Tomato canning times come from the USDA and depend on four things: the product, the jar size, the canner, and your elevation. For example, quarts of crushed tomatoes need 45 minutes in a boiling-water canner at sea level and 55 minutes at 5,000 feet. Choose your product below to get the exact USDA time.
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What Your Result Means: the process time is how long the filled jars must stay in a fully boiling canner, or at full pressure, to be safe. It does not include heating up, venting, or cooling. The result also shows the headspace, the lemon juice or citric acid to add to each jar, and a rough total time so you can plan your canning day.
How Long Do You Process Canned Tomatoes?
Look up the time for your exact product, jar size, canner, and elevation. Tomato times are longer than many people expect because whole and crushed tomatoes heat slowly in the jar.
- Choose the product you are making. Each has its own tested time.
- Choose the jar size. Half-pints use pint times, and 1 1/2-pints use quart times.
- Choose your canner. A pressure canner needs a set pressure as well as a time.
- Enter your elevation in feet or meters. Water boils at a lower temperature higher up, so times or pressures go up.
Tomato Water Bath Canning Time Chart
Minutes in a boiling-water canner, from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.
| Product and Jar | 0–1,000 ft | 1,001–3,000 ft | 3,001–6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed, pints | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 |
| Crushed, quarts | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| Whole or halved in water, pints | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 |
| Whole or halved in water, quarts | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 |
| Whole or halved in tomato juice, pints or quarts | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100 |
| Whole or halved raw, no added liquid, pints or quarts | 85 | 90 | 95 | 100 |
| Juice or plain sauce, pints | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 |
| Juice or plain sauce, quarts | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 |
Tomato Pressure Canning Chart
Pints and quarts use the same pressure canner times. Pick one time and use the pressure for your elevation.
| Product | Time | Weighted Gauge 0–1,000 ft | Weighted Gauge Above 1,000 ft | Dial Gauge 0–2,000 / 2,001–4,000 / 4,001–6,000 / 6,001–8,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed, juice, or plain sauce | 20 min | 5 lb | 10 lb | 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 lb |
| 15 min | 10 lb | 15 lb | 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 lb | |
| 10 min | 15 lb | Not recommended | – | |
| Whole or halved in water | 15 min | 5 lb | 10 lb | 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 lb |
| 10 min | 10 lb | 15 lb | 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 lb | |
| 1 min | 15 lb | Not recommended | – | |
| Whole or halved in juice, or raw with no added liquid | 40 min | 5 lb | 10 lb | 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 lb |
| 25 min | 10 lb | 15 lb | 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 lb | |
| 15 min | 15 lb | Not recommended | – |
How Much Acid and Headspace Do Tomatoes Need?
Add acid to every jar of tomatoes, whichever canner you use. Put it in the empty jar before filling.
| Acid | Per Pint | Per Quart |
|---|---|---|
| Bottled lemon juice | 1 tablespoon | 2 tablespoons |
| Citric acid | 1/4 teaspoon | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Vinegar, 5% acidity (may change flavor) | 2 tablespoons | 4 tablespoons |
Leave 1/2 inch of headspace for crushed tomatoes, juice, and whole or halved tomatoes, and 1/4 inch for tomato sauce. Salt is optional, up to 1 teaspoon per quart, and does not affect safety. Our Canning Acid Calculator totals the acid for a whole batch.
Worked Example
Say you live at 5,000 feet and want to can crushed tomatoes in quarts. In a boiling-water canner, 5,000 feet is in the 3,001 to 6,000 foot band, so process for 55 minutes after the water returns to a full boil. With a dial-gauge pressure canner, you could instead process 20 minutes at 8 pounds or 15 minutes at 13 pounds. With a weighted gauge above 1,000 feet, use 20 minutes at 10 pounds or 15 minutes at 15 pounds. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each quart jar either way.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the acid: needed even in a pressure canner, because tested times assume it.
- Using sea-level times at elevation: above 1,000 feet, water boils cooler, so under-processed jars can spoil.
- Starting the timer too early: start only once the water is at a full boil, or the canner has vented 10 minutes and reached pressure.
- Adding vegetables: onions, peppers, or garlic change the safe time. Use a tested recipe instead.
- Using an old dial gauge unchecked: gauges should be checked for accuracy every year.
- Cooling the canner with water: let a pressure canner drop to zero pressure on its own.
Accuracy and Limitations
The times match the USDA tables exactly for the six plain tomato products listed.
What It Does Well: picks the right time or pressure for your product, jar, canner, and elevation, and shows the acid and headspace.
What It Does Not Do: cover recipes with added ingredients, jars larger than quarts, or dial-gauge canning above 8,000 feet, which the USDA tables do not list. Follow your canner maker’s instructions, and ask your local extension office if you are unsure.
Methodology
Process times and pressures: transcribed from the National Center for Home Food Preservation tables for each product, adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (revised 2015). Elevation bands: boiling water 0–1,000, 1,001–3,000, 3,001–6,000, and above 6,000 feet; weighted gauge 0–1,000 and above 1,000 feet; dial gauge 0–2,000, 2,001–4,000, 4,001–6,000, and 6,001–8,000 feet. Meters are converted at 1 m = 3.2808 ft. Jar sizes: half-pint times equal pint times, and 1 1/2-pint times equal quart times. Acid: 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid per pint, doubled for quarts. Total time: a loaded boiling-water canner takes about 20 to 30 minutes to boil, and jars rest 5 minutes after; a pressure canner takes about 12 to 15 minutes to vent, 10 minutes of venting, 5 minutes to pressurize, and 20 to 60 minutes to cool.
Sources: NCHFP – Crushed Tomatoes, NCHFP – Whole or Halved Tomatoes (Packed in Water), NCHFP – Whole or Halved Tomatoes (Packed in Tomato Juice), NCHFP – Whole or Halved Tomatoes (Packed Raw Without Added Liquid), NCHFP – Tomato Juice, NCHFP – Standard Tomato Sauce, NCHFP – Tomato Acidification Directions, NCHFP – How to Use Boiling Water and Pressure Canners, NCHFP – Selecting the Correct Processing Time. Last reviewed: September 29, 2026 · Reviewed by Aiza Anwar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you water bath can tomatoes?
It depends on the product, jar size, and elevation. At 0 to 1,000 feet, the USDA times are 35 minutes for pints of crushed tomatoes, juice, or sauce, 45 minutes for quarts of crushed tomatoes, and 85 minutes for whole tomatoes packed raw without added liquid or packed in tomato juice.
How much longer do you process tomatoes at high altitude?
In a boiling-water canner, add 5 minutes at 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 10 minutes at 3,001 to 6,000 feet, and 15 minutes above 6,000 feet. Pressure canners instead need a higher pressure, not a longer time.
Do you have to add lemon juice when canning tomatoes?
Yes. Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid per pint, and double it for quarts, even when pressure canning. Tomatoes can be too low in acid to can safely without it.
Can you pressure can tomatoes?
Yes. The USDA gives pressure canner options for every tomato product in this calculator, and they are usually shorter. You still add the lemon juice or citric acid.
Is the time the same for half-pint and pint jars?
Yes. The USDA guide uses the same times for half-pints and pints, and the same times for 1 1/2-pint and quart jars.
When do I start timing a water bath canner?
Once the water is at a full rolling boil over the jars. If it stops boiling at any point, bring it back to a boil and start the timing over from the beginning.
Why is a weighted-gauge canner not allowed above 1,000 feet at 15 pounds?
A weighted gauge only runs at 5, 10, or 15 pounds. Above 1,000 feet the options move up one step, and there is no step above 15, so the shortest option is not available.
Can I use my own tomato recipe with these times?
No. These times are only for the plain USDA tomato products listed. Adding onions, peppers, or other vegetables changes the safe time, so use a tested recipe for those.
Related Tomato Tools
See Our Tomato Preserving Guides
Times are from the USDA and NCHFP for the plain products listed. Home canning carries real food-safety risk: follow tested recipes exactly, and never taste food from a jar that has leaked, bulged, spurted, or smells off. Spotted an error? Tell us here.