Tomato juice is a staple in our pantry for so many reasons! It’s so very versatile, and it makes it into so many recipes in my kitchen. Although we use it year round, it is extremely important to me to have plenty of this on hand for the winter months to make soups and other cozy, savory dishes! If you are like us, you probably have a lot of tomatoes in your garden. Or maybe you picked up more than you can eat fresh from the farmer’s market or grocery store. Whatever the case, you can learn how to make canned tomato juice using a blender by following this easy step by step tutorial.
Items You Will Need For Your Canned Tomato Juice
- Tomatoes
- Salt
- Water
- Large Stock Pot
- Tea Kettle OR Medium Sauce Pan
- Small Sauce Pan
- Canning Jars, Lids, & Rings
- Wash Cloth
- Water Bath Canner
- Towels
- Canning Jar Lifter
- Wide Mouth Funnel
- Blender
A Few Notes On The Supplies
I’m sure you already have most of these supplies in your kitchen, such as the different sized stock pots, towels and wash cloths, and the blender.
However, if you’re new to canning, you may need to purchase some of the products. When looking for canning jars, I recommend going with a Ball or Mason brand canning jar. Always use new lids to ensure a good seal.
The wide mouth funnel and canning jar lifter will come in most beginner canning kits. The water bath canner is a must for this tutorial, but thankfully they range from relatively inexpensive ($25) to a little higher end ($150).
A Few Notes On The Ingredients
The Tomatoes
You may be wondering, what kind of tomatoes should I use? This is honestly preference. Different tomato varieties will give different flavors of juice, each good and unique in their own way.
My favorite tomato for making canned tomato juice in the blender is Roma Tomatoes. This is for a few reasons. First, I love the flavor of Roma tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are a good balance of sweet and tangy flavor, and are perfect for many of the savory dishes I like to make.
Roma tomatoes have small seeds that disintegrate nicely in the blending process. Lastly, Roma tomatoes are have denser flesh and fewer seeds than many other types of tomatoes making them a perfect choice for this tomato juice.
All of that is not to say that Roma tomatoes are the only choice for this recipe. In fact, any tomato could be used following the exact same steps resulting in a delicious juice. Keep in mind that the flavor of your juice will mimic the flavor of your tomato. Go with a tomato flavor that you love, and you’re sure to love your home canned tomato juice just as much!
The Salt
While any salt would work for this recipe, keep in mind that not all salts are created equal. There are so many different types of salt and just as many opinions on which type is best.
Some of the most common salts include table salt, iodized salt, sea salt, kosher salt, and Himalayan salt.
My personal favorite for anything from canning to cooking to baking is sea salt. Sea salt is a natural product that is loaded with trace minerals and overall healthy (in the proper amounts) for your body. For this reason, I choose sea salt every time in the kitchen!
Canned Tomato Juice Using A Blender Process
Preparing And Blending The Tomatoes
To start the process of canning your tomato juice, you of course, want to begin with good clean tomatoes. If you just picked them from your garden, or even if you’ve purchased them, rinse them several times in cool water to remove any dirt or debris. Also Pick off any pieces of stem that are still attached.
Next, you will need to remove the section where the stem was. I like to do this by slicing the tomato in half leaving the stem section completely on one side. Then simply cut a small sliver off the top of the stem half to remove the small stem section.
In addition to removing the stem section, remove any blemished places on the tomato. Remove as little of the tomato as possible, but only keep healthy looking tomato pieces. Continue with all the rest of your tomatoes and place them in your blender as you work. Once you blender is full, blend the tomatoes on high speed for a couple minutes to fully blend every bit of the tomato pieces.
Depending on how many tomatoes you have, you may need to do this in batches. As you blend your tomatoes, add them to a large stock pot.
Once all the tomatoes are blended and in the stock pot, place the stock pot over medium heat and allow to come to a soft boil.
Preparing The Jars, Lids, Rings, And Canner
While the tomatoes are coming to a boil, prepare the jars, lids, rings, and canner. Begin by thoroughly washing the jars and rings in hot soapy water. Also wash the canner if needed.
Set the jars aside until you are ready to sterilize them. In the meantime, fill the water bath canner. The amount of water you use will depend on the number of jars you intend to water bath. If only water bathing a few jars, you will need more water than if you have a full load.
However many jars you are canning, you will need the tops of the jars to be covered with water. So use your judgement when deciding how much to fill the canner. If you find that your jars aren’t covered when you place them in the canner, no big deal! You can add some more later, but it’s best to have the water as close to a boil as possible when you add your jars. Place the canner on the stove top over high heat, and place the lid on top.
Next, it’s time to sterilize the jars and lids. To sterilize the jars, simple boil some water in a sauce pan or tea kettle. Fill the jars halfway with the boiling water, and let them sit until you’re ready to add the tomatoes. To sterilize the lids, fill a small sauce pan with water and bring just to a soft boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add the lids to the simmering water about 5 minutes before you are ready to place them on the jars.
Filling The Jars With Your Tomato Juice
At this point, the tomatoes are probably to the soft boil. But, they may not be quite ready. The tomato sauce is ready to go into the jars when the foam on the top has boiled away, and you are left with a more transparent brighter red juice.
Stir your juice so that the pulp is evenly distributed. One at a time, pour the boiling water our of your mason jars. Add your salt to the bottom of the jar.
Place your wide mouth funnel on top of the jar and ladle in the juice until there is about a quarter of an inch remaining before the jar narrows in at the top.
Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean damp cloth to remove any debris or pieces of salt. Gently place your canning lid on your canning jar and screw on the ring. Tighten the ring slightly. Repeat with the rest of your jars.
Water Bathing Your Tomato Juice
Once all your jars are filled, you water bath canner should be boiling. If it’s not quite to a boil, wait until it is. Once boiling, use your canning jar lifter to evenly place the jars in your water bath. Make sure the jars are sitting on the wire rack and not on the bottom of the canner! If the water does not come over the tops of the jars, add just enough more to cover. Place the lid back on the canner and wait for the water to start boiling.
Once the water is at a full boil again, begin timing. Set your timer for 40 minutes if using quarts and 35 minutes if using pints. After the 35-40 minutes, turn off the flame, remove the lid, and carefully remove the jars using the canning jar lifter. Place the jars on a dry towel.
Storing Your Canned Tomato Juice
Once the jars have cooled, you can remove the lids, date the jars, and store for several years until you’re ready to consume them.
If you’re interested in reading a little more about the safety of home canned goods, be sure to check out our post on canned green beans for more information!
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make canned tomato juice at home using a blender! If you found this post to be helpful be sure to leave a comment. Also, be sure to tag us on Instagram or Facebook if you decide to try this recipe!
Be sure to pin this recipe to your board of ideas for easy future reference!
Want to learn more about how to build a wholesome, self-sufficient, and handcrafted life? Check out some of these recent posts!
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Canned Tomato Juice
Learn how to make this simple and delicious home canned tomato juice using a blender! It's so perfect to have on hand over the winter months to add to soups and stews!
Ingredients
- 12 Quarts Roma Tomatoes
- 3-4 tsp Salt
- Water
Instructions
- Wash your tomatoes
- Cut the tomatoes in half then cut out the little piece where the stem was. Also cut off any blemishes.
- Add the tomatoes to a blender and blend for about 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato juice to a large stock pot and place on the stove at medium heat.
- Allow the tomatoes to come to a soft boil, and keep boiling until the foam at the top has almost completely boiled down.
- Fill a water bath canner about 2-3 full and place over high heat with the lid on.
- Allow the canner to come to a boil.
- While the tomatoes and the canner are coming to a boil, wash 7 mason jars and rings in hot soapy water.
- Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil.
- Fill a small sauce pan with water and bring to a simmer.
- Fill the mason jars halfway with the boiling water and let them rest until ready to fill.
- Place 7 new mason jar lids in the simmering water in the small sauce pan.
- One at a time, pour out the water from a mason jar and add a half tsp of salt.
- Ladle in the tomato juice into the jar, until there is about 1/4 inch of space left before the jar narrows.
- Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean wet cloth.
- Place the lid on top of the jar, and screw on the ring. Repeat with the other jars.
- Carefully place all the jars into your canner onto the wire rack.
- Make sure the water comes over the tops of all the jars.
- Place the lid back on the canner, and make sure the water is boiling.
- Process the jars for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, turn off the flame, and remove the jars with your canning jar lifter.
- Place on a dry towel and allow to cool.
- Remove the rings, and store in a cool dark place.
Notes
You will need a water bath canner for this recipe.
This amount of tomatoes makes approximately 7 quarts (a full canner load), but you may have a few too many or not enough depending on the size of the tomatoes.
You could also use pints for this recipe. Just half the amount of tomatoes, use only 1/4 tsp of salt, and process for 35 minutes.
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