This Homemade Tomato Juice tastes similar to V8 but is SO much better! Delicious served as a beverage but can also be used in recipes or as a soup base!
Homemade tomato juice is possibly the best thing ever. It tastes so much better than V8 Juice and probably a lot better for you since you know exactly what is in it… plus it has a lot less sodium. I am not even kidding, this stuff is like liquid gold at our house. Even the kids love drinking it! I like it best drinking it ice cold but also using it in recipes and as a tomato base in soups (seriously, yum).
If you are looking to make a LOT of juice (which I like to make at least 25 quarts at a time) you will want to save yourself some frustration by getting a Tomato Strainer. THIS is the EXACT one that I use. I also have the little attachments, seen here. This will save you lots of time having to press everything by hand through a colander. I have seen cheaper ones on Amazon and even one that attaches to a Kitchen Aid— I am sure all of them are great (I am really tempted by the Kitchen Aid one because you don’t have to manually turn the crank.. if I cave and get it I will let you know). Anything that keeps you from having to do extra work is a winner in my book.
More Canning Recipes
This is one of my favorite tomato canning recipes, directly from our mom. If you are looking for even MORE ways to use those beautiful garden tomatoes of yours, try our canned salsa and/or our canned spaghetti sauce!
Ingredients
- Tomatoes 3 1/4 lbs. per quart or 23 lbs per canner load of 7 quarts
- water approx. 1/4 c. to 1 c.
Per Quart of Juice:
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. onion salt
- 1/4 tsp. celery salt
Instructions
- Wash, core and remove blemishes from tomatoes.
- Cut into small sections.
- In a large stock pot, add tomatoes and very little water (at most 1 cup).
- Bring to a boil.
- Put through colander to remove seeds and skin (see above notes for tips).
- Discard seeds and skin.
- Return juice to the stock pot and bring to a boil again, adding salt, onion salt, and celery salt according to how many quarts of juice you have yielded.
- If canning, pour into sterilized jars leaving about 1/2" air space at the top.
- Discard seeds, and skin.
Shelley says
Because tomatoes are a borderline low-acid food you need to acidify the tomato juice with lemon juice or citric acid before you waterbath can the quarts to safeguard against botulism. To each quart of tomato juice add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid. Then process them for 40 minutes in a WB canner….not 25. (Depending on your altitude.) Here’s a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s directions. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_03/tomato_juice.html
Jeanine says
Can you just put the lemon juice in the whole pot while you cook it before you water bath it
Erica says
You probably could– just by putting them in each jar you know there is enough acid in each individual jar.
Judy C Donahue says
I use a Tomato Juicer and you don’t loose anything. It is quick and separates pulp etc. Much much quicker
Margie Herrold says
We used a strainer like yours called a Squeezo for years. My husband was always trying to figure our how to motorize it because sometimes we would do 5 or more gallons at a time. We finally got the attachment for my Kitchenaid. It is great but does not have a screen fine enough for blackberries. We wore our first attachment out. The bushing wears out and allows the juice to flow back into the mixer. Looks like leaking grease. Hubby used directions found on Pinterest to dismantle and clean mixer. We never cook our tomatoes first. Do raw, then bring to a boil in pot. We only add salt but will try the onion salt and celery salt. Throw in a tobasco pepper before you seal and let age if you want it spicy. In your directions you say throw away the pulp. That comes through the screen with the juice. You are just throwing away the skin and seeds. Throw those in the garden for a great crop of volunteer tomato plants next year (if you did not precook). We use an heirloom Roma type tomato for lots of pulp.
Erica says
Thank you so much for your comment, especially about the Kitchen Aid attachment… very good to know! Also, thank you for spotting that typo– I will fix it now!
Susan says
I am making your spaghetti sauce right at this moment. I have processed my tomatoes with my Kitchenaid vegetable / fruit strainer. Your recipe says for 25 lbs of tomatoes. I have no clue how many lbs I used. I just haul them in from the garden and processed them. Do you know how many gallons is 25 lbs of tomatoes?
Emily says
Generally 1 lb is about 2 cups (16 oz.)
Mindy says
When you say process for 25 minutes, are you talking about processing in a pressure cooker or a water bath?
Erica says
Water bath or steam… pressure cooker would be different (I don’t know how different because I don’t have a pressure cooker … :/ )
Garry says
Boil for how long
Erica says
You just need to bring it to a boil each time. Once it is boiling (even as you stir it), it should be up to the right temperature. Hope this helps!
megan says
Processing is referring to the sterilization of the jars?
Erica says
You will want to clean and sterilize the jars first– “processing” is so the lids seal onto the jars, making it safe for long-term storage.
Adam says
Thanks for sharing, I realy enjoyed this recipe
Ana says
I just read the instructions but you didn’t mention if you waterbath canned this or pressure can. And for how long.
Favorite Family Recipes says
We usually only water bath or steam bath. It takes about 40 minutes to process each batch. Hope this helps!
Marilyn Thompson says
I canned tomato juice but ended up with the juice at the bottom and tomato pulp at the top. This has never happened to me in over 40 years of making juice. With the hurricane I had to use tomatoes I purchased and not the ones from the garden. A few of them were bruised but I cut all the bruised part completely out. About five quarts actually had white stuff at the top. I did everything just the way you have in your recipe and this has never happened before. When I shook the jars up all the junk settled back down in the jar and the white disappeared. I opened a pint and everything smells fine. I am actually scared to taste of it. Any suggestions or should I just throw them all away. The first cooking that I did some of the jars were okay. The last cooking all of them looked bad.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hi Marilyn– I have never experienced white stuff when canning tomatoes before. I’m not sure how to advise you there. :/ However, I have done a batch or two where it has separated a little bit– nothing drastic but I have definitely seen a little separation. That is nothing to be worried about. If it separates, we just shake it really well before opening and it is fine. The white stuff though..? I’m not sure. I don’t know if that is from the tomatoes or contamination or what? If it were me I would err on the side of caution and probably toss out those ones. Hope this helps!