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Turn your fresh tomatoes into rich, flavorful homemade tomato juice with our easy to follow recipe. It’s perfect for canning and tastes so much better than store-bought juice.
Skip the Store Bought Tomato Juice
At our house, this stuff is like liquid gold. We drink it ice cold straight from the fridge, but I also save plenty to use as a base for soups, stews, sauces, and other recipes throughout the year. A simple blend of salt, onion salt, and celery salt gives it a traditional flavor (kind of like V8 but better), but you can easily customize it with pepper, basil, oregano, or your favorite seasonings. If you’ve never made your own tomato juice before, don’t worry. It’s surprisingly easy, and once you taste it, you’ll never look at store-bought tomato juice the same way again. I’m so excited for you to try it!
🩷Erica
Ingredients in Homemade Tomato Juice
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are all you need to make rich, flavorful tomato juice. It’s always a good idea to use nice, beefy, juicy varieties, but you almost can’t go wrong with any kind. Some of our favorites are Park’s Whoppers (these grow GREAT in our area, so this one is a favorite), Early Girl, Beefsteak, Better Boy, Celebrity, or Brandywine. Check your local nurseries to see what varieties grow best in your area.
- Water: A small amount of water helps prevent the tomatoes from sticking while they begin to cook down. Once heated, the tomatoes will release plenty of their own juices and a lot of the water that you added will just evaporate out anyway.
- Seasonings: I usually just use salt, onion salt, and celery salt when I season my tomato juice. Add the seasonings after measuring your finished juice and adjust to taste if desired.
Made With Home Grown Tomatoes
There is nothing quite like homemade tomato juice made from fresh garden tomatoes. The better the tomatoes, the better the juice, which is why I love making this recipe in late summer when tomatoes are at their peak. Look for ripe, deeply colored tomatoes that feel heavy for their size and have a sweet, fresh tomato smell. I grow tomatoes in my garden every year specifically for canning and preserving, but tomatoes from a local farm stand or farmer’s market are great too.
Tips for Making Tomato Juice at Home
Use a tomato strainer if you’re making a large batch. If you plan on canning more than a few quarts at a time, a Tomato Strainer is well worth the investment. It quickly separates the juice from the skins and seeds and saves a ton of time compared to pressing everything through a colander by hand.
Don’t worry about peeling the tomatoes first. The skins and seeds are removed during the straining process, so there’s no need to blanch and peel the tomatoes beforehand.
Use bottled lemon juice or citric acid for canning. Tomatoes vary in acidity, so an acidifier is needed to make them safe for water bath canning. Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acid per quart jar (or 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acid per pint jar). I prefer lemon juice because it has a consistent acidity level, it’s cheap, I usually have it on hand, and you really can’t taste a difference.
Store jars in a cool, dark place. Properly canned tomato juice can last up to 18-24 months when stored in a cool pantry or basement.
New to canning? We can walk you through how to can this tomato juice step-by-step with our easy-to-follow guides. Check out our Canning 101 Guide, Water Bath Canning guide, and our guide on How to Can Whole Tomatoes (canning times will be the same).
Reduced Sodium Tomato Juice:
Store-bought tomato juice can be VERY high in sodium. By making tomato juice from scratch at home, you have full control over the amount of sodium that is added! Reduce the salt in your juice to your specifications in this recipe and enjoy your healthy drink!
Make It A Virgin Bloody Mary
Turn this tomato juice into a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary by simply adding a squeeze of fresh lemon and a few drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco sauce). Serve with ice cubes, fresh parsley, celery, or pickles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost any ripe tomato can be used for juicing, but I prefer using a mix of varieties for the best flavor. Meaty tomatoes like Roma and San Marzano produce a thicker juice, while slicing tomatoes such as Celebrity, Early Girl, and Park’s Whopper add plenty of juice and great tomato flavor. The most important thing is to use ripe, flavorful tomatoes that are free from bruises and blemishes. Garden-fresh tomatoes always make the best tomato juice! Be sure to talk to your local nursery to see what varieties grow best in your area. They will give you the best advice!
If you are making it fresh and storing it in your refrigerator in an air-tight bottle or jar, tomato juice can last 2-3 days. If you decide to can your tomato juice, it can last 12-18 months after it has been canned. After the jar has been opened, it can last 2-3 days, refrigerated–same as if it were fresh.
Both pint jars and quart jars work great! Just make sure they have been cleaned and sanitized before using.
Read Next: Easy Dinner Ideas
More Canned Tomato Recipes
We end up with bushels of tomatoes from our garden each year and it seems they go bad before we can use them all. Here are some of our favorite ways to can tomatoes so we can enjoy them all year long. Try a few for yourself!
Recipes that Use Homemade Tomato Juice
Use this delicious homemade tomato juice as a base for so many rich recipes, like these:
Tomato Juice Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 23 pounds tomatoes, (yields about 7 quarts tomato juice)
- water, approximately ¼ cup to 1 cup
Per Quart of Juice:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Remove cores, bruises, and any blemishes. Cut tomatoes into quarters or large chunks.
- Place tomatoes in a large stockpot. Add ¼ to 1 cup water, just enough to prevent sticking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.Simmer until the tomatoes are very soft and broken down, about 20-30 minutes.
- Working in batches, press the tomatoes through a food mill, tomato strainer, or colander to remove the skins and seeds. Discard skins and seeds.
- Return the strained tomato juice to the stockpot and bring back to a gentle boil.
- Measure the amount of juice you have. For each quart of tomato juice, add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon onion salt, and ¼ teaspoon celery salt.Note: The amount of juice you get will vary depending on the variety and juiciness of your tomatoes, so always measure the finished juice before adding seasonings.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the seasonings to blend into the juice.
For canning:
- Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice to each sterilized quart jar (or 1 tablespoon per pint jar).Note: Do not skip the bottled lemon juice. Tomatoes vary in acidity, and the added lemon juice ensures the tomato juice is safe for water bath canning. Don't worry, it won't affect the taste at all. You won't even know it's there.
- Ladle hot tomato juice into jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean and apply lids and bands.
- Process in a boiling water bath canner for:Pint jars: 0-1,000 feet: 35 minutes , 1,001-3,000 feet: 40 minutes, 3,001-6,000 feet: 45 minutes, above 6,000 feet: 50 minutes.Quart jars: 0-1,000 feet: 40 minutes, 1,001-3,000 feet: 45 minutes, 3,001-6,000 feet: 50 minutes, above 6,000 feet: 55 minutes.For detailed canning instructions, check out our Canning 101 Guide, Water Bath Canning guide, and our guide on How to Can Whole Tomatoes.
- Remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check seals before storing.
Notes
- Plan on about 3 to 3½ pounds of tomatoes for each quart of finished juice.
- Store it in a cool, dry place and you’ll be able to enjoy this juice for up to two years.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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can you put the tomatoes through the grinder to remove the skins and seeds before boiling. what happens if you dont boil first. will it still be safe to use.
I haven’t tried it that way, but I think that should be fine. The tomatoes will still cook when you simmer the sauce.
Growing up I loved V8 juice but never thought I could make it myself! This recipe has reminded me of something I used to love and I’m excited to try making it from home! Printing this recipe now!
The perfect drink! I love knowing exactly what I am putting in my body so making my own drinks is perfect, thanks for the idea!
This was delicious!!! Followed recipe exactly except used a Weston tomato press to squeeze the juice. Wonderful recipe. Sometimes for a smaller batch I don’t can it, just put it in the fridge. It never lasts long. Larger batches get canned proper. A+.
This was our first time at making tomato juice. Just used every variety of tomato we had in our patio garden. Canned a bunch and sampled what didn’t fit in to the jars. In the words of Guy Fieri, “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” Wouldn’t change a thing.
Don’t throw away the pulp and seeds. Dehydrate them for tomato powder. Tomato powder is the best of ever, It can be used in so many things. Meat loaf, soup, mixed in your hamburgers, etc.
I’ve never heard of that before! I will have to try it!
Instead of straining to remove the seeds and skin, can it all be pureed in a blender? If so, does it still taste good?
We have not tried it that way, so I can’t definitively say how it would affect the taste or texture. Let us know how it turns out if you do try it!
I fix mine like that leaving the skin an seed it was really good
So do I. It is really good and makes it thicker. I make really good juice and have done this for years.
How do you seal the jars?
Can it be frozen instead of canning?
Sure!
I use a Foley Food Mill for processing foods with skins and seeds like tomato juice, grape preserves, etc.
Haven’t actually made your tomato juice yet, just started cooking about 2 quarts of yellow grape tomato juice that I juiced using my blender. Next I will run the cooked juice through the Foley Food Mill before adding the spices.
Where dose it say anything about lemon juice in the recipe? I just started the water bath and didnt put any lemon juice in the jars!? How is this going to affect the juice? Will it keep?
To be safe, you always want to add lemon juice to the bottom of your jars. It just helps with the acidity levels. You may want to re-process your jars if you are worries about it or if you think you will use them soon, you can keep them refrigerated.
I made this juice and let me say……. ‘It’s DELICIOUS!! I’ll definitely be making more of it!! It would make a great Bloody Mary, a base for vegetable soup or chili and it’s so good over ice!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Dee! I am so glad to hear you like this recipe! We love using it as a base for soups too! SO tasty! Thank you for sharing your nice comment and thanks for the 5-stars!
Just a helpful hint. I have a very large electric cooker, looks like a giant crockpot. I put it on 250 degrees and put quartered and if large tomatoes I cut more. I put them in the crock pot and every few hours I ladle of the juice. I now have tomatoe juice and sauce ready to can.
Delicious, but I’m not adding but 1/4 tsp salt to quarts next batch and add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or use citric acid. Little too salty for me.
It is fine to leave the salt out, just don’t leave out the lemon juice unless you are substituting it with something that can bring up those acidity levels. Just for safety reasons. Glad you liked it! Hope this helps!
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.
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!
I just read the instructions but you didn’t mention if you waterbath canned this or pressure can. And for how long.
We usually only water bath or steam bath. It takes about 40 minutes to process each batch. Hope this helps!
Our recipe uses tomatoes, green peppers. onions, sugar, salt, and pepper. We cook the vegetables first, then run them through a strainer, simmer the juice, then pour the juice into jars, and process the jars in a pressure canner for twenty minutes. My husband drinks it as juice, or we heat it for soup. Sometimes I add thickening made from butter, flour and a little tomato juice. It is really good. We have it with grilled cheese sandwiches every Sunday. It is important to process the jars in a pressure canner, though. Check for a recipe in the Ball Blue Book or talk to your extension service, because the recommended times change as knowledge grows.
Thanks for sharing, I realy enjoyed this recipe
Processing is referring to the sterilization of the jars?
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.
Can you use cherry tomatoes?
I don’t see why not!
Boil for how long
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!
Is it 1 cup of water per quart or total
1 cup total. You only use the water for cooking the tomatoes.
When you say process for 25 minutes, are you talking about processing in a pressure cooker or a water bath?
Water bath or steam… pressure cooker would be different (I don’t know how different because I don’t have a pressure cooker … :/ )
pressure cooking tomato products is typically 5# of pressure for 15 minutes.
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?
Generally 1 lb is about 2 cups (16 oz.)
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.
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!
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
Can you just put the lemon juice in the whole pot while you cook it before you water bath it
You probably could– just by putting them in each jar you know there is enough acid in each individual jar.
I use a Tomato Juicer and you don’t loose anything. It is quick and separates pulp etc. Much much quicker
Was given some quarts of canned tomatoe juice…It is to sweet for us.
What can i do to fix it?
Was given to me by my mother in law….Desperate for a way to fix it.
Could you add some salt, onion salt, and/or celery salt?