Easy Recipe for Canning (or Freezing) Tomato Soup (2024)

Canning tomato soup is a great way to use up extra tomatoes. We like to can our tomato soup in 1 cup mason jars, which are perfect for a quick lunch option.

I've tried a few home canned tomato soup recipes over the years, but none of them were quite what I wanted for my family. All we wanted was a simple tomato soup, something like Campbells or Amy's, but using our own home grown tomatoes, veggies and herbs for fresher flavor.

This year we finally have a winner. This tomato soup recipe is slightly thickened/concentrated, so it takes up less storage space. When ready to serve, you can add your choice of water, broth or milk.

This tomato soup recipe must be pressure canned or frozen for safe storage, due to the low acid ingredients.(Read more about safe canning and botulism here.)

Process it in pint or half pint jars, not quarts, to insure even heating (because of the thickening).

If you're using paste tomatoes, the tomato soup will be thicker than if you use juicier tomatoes. Yesterday I made a batch with mostly cherry tomatoes and any other tomatoes I could find in the garden, and after thickening it was pretty much like regular soup, so I reduced the salt and canned it in pint jars instead of half pint jars.

Note: Need help getting your tomatoes to ripen? Check here for tips. Problems with blossom end rot? See this post for help.This recipe was adapted from Canning Homemade.

Easy Tomato Soup Recipe for Canning

Ingredients

• 8 lbs ripe tomatoes, unpeeled, quartered
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 2 cups onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh parsley
• 6 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup Clear Gel or E-Z Gel
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons salt (optional)
• 1/4 cup sugar (optional)

Directions

Place tomatoes, celery, onion, parsley and bay leaves in a large stainless steel pot. Cook gently, uncovered, until tender, stirring as needed. I aim to reduce the volume roughly by half, or until it starts to thicken.

Press through a food strainer or sieve into a large stainless steel or enameled cast iron saucepan. Set aside 2 cups of puree to cool.

Whisk together Clear Gel (E-Z Gel) and cooled tomato puree to form a slurry.

Bring the tomato soup back to a boil and stir in the Clear Gel (E-Z Gel) slurry. Continue to boil for two minutes, until it thickens. Add salt, pepper and sugar (if desired). Soup will not resemble commercial soup concentrate. Instead, it will look like a slightly too thick tomato soup.

Ladle into pint or half pint jars and fill to 1” headspace. Wipe rims and seat two piece caps.

Process in pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for weighted gauge and 11 pounds for dial gauge, for 25 minutes for pints or half pints. Do not use quarts for this recipe.

When ready to serve the canned tomato soup, just heat with equal amount of liquid such as milk, water or chicken broth.

Makes around 4 pints.

What is Clear Gel? What is E-Z Gel? Do I Need to Use these for Canning Tomato Soup?

Clear Gel and E-Z Gel are gluten free, non-GMO cornstarch products that can be directly added to any liquid, hot or cold, for instant thickness. They hold up to freezing, canning and refrigerating without weeping, thinning, or breaking down.

Do you need to use Clear Gel or E-Z Gel? Yes and no.

If you are canning tomato soup and want to thicken it safely before canning, Clear Gel and E-Z Gel are the safest, most reliable ways to do it.

Some grocery stores are starting to carry these products, or you can buy Clear Gel online here. You can get E-Z Gel here. Clear Gel is usually easier to find, but I prefer the smell and texture of E-Z Gel.

If you don't want to thicken before canning, just skip the Clear Gel and use corn starch or flour or homemade veggie powder to thicken after canning, if desired.

My friend, Tami, also uses this canned tomato soup recipe in casseroles or other recipes that call for tomato juice.

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Recommended products:

• Norpro Strainer & Sauce Maker
• Clear Gel
• 23-Quart Pressure Canner
• Presto Cooking/Canning Rack for Pressure Canner
• Ball Mason 8oz Quilted Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12

You may also find these articles useful:

• Spaghetti Sauce Recipe for Canning Made with Fresh Tomatoes
• Home CannedSalsaRecipe – Plus 10 Tips for Safe Salsa Canning
• Homemade Ketchup – Canned or Lactofermented
• Pickled Cherry Tomatoes for Canning, Plus More Cherry Tomato Ideas
• How toCan Tomatoesin a Canner or Large Pot

Stacking Jars in the Pressure Canning

This year the boys and I did so much canning that I tried something I hadn't done before – double decker canning in the pressure canner. If you have a taller pressure canner, it may be safe for you to can two layers of jars at once. You should check your owner's manual to be sure.

I have a 23-Quart Pressure Canner and also picked up a 16 quart canner on sale this year for smaller jobs. My owner's manual said it was safe to stack one layer of jars right on top of the other, but I prefer to use an additional rack between layers. (You can order an extra rack here.)

Canning two batches of tomato soup at once was a huge time saver. I'm so glad I finally gave stacking a try!

How's your harvesting and preserving coming along? (Or maybe it's planting season where you're at?) It's always fun to learn from different folks around the country and world.

Originally published in 2015, last updated 2018.