Canning Whole Tomatoes in Water

Marie Overton
Feb 9, 2022
2 min read

Updated: Aug 13

Canning whole tomatoes in water is a great way to preserve them. This canning recipe and canning tutorial is very good for beginners and makes great use of the prolific garden yields that are so common with tomatoes. Once you have a pantry full of canned tomatoes you will have them the rest of the year to make many different recipes. Whole tomatoes canned in water are a great staple ingredient to have in your pantry.

How to Can and Preserve Whole Tomatoes

The following directions will make a 1-quart jar of canned Tomatoes. This makes it easy to multiply the recipe for the number of jars you want to add to your pantry.

Tomatoes submerged in ice water, surrounded by ice cubes. The red hues contrast with the white ice, creating a fresh, chilled mood.

blanch tomatoes

The first step is to blanch and peel 5-7 small tomatoes.

Hands placing tomatoes in jars on a counter. A person wears an apron with "Marie" text. A pitcher of liquid and a copper kettle are visible.

place tomatoes in the jar

Next, place your tomatoes into your hot quart jar.

Top the Tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per jar.

Using a jar funnel, fill the rest of the jar with boiling hot water. Leave a 1/2 inch headspace.

Use a wood chopstick or something similar to remove any trapped air bubbles.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.

(For quality, American made Superb canning lids and jars follow this link and use the coupon code WP20 to get 20% off your purchase.)

Process in a boiling water bath canner for 45 minutes if at sea level. (Remember to adjust your processing time if higher than 1000 feet elevation.)

Two jars of canned tomatoes and a pile of fresh Roma tomatoes sit on a wooden countertop in a kitchen setting, with soft lighting.

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

Remove jars from the canner and let them cool on a heat resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart so they can cool a little faster.

Allow them to sit undisturbed for 24 hours so that they can get a nice seal. You know they are sealed if the center of the lid is depressed down. If it is, remove the ring and wash off the outside with hot, soapy water. If any didn't seal, place them in the refrigerator and use them right away.

Place the sealed jars in a cool, dry, dark location and use them within the next 3 years. After that, the nutritional value begins to decrease.

If you have any questions about canning with the boiling water canner or how to adjust the pressure or processing time for altitude, take a look at our canning basics videos.