The absolute easiest way to can tomatoes! This step-by-step photo tutorial will show you how to can tomatoes in no time. No peeling, no coring- just cut out the stem and dice them up. It’s super easy, plus if you grow your own tomatoes, it’s a big money saver too!
I started canning diced tomatoes several years ago after having an “aha moment” one evening while preparing dinner. As I was opening a can of diced tomatoes that I needed for the recipe I was making, I suddenly wondered why in the world I never tried canning them myself. I mean how hard could it be?
I grew up helping my mom can tomato juice and tomato chunks. And every year since we’ve been married, I’ve canned tomato juice as well as things like salsa and marinara sauce, so I was quite familiar with the process of canning tomatoes.
I decided to give it a try and it worked like a charm! It was not only super simple, it has also saved me from needing to buy diced tomatoes from the store.
How do you can tomatoes? Let me help you learn the process!
Supplies for Canning Tomatoes
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- Tomatoes, salt and bottled lemon juice
- Dishpan or containers to put the tomatoes in
- Knife (This one is my favorite for slicing tomatoes!)
- Cutting board (The groove on this one is awesome because it catches the juice, creating less mess.)
- Vidalia Chop Wizard (Not a necessity, but you can dice the tomatoes in about half the time if you use it.)
– This gadget is also awesome for dicing tomatoes, onions, and peppers for salsa and potatoes and carrots for soups. - Wide Funnel
- Damp cloth to wipe jar rims
- Water Bath Canner (or this Canning Rack may work depending on what size pot you already own)
- Canning jars with lids and rings
- Jar lifter
- Old towels or rags to set the hot jars on
How to Can Diced Tomatoes- a step-by-step tutorial
1. Wash tomatoes thoroughly.
Cut out the stem and any defects or blemishes.
Some people also peel the tomatoes, but I never do and we honestly have not noticed the peelings at all and I’m even funny about textures like that in food.
I figure, why bother with the extra step? Plus it’s a bit healthier too!
2. Cut up the tomatoes.
Slice tomatoes into about ½-inch thick slices, then dice them into whatever size you want. I love using the large dicing side of my Vidalia Chop Wizard for this!
3. Place diced tomatoes into a clean canning jar.
A funnel makes this super easy. Gently shake the jar to settle the tomatoes so that you can fill it completely.
The tomatoes should be packed tightly to produce enough juice. It won’t hurt if you press down on them a bit to get the jar packed full- in fact, this is probably going to be necessary.
The jar should be full to the base of the neck.
4. Add salt and bottled lemon juice.
For the salt, use ½ tsp. per pint and 1 tsp. per quart. You do not need to add salt when canning tomatoes, but I recommend it because I think it helps enhance the flavor.
For the lemon juice, use 1 Tbsp. per pint and 2 Tbsp. per quart.
Once the salt and lemon juice are added to the tomatoes, wipe the rim of each canning jar with a damp cloth to remove any tomato residue that may be there. (If there is even a slight bit of tomato juice on it, it may not allow it to seal properly.)
I updated the original post to include the instructions to add lemon juice after several readers commented and said that to be safe, you really should add it.
5. Prepare the canning lids. (This may be optional!)
Update: Some canning lid manufacturers now say that it’s not necessary to preheat the lids. So before doing this, check the instructions that came with the lids you are using.
Once you have 7 jars filled, place 7 metal canning lids in a small pan. Cover with water; bring to a boil.
When the water boils, use a fork or lid lifter to lift the jar lids out of the water and place them on the jars. Be careful not to burn yourself!
Secure each lid with a jar band/ring. (Heating the lids softens the rubber, allowing for a better seal.)
6. Place the filled jars of tomatoes in the canner.
Once jars are full and have the ring and lids on them, place them in the canner.
Then add hot water to the canner, enough to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover the canner with a lid. Turn the burner to medium-high heat.
Once the water starts to boil, reduce the heat slightly and process for 45 minutes, making sure the water is boiling gently and steadily the whole time. (You may need to adjust the heat to keep the boil going nicely, but as long as it is boiling, you are fine.)
7. Remove the jars of canned tomatoes.
After processing the canned tomatoes for 45 minutes, turn the burner off.
Remove jars using a jar lifter- you may want to have a dishrag in your other hand to catch any hot water that drips from the jars as you remove them- and place on an old towel, blanket or another padded surface. (This is to protect your counter from the super hot jars.)
Allow at least a little bit of air space around each jar, making sure not to have jars close enough to touch. Do not move until the jars are completely cool.
Jars should seal as they cool and you will typically hear a snap or pinging sound as the vacuum seal is formed. The lids will be slightly concave when sealed.
To test the seal, once the jar has totally cooled you can lightly tap the center of the cooled jar lid. If it is firm and does not move, it should be sealed. If it pushes in, it didn’t seal properly. You can still use unsealed jars, just put them in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible.
After the jars are completely cool, you can remove the rings. Jars should be wiped clean before storing them.
Enjoy!
HELPFUL TIP: 1 pint of canned diced tomatoes is equivalent to 1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes.
Other canning recipes you might also enjoy:
How to Can Diced Tomatoes
Equipment
- Dishpan or containers to put the tomatoes in
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Vidalia Chop Wizard (Not a necessity, but you can dice the tomatoes in about half the time if you use it.)
- Wide Funnel
- Damp rag to wipe tops of jars
- Canner
- Canning jars with lids and rings
- Jar lifter
- Old towel, blanket or other padded surface to put hot jars on
Ingredients
- fresh tomatoes (approximately 2 3/4 lb. for 1 quart jar)
- salt (1 tsp. per quart or 1/2 tsp. per pint)
- bottled lemon juice (2 tbsp. per quart or 1 tbps. per pint)
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Cut out the stem and any defects or blemishes. Some people also peel the tomatoes, but I never do and we honestly have not noticed the peelings at all- and I’m even funny about textures like that in food. I figure why bother with the extra step, plus it’s a bit healthier too!
- Slice tomatoes into about ½ inch thick slices, then dice them into whatever size you want. I love using the large dicing side of my Vidalia Chop Wizard for this!
- Place diced tomatoes into a clean canning jar- a funnel makes this super easy. Gently shake jar to settle tomatoes so that you can fill it completely. The tomatoes should be packed tightly in order to produce enough juice. It won't hurt if you press down on them a bit to get the jar packed full- in fact, this is probably going to be necessary. The jar should be full to the base of the neck.
- Add salt (½ tsp. per pint and 1 tsp. per quart) and bottled lemon juice (1 Tbsp. per pint and 2 Tbsp. per quart). Wipe rim of each jar with a damp cloth to remove any tomato residue that may be there. (If there is even a slight bit of tomato juice on it, it may not allow it to seal properly.)
- Update: Some canning lid manufacturers now say that it's not necessary to preheat the lids. So before doing this, check the instructions that came with the lids you are using. Once you have 7 jars filled, place 7 metal canning lids in a small pan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Once the water boils, use a fork or lid lifter to lift the jar lids out of the water- be careful not to burn yourself!- and place them on the jars. Secure each lid with a jar band/ring. (Heating the lids softens the rubber, allowing for a better seal.)
- Place 7 jars in canner. Fill with enough hot water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover canner with a lid. Turn the burner on medium high heat. Once water starts to boil, reduce heat slightly and process for 45 minutes, making sure the water is boiling gently and steadily the whole time. (You may need to adjust heat to keep the boil going nicely, but really, as long as it is boiling, you are fine.)
- After processing for 45 minutes, turn the burner off. Remove jars using jar lifter- you may want to have a dishrag in your other hand to catch any hot water that drips from the jars as you remove them- and place on an old towel, blanket or another padded surface. (This is to protect your counter from the super hot jars.) Allow at least a little bit of air space around each jar, making sure not to have jars close enough to touch. Do not move until jars are completely cool.
- Jars should seal as they cool and you will typically hear a snap or pinging sound as the vacuum seal is formed. Lids will be slightly concave when sealed. To test the seal, once jar has totally cooled, lightly tap the center of the cooled jar lid. If it is firm and does not move, it should be sealed. If it pushes in, it didn’t seal properly. You can still use unsealed jars, just put them in the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible.
- After jars are completely cool, you can remove the rings. Jars should be wiped clean before storing them.
Leslie Celia
I just cannned 7 jars of tomatoes, making sure I packed them in the jars tightly. After I took them out and let them cool, all the tomatoes have floated to the top leaving at least an inch of clear liquid at the bottom. What happened? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
Lydia Beiler
It’s fairly common for that to happen, Leslie. The liquid is merely the juice from the tomatoes. This especially tends to happen if a juicier variety of tomato is used. I’ve had it happen less often when I used tomatoes grown in a greenhouse (they are firmer) or Roma tomatoes (also firmer). In the future, if you are using very ripe, juicy tomatoes and want to try to avoid the liquid at the bottom, you can drain a bit of the juice off as you are packing the jars. I hope that helps!
Justina
Do you actually cover the jars with water completely for boiling?? I always thought it was supposed to be about an inch or two underneath the rims of the lids.
Lydia Beiler
When my mom taught me to can years ago, she taught me to just fill the canner until the jars are barely covered. However, the current recommendation by the National Center for Home Food Preservation is to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. My understanding is that this helps prevent liquid loss from the jars as well as ensures a better seal.
Debi
This is first canning diced tomatoes. Is it normal to have liquid on the bottom of the jar. The top of the jars look dry, is that normal.
Lydia Beiler
Yes, it’s fairly common for that to happen, Debi. They should be fine. The liquid is merely the juice from the tomatoes. This especially tends to happen if a juicier variety of tomato is used. I’ve had it happen less often when I used tomatoes grown in a greenhouse (they are firmer) or Roma tomatoes (also firmer). In the future, if you are using very ripe, juicy tomatoes and want to try to avoid the liquid at the bottom, you can drain a bit of the juice off as you are packing the jars.
DEBRA L RYAN
When I put them in the water bath should the water already be boiling or just hot?
Lydia Beiler
Hey Debbie, the water should just be hot. Take a look at step #6 of the recipe for a more detailed explanation of that process.
Christine
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe! It made canning our tomatoes very easy. I have a question. My finish product has some canned tomato “debris” on the inside of the neck, apart from the filling. Could that be a place where bacteria could grow, or since it sealed perfectly it wouldn’t be a problem? TIA!!!
Lydia Beiler
So glad you enjoyed using this recipe to can tomatoes, Christine! As long as the “debris” is on the inside of the jar and the jar was processed for the correct amount of time and is sealed tightly, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Christine
Thank you for your quick response and for giving me some peace of mind. Check! Check! Can’t wait to use them.
Carrie W
Hi Lydia, I am excited to try canning diced tomatoes. I saw in another comment that you do not have to boil the tomatoes first. Do the jars need to be hot, similar to other canning recipes, before I place the tomatoes in the jar? And, is the 1/2″ head space measured down from the rim, or the curved neck of the jar? Thanks!
Lydia Beiler
No, the jars don’t need to be hot. And the 1/2 in. headspace is measured down from the rim of the jar. Happy canning, Carrie!