
Photo of miscellaneous canning equipment
kitchen window with fruit bowl
Ship with lifeboats
Ingredients for home canning
Home canning learning resources
what is pressure canning. Photo of pressure canners
Steam canning
water bath canning

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About this site
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Terms & Conditions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Media
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

Copyright © 2021

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.