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Learn how to can diced tomatoes with this easy recipe and tutorial. It’s easier than you think to eat garden tomatoes all year long. This recipe yields 7 quarts of canned tomatoes.
Growing and canning tomatoes is one of my favorite things to do each year (check out my easy guide for growing the BEST tomatoes). It’s like bottling up summer so I can still enjoy it during the cold winter months. The tomatoes still taste as fresh as the day they were canned and it brings me so much joy every time I pop open a jar. It is so nice to have a stash of diced tomatoes to add to my recipes at home throughout the year. It is one of those must-have items that will elevate your recipes and even help you save on groceries!
Ingredients in Canned Diced Tomatoes
Plum tomato varieties work the best for canned tomatoes because of their thick skin and sturdy texture. Try Roma, San Marzano, or Amish Paste tomatoes. You can never go wrong with your own favorite garden varieties. Use what grows best in your area for the best results! The only other ingredients you will need is salt and lemon juice. Don’t worry you won’t taste the lemon juice, it is strictly to balance the acidity of the tomatoes so they will be safe for canning.
How to Can Diced Tomatoes
- First, prepare your jars by washing and sterilizing them.
- Add a little lemon juice and salt to each sterilized jar to balance out the acidity. Do not forget the lemon juice! It’s an easy one to miss but crucial for safe canning.
- Remove the tomato skins by dipping them in boiling water and then plunging them in an ice water bath. The skins will come off easily!
- Use a sharp knife to remove skins, bruises, and tough parts of the tomatoes, then dice the tomatoes as small as you like.
- Process the tomatoes using the guide below in the recipe and allow to cool before shelving.
A Few Tips on Canning Diced Tomatoes
You will probably find that the tomatoes and tomato juices will separate after processing. This is totally normal. Just give the jars a little shake before opening to combine or give them a good stir after opening.
For easier peeling, boil whole tomatoes for about a minute, then plunge into an ice water bath. The skins should easily come off after this process.
Chop up the tomatoes into the size you like, then add some salt and lemon juice to maintain freshness.
To ensure safety before canning any type of food, review the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.
How to Use Diced Tomatoes
Diced tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients in our pantry, making it a staple in our house. You can use them in all kinds of cuisines. They can be used in spaghetti sauce and pasta dishes or simmer it down for hours to make a delicious pizza sauce. Add them to homemade soups and chilis for a hearty meal, or blended up in salsa. You can really use them in any recipe you would use canned tomatoes from the store, but it will make the recipe SO much better!
Canning Crushed Tomatoes
You can easily bottle up crushed tomatoes the same way as diced tomatoes. Peel and cut the tomatoes and add them to a large pot. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Bring the pot to a simmer for about five minutes, then add the mixture to your jars. It’s that easy. Make sure to leave about half an inch of air space at the top of each jar.
Read Next: Savory Salsa Recipe for Canning
More Canning Recipes
How to Can Diced Tomatoes
Equipment
- Canning pot
Ingredients
- 28 pounds tomatoes (Yields about 7 quarts)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup Kosher salt
Instructions
Prepare quart jars and lids:
- Sterilize canning jars by running them through a cycle in the dishwasher.
- Place the canning lids in a pan of warm water on the stovetop. Bring the water just to a boil and simmer until ready to use.
- Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 teaspoons salt to each sanitized quart jar before adding tomatoes.
Remove tomato skins:
- Fill a large stockpot about half full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add whole tomatoes about 5-10 at a time and boil for about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, quickly remove the tomatoes and plunge in an icewater bath. This will make the skins easy to remove.
- Using a sharp knife, remove skins, bruises, and tough parts of the tomatoes and cut into quarters.
For diced tomatoes:
- Add tomatoes directly to jars. Add boiling water to the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving about 1/2" of airspace at the top of the jar.
For crushed tomatoes:
- After the tomatoes are peeled and cut, add the tomatoes to a large pot and crush with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Bring to a simmer and stir for about 5-7 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes to jars leaving about 1/2″ airspace at the top.
Now it’s time to process:
- Make sure jar rims, lids and rings are clean before placing the lids on the mouth of the jars. Place the lids on and gently screw on the rings– not too tight, just snug.
- Process the jars in a water-bath or steam canner and process accordingly depending on your altitude: 40 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 45 minutes for 1,001-3,000 feet, 50 minutes for 3,001-6,000 feet, and 55 minutes for 6,000+ feet.
- After jars have been processed, remove from canner and allow to cool. Check seals (making sure the lid has popped down) before storing.
Notes
-
- You will probably find that the tomatoes and juices will separate after processing. This is totally normal. Just give the jars a little shake before opening to combine or give them a good stir after opening.
- To ensure safety before canning any type of food, review the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.
Nutrition Information
Hi. I ran out of lemon juice. Can I substitute with citric acid? If yes, how much per quart sized jar? Thanks.
Yes that is totally fine! 1 tablespoon of lemon juice = 1/4 teaspoon citric acid.
I have a lot of “flash” frozen plum tomatoes. Can I use them with this recipe? How would I modify the recipe?
We don’t recommend using frozen tomatoes for canning diced tomatoes. The texture of frozen tomatoes is a little off. I would suggest canning tomato juice or tomato sauce instead.
Can pint size jars be used instead of quart jars?
Yes, you can lower the processing time by 5 minutes if you use pint jars.
So glad to find this recipe as I do use a lot of diced/stewed tomatoes throughout the year and I have already canned a dozen jars of spaghetti sauce. I filled seven jars using 17 pounds of tomatoes.
Hello. I tried your recipe. But forgot the salt and lemon juice, and canned them. Are they going to be on?
Unfortunately, we have only approved our exact recipe for canning safety. We cannot safely recommend any additions or omissions.
There is such great information here. I look forward to adding other flavors into the tomatoes.
Love the step-by-step instructions! Easy to follow…easy to execute. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad I came across this recipe! My garden is bursting with tomatoes, and this is perfect for making sure they don’t go to waste. Thanks for all the tips!
I can’t wait to try this. We go through so many diced tomatoes at my house and love using my own stuff.
I’ve canned pickles, but never tried tomatoes!! Thanks for this easy recipe and instructions!
Would I just cut the salt and lemon juice in half for pint jars?
You would want to leave the salt amount the same, but you can cut the lemon juice in half.
I usually buy the Italian diced tomatoes from the store. It has basil and oregano in it i think. Would it be okay to add these to this recipe?
Those tomatoes will stay good in the can as long as they would after canning them with this recipe. I would just leave them in the can if it was me!
This is fantastic! I always make sauce or cook the tomatoes to preserve them, and never thought to just can them diced to use like that. Love this, thanks for sharing.
Fabulous way to save the fantastic homegrown tomatoes of summer.
How long do you can the diced chicken tomatoes in a pressure canner when I use pint jars?
For processing pint jars, the time isn’t reduced by much. Usually just 5 minutes less. So about 40 minutes would be just about right. Hope this helps!
I used citric salt instead of lemon and kosher salt is that okay? I filled my jars but after water bath canning one jar has at least an inch to inch 1/2 of head space. Is it still good?
I am not familiar enough with citric salt to be sure to tell you for sure. You may want to contact someone from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. They may be better suited to answer this for you– here is the ink to their site: http://nchfp.uga.edu Hope this helps!
I LOVED you added that link, I check to make sure it’s referenced whenever I use a website for credible information in canning! Thank you so much! Food just isn’t the same anymore and it’s not safe to be tweaking recipes that haven’t been tested! Love this! I’ve had food poisoning once (not from canned food) from fast food and I wouldn’t ever want it again!
Can’t wait to try these!!
25 minutes at 10 lbs in a pressure canner
Don’t you have to sterilize the jars first?
Yes, you will want to sterilize the jars any time you prepare for canning. Hope this helps!
You mentioned steam canner. I bought one this summer but can’t find any info about how safe they are to use. Are they comparable to the water bath for processing. I did some salsa with my steam canner. Hope it will be ok.
It cans the same as a water bath canner… it uses the exact same times. You should be fine!
Can I use lime juice instead of lemon? I thought I had enough lemon, but I do not.
Yes! That should work!
Great post! Thanks for the information. I’ll definitely refer to this next growing season. Pinned!