Canning Vegetables:
How to Pressure Can Garden Vegetables

Why Low-Acid Vegetables Must Be Pressure Canned

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Most vegetables are low in acid, and low-acid foods can carry botulism spores that survive boiling water. Only a pressure canner gets hot enough, 240°F, to make canning vegetables like green beans, corn, carrots, and peas safe.

Never can vegetables in the oven, the dishwasher, or an open kettle. These methods don't get hot enough to be safe.

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Canning Supplies You Will Need

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• Pressure canner with a rack, and either a weighted gauge or a dial gauge. Have a dial gauge tested for accuracy every year; many county Extension offices do this for free.
• Canning jars: pint or quart Mason jars with no chips or cracks.
• New flat lids and screw bands: flat lids are used only once; bands can be reused.
• Jar lifter, for lifting hot jars safely.
• Wide-mouth funnel, ladle, and slotted spoon.
• Headspace tool or ruler, plus a thin plastic spatula for removing air bubbles.
• Timer, colander, and clean kitchen towels.

Finish your jars with our free printable canning jar labels for regular-mouth and wide-mouth lids.

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Preparing Vegetables for Canning

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1. Wash your jars in hot, soapy water and keep them hot until you fill them. Wash the lids and bands too.
2. Pick the best vegetables. Use fresh, firm vegetables at their peak, ideally canned the day they are picked. Wash and trim them well.
3. Choose raw pack or hot pack. Raw pack means packing raw vegetables into jars and covering them with boiling water. Hot pack means boiling the vegetables briefly first, which shrinks them so more fit in each jar. Each vegetable has its own recommended pack.
4. Leave the right headspace. Most vegetables need 1 inch of space between the food and the top of the jar.
5. Remove air bubbles by sliding a plastic spatula down the inside of the jar, then wipe the jar rim clean with a damp cloth.
6. Add lids and bands. Center the flat lid and screw the band on fingertip tight: snug, but not forced. Air needs to escape during processing.

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How to Pressure Can Vegetables Step by Step

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1. Add water and the rack. Put the rack in the canner and add 2 to 3 inches of hot water, or the amount your canner's manual says.
2. Load the jars. Set the filled jars on the rack with a jar lifter, keeping them upright.
3. Lock the lid and vent. Fasten the lid, leave the vent open, and heat on high until steam pours out. Let it vent steadily for 10 minutes to push all the air out.
4. Bring it up to pressure. Put the weight on the vent (or close the petcock). The canner will pressurize over the next few minutes.
5. Start timing at the right pressure. Begin the timer only when the gauge reaches the pressure for your altitude. Adjust the heat to keep the pressure steady the whole time. If it drops below the target, bring it back up and start the timing over.
6. Let it cool down naturally. When the time is up, turn off the heat and move the canner off the burner if you can. Do not open it or try to speed up cooling. Wait until the pressure is completely at zero.
7. Remove the weight and wait 10 minutes, then unlock the lid and lift it away from you, so the steam doesn't reach your face.
8. Lift out the jars with a jar lifter, keeping them upright. Set them on a towel or rack, an inch or two apart, away from cold drafts.

Pressure for your altitude

Processing times for common garden vegetables

These are USDA times for the pressures in the altitude table above. Always check the exact recipe and time for your vegetable with the National Center for Home Food Preservation before you start, since recommendations are updated from time to time.

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Cooling and Storing Canned Vegetables

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• Leave the jars alone for 12 to 24 hours. Don't tighten the bands or press on the lids while they cool. You will hear an occasional "ping" as the lids seal. This is normal!
• Check every seal. When the jars are cool, press the center of each lid. A sealed lid is curved down and doesn't move or click.
• Unsealed jars go in the refrigerator. Use them within a few days, or reprocess them within 24 hours with a new lid.
• Remove the bands, wipe the jars, and label them with the contents and date. Our free printable canning jar labels make this easy.
• Store in a cool, dark, dry place, ideally between 50 and 70°F. Use home canned vegetables within about a year for the best quality.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food from a jar with a bulging lid, a broken seal, spurting liquid, mold, or an off smell.

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Canning Vegetables Questions

Can I can vegetables in a water bath canner?

Not plain vegetables. Low-acid vegetables like green beans and corn must be pressure canned. A water bath is only for acidic foods: pickles, jams, fruit, and tomatoes with added acid.

Is a pressure cooker the same as a pressure canner?

No. Electric multi-cookers and small pressure cookers are not recommended for canning vegetables, because they may not hold the right pressure and temperature. Use a canner large enough to hold at least four quart jars.

Do I need to add salt?

No. Salt is for flavor only and can be left out. It doesn't make canned vegetables safer.

Is canning cheaper than freezing?

Over time, yes. Once your jars are sealed, they need no electricity to store. See our guide to freezing vegetables to compare the two.

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More Canning and Preserving Guides

This page is part of our Preserving Garden Vegetables hub, with guides to canning, freezing, fermenting, drying, and freeze drying the vegetables from your garden. For tested recipes and processing times, the National Center for Home Food Preservation is the best resource for safe home canning in the United States.

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