Shortcut for Canning Tomato Sauce 

I've been making tomato sauce like this since 1983! I've taught some friends this shortcut, too. I cook it for a while, to get the bubbles out and thicken it a bit so it isn't watery. Then I can it.

I started coring and then freezing my tomatoes overnight in large bowls. After they thaw out you can drain off a LOT of water. That saves a lot of time on the stove if you’re making sauce by removing some water. Freezing the tomatoes breaks down the tomato structure and separates the water. Worked great for me and saved time.

Great video Rose, I have been using the method for years now and it makes canning a breeze, also if you want to lose some of the water just pour from blender into a very fine mesh strainer and let the water drip out before you can them , the longer you let it drip the thicker the sauce will be.

I like to freeze my tomatoes until I have a good amount of them. This also causes the skins to slide right off when they defrost. I don’t like the bitter flavor that I feel the seeds impart and there are those that have digestive issues that make breaking the seeds down difficult. So after I slip the skins off I will easily remove the seed pouches put them in a strainer, which allows the juice to flow through seed free. I feed the seeds to the chickens or put them in the compost for free volunteers next spring….:)

I blend the tomatoes raw with the skin and seed intact, then pour into a pan and cook it after blending, that removes the air bubbles from the sauce and I've had less syphoning with that method. I do this for juice and sauce and just cook it down to make it into a thicker sauce.

When I make tomato sauce I blend the fresh tomatoes in a food processor then put it into a roasting pan in the oven on a low temperature and let it cook out the water stirring often then into jars and can it. Takes a little longer but no fuss

I just core my raw tomatoes then blend them in my vitamix and simmer until reduced. By heating them after blending the air bubbles are cooked out of them. I cook them down until the sauce is as thick as I like. This has been the quickest way I have found. Processing the tomatoes raw is a lot easier than heating them up twice. Also, I don’t have to handle hot tomatoes. So easy!

I was told keeping the skins on your tomato sauce change the pH significantly and it was no longer a safe canning recipe. But if you were doing the litmus paper I have confidence in you and your recipe

ForJars lids are great - no problems so far. Also a tip for thickening is to use tomato powder.

I have hesitated this process due to the USDA not recommending canning the skins because the skins harboring bacteria. How do you feel about this ? I have also seen where people blend the raw whole tomatoes and then cook the sauce down. I am a die hard canning rule follower so these two processes are confusing me.

i like the new sound system! also instead of making tomato sauce ive been freeze drying all my tomatoes (i just slice them up a bit or cut them in half with my kitchen scissors) and then blending them into powder. it's basically tomato paste and tastes amazing!!

Forjarlids are almost 100%. on everything, I canned this summer! They are the best I have ever used, I won't buy Ball lids anymore.

I’ve been using the forjars lids and haven’t had a failure. Thank you for sharing this short cut. 💜

Lehmans features awesome USA made lids. I would rather not depend upon or support China made products

I love Four Jar Lids and have had no problem with them. For me, grinding the seeds into the sauce makes the sauce bitter and needs sugar. I don’t want bitter or sugar so will stick with the old way but thanks for the hint.

I am using immersion blender..easier for me

I always cook my tomatoes, put into blender, seeds and skin, and they come out great. I usually make spaghetti sauce that I can so the tomatoes are cooked down in my large crock pot. So glad you and Jim did this video. And I always pressure can my tomato juice and sauce and add citric acid, just in case 😃 my salsa, made with vinegar I water bath according to the Blue Book

Please try Forjars lids. I haven’t had any issues since I switched to them.

I freeze dried my tomato sauce. It was a big WIN!!!

You can bet forjars is gonna contact you guys now if they already haven't before. lol That company i think sponsors every homesteading channel. Sorry about the failed seals.

Use "superb" lids made in USA. They are much better!!

Thank you. I have been using the blending process over the last year or two. But I have used my immersion blender. Also used this with apple butter and cannot tell that the peels are in the apple butter. I agree with you that there is added nutrition to doing it this way.

Tomato sauce is a mainstay for our pantry so I have tried many recipes and other canners hints over the years. Our favorite way now is to wash tomatoes, put in baking dishes (we can get five rectangular pans in our oven) Bake in a 375 to 420 degree oven until skins brown and tomatoes soft, pour in blender, water and all, one baking dish at a time and blend. In a large stovetop pan I have a conical strainer with stand hooked on the pan. I simply pour the blended tomatoes directly into this and use the pestle to push it through leaving bits of seeds and skin that didn't blend. I probably only get about 3 tablespoons of leftover from all 5 pans. The tomatoes are already hot from the oven so I just bring it all to a boil and can. I get about 10 quart jars from this method. I pressure can this (according to the USDA of course : ). We just love the flavor.

We had a freeze several days ago, picked ALL my tomatoes, green, ripe and turning. The green and turning are in my garage in a big garden wagon….I’ve pulled the ripe ones out yesterday…the others are still ripening. Don’t let them go to waste, they will ripen.

I bought a case of each size Kerr lids many years ago and I compared with the new lids and I can visually see a difference. Disappointing. I haven't tried for jars yet but plan on it! I like the idea of using the rubber gaskets from the reusable lids and will try that too!

What a good idea! So far, my immersion blender has been a good stand in for a VitaMix, but you are eliminating some of my reasons for not having one! Just one note: according to the ATK (America’s Test Kitchen), the best flavor is in the gelatinous goo around the seeds, but we all have different priorities & ways that work for us. The only way I know to eliminate the skin & seeds, but keep every other part of the tomato is with a Weston Roma Food Mill. I got a used one years ago, & consider it a big project to set it up & use. They are $90 at Leyman’s.

I love your new sound system and I laughed at your blender jump scare 😂 your videos are excellent, thank you!

When I exhaust my Ball and Kerr lids, I will be buying from ForJars lids! I’ve not heard a single criticism from any of the canning Instagramers/RU-vidrs I follow! I do the reverse of this process. I put the raw tomatoes into my high power blender then cook - I find it helps release the air the blender incorporates into the tomatoes. I think too much incorporated air can interfere with proper sealing as the air tries to escape during canning.

big but though, lets say in an extended grid down situation, no electricity for blenders, best to have hand crank food mills :) just incase.

I discovered this method just recently when I finally had enough tomatoes to process. I purchased one of those hand cranked tomato presses which was a total fail. I became very disappointed, put all the tomatoes in one container and threw the press in the trash. I began placing the tomatoes in the blender ... doing the exact thing you did in this video. I ended up with 9 pints of perfectly processed tomato sauce , skins and seeds, which turned out perfectly smooth. I processed them in my pressure canner ... so that's my story!

Great tips, I use a roaster and get the tomatoes to soften until most water is out, I then strain them through a fine mesh strainer and put the pulp into the vitamix. I can up the tomato water for tomato juice we really enjoy cooking our pasta in that rather than water and using it for soups and stews for the liquid. The lids have been an ongoing issue for me as well they are coming bent in the last 70 cases we have used so check them carefully it is coming off the assembly line damaged we have contacted the manufacturer several times Bernardin and have been ignored we sent photos etc. I will be using forjars from now on I do believe as the ball Bernardin are unreliable. Thank you for pointing out the sound difference as I have the same and was quite concerned. Just love your channel.

When I tried blender tomato sauce instead of my food mill I had tiny pieces of sharp skin in the sauce. I even tried it in a vitamix. I do use a kitchenaid food mill so it's not as much work as a hand crank.

I agree, a healthier alternative in my estimation. I cook my tomotes in my big nesco roaster then blend them using my emersion blender. Probably not as smooth if seeded and peeled but worth it when it comes to time. Its a home run for me. One tip, if you freeze the tomatoes the skins just come off when they thaw. Another tip is to add a can or two of tomatoe paste if you want it thicker.

Would ladling the water out after cooking the tomatoes cause the sauce to be too thick for canning? I pressure cook my tomatoes and take skin off and ladle out the juice to can as plain tomato juice. But now I'm thinking that might have made the sauce too thick to be canned properly. I let the sauce sit in the blender for a bit after blending and stir occasionally to get some of the air out.

I love all of your videos. Would you talk about canning collard greens. When I pressure canned mine last year they were so soft it just didn't taste good! Thank you!

Get some Forjars canning lids. I haven't had a failure yet. And I have used over 50 so far.

Hi Pam, just 2 more questions, you're my authority I believe in the research you do for us and your family and I appreciate it. #1 where did you get your data logger from? and #2 Have you ever experimented with raw pack potatoes to see what the temp inside gets to? I know the USDA recommends par boiling potatoes first but to me that just makes them mushy. I got a really good deal on 20lb. bags of potatoes and I would like to can french frys, you can do a variety of potatoes with those. Thanks, Debra

Nutribullet RX has a soup function that heats the soup enough to cook it in minutes. That deems like the way to go. Dental offices have a plaster vibratory that will knock the bubbles out. You can also use a vacuum chamber.

I still prefer to peel them first, but I have always used a blender. On large batches I use a pot and immersion blender. On the smaller batches at the beginning and end of season, I use my Vitamix soup setting which preheats it for canning and blends at the same time.

Try Superb lids.

I tried the blender method today and it’s amazing! Smooth and thick and so much less waste - I got at least another pint from it. No seeds or skins at all.

To get the air bubbles out after blending, put it back in the pan and heat and stir it for a bit.

New sound system sounds great. Another great video!

What is the acidity level that we need to can tomatoes in a water bath canner? When adding lemon juice or citric acid do you add per jar or do you measure out your sauce and add it per cup? Once again thank you for all your help. Love the new sound system!

I have always used a blender on the skins and seeds of tomatoes as you did, however I didn’t drain out the water, Instead I chose to simmer it on the stove after I blended it to get it to the consistency I wanted. With that I have the nutrients of the juice, and the bubbles from blending goes away. Then I can for the 10 minutes like you do. Just an FYI

I would strain the tomatoes after they come out of the blender, but I don't like seeds

Been doing this for a couple years using a stick blender right in the pot. Sure saves a lot of time and a lot of mess.

U have to have a really good blender for all the seeds to be ground up. Lot's of people can't tolerate the seeds.

The idea of removing skin was for safer sauce. I do the same thing using my vitamix but I remove the skin first. The USDA approves of blending this way? I really love it but is it safe?

Less air passing them in a sive. Twice. Seeds are a No No. Zero flavor in a seed and seeds have natural protection to prevent no one eats them.... there role is to grow a new plant.

Wow! Can’t believe I am the first to respond. After watching different videos on YT I often wonder why people spent all that time removing skins and seeds. Too much work. I use this method you just posted. I have even washed tomatoes then freeze whole for later use. After defrosted you can still cook down process as you need. Pam I hope you are able to save any tomatoes still outside before the freeze. Thank you for all you and Jim do, we all appreciate you so much.

The added skin and seeds dramatically INCREASES nutrient values, primarily fiber.

U have SO many comments already and I hate to add yet another! I simply core my tomatoes, then quarter the large ones, send them through my cheap blender. I then pour them through a sieve to catch anything that wouldn’t blend. (I save what is left n the sieve to dehydrate for tomato powder.) The rendered liquid that came through the sieve is then placed on the stovetop to cook down. The water has a great flavor. All I do is simmer on low until my tomatoes concentrate, maybe 20-25 minute, maybe longer depending on the mixture of tomatoes? But nothing goes to waste here. Then I jar up my tomatoes and pressure can them using For Jar lids or lids I bought from the Amish Store which r also great. Just as a thought, I have only tried putting hot tomatoes n my blender once when making salsa. The blow back from the hot tomatoes was very dangerous and not something I would do again. I hope this info is helpful.

I like the idea of keeping the skin and seeds. Putting the tomatoes through the food mill removes the skin and seeds but SAVES the water, which is then processed. I'm wondering if there would be less separation if you processed the tomatoes with the water.... Personally, I don't care about the separation, but I'm wondering if some of the vitamins are in the water left behind. I will give this method a try - so much faster & easier - but I'll process the water along with the pulp, and then put them back into the dirty pot and reduce for a bit. I also use the smaller jars. When I use the larger jars, I make too much sauce and I end up freezing leftover sauce... I'm trying to change the way I cook so that I have fewer leftovers. Thanks for another great video!

I put the blended tomatoes in a stock pot and heat them up, stir down the air & then process them. That way there is no separation & the air is gone. Yes, it's one extra step, but it's simple & doesn't take long. It's still SO much quicker that the standard way.🤗

Wow new sound system sounds great!🎉

I wouldn't mind the skins, but the seeds kinda have a flavor that I wouldn't like if tomatoes are super seedy.

I really love the new sound system! I'm hard of hearing and the tinny, echoing made it hard to understand Pam without my headphones.

I’m hoping your video with using the tomato strainer thing is still available. Running through the blender defeats the health benefits of REMOVING the seeds and skins. MANY of us CANNOT eat the skin or seeds. Not even pulverized.

I use only FORJARS lid now. Haven't had any failures. Can't say the same thing for Ball lids.

bought a 3rd party $56 tomato strainer for the kitchenaid mixer. Tried pulverizing with seeds and the color/texture/flavor just wasn't there for me.

I use my emulsion mixer

I blended mine but put the liquid into the crockpot to simmer and stir. This gets the air out of them. I plan to hot pack this afternoon.

my daughters family live her sliced dehydrated tomatoe slices cant keepup with them lol they are really good snack

RoseRed Homestead -- That "Woman with a Gadget" When doing half pints, do you put the amount of citric acid in for a full pint, or do you divide it in half?

I also add a jar of paste which eliminates the separation.

Hi Pam, I used my vitamix to do a bushel of roma tomatoes for a spaghetti dinner at my church. It worked fantastic? I put all the onions, garlic, peppers,, etc. In the blender as well. It was my first attempt at a large batch. Thankfully, the sauce got favorable reviews. 😊 Next year I want to try canning some.Great video!

I discovered from another You Tube video that all the USDA approved tomato recipes were based on "skinned and cored" tomatoes. I'm not sure if the skins provide a safety issue for long term storage or if it's just a texture concern. Anyway, I've been using the "sieve" process for tomato canned products, then saving the skins and seeds to dehydrate into powders. The resulting powders are tasty and I use them all the time in sandwiches and recipes. I also add them back in to the "shelved" tomato product if it needs thickening after opening. I feel safer with this process, but if you can provide some additional information (as you did with the Cosco meatballs!) I would happily follow this video procedure. I have appreciated your knowledge and approach to safe food storage for over a year now and I am an avid follower of your channel. Thank you so much for all that you share!

Have you tried Forjars lids? A lot of RU-vidrs recommend them. I bought some but haven't used yet as was using up my lids I already had. Both Acre Homestead and Three Rivers Homestead use and recommend them.

I have had so many damaged Ball lids and bands that I started buying 4jars lids. I contacted Ball with a photo of a huge bowl of damaged lids and bands with little response. Frustrating and expensive!!

S I've been processing tomatoes in this manner for several years. I like this for tomato soup as well, just add onions, celery and spices. I blend the the onions and celery and add to the pot. I do like to hot pack the soup, so it's a little thicker. When I open a jar, I generally use a flour thickener and a little more liquid, either water or milk. Makes a delicious bowl of soup or sauce for meats and mashed potatoes. Thank you for all your informative videos!

I have about 30 tomatoes of various sizes. Some ripening from the garden and some in the freezer. This is. my first time canning sauce and until i came across this video...I had planned on removing the skin and seeds, thus why many are in my freezer. If I don't blend the skins and seeds, do I still need litmus paper? I don't have this item and will need to order it. Is this a required step to canning tomato sauce? I love the idea of dehydrating the skins if I don't blend them...I've never used tomato powder and don't know what I'd do with it. I'm guessing 1 tablespoon or so to a cup of water for soups, etc? Thanks for everyone's input...very helpful channel!!! :)

This method was a disaster for me, and I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong. I heated the sauce before blending. Is that where I went south? I learned to can last year and never had any problems like this. I practice safe canning methods and even used testing strips to make sure water bath canning was safe. Two Superb lids popped off in the beginning of the process. I used citric acid instead of lemon juice. Could that be the problem? Can I cook the sauce back down since clean, boiling water got in two jars or just discard that sauce and freeze the jars that the lid didn’t come off? Many thanks.

I used my blender on making tomatoe sauce and depending on how long I run the blender with whole tomatoes inside I don’t have any seeds in the mixture at all . My son hates seeds so this works beautifully. To make sauce I cut the tomatoes in half and fill a cookie sheet up with the cut tomatoes and put them under the broiler and let them cook until the skins turn black then I pack the tomatoes which I cut into my clean jars. This way seems much faster to me then boiling water and take the peels off. I cut the whole tomatoes in half on to a cookie sheet to fill 2 cookie sheets into the oven at the same time. While they are cooking I fill the two cookie sheets with washed cut tomatoes and take out the two cookies sheets that been been broiled and replace them with the cut tomatoes sheets. Also I rotate the sheets that are in the oven so the skins are cooked .I let the cooked tomatoes to cool and then removed the skins and place them in blender and them blend and then them pan to cook the desired time for making tomato sauce. So I use this method for canning cut tomatoes and for making tomatoe sauce with the blender which make’s beautiful sauce.

I’ve always done it this way, even for spaghetti sauce. The peel has so many vitamins.

The only reason I use the food mill is some people have trouble digesting the capsin in the seeds and skins.

When freeze drying I have been using film ( saran wrap) to cover my trays. I found it in 24" width at the restaurant supply so all I have to do is cut off about 10 inches to cover the tray. Is there some reason that I shouldn't use this film? Also I have been using the 2 gallon zipper bags to empty my trays, they are wide enough to slide the tray into so the dried food like milk and eggs doesn't go everywhere but stay in the bag.

Do you wipe your jar rims before applying your flat lids? It can cut down the failed seals.

I have not tried them myself but after I use all the lids I currently have I’m going to try superb brand lids. They have a lot of really good reviews that say they seal every time.

Even easier: use an immersion blender directly in the pot. No need to transfer back and forth between pot and blender, and easier clean-up

The new sound system sounds great! I like to freeze my tomatoes until I get enough to do a batch , and I use an electric roasting pan to slow roast my tomatoes overnight. And I do use the food processor to blend all of my veggies and tomatoes up.

i have had great sucess with For Jar lids. None have ever not sealed. Please check these out.

Hi Pam I also found out this easy way to get tomatoes ready for canning. However I used an immersion blender and love it ! It's my new gadget and works great to mash up pumpkin meat. From one gadget lady to another. J

The lids are just really getting bad! And so are the rings. I've had more rings that request past the tight spot and I lost several jars of peach ginger butter. And I was so excited because I had even crystallized my own ginger this year. Always sad to see good product ruined. The lids came off and the peach ginger butter dumped into the canner.

You may have to wait a bit for the sauce to cool off after you pour them into the jars. If its too hot and you close the lid on them water vapor is still forming and it will pressurize the jar, and after you boil them the pressure will increase enough to buckle the lids.

I bought an off-brand lids and they don’t pop when they seal. Have you had this happen? I know they sealed, but they don’t pop.

I forgot--- are u pressure canning? I want to recan #10 cans of tomatoes, but I've been searching for hours and can't find results, I want to do them for long term storage.

If I do a batch of 1/2 pints how much raw tomatoe do I need to start with? How many cups or pounds? And how many jars will fit in a 23 quart canning pot. I hope to use the pot & lid but not the pressure part of my Presto.

So are you removing the skins before blending?

I do my tomatoes with my emersion blender because I don’t have a good regular blender.

I think I would’ve pressure canned them. 40 minutes or 45 minutes seems like such a long time

Aren’t you supposed to put it back in the pot to boil the water out after blending?

Would this also apply to salsa? I just made a batch of Mrs wages mild salsa and used my immersion blender to make it restaurant style. Do I need to adjust my processing time? Someone told me I couldn't safely can it because I blended it up.

I would not do this method due to digestive issues. I would mark them as blender tomato sauce as this cannot be served to anyone with digestive issues. Also, do not order lids from Amazon. Many are marked “Ball” but are mock offs. They aren’t the same. I will only buy lids in stores and since doing so, have not had any issues with lids.

Not a shortcut, but easier on a disabled prrson like me...i still cut the tomatoes and run my thumb around the insidr to remove the seeds. Then toss into my crock pot. It can cook all day with fear of burning and keeps me off my feet After a few hours i hit it with my stick blender right in the pot. When its reduced by half, i cool and freeze it to can another day when im rested.

If you take the seeds out before you process (cools down) the tomatoes, you can save the seeds and donate to your library (if they have a seed sharing program).

I thought I read that including skins in the sauce makes a high bacteria count. Have you heard that? I usually dehydrate my skins.

By cooking tomato, the lecithin from the skin and seeds is destroyed, otherwise it can cause some, digestion problems.

The new sound system is WONDERFUL!!!

I want to can a Nigerian tomato stew sauce. It is Roma tomatoes, onion, red Anaheim peppers, scotch bonnet pepper, salt, seasoning cubes and thyme. It is blended in a blender then fried out in palm oil until most liquid is evaporated. But I am not sure how the palm oil will react in canning.