3 Great Recipes to Can Tomato Juice at Home (2024)

If you’ve got a craving for tomato juice, then this is the right article for you. Whether you need it for a recipe with canned tomato juice, or want to enjoy it with a few ice cubes, tomato juice can be useful to have in your kitchen. If you wish you had it on hand year-round, then learning about canning tomato juice is the first step!

Not only is tomato juice delicious, but it is also very good for you! Tomato juice is high in potassium, vitamin C, and B vitamins.

It may also help reduce inflammation and lower your risk of heart disease thanks to its antioxidants, making it a healthy, nutrient-rich drink. It is also very versatile, since you can add it to soups, juices, chili, and include in your recipe when you’re canning tomato sauce.

In this article, we’ll guide you through our favorite tomato juice recipes and give you step-by-step instructions on how to can and preserve tomato juice to enjoy all year long.

Can Tomato Juice at Home

There are so many different ways of storing tomatoes that it can be difficult to choose a single method. You can preserve tomatoes by canning, freezing, drying, making sauce, and more. Making tomato juice is just one idea among many.

Not only is it fun to make your own tomato juice, but you also know exactly what goes into it. Canning produce for use at home is a time-honored task that most of our ancestors took for granted.

Now, it’s time for you to learn how to can tomato juice. If you have experience canning spaghetti sauce or canning tomatoes themselves, then you’ll have no problem!

For an extra kick to your tomato juice, and if you know how to can peppers, add a spicy pepper or two to your tomato mixture. It’ll be delicious for a nice Bloody Mary or will put a little more pep in your step when you drink it first thing in the morning.

Canning Tomato Juice

Sanitize your jars first. The easiest method is to put them in the dishwasher, where the water bath processing gets them clean and sanitized.

Even without a dishwasher, you can wash your jars in soap and hot water. Rinse them and put them in boiling water for 10 minutes, keeping the jars in hot water while you’re making your juice.

Clean the jar lids by placing them in a pan of hot, but not boiling, water for 10 minutes. Be sure to sanitize your jars either immediately before, or while you’re making tomato juice.

Fill hot jars with homemade tomato juice. Leave at least ½ inch headspace in the jar. Wipe off the rim and then add the lid.

Place the jar in a boiling water canner. A boiling water bath is exactly what it sounds like, a large pot filled with boiling water. Your water bath canner must be full enough that the jars are submerged with 1 to 2 inches of water above the lids.

For pint jars, the processing time (the amount of time the cans sit in the water bath) is 35 minutes. Quart jars require 40 minutes, though you must adjust the processing time for higher altitudes.

For pints, the processing time is 40 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 45 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, and 50 minutes for above 6,000 feet. For quarts, the time increases by 5 minutes according to the same altitude ranges.

Once the jars have finished processing, lift them out of the water bath and place them on a towel to cool. Once the jars are at room temperature, press the center of the lid to ensure they are sealed.

If the top pops up and down, then it isn’t sealed. If it hasn’t sealed, then you should put that jar of tomato juice in the fridge and drink it before it goes bad!

Pressure Canning Tomato Juice

Another method of processing your juice is with a pressure canner. Pressure canning tomato juice is much quicker, and instead of adjusting processing time by minutes, it is the number of tomatoes you use to make your juice that varies by altitude (..).

If you live at 2,000 feet altitude or below and are using a dial-gauge pressure canner, use 6 pounds of tomatoes to make your juice. If you live at 2,001 to 4,000 feet, use 7 pounds, 8 pounds for 4,001 to 6,000 feet, and 9 pounds for above 6,000 feet. The processing time for a pint or quart is 20 minutes.

Canning Tomato Juice for Preserving

By canning tomato juice you’re making sure you have a constant supply of this delicious drink. Once your jars of tomato juice cool, they are ready for storing. You don’t need a refrigerator or freezer for this, but it is best if you place jars of tomato juice in a dry, cool place where there is no direct sunlight.

Unopened, canned tomato juice lasts up to 12 months. However, it will likely start to darken and become runnier after about six months, so it will taste best if you use it in the first six months.

Easy to Make Tomato Juice Recipes

Here, we outline some delicious recipes to make your own tomato juice at home. However, it’s important to note that you can preserve all kinds of produce to enjoy during the winter months when the weather outside is less than perfect. Canning fresh beets is just as simple as canning tomato juice or tomato sauce, and so are pears and peaches. Experiment with canning a variety of fruits and veggies to eat all year.

Basic Tomato Juice Recipe

This tomato juice recipe uses only two ingredients, but it still packs a lot of flavor!

You can make this recipe using only tomatoes, but we recommend using at least a teaspoon of salt since it acts as a preservative. Wash tomatoes, core them and put them in a large stockpot.

Bring tomatoes to a rolling boil on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, so they don’t burn. To help the boiling process, you can use a potato masher on the first few tomatoes to squish out some juice.

Once the tomatoes have boiled, ladle them into a food mill. Grind out the hot juice into a pot. Throw out the pulp and return the hot liquid to the stockpot. Return it to a boil and add salt. Can tomato juice according to the directions.

Zesty Tomato Juice Recipe

This is another easy recipe that only requires two ingredients, though this will make a tomato juice that has a little extra flavor.

Cut tomatoes one pound at a time and place the sliced tomato into a pot on the stove to avoid juice separation. If you don’t mind your juice separating, you cut tomato quarters and put them in a larger pot all at once.

Heat tomatoes until they’re boiling, crushing with a potato masher to get out the juice. Slowly add more fresh tomato quarters. Once all the pieces are in the pot, let the mixture simmer for five minutes.

Crush the remaining parts, heat, and let it simmer for five more minutes. Pour the hot mixture through a food mill or sieve and heat juice once more until boiling.

Add lemon juice to empty canning jars before pouring in the tomato juice. Put in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint. If you’re canning tomato juice in a quart jar, use 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Seasoned Tomato Juice Recipe

This delicious recipe with canned tomato juice uses some extra seasoning to give your canned tomato juice even more kick!

Wash and core the tomatoes before cutting them into small sections. Put tomato pieces into a large pot and add no more than 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil and then run the hot tomato mix through a food mill or colander.

Throw out the leftover skins and seeds. Return the hot tomato juice to the pot and bring to a boil again. Add the salt, celery and onion salt to the mix. The seasoning you put in depends on how much juice you are making. This recipe makes about 7 quarts.

Now that you know all the secrets to canning tomato juice at home start exploring other items to preserve. Whether your next step is canning whole tomatoes or you want to stick to juice, you now know how to fill your pantry.

We hope you found a tomato canning recipe that works for you! If you found this homemade tomato juice canning guide helpful, share these home canning tips with your friends!