Canned Crushed Tomatoes Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Canned Crushed Tomatoes Recipe

How to jar tomatoes using a classic recipe that includes ripe tomatoes, lemon juice, and salt. Once water-bathed and sealed, the tomatoes are shelf-stable for at least 12-18 months. See the notes to adjust this recipe to your required batch size.

Course Preserves

Cuisine American, British, European

Keyword tomatoes

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Processing time 35

Total Time 1 15

Servings pints

Calories 32kcal

Author Tanya Anderson

Cost $5

Equipment

Ingredients

9 lbs ripe tomatoes 4.1 kg
6 TBSP bottled lemon juice or 1.5 tsp citric acid
3 tsp canning salt or additive-free sea salt - optional
6 basil leaves optional

Instructions

Prepare the jars

Follow these steps to clean and heat the jars so that they don't crack during processing.
Remove the lids and rings, then place the empty canning jars on a rack at the bottom of a water bath canner. If you don't have one, you can also use a large, tall pot with a layer of spare canning lid rings on the bottom. The idea is to protect the bottom of the jars from direct heat, and I even used an old folded towel, and that works fine, too.
Fill the pot with enough water to fill the jars and cover them. Then, heat the water to a gentle simmer—do not boil. Leave the jars in the simmering water until you need to fill them.
Wash the lids in warm, soapy water, then rinse and set them aside until later. The rings don't need to be washed and should just be set to one side.

Skin the tomatoes

Tomato skins can give homemade crushed tomatoes a weird texture or bitter flavor. So, first clean the fresh fruit and remove the skins. Rinse off any soil or dust, then drop the tomatoes into a pot of boiling water a few at a time. Leave them there for 30-60 seconds or until you see the skins begin to split.
Use a slotted spoon to lift the tomatoes from the boiling water, then plunge them into a sink or basin filled with very cold water.
When they’re cool to the touch, you can easily slip their skins off with your fingers.*
Remove the cores from the skinned tomatoes, scoop out as many seeds as you can, then roughly chop them.

Cook the tomatoes

Scoop two to three cups of chopped tomatoes into a preserving pan and bring them to a boil on medium-high heat. As they begin to heat up, crush them with a potato masher.
Add the remaining tomatoes to the pan and bring them to a boil. Once bubbling, cook for five minutes. They'll soften and break down as they cook, but you can mash them with the potato masher if you wish.

Fill the jars

Use the jar lifter to carefully remove a jar from the simmering water. Tilt the jar to gently pour the hot water back into the pan. Set the jar on the kitchen counter.
Add one basil leaf (optional) and 1 Tbsp lemon juice to the bottom of pint jars and double that amount for quarts. Then, using a preserving funnel, pack the crushed tomatoes into the jar, leaving 1/2″ headspace at the tops of the jars.
If you'd like to season your crushed tomatoes, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the top of each pint jar (1 tsp for quarts), then clean the jar rim with a damp cloth. Salt is optional, though.
Place the lid on the jar and twist the screw-band until finger-tight.**
Using the jar lifter, set the jar back in the hot water. Lift out the next jar and repeat this process until all the jars are filled.

Canning the crushed tomatoes

The jars should all be back in the tall pot or water bath canner now, and the water should cover them by at least an inch. The jars can touch, but they shouldn't be crammed or wedged in the pot.
Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high. Bring the water inside to a rolling boil.
Once it reaches a boil, begin timing. In most places (elevations up to 1000ft), process pint jars for 35 minutes and quart jars for 45 minutes. Adjust for your altitude, though.***
After the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Leave the jars in the hot water for five minutes, then lift each out using the jar lifter. Set them on a clean, dry dish towel on the counter. Don't tighten the bands if you notice any that are loose—just leave them to cool for 12-24 hours.
After they've cooled, check each lid for a seal. They shouldn't flex when you push down in the middle, and they should not come loose if you try to take them off.
Label the jars and store them in a cool, dry place until you need them. If the seal is intact, the crushed tomatoes should store well for at least a year.

Notes

Although this recipe makes a specific number of jars, you can also adjust it to your needs. Each pint of homemade crushed tomatoes requires 1.5 lbs (680 g) of fresh tomatoes, 1 TBSP bottled lemon juice (or 1/4 tsp citric acid), 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 basil leaf (optional). Double those amounts if you're making quarts.

*The skins are delicious and can be used in other recipes. I usually dry them in a food dehydrator and then pulse them into tomato powder. This year I roasted the skins and then used them in a pasta sauce.

**This means as tight as you can turn it using the tips of your fingers only.

*** Water bath processing times
0–1,000 ft: pints 35 min/ quarts 45 min
1,001–3,000 ft: pints 40 min/ quarts 50 min
3,001–6,000 ft: pints 45 min/ quarts 55 min
Above 6,000 ft: pints 50 min/ quarts 60 min

Nutrition