Canning Crushed Tomatoes Easy Tutorial

Canning crushed tomatoes are one way that we preserve the bumper crop of our garden bounty at the cottage. Canning your own crushed tomatoes is a handy way to be more self-sufficient and less reliant on the stores, cut out bad ingredients, and preserve the abundance of your garden. Canning crushed tomatoes is a great way to stock your pantry with delicious homemade items that can be used in lots of from-scratch dishes such as chilies, soups, and even stews. 

Every year we plant enough tomatoes to eat fresh, preserve them into salsas, rotel and sauces for a year, and give them away as gifts which means a lot of tomatoes come through our kitchen in the summer.

Canning Crushed Tomatoes

Canning crushed tomatoes, along with our own spaghetti sauce and enchilada sauce is a great way to preserve that amazing taste of homegrown tomatoes for when they are no longer in season.

I remember as a little girl mom and grandma coming up from the garden with the tomatoes filling the wheelbarrows. She would call the ladies from church to come and share the bounty with them and they would be so amazed at the harvest mom and grandma had brought in.

We would gather as a family in the kitchen peeling the tomatoes and every year we would stand for hours talking and laughing with our hands stained from the tomatoes. Our feet and back would hurt from the long hours but the feeling you get when you are canning and the lids start popping. The blessing of canning crushed tomatoes lasts all year when you open your jars and that delicious garden bounty goes into your soup, chili, on top of your pasta when winter’s chill is in the air.

Can You Pressure Can Crushed Tomatoes?

Yes you can pressure can crushed tomatoes (or any tomato product) but as long as you add lemon juice or some alternative such as citric acid or vinegar it is not neccessary. 

How Long Do You Pressure Can Crushed Tomatoes?

To presure can crushed tomatoes you’ll can them for 45 minutes. 

Do You Have To Cook Crushed Tomatoes Before Canning?

You don’t have to pre-cook your tomatoes, you’ll need to boil the tomatoes for less than a minute. Then heat and add to jars (this helps to ensure their is no bacteria and that your jars don’t burst). If you are using hot jars you should be ok to add room temperature crushed tomatoes to them.

Tips For Canning Crushed Tomatoes

This is recipe for canning crushed tomatoes makes a large batch of sauce. Only fill the number of jars that can be processed at one time. Our canners hold seven quarts so we will fill one jar at a time and put it in the hot water in the canner until full.

The water should cover the jars by 2″. Then when they are done we will fill the next set of seven jars.

Put a hot pan holder or a washcloth under the jars to protect from the cold countertop. This will help the jars not to break. 

What You Will Need For Canning Crush Tomatoes:

To make and can your own homemade crushed tomatoes you’re going to need a few things.

• Boiling water canner
• Measuring Cups
• Wooden spoon
• Jar Grabber to get hot jars out of water
• Several Towels to put your hot jars on
• Bowl for tomato skins and cores
• Large stockpot for tomatoes
• Hot Pan Holder
• Apron to keep your clothes clean
• New Canning jar lids
• Quart Canning jars
• Canning jar rings
• Labels or a sharpie to label and date your jars
• Ladle to fill jars
• Paper towel or washcloth to wipe the rims of the jars
• Grapefruit Seed Extract

Ingredients:

To make the crushed tomato sauce for canning you will need to:

• Wash the tomatoes in a sink full of water and 5 drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract).
• Dip tomatoes in batches into boiling water, leave them until the skin begins to crack, and remove them to a bowl to cool. Continue until all tomatoes have been dipped in the water.
• Begin skinning tomatoes (don’t throw away the skins just put them in a separate bowl)
• Once tomatoes are skinned core them and use your hands or a stick blender to lightly breakdown/crushed tomatoes. 
• Pour the tomatoes into a big stockpot, then add garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt and heat.
• Wash quart jars and place them in the oven in a roasting pan 1/3 to 1/2 full of water at the lowest temperature you can set it on.
• Heat lids in a saucepan but do not boil them (you don’t absoultly have to do this anymore, but we’ve noticed a better seal rate when we do) leave the jars and lids in water to stay warm until ready to use.
• Fill boiling-water canner half full, put the jar rack in the canner, and boil.

Water Bath Canning Crushed Tomatoes Step By Step

Now on to canning crushed tomatoes! This first tutorial is for water bath canning crushed tomatoes but if you scroll down further you will find directions on how to steam canning crushed tomatoes and pressure canning crushed tomatoes. 

1. Begin filling the quart jars leaving a 1/2 inch from the top.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar.
3. Use a butter knife or debubbling tool to gently move around the crushed tomatoes and release the air.
4. Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean cloth or paper towel.
5. Place a new canning lid on the jar top, screw the ring on top (don’t over tighten the ring), and put the jars into the boiling water in the canner.
6. Water should be 2″ over your jars when you have them all in.
7. Once full put the lid on top and set the timer for 45 minutes.
8. When finished, remove your jars to a thickly toweled flat surface and allow them to cool.
9. Check the lids to make sure they have sealed properly if the lids pop up and down when you push on them they didn’t seal properly- just put those ones in the fridge.
10. Wipe down the outsides of the jars and lids with a damp washcloth.
11. Label, date, and store out of the sunlight.

Steam Canning Crushed Tomato Sauce

REFER TO YOUR STEAM CANNER FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR CANNER.

• Make sure the bottom of your steam canner has at least 3 quarts of water in it. 
• Pack the jars with crushed tomatoes leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Then fill the jars with juice as above leaving 1/2 inch headspace up at the top of the jar.
• Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
• Wipe down the rims of the jar with a clean lint-free cloth or paper towel and place the 2 piece lids on your jars and tighten them to just finger tight. Don’t over-tighten because the air needs to get out.
• Place jars into your steam canner.
• Place the lid on top of the steam canner. 
• When you see steam coming out of your canner then start timing for 45 minutes for quarts.
• When the timer goes off let the canner rest for 10 minutes. 
• Remove hot jars with the bottle lifter / Jar tongs onto a flat surface like the countertop with several layers of folded towels to protect the surface. 
• Leave a space between each jar.  Let cool for 24 hours without disturbing
• Label jars with date and what it is and store them in a cool, dark place. 

Pressure Canning Crushed Tomatoes

1. Begin filling the quart jars leaving a 1/2 inch from the top.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar.
3. Use a butter knife or debubbling tool to gently move around the crushed tomatoes and release the air.
4. Wipe down the rim of your jars to make sure there are no particles left on top.
5. Heat your pressure canner, once hot turn off the heat, and begin loading your canner. Make sure you have a rack at the bottom of your canner to prevent your jars from breaking. Place the lid on the canner and secure it. Every pressure canner is a little different so check the instructions for yours.
6. Make sure you don’t have a jiggler or weight on the top of your canner while you are starting, you want the pressure to build up and push the air out.
7. Turn the heat back on and check your canner about every 5 minutes for a steady stream of steam. Set the timer for 10 minutes and let it sit. Once the time is up place your weight (Check how much weight you need to use for your elevation) or jiggler on top of the canner.
8. Follow the directions that go with your pressure canner to bring the temperature/poundage up. Keep a close eye on your canner while you bring the pressure up. Process pint jars for 1 hour 15 minutes, or quarts 1 hour 30 minutes.
9. Once they have finished turn the heat off under your canner and let the canner cool down naturally. DO NOT REMOVE THE WEIGHT, just leave it be until the pressure has reached zero. Remove your weight, and wait 10 more minutes. Then open your canner and remove the jars to a draft-free location for 18-24 hours to finish cooling down.
10. Once they are cool label and date your jars and store them in a dark pantry until use. If necessary you can also wash the outside of your jars.

How Long Do Canned Tomatoes Last?

Canned tomatoes will last at least 18-24 months, though they are usually still good long after a year. Just check the seal, and use your judgement about them. 

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Canning Crushed Tomatoes

Print

Can your tomato harvest for the winter for delicious tomatoes all year.

Ingredients

• 74 Cups Whole Tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Cup Onion Powder
• 1/4 Cup Dried Oregano
• 3/4 Cup Celtic Sea Salt

Instructions

Wash tomatoes in a sink full of water and 5 drops of GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract).
Dip tomatoes in batches into boiling water, leave them until the skin begins to crack and remove them to a bowl to cool. Continue until all tomatoes have been dipped in the water.
Begin skinning tomatoes (don't throw away the skins just put them in a separate bowl)
Once tomatoes are skinned core them and then blend them.
Pour the tomatoes into a big stockpot, then add garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt and heat.
Wash quart jars and place them in the oven in a roasting pan 1/3 to 1/2 full of water at the lowest temperature you can set it on.
Heat lids in a saucepan (do not boil), leave the jars and lids in water until ready to use.
Fill boiling-water canner half full, put the jar rack in the canner, and boil.
Instructions:
Begin filling the quart jars leaving a 1/2 inch from the top,
Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Place a new canning lid on the jar top, screw the ring on top (don't over tighten the ring), and put the jars into the boiling water in the canner.
Water should be 2" over your jars when you have them all in.
Once full put the lid on top and set the timer for 45 minutes.
When finished, remove your jars to a thickly toweled flat surface and allow them to cool.
Check the lids to make sure they have sealed properly if the lids pop up and down when you push on them they didn't seal properly- just put those ones in the fridge.
Wipe down the outsides of the jars and lids with a damp washcloth.
Label, date, and store out of the sunlight.

We hope that these three tutorials for canning crushed tomatoes equipped you and made you feel confident enough to tackle canning your own crushed tomatoes for the first time. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Before you go check out these other preserving and canning recipes:

• The Best Homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
• Best Copycat Rotel Tomatoes and Chilies Recipe
• How To Can Beef Stew For Beginners
• 11 Must-Have Canning Supplies
• The Best Homemade Ketchup Recipe

Canning And Preserving Videos:

• Pickled Okra
• Canning Carrots
• Canning Beef Stew
• How To Can Raw Packed Beef
• Preserving Cabbage