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Canning Black Bean and Corn Salsa Safely

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Canning black bean and corn salsa is a great way to preserve the flavors of the summer season and enjoy them throughout the year. This delicious and healthy recipe is packed with fresh veggies and zesty spices, making it a perfect addition to a meal or snack.

Mason jars full of black bean and corn salsa with tortilla chips in the background

We are all huge fans of salsa here. From the best fresh salsa recipe to roasted salsa verde and tons in between, we make and eat a lot of salsa.

It’s great for not only dipping tortilla chips in, but for topping venison tacos, chicken chimichangas, or even an omelet.

Black bean and corn salsa is my absolute favorite for topping all of the things and dipping, and while you can make it fairly easily fresh… I love it canned. It’s convenient, it tastes even better than making it fresh after it’s sat for a bit, it’s shelf-stable, and it makes an amazing gift.

Before we get into the delicious salsa recipe, I will preface this with saying… black bean and corn salsa must be pressure canned. It contains beans and while there is a corn salsa recipe or two that can be canned in a water bath canner, beans always require pressure canning.

It’s fairly simple to use a pressure canner, they’re an excellent tool to have in your kitchen, and this is not something you can work around and not pressure can.

If you don’t have one, you can make your salsa fresh or purchase one. I personally have the all-american, but you can check out the top pressure canners here to find the one that will best suit your needs.

Jars of freshly canned black bean and corn salsa

Black Bean and Corn Salsa Recipe

You can find the complete recipe and exact measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Fresh Tomatoes – fresh, peeled, cored, and diced tomatoes work really well here.

Onions – any variety will do, I typically use white onions because that’s mostly what we grow here, but red onions or yellow onions will work just as well.

Peppers – green peppers, chili peppers, and jalapeno peppers are all used in this recipe.

Seasonings – the typical salt and black pepper along with some ground cumin.

Dried Black Beans – pre-canned beans will wind up mushy, you have to start with dried beans and soak them overnight.

Sweet Corn – fresh corn or frozen works well here, don’t use canned.

White Distilled Vinegar – to add a little acidity and tang to the recipe.

Tomato Sauce and Tomato paste – a little of each to add the flavor and thicken it up just enough.

Lime Juice – bottled lime juice or lemon juice works here, we prefer the flavor of lime juice but lemon juice works.

Granulated Sugar – this helps mellow the flavors just a bit.

How to Make Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Soak the beans. This will take overnight and the next day to make, as you need to properly soak the dried beans first. So, begin by rinsing and sorting through the beans and then soak them overnight. Drain and rinse them the next day when you’re preparing to can.

Peel and dice the tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Peel the tomatoes by scoring on the bottom and working in batches place them in a pot of boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds until the skins begin to loosen or crack.

Immediately submerge the tomatoes in ice water in a large bowl, then peel the skin off the outside. Then core the tomatoes and dice them into pieces.

Prepare the peppers and onions. Dice bell peppers and onions. Then carefully dice and devein the hot peppers, making sure to wear gloves!

Combine ingredients. In a large stock pot, combine tomatoes, peppers, and onions with the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Prepare jars, lids, and pressure canner. Wash canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Place jars filled 2/3rds with water in a pressure canner that contains 3″ of water. Bring the canner to a simmer at 180°F and hold there until the salsa has simmered for 30 minutes.

Pack jars. Once salsa has simmered and jars are hot, carefully ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving a generous 1″ of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.

Wipe the rim, center the lid, and finger-tighten the screw bands.

Ladling hot black bean and corn salsa into jar to can.

Process. Place jar back into the pressure canner, adjust the water level to ensure there is 3″ of water in the bottom of the canner.

Place the lid on the pressure canner, tightening it down. Allow the pressure canner to boil, and vent for 10 minutes before placing the weight on the canner.

Place the weight on the canner and bring up to 10 lbs of pressure, adjusting the pressure for altitude if necessary, and process pint jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the canner to come to 0 pressure naturally. Carefully remove weight, then wait 2 minutes before carefully removing the lid.

Allow the jars to sit for 10 minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter. Wait 12-24 hours before checking for proper seals. Remove the rings, wash the jars, label them, and store them in a cool dark place for 18 months or longer.

Tips for Canning Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Bowl of black bean and corn salsa with jars of salsa in the background

You could make this salsa and eat it fresh. Simply use canned beans and canned corn and heat thoroughly before serving.

If you do not have a pressure canner, this salsa can be made and cooked through then put in straight-sided jars and frozen.

This salsa is not spicy, it’s quite mild. If you want to add spice, leave the seeds in the hot peppers when chopping.

Once opened, the salsa needs to be refrigerated and used within one week.

More Salsa Recipes to Try Next Time:

If you try this delicious recipe for canning black bean and corn salsa, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below! Also, I’d love if you would leave me a recipe review on the recipe card below and tag me on Instagram with your recipe creations @therusticelk!

Mason jars full of black bean and corn salsa with tortilla chips in the background
Yield: 10 pints

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

A delicious, mild salsa blend with tomatoes, peppers, corn, and black beans perfect for chips or to any Mexican fare you desire. 

Ingredients

  • 8 Cups Tomatoes, peeled, chopped, drained
  • 2 1/2 Cups Onions, chopped
  • 1 1/2 Cups Bell Peppers, chopped
  • 1 Cup Jalapeno Pepper, chopped & seeded
  • 1 Chile Pepper, chopped & seeded
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1/8 Cup Salt
  • 1/3 Cup White Vinegar
  • 8 Oz Bag Dried Black Beans
  • 15 Oz Tomato Sauce
  • 12 Oz Tomato Paste
  • 4 Cups Frozen Corn, thawed
  • 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Sugar

Instructions

  1. Soak beans overnight, rinse well, and drain. Add to a 5 quart pot.
  2. Peel, core, and dice tomatoes add to the large pot.
  3. Next, dice up the bell peppers and onion. Add to pot.
  4. Now, put on some gloves to dice the hot peppers. Remove the seeds for a more mild salsa, or leave them for a hot salsa. Add the peppers to the pot.
  5. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Put the salsa on the stove and heat to simmer. Continue simmering for 30 minutes.
  6. Prepare canner, jars and lids. Bring jars to a simmer in the canner.
  7. Once ready, ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving a generous 1" of headspace.
  8. Remove any air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.
  9. Wipe the rim, center the lid on the jar and finger tighten screw band.
  10. Make sure the canner is filled with 3 inches of water and lock the lid into place.
  11. Bring the canner to a boil over medium-high heat and a steady stream of steam escapes from the canner vent. Vent for 10 minutes.
  12. Place the weight on the canner, adjusting for proper pressure based on altitude. Bring the canner to pressure and process pint jars for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  13. Allow the canner to come down to 0 pressure naturally and remove the weight and wait 2 minutes longer. Remove the lid and allow the jars to sit for 10 minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter.
  14. Allow the jars to sit for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seals. Remove the rings, wash jars, label, and store them in a cool dark place.

    Notes

    Altitude Adjustments for weighted gauge:

    0-1,000 ft 10 lbs

    1,001+ ft 15 lbs

    Altitude Adjustments for dial gauge:

    0-2,000 ft 11 lbs

    2,001-3,000 ft 12 lbs

    3,001-6,000 ft 13 lbs

    6,001-8,000 ft 14 lbs

    8,001-10,000 ft 15 lbs

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    Nutrition Information:

    Yield:

    20

    Serving Size:

    1

    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 127Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 805mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 5gSugar: 9gProtein: 6g

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    Alice

    Sunday 27th of August 2023

    I started making the corn and black bean salsa but used cooked corn (from fresh corn on the cob) and store bought black beans from a can. I have vinegar and lemon juice in the salsa. I don’t have a pressure cooker. Would a regular hot bath canner work and if so, how long would I can it?

    Danielle McCoy

    Sunday 27th of August 2023

    No, it has to be pressure canned, there's no guarantee the pH is 4.6 or lower with those low acid ingredients in it, especially since tomatoes tow the line of 4.6 pH. You can freeze it, you can can it without the corn and beans in a water bath canner like in this salsa canning recipe and add those when you serve it, or you can refrigerate it.

    Elizabeth

    Friday 10th of June 2022

    Hi! Can I use diced canned tomatoes for this?

    Danielle McCoy

    Monday 13th of June 2022

    If you're not canning it, if you're canning it I wouldn't recommend them because they'll be mushy.

    Robyn

    Sunday 3rd of October 2021

    Was so excited to make this salsa! I’m fairly new to canning, so made sure that I followed all directions, pressure canned for 75 minutes - and it looks awful... it’s like tomato paste with vegetables in it. All liquid is gone... definitely not like a salsa and I’m not even sure it could be revived to be a salsa consistency!

    Any thoughts on what I could’ve done wrong? It seems like every time I pressure can, all the liquid disappears (even though I can for the requested time and weight).

    Brooke

    Friday 2nd of September 2022

    @Robyn, I’ve done this before! Do you have a pressure gauge on your canner that tells you the exact poundage or are you simply going by the weights? Your weights should just barely rock - otherwise your stove is turned up too high. When I started canning I only had the weights and was canning at too high a temperature. I could add a gauge to my canner then I knew I was canning at exactly the right pressure and I never lost the liquid again!

    Danielle McCoy

    Monday 4th of October 2021

    It's difficult to know without knowing your exact process, but generally it is either 1) you're releasing the pressure too quickly, the pressure is fluctuating too much during processing, the cool down procedure was rushed (removing the weight after the gauge returns to 0 pressure and letting the jars sit for 5 to 10 minutes), inaccurate headspace, or there's air trapped in the jars.

    Denise Geran

    Friday 10th of September 2021

    Hi! Can I substitute lime juice for the lemon juice? What do you think about adding some fresh or frozen mango pieces to the recipe?

    Danielle McCoy

    Monday 20th of September 2021

    You can definitely try those things :) I'd try a small batch that way and taste it before I did a whole batch and canned it.

    Rose

    Friday 3rd of September 2021

    Danielle, This really a question....have you ever tried using fresh cilantro and garlic in your recipe. Would you think that would be ok to use. I'm just a beginner at this and I get nervous to alter any recipe especially with canning. Would appreciate your insight. Thanks!

    Danielle McCoy

    Sunday 5th of September 2021

    Those would be fine to use! You can mix up the seasonings in almost any canning recipe without affecting the acidity. Have fun!

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