Canning tomato soup is a great way to preserve the freshness and flavor of this delicious dish. Full of flavor and easy to make and preserve, it’s so much better than storebought!

Tomato season has provided us with a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and I have canned all sorts of things from tomato chutney to meat sauce to diced tomatoes and tons of fresh tomato salsa, but this home-canned tomato soup is my favorite.

Not drab and awkward-tasting like store bought cans of tomato soup, this stuff is full of flavor and so good. Perfect for a quick lunch with a fantastic grilled cheese sandwich or even a simple supper or starter.

How to make tomato soup safe for canning

Full of fresh ingredients, like vine-ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh basil this homemade canned tomato soup recipe can be preserved safely at home using a pressure canner.

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind when canning tomato soup at home. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) you cannot, I repeat, cannot safely put any dairy products in this soup prior to canning. Wait to add the dairy after you open the jar.

Second, while you can use jarred, minced garlic for any canning recipe, make sure it is packed in water, not oil. Even for this pressure canning recipe, you don’t want to add any more oil than is called for.

Third, don’t plan on adding a bunch of low-acid ingredients and it still be safe. While most tomato canning recipes require an acid such as lemon juice or citric acid be added, even if pressure canned, this recipe is tested safe without it, so don’t go changing up too much.

Fourth, you cannot use thickeners in home-canned tomato soup, so using paste tomatoes will help in cooking it down into a desirable consistency. That said, you can make a roux and thicken it after opening if you choose.

You can safely use more or less dried herbs and it still be safe. You can completely omit the fresh basil if you’d like, though I don’t recommend you do that, and it still be safe. You can also omit the sugar and/or the salt as these are just added for flavor.

You can also substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and cook the onions and garlic down in a cup of white wine instead of broth.

Ingredients for Canning Tomato Soup

Tomatoes – Always use fresh, vine-ripe tomatoes for the best flavor. You’ll want to peel, core and quarter these, plum tomatoes will take less time to cook down, but any variety will work.

Onions & Garlic – yellow onion will provide the most balanced flavor and you’ll need about 4 garlic cloves or two teaspoons of minced garlic packed in water.

Chicken Stock – homemade is best if you can chicken broth, if not use the highest quality stock you can buy.

Basil – The flavor of fresh basil leaves really sets this soup apart.

Dried Oregano – While you can omit it, I really recommend you try it, it adds a lovely flavor to the soup.

Salt & Pepper – the salt can technically be omitted, though it doesn’t require much, and you can use black pepper or white pepper… about a teaspoon, or to taste.

Brown Sugar – another ingredient you can technically omit, it really helps cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes.

Canning Tomato Soup

Making this homemade tomato soup for canning is really pretty easy, depending on the type of tomatoes you use it may take a little longer to cook down. You can find complete measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Prep tomatoes. Begin by peeling, coring, and quartering fresh tomatoes and setting aside while you dice the onions and mince the garlic.

Sauté onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat and begin sautéing the onions for two minutes. Next, add in the garlic and sprinkle in pepper and salt. Continue sautéing, covered for 5 minutes more.

Cook onions and garlic in broth. Reduce to medium heat. Uncover the pot and add in one cup of chicken broth. Allow the mixture to reduce, uncovered, until the broth is evaporated being sure the onions and garlic don’t scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Combine ingredients. Next, carefully place tomatoes, remaining chicken broth, basil, oregano, and brown sugar in the pot. Stir everything to combine.

Make tomato puree. The best way to make the tomato puree is to use an immersion blender and stick it directly in the pot. However, if you don’t have one, another easy way is to use a traditional blender and work in batches.

Cook down the soup. Continue cooking the pureed mixture over low heat for an hour, or more, until it has cooked down to your desired consistency. Keep in mind that you are trying to make a partially condensed soup.

Prepare jars and pressure canner. Once the soup has cooked down, prepare canner, jars, and lids by washing jars and lids in hot, soapy water and rinsing well.

Fill the jars halfway with clean water and place them in a pressure canner filled with two to three inches of water.

Heat the jars inside the canner, lid removed until everything reaches 180°F. Keep everything warm while you prepare to pack the soup.

Pack the jars. Carefully ladle hot soup into a hot jar, leaving a generous 1-inch headspace at the top of the jar. Remove any air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.

Wipe rim, center lid, and finger tighten screw band. Place jar back in canner while packing remaining jars.

Process the jars. Adjust the water level in the canner to be 2 inches or whatever the manufacturer specifies in the owner’s manual. Put the lid on the canner and lock it into place.

Vent canner. Allow the canner to vent a steady stream of steam for ten minutes over medium-high heat and then place the weight on the vent.

Bring the canner to 10 pounds of pressure for elevations under 1,000 feet or 15 pounds of pressure for elevations over 1,000 feet if using a weighted gauge pressure canner, see notes for dial gauge pressure canner specifications.

Processing time for pint jars is 50 minutes and quart jars is 60 minutes.

Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to reach zero naturally, wait two additional minutes before removing the weight.

Remove the weight and carefully remove the lid. Allow the jars to sit for ten minutes before removing to a towel-lined counter.

Wait 12-24 hours before checking for proper seals. Remove the screw bands, wash the jars, and store, screw bands removed, in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.

Serving Home Canned Tomato Soup

You can serve the jars of finished soup as-is if you’d like. You can cook them down further, or you can simply add a little whole cream or milk to taste.

I like to add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream, a tablespoon of butter, and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and heat everything up in a pan. It really has great flavor and is the perfect lunch with some grilled cheese sandwiches.