Canned Tomatoes Recipe

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Canning tomatoes is a Slavic specialty. These babies are so good with hot mashed potatoes or plov. Don’t these pictures give you fuzzy feelings? I can’t help but think about my Mom’s “pomedori” (tomatoes).

My Mom and Aunt Tanya collaborated to give me this recipe. I’m so excited to get this tomato canning tutorial recorded and to share it with you all. Canning tomatoes was way easier than I imagined it would be and I’ve included some time saving tips!!

This recipe yields six quart-sized jars of canned tomatoes. You can easily double everything if you have a ridiculous amount of tomatoes. Happy canning!

Ingredients for Canning Tomatoes (recipe updated Aug 2024): 

6 lbs small tomatoes (1 lb per jar). Pick small tomatoes that fit through the mouths of your jars
10 cups water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
3 Tbsp non-iodized salt (we used fine sea salt)
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2″ strips
1/2 Tbsp peppercorns, divided
6 dill flowers
6 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves,  chopped
Horseradish Leaf (optional), torn into 6 pieces

Pro Tip: When canning tomatoes, the National Center of Home Food Preservation has guidelines on proper acidification for canning tomatoes. If you are going to substitute vinegar, please see their Canning Tomatoes Guidelines.

Home Canning Tools:

• You’ll need 6 (quart-sized) canning jars with new lids.
• Large Stock Pot (20Qt+) with Rack (or purchase a canner)
• Jar lifter to safely transfer the jars

How To Make Canned Tomatoes:

To Sterilize Jars:

Preheat oven to 215˚F.
Wash all of your jars and lids with soap and warm water.
Place jars in the oven on the bottom rack for 20 minutes or until completely dry. Boil lids to sterilize them.

To make the Syrup:

1. In a large pot, combine water. Add salt, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a boil until salt and sugar are dissolved.

Filling your Jars:

1. Divide your sliced bell pepper, peppercorns, dill, bay and horseradish leaves (if using), among six quart-sized jars.

2. Add washed tomatoes and pack them in as tightly as you can without squishing them. Pour boiling hot syrup over your tomatoes.

I re-used the jar lids and then I come to find out that this is a big no-no in the canning world :-O, so as a rule, don’t use old, deformed or dented lids or ones that have gaps or defects in the sealing gasket. ALWAYS BUY NEW LIDS!

3. Screw the lids on enough to keep a tight seal in place but don’t over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.

Current Canning Guidelines:

Get up to date on the most recent canning guidelines here. It’s a great resource to answer frequently asked canning questions. Current guidelines recommend:

1. Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes.
2. Remove from the pot and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal.
3. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid – it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate tomatoes and enjoy within 3 months.

Signs of Spoiled Canned Food:

With any type of canning, we follow this advice: “When in doubt, throw it out”
Discard and do not eat or taste any canned food if you notice any of the following:

• the jar is leaking, bulging, or swollen
• the jar looks damaged, cracked, or abnormal
• the jar spurts foam or liquid upon opening
• the canned food is discolored, moldy, mushy, slimy, or smells bad

Canned Tomatoes Recipe

4.58 from 19 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

These canned tomatoes are so good with hot mashed potatoes or plov. This recipe yields six quart-sized jars of canned tomatoes. You can easily cut everything in half and make just 3 jars if you don't have a ridiculous amount of tomatoes. Store at room temp or cooler for up to a year.

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Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 6 lbs tomatoes, 1 lb per jar*
• 10 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups white vinegar, (5% acidity)
• 3 Tbsp non-iodized salt, we used fine sea salt
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 1/2" strips
• 1/2 Tbsp peppercorns, 5 per jar
• 6 dill flowers
• 6 bay leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 horseradish leaf, (optional), torn into 6 pieces

Instructions

To Sterilize Jars:

• Preheat oven to 215˚F. Wash all of your jars and lids with soap and warm water. Place jars in the oven on the bottom rack for 20 minutes or until completely dry. Boil lids to sterilize them.

To make the brine:

• In a large pot, combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.

Filling your Jars:

• Wash and prep all vegetables. Divide your sliced bell pepper, peppercorns, dill, bay leaves, garlic and horseradish leaves (if using), among six quart-sized jars.
• Add tomatoes and pack them in as tightly as you can without squishing them. Pour boiling hot brine over your tomatoes.
• Screw the lids on enough to keep the seal in place but don't over-tighten them since air bubbles need to be able to escape.
• Place packed cans into the canning pot and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot with jar lifter and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid - it should not move at all. If the seal does not form, refrigerate tomatoes and enjoy within 3 months.

Notes

*Pick small tomatoes that fit through the mouth of the jar. You can fit more tomatoes in the jar if they are smaller. 

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Course: Condiments, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Canned Tomatoes

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $

Recipe updated Sept 2019. The water to vinegar ratio is based on the Ball Blue Book Grape Tomatoes recipe. We also updated canning process instructions to reflect new canning standards.