Canned Cherry Tomatoes
Bright, bite-sized bursts of summer in every jar! Canned cherry tomatoes bring sunshine to your pantry and elevate any dish with their sweet-tart flavor. Whether tucked into pasta, tossed in salads, or simmered into sauces, this easy recipe captures peak-season freshness so you can enjoy the taste of summer all year long.
Too Many Cherry Tomatoes?
I’ve got the answer to the annual “too many” cherry tomatoes conundrum!
Canned cherry tomatoes. They are delicious, versatile, and oh so easy to make.
This recipe will help preserve the incredible taste of cherry tomatoes long after the growing season ends. With two simple methods to choose from – raw pack or hot pack – you can create beautiful jars filled with the vibrant flavors of these petite tomatoes.
This canned cherry tomato recipe is dedicated to vibrance.
Tips
- Store your ripe tomatoes in the fridge and avoid washing them until just before you’re ready to process. No, it won’t ruin them, it will actually help them last longer.
- Don’t forget to adjust your processing time based on your elevation and jar choice. There are tables below to explain!
- If you’re a tomato lover, you should check out my other tomato preservation methods! I’ve got recipes for dehydrated cherry tomatoes, fermented salsa, fermented cherry tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes, too.
- The recipe does not require a pressure canner, it can be made in a boiling water canner. If you have a large pressure canner, like I do, you can certainly use it as a water bath canner!
- Canned cherry tomatoes are excellent for bulking up tomato sauce or blended into tomato soup!
- If you have any jars that don’t seal, don’t despair, just stash them in the refrigerator and use them within 5 days, or toss them into a freezer friendly container and pop them in the freezer indefinitely.
Key Ingredients
Tomatoes:
Whenever possible, choose “just ripe” cherry tomatoes. Overly soft and ripe tomatoes are ok for the hot pack method, but will not stand up when raw packed. Under ripe tomatoes are harder as the pectin hasn’t begun to break down, and they can stand up to the canning process, but they lack the vibrant flavor that cherry tomatoes are known for.
Thicker skinned cherry tomato varieties like black cherry tend to hold up best when raw packing while thinner skinned cherry tomatoes are better for hot packing.
Acid:
When canning tomatoes in water, you must acidify the liquid. The pH of individual tomatoes can vary widely, so it’s important to add a bit of acidity to the jar to ensure safe pH level. Lemon juice or citric acid may be used to acidify in this recipe.
Raw Pack Vs Hot Pack
Raw packing the cherry tomatoes is a canning process where the water is brought to a boil, but the tomatoes are packed into the jar raw, and the jars are then filled with the heated water.
Hot packing is when the cherry tomatoes are brought to a boil along with the water, then the entire works are added to the hot jars in one step.
The raw pack method does not remove as much air from the cells of the fruit, so the tomatoes are more likely to float and cause your jars to look less full.
The hot pack method removes more air from the tomatoes before adding it to the jar causing the fruit to shrink slightly. The shrink factor allows you to fit more fruit per jar. Hot-packed tomatoes are less likely to float.
I generally raw pack my cherry tomatoes, I find it easier, and we’ve never had a problem with reduced quality based on the packing method.
How To Can Cherry Tomatoes:
Raw Pack:
- Wash and sterilize pint jars jars. Fill a large water bath canner with water and begin heating it over high heat. Meanwhile, wash fresh cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
- Heat fresh water to a boil either using a kettle or in a large pot. While water is coming to a boil, prepare sterilized jars by placing them on a heat-proof surface.
- Pack the jars with tomatoes, leaving 1 inch headspace.
- Add either 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint jar.
- Fill the jars with hot water, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Wipe rims and cover with a lid. Tighten the rings finger tight.
- Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water bath and process at a rolling boil. See chart below for timing depending on elevation.
- Once done, remove jars from water bath canner using a jar lifter and place on a heat resistance surface and allow to rest untouched for 24 hours before checking seal and transferring to long term storage.
Hot Pack:
- Wash and sterilize pint jars. Fill a large water bath canner with water and begin heating it over high heat.
- Meanwhile, wash cherry tomatoes. Then add to a saucepan with water; 1 cup of water per 5 cups of whole cherry tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Prepare sterilized jars by placing them on a heat-proof surface.
- Fill the jars with the heated cherry tomato mixture, leaving 1/2″ headspace and add either 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint jar.
- Wipe rims and cover with a lid. Tighten the rings finger tight.
- Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water bath and process at a rolling boil. See chart below for timing depending on elevation.
- Once done, remove jars from water bath canner using a jar lifter and place on a heat resistance surface and allow to rest untouched for 24 hours before checking seal and transferring to long term storage.
Adding Acidity
There are 2 common ingredients that canners use to acidify their canned goods. Foods must have a pH of 4.6 or lower to be safely water bath canned.
Lemon Juice:
Always use bottled lemon juice when canning, as opposed to fresh. Bottled lemon juice has a standard acidity, dictated by the FDA, while fresh lemons can have variable acidity – just like fresh tomatoes!
If you’re using lemon juice in this recipe, you’ll need to add 2 tablespoons per quart or 1 tablespoon per pint.
Citric Acid:
Is a long lasting, white powdered canning additive perfect for acidifying tomatoes and salsas.
If you’re using citric acid, make sure to use 1/2 teaspoon per quart or 1/4 teaspoon per pint.
Vinegar:
I’m including vinegar here because some canners use vinegar in their canned tomatoes – I don’t when I’m canning just tomatoes, but vinegar is a fantastic acidifier in salsas where the vinegar-y tang is masked by other ingredients.
Use vinegar at a rate of 4 tablespoons per quart or 2 tablespoons per pint.
Personally, I like to use lemon juice or citric acid to bring my tomatoes to a safe acidity when canning whole tomatoes in water. Regardless of which ingredient you use, make sure to use the correct amount!
Processing Times
Your elevation plays a role in your canning!
Higher elevations have longer processing times to account for the lower boiling point of your water.
Water Bath Canning Time By Elevation :
| Jar Size | 0-1,000 feet | 1,001 – 3,000 feet | 3,001 – 6,000 feet | 6,001 + Feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pint | 40 minutes | 45 minutes | 50 minutes | 55 minutes |
| Quart | 45 minutes | 50 minutes | 55 minutes | 60 minutes |
Our Favorite
Canning Recipes
Batch + Storage
Batch:
My batch of approximately 2 lbs assorted cherry tomatoes yielded 3 pints of raw packed tomatoes. If you are hot packing, estimate that each pound will yield around 1 pint.
Storage:
Properly water-bathed tomatoes have a long shelf life and should be kept in a cool, dark place, for up to 18 months. While the lids may seal for longer, flavor, texture, and color can change in an undesirable way.
Even properly processed and stored foods can lose their quality over time, so it’s important to cycle the stock of your canned goods. The degradation occurs more quickly in temperatures above 70f or 21c.
Want the full scoop? I'll send the ingredients and step-by-step instructions straight to your inbox so you can bake along with me, no scrolling or guessing required!
📖 Printable Recipe
Canned Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cherry tomatoes fresh
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice divided OR 1/2 teaspoon citric acid, divided
Instructions
raw pack:
- Wash and sterilize pint jars jars. Fill a large water bath canner with water and begin heating it over high heat.
- Meanwhile, wash fresh cherry tomatoes. Set aside.
- Heat fresh water to a boil either using a kettle or in a large pot.
- While water is coming to a boil, prepare sterilized jars by placing them on a heat-proof surface.
- Pack the jars with tomatoes, leaving 1" headspace, add either 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint jar.
- Fill the jars with hot water, leaving 1" headspace. Wipe rims and cover with a lid. Tighten the rings finger tight.
- Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water bath and process at a rolling boil. See chart below for timing depending on elevation.
- Once done, remove jars from water bath canner using a jar lifter and place on a heat resistance surface and allow to rest untouched for 24 hours before checking seal and transferring to long term storage.
hot pack:
- Wash and sterilize pint jars. Fill a large water bath canner with water and begin heating it over high heat.
- Meanwhile, wash cherry tomatoes. Then add to a saucepan with water; 1 cup of water per 5 cups of whole cherry tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Prepare sterilized jars by placing them on a heat-proof surface.
- Fill the jars with the heated cherry tomato mixture, leaving 1/2" headspace and add either 1 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint jar.
- Wipe rims and cover with a lid. Tighten the rings finger tight.
- Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water bath and process at a rolling boil. See chart below for timing depending on elevation.
- Once done, remove jars from water bath canner using a jar lifter and place on a heat resistance surface and allow to rest untouched for 24 hours before checking seal and transferring to long term storage.
