Safe Water Bath Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce
Yes, you can make a water bath canned roasted tomato sauce safely and the flavor is still amazing! Use this recipe based on one from the Ball Blue Book for delicious roasted tomato sauce that is safe to preserve in a boiling water canner to be shelf stable. Having jars of this sauce in your pantry gives you amazingly easy weeknight dinners that capture that great summer tomato taste!
✩ What readers are saying…
“This was delicious! I’ve canned quite a few tomato sauce recipes over the years, but this was the easiest and best I’ve tried.” – Laurie
Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
I’m super happy to be able to share this canned roasted tomato sauce that’s safe for boiling water bath canning with you!
I spent a lot of time searching for a recipe to safely can roasted tomato sauce in a boiling water canner. I was looking for flavor similar to our family’s favorite Roasted Tomato & Vegetable Sauce for Freezing, to have some for the convenience of having jars in the pantry ready to go without thawing.
Spoiler: I couldn’t find what I was looking for. But I came up with a work around that is a keeper recipe for sure – taking a tested recipe and then adding the roasting step for the vegetables. It’s SO good!
Before sharing the recipe, though, I want to share what I found while searching and how I came up with this safe method because being educated more about canning is worth a couple more paragraphs!
Be Safe With Canning Tomato Sauce
When I searched the internet for recipes for canned tomato sauce I found quite a few “recipes” that didn’t list any specific amounts (“fill a pan with tomatoes, throw in a good handful of ______,” etc.) but still gave instructions for water bath canning with the addition of citric acid.
Recipes like this are NOT considered safe by the USDA – adding citric acid to a concoction that is full of low-acid ingredients (olive oil, onions, garlic, fresh herbs and sometimes peppers), does not make it shelf-stable with boiling-water canning, especially when they’re not even measured amounts (see this article for more information).
I know that people have canned this way for years, but in my opinion, it’s just food and never worth even a possibility of sickness. (Note: there’s a little more flexibility with sauces canned using a pressure canner, but it’s still recommended that you use a tested recipe.)
Okay, off my soapbox! After all that searching, are you wondering how I came up with this boiling water safe canned roasted sauce?
Is This Canned Tomato Sauce Safe?
Good for you for questioning – we should definitely understand what we feeding ourselves and our families.
Here’s the deal: I searched and searched and couldn’t find any roasted tomato sauce recipe that was safe for canning tomato sauce in a water bath canner.
But then I wondered why I couldn’t just take the tomato sauce recipe from the Ball Blue Book that I’ve canned many times and instead of boiling the tomatoes, roasted them instead? All the measured ingredients would be the same, only the cooking method would change.
When in doubt – or questioning – use your extension service!
To make sure my solution would work I called the preservation hotline from our extension agency (Oregon State where I live) and asked them if they thought it would be okay to roast the vegetables instead of boiling. I told them I’d be sharing it with my site’s readers – and they okayed the new cooking method!
They just cautioned me to keep all the other low-acid ingredients the same and to be sure to include the addition of citric acid or lemon juice. Which I did, of course.
And guess what?
Roasting the tomatoes worked wonderfully and gave this sauce that lovely flavor that our favorite freezer sauce has. This is the sauce I’d been looking for!
How to Make Water Bath Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce
Gather your ingredients:
- Tomatoes: use any you have. TIP: paste tomatoes have less juice so you won’t need to cook the sauce as long to thicken and I find adding some heirloom tomatoes give a great depth of flavor so I use a combo.
- Olive oil: use only the amount listed – it’s important in canning to not increase this.
- Balsamic vinegar: this is optional, but give that amazing flavor we love about this freezer roasted sauce.
- Onions & garlic: use only the amount specified, do not increase. If you’d like more of these flavors, you can add garlic or onion powder to taste.
- Seasonings: this is where you can adapt the recipe – choose more or less as you’d like of the dried herbs. You cannot use fresh herbs, though. You do not have to use canning salt – you do need to choose a salt that has no additives, like a pure sea salt.
- Citric acid or bottled lemon juice: I prefer using citric acid because bottled lemon (which you have to use in canning) contains preservatives. Either work, though.
Step 1: Prep tomatoes for roasting. Halve all ingredients to work in two batches and divide all except tomatoes and citric acid between 2 or 3 roasting pans ( or what will fit in your oven). Wash and cut tomatoes in half, removing the cores and blossom ends – place cut side down in pans.
Step 2: Roast and remove peels. Roast the first batch about 40 minutes. Use tongs to remove the peels easily. Besides enhancing the flavor, the other reason I like to roast tomatoes for sauces is because I can skip the boiling-water-peeling step since it’s easy to just pluck the darkened skins off after roasting.
Even though it takes 2 batches of roasting for this amount of sauce (since I can only fit the three pans shown above in my oven at one time), it still takes less time and work than blanching and peeling tomatoes before cooking!
NOTE ON SKINS IN CANNING: Removing the skins is specified in the original recipe from Ball Blue Book, so that’s what I do, but I leave skins on my favorite salsa and addictive tomato chutney, so you might choose to leave them on here. I haven’t found research to say it will affect the acid ratio. Just be sure your tomatoes are really clean and we’re removing both the core and blossom end where any bacteria might live. As of 2024, I still haven’t found any studies about this – no matter what you hear from online influencers! I stick by my own research into this and the answer I got from an OSU Extension Agent I detailed in this salsa recipe.
Steps 1 and 2 basically replace the peeling and initial cooking part of the original boiled recipe with pans of roasted ingredients. After your ingredients are roasted, though, you do still need to bring it to a boil so it’s nice and hot for canning.
Step 3: Transfer to a pot and blend ingredients. After roasting, transfer everything into a large stockpot (this actually makes it easy to roast more pans to finish the full recipe – the first batch can wait in the pot for the second batch to roast). When ALL the batches are in the pot, use an immersion blender (the best!) or blender or food processor to make a smooth sauce.
Step 4: Cook down and can. Bring the sauce to a boil after blending and then cook until thickened, about an hour. While it’s cooking, prepare a water bath canner and jars. TIP: I like to have everything set up next to the stove (pictured above)- the tray contains the mess for easy cleaning. When time to can, add citric acid or lemon juice into each jar before adding the sauce. Process the jars according to the size – see the recipe card below.
NOTE on tomato seeds: we don’t mind seeds in the sauce and I do squeeze out quite a few when I’m prepping the tomatoes for roasting, but if you’d prefer a seedless sauce, you can strain the sauce after you’ve whirred it up – it’s up to you.
NOTE #2: I took the in-process photos above before I realized that we should add the other ingredients to the roasting pans first and then place the tomatoes on top of them. This makes it easier to pluck the skins off without losing any of the spices or other ingredients – live and learn!
Tools I use For this Recipe
- Food Scale
- Immersion Blender
- Stainless Steel Boiling Water Canner with this flat canning rack
- Stainless Steel Canning Funnel
- Stainless Steel Ladle
- Pint Mason Jars and Lids
Water Bath Canning Tutorial Video
Need review of how to can? Here’s a video on the simple steps for boiling water canning if you need:
Or you can go to this article and read the steps with photos.
Storage
Like any properly canned products, these will keep on a cool, dark pantry shelf up to 18 months. Always check the seal to make sure it is still firm and check for any visible signs of spoilage (very rare!).
I hope you enjoy this yummy sauce as much as we do!
Reader Raves
“It was all I could do from pouring bunch in a soup bowl and diving in. Fabulous flavor.” -Diane
“This is SO delicious! We use the resulting sauce to make a sort of instant tomato soup – add broth, maybe some cream, simmer a few minutes and have a bowl of summer to enjoy.” -Cathleen
“Great recipe, I have been canning for years, and found this to be an excellent and flavorful recipe. Major upside, it kept my kitchen much cleaner than when blanching to remove peels, and seem to waste a lot less “juice”. It will also make your kitchen smell a bit like heaven!” -Dawn
I hope you enjoy this canned roasted tomato sauce! If you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating and review so I know how you liked it!
Want to save this?
Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!
Safe Water Bath Canned Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 23 pounds tomatoes a variety of paste, heirloom and cutting provides the best flavor & consistency
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar optional, but adds amazing flavor
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 6 medium cloves garlic chopped**
- 2 tablespoons canning salt or pure sea salt (use a salt with no additives)
- 1 tablespoons dried oregano*** to taste
- 1 tablespoons dried basil*** to taste
- 2 teaspoons black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes optional, but we love it
- Citric acid or bottled lemon juice see amounts needed for different size jars below
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Halving all ingredients to work in two batches, divide olive oil, balsamic vinegar (if using), onions, garlic, and dry seasonings between 2 or 3 roasting pans (what you have that will fit in your oven).
- Wash tomatoes, remove cores and blossom ends, cut in half and squeeze gently to remove some of the seeds. Place tomatoes, cut side down, on top of ingredients in prepared pans.
- Roast for about 40 minutes until most of the tomato skins are puffed and browned. Remove from oven and pluck skins off with tongs (it's okay not to get every bit).
- Scrape roasted vegetables into a large stockpot, set aside and repeat the prep and roasting with remaining half of ingredients (unless you are making just a half batch – then just proceed to next step).
- Using an immersion blender, whir roasted ingredients until smooth (alternately, you can scrape from the roasting pans into a blender in batches and then add to the stockpot). If you’d like to strain to remove seeds, now is the time for that, too, using a wire mesh sieve.
- Bring the smooth sauce to a boil over med-high heat, lower heat and then simmer sauce until it reaches desired consistency, stirring often, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or more depending on your tomato varieties. You can adjust salt or dry seasonings to taste at this point if you wish.
- Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to pint jars (1/2 teaspoon to quarts) OR 1 tablespoon lemon bottled juice to pint jars (2 tablespoons for quarts) and then ladle the hot tomato sauce into hot jars, one at a time with 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims, attach lids and place in canner rack.
- Process 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts (if processing both pints and quarts together, use the longer processing time). Note: start the processing time after canner comes to a full boil and then adjust heat to keep a low boil for the timed amount.
- Turn off burner, remove lid and set timer for 5 minutes to let jars rest in canner. Transfer jars from canner to a towel-lined surface and let cool 24 hours. Check seals, label & store for up to a year.
Notes
Nutrition
Your Questions Answered
I have gotten quite a few questions over the years after publishing this recipe in 2015 which I’m listing here in case you have some of the same questions.
Yes! I’ve done this and it’s perfectly fine since you’ll heat the tomato sauce before adding to the jars.
No, unfortunately peppers are a low acid vegetable so it would mess with the ratios that make this safe for canning.
You can add dried chili flakes, but no fresh chilis (or other fresh ingredients).
Adding fresh low-acid ingredients like this would make this sauce no longer considered safe for canning ( it alters the acid ratio from the tested recipe). You can always add them when you’re going to use it.
Yes.
Even though they seem less acidic and more sweet, according to what I’ve read you can use yellow tomatoes the same as red, following all the same guidelines (adding lemon juice or citric acid).
Yes! It’s best to have the weight of the tomatoes before freezing (weigh and write on outside of freezer bag), though you can weigh when frozen, too. (I used to think they weighed more frozen, but have read that they actually don’t.)
Unfortunately, it’s not safe to add tomato paste unless the recipe has been tested for it since it thickens the sauce which may affect the amount of time needed for processing.
When I’ve had sauce that wouldn’t thicken (well, in the amount of time I had, lol), I will note on the lid to add tomato paste when heating it.
Yes, you can add as much as you want as sugar is just for taste and wouldn’t affect the acid ratio.
Yes, you can use canned tomatoes! There might be a slight reduction of quality (every time produce is canned, the quality goes down some), but it’s perfectly safe.
No, it’s not safe to use fresh lemon juice and boiling wouldn’t help. It’s because fresh lemons vary in acidity and bottled is uniform. That’s why I choose to use citric acid – I don’t like the preservatives in bottled lemon juice (though you can use the frozen variety if you can find it to avoid that).
Fresh herbs are low acid and affect the tested ratio. If a recipe isn’t tested for pressure canning then I can’t recommend it. I’d probably find a pressure canned recipe to make with correct pressure needed for the jar size and sauce.
They also don’t really hold their flavor after being boiled and canned (and some even get bitter) – dried are much better for that. There aren’t too many recipes tested with fresh herbs for these reasons.
The salt is for flavor only so you can lessen or leave it out without affecting the product safety.
Yes! Though your yield may be affected – I’d think you’d get more since pureeing concentrates sauces more.
More Canned Tomato Recipes To Try
- The Best Thick and Flavorful Salsa for Canning
- Canned Green Chilies & Tomatoes (aka, Rotel)
- Canned Pizza Sauce (from frozen tomatoes)
- Addictive Tomato Chutney
This recipe has been updated with larger photos and clearer instructions – it was originally published in 2015.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
Can I use yellow cherry tomatoes for this recipe? I have so many and am looking for a recipe I can can that doesn’t have to be frozen.
Even though they seem less acidic and more sweet, according to this article it seems like you can use yellow tomatoes the same as red, following all the same guidelines (adding lemon juice or citric acid).
So I just read on another site about letting the roasted tomatoes sit in the refrigerator overnight and then skimming off the water. Is this something that I could do? And another question-is the sugar necessary?
You can do that if you want, though the roasting really cooks off a lot of the liquid. I’ve never done that and it comes out great.
Oh – the sugar! No, it’s just for flavor.
Can i roast the tomatoes, then freeze the results to can later, bringing them back to a boil and following the recipe and direction? I’m tight for time, but my tomatoes are at perfect ripeness.
Yes, that should work great!
We enjoyed your fresh version of this and I froze some for this winter, and now I’m going to try your canning steps. Can you explain why it’s good to remove the skins, though? We enjoyed ours with the skins on, and I figure that brings out more of the roasted flavor we love. Plus it’s just easier if we can skip that step.
In the process of canning, bits of tomato skin can become tough which produces a texture some don’t like. It’s not a safety issue, though, so you can try it and see if you like it!
The skin is actually a safety issue for canning. It’s not about the texture, it’s the bacteria on the skin.
I’ve done a lot of research on this and that just isn’t supported in any research. Most of the approved sites only talk about texture. We regularly can vegetables with skins (all the peppers we use in salsa, for instance) and washing is fine, so the same is then true for tomatoes.
Made this a couple weeks ago, and it came out just wonderful. I only made 1/2 recipe because of not having enough tomatoes from the garden ripe yet. But 11.5 lbs. of tomatoes made up to 8 pints. I didn’t turn them over, as they were mush just half way through. Doing another batch today, same, with 11.5 lbs tomatoes. So we’ll see. These seem to be less juicy. Thanks so much for the canning/water bath safe recipe. Some folks scare me with lack of respect for the need for the exact ingredients to use with this canning methor.
I’m so happy you tried this and are enjoying it, Diane! I make 1/2 batch sometimes, too – once even 1/4 batch, just using up what I have. 🙂
Made this two weeks ago and didn’t have enough ripened tomatoes from my garden, but wanted to get them preserved, so I cut the recipe in half, at 11.5 lbs of a variety of tomatoes. I didn’t strain out the seeds, hit it with an immersion blender, and it was all I could do from pouring bunch in a soup bowl and diving in. Fabulous flavor. I didn’t boil it long to reduce it, as I liked the texture. So, funny thing is, the half recipe made 8 pints! Maybe because I didn’t turn the tomatoes half way through roasting time, I had more moisture?? Not sure, but I tried, and they were already mush after 20 minutes, so I just left them.
This is my first year canning. I canned cucumber relish and some pickles a few weeks ago, but now I want to try tomatoe sauce. I’m super nervous because I obviously want to do this right.
I’m very confused how you were able to get 23lbs of tomatoes in only 2 batches…. The amount of tomatoes I have here that equal 23lbs would take me about 10 batches (if not more) to have the tomatoes halved and single layered in dishes. What am I not seeing here?
I can fit about 11 pounds of tomatoes in the three pans pictured (a 15.5×11.5 roaster and two 13x9s), Sarah. Not all of the tomatoes are halved, though. If they are too small I don’t halve them and some perfectly round slicers I just put the cored top side down. 23 pounds would never take 10 batches, lol – it sounds like a lot more than it is.
The key here is to weigh correctly (before coring and cutting) and keep all measurements the same. If your pans are different than mine and you need more to get them all roasted, then do that.
We only have about 8 lbs. of tomatoes, but we did the seasonings (even the canning salt) for 23 lbs. Will we just end up with very flavorful sauce, or is that dangerous to can?
Well, it will be flavorful, but you’re right, it’s not safe to can with those ratios. You need the amount of tomatoes called for as they are the higher acid ingredient (vs the onions, etc.). You can keep it in the freezer, though!
This sauce is delicious. Made it today. Canned 11 pints! Excited to have this in my shelf. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Yay! Glad you like it, Dee – it is nice to see shelves of home canned foods, isn’t it? 🙂
Hi this recipe sounds delicious and i want to try it, can i add a couple of chilli peppers during the roasting stage? Just to add a bit of heat? What is the shelflife of your recipe.
You can add dried chili flakes, Bernie, but no fresh chilis (or other fresh ingredients). Canned foods like this last about 18 months on the shelf.
Thanks for your quick response Jami. I actually tried this yesterday with a quarter of the ingredients not for canning but to just appreciate the flavours. I loved it! Very delicious and full of flavour. The roasting really makes a difference. I will try a batch for canning soon.
I scored an large can (6 lbs) of organic whole peeled tomatoes on clearance sale. Can I use canned tomatoes in this recipe and still water bath the sauce? TIA
Yes, you can use the tomatoes! There might be a slight reduction of quality (every time produce is canned, the quality goes down some), but it’s perfectly safe.
Hi
I am wondering if it is possible to use fresh lemon juice (and if not, how about if i boiled it first)? Thank you
No, it’s not safe to use fresh lemon juice and boiling wouldn’t help. It’s because fresh lemons vary in acidity and bottled is uniform. That’s why I choose to use citric acid – I don’t like the preservatives in bottled lemon juice (though you can use the frozen variety if you can find it to avoid that).
Thank you so much for your quick reply. The tomatoes are in the oven roasting, and i brought some citric acid. Thanks for all your recipies. This is my first attempt at water bathing.
Good! Have fun with it, Haan!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I have frozen tomatoes from my garden. Can I use them for this recipe?
Kelley
Yes, as long as you have the weight of the tomatoes before freezing (I weigh and write it on the bag before freezing).
Hi! Your recipe sounds great I just wanted to ask about the 2 TBS of canning salt. Does this make the sauce salty? I don’t cook with a lot of salt. Can that amount be reduced? Thanks
Yes, you can reduce the salt. But the amount is for 23 pounds of tomatoes – so a lot of sauce. It’s not salty at all. But put in what you like and then taste to see if you like it or want more!
Questions, why can’t you use fresh Herbs and if it’s not safe for water bath for fresh herbs would use of pressure canner then be ok
Fresh herbs are low acid and affect the tested ratio. If a recipe isn’t tested for pressure canning then I can’t recommend it. I’d probably find a pressure canned recipe to make with correct pressure needed for the jar size and sauce.
this is SO delicious! We use the resulting sauce to make a sort of instant tomato soup – add broth, maybe some cream, simmer a few minutes and have a bowl of summer to enjoy. Thank you!
Yes, I do that often, too – it’s SO good. I’m so glad you liked this – thanks for the review!
This recipe is just what I was looking for. One question…do we have to put the salt in or can we skip that completely?
Oh great, Holly! And to answer your question, the salt is for flavor only so you can lessen or leave it out without affecting the product safety.
Do you think I can use yellow heirloom tomatoes with this recipe?
Yes!
I halved the recipe (12# tomatoes) and it made just shy of 7 pints (I water bathed 6 pints). The thickness of the sauce seemed good to my liking but I’m wondering your thoughts and what others have experienced? Other than that thank you for sharing this recipe. The flavor is really good and I am looking forward to using the sauce in a recipe.
Glad you liked it, Rick. With sauce, it’s totally up to the cook and the tomatoes you used – if you’d like it thicker, cook longer (though your volume will be reduced). If you start with mostly roma/paste tomatoes you may not need to cook as long, and visa versa. Not really sure if this answered your question, but hope it helps!
Thanks for this recipe, I have lots of garden tomatoes to use up! Just want to confirm- I’m supposed to put the citric acid or lemon juice amount directly in each jar, then pour the tomato sauce into the jar after?
Yes, right in the jar before adding the sauce!
Can I add roasted red peppers to the sauce before using immersion blender?
I’ve done this in the past and didn’t experience any issues.
Thank you will be trying this recipe later this week
That would make it not safe for canning, Jim, altering the acid ratio more than the tested recipe. You can always add them when you’re going to use it.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Mine is processing right now as I write this. I just celebrated my 21st birthday and to celebrate it with my found family, I spent the day cutting tomatoes and making this sauce. I have so wanted to have food traditions, and I believe making this sauce will be one of them for me. As someone who is often not a huge fan of cooked tomatoes, this sauce is the exception. It really is delicious, and thank you so much for giving a recipe that I am happy to turn into a tradition!
Oh, that’s lovely, Madeleine – I’m so happy to be a part of your tradition through this recipe. 🙂
Enjoy!!
I would love to make this, but in 1/2 pint jars. How long would the processing time be for 1/2 pints?
Same amount of time!