Canned Tomato Recipe

4.36 from 249 votes

Learning to can tomatoes is a great way to start in the canning world. It takes only a few ingredients, and you will have tomatoes all winter long.

Prep Time2

Cook Time1

Total Time3

Course: Canning and Pickling

Cuisine: American

Keyword: canned, easy, homemade, simple, tomatoes

Servings: pints

Calories: 105kcal

To peel the tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Wash tomatoes and cut a small 'x' in the bottom of each tomato, on the bottom side. Place tomatoes in the boiling water, not enough to overcrowd. Cook for about 1 min. or until the skin just starts to peel off. Place the tomatoes in an ice bath to cool. The skins should just slide right off then. Cut tomatoes into quarters, larger ones into eighths.
Place a quarter of the tomatoes in a large pot and heat over medium heat. When they start to boil, crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Then add the rest of the tomatoes; do not crush, and boil gently for 5 min.
For each jar, add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and one washed large herb sprig. Fill the jars with the tomatoes to about 1/2" head space. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel and place the lids on and rims to finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath covering with at least 1" of water for 40 min. for elevations of 1000-3000 ft., 3,001 to 6,000 ft. for 45 minutes, and 6,001 to 8,000 ft. for 50 min. Remove jars to a towel-lined counter and make sure they make a "popping" sound so that the lids are sealed.
Cool completely and store. Canned tomatoes should be used within the year.