Even if you have never canned anything ever before, this easy DIY Salsa Canning for Beginners Tutorial will walk you through every step. 

 Have you wanted to try canning but thought it was too mysterious or complicated? Let me assure you, it really can be a simple process, even for beginners! You will want to press print on this and save it or even pin it to your Pinterest board. 

Why I Love Canning

As long as I can remember, I have been helping my parents harvest and preserve our homegrown garden produce. Our assembly-line family productions are some of the best bonding times I can remember.

I’m lucky to have married a gardener, which enables me to carry on this meaningful tradition. The more I learn about the importance of avoiding the BPA, synthetic chemicals, stabilizers and additives found in store-bought shelf-stable food, the more I value good, honest homespun food preservation. 

If you enjoy canning and want to try something else that is really easy, learn how to can homemade applesauce. It’s so easy that anyone can do it! 

I admit, even though I’ve successfully canned a wide variety of fruits and veggies dozens of times before, I still get intimidated when it comes to preserving the harvest we’ve labored for all summer.

You don’t have to have a full-scale enterprise in order to prepare delicious locally grown food for your family to enjoy through the winter months or to use as memorable gifts for friends and coworkers. You just need a few basic supplies a few smallish chunks of time – like after the kiddos are in bed. I love my pressure canner. 

Disclaimer: Any products that I link to on Amazon.com are affiliate links. That means I will earn a small commission if you shop through my link, but at no extra cost to you. Thank you!

Simple Instructions for Canning Salsa 

Essential Canning Supplies

• 6-12 Pint canning jars with lids and bands
• Basic stockpot or canner 
• Sturdy tongs or jar lifter 

Optional Canning Supplies

• Canning utensils, such as jar lifter, jar funnel, head space measurer, lid lifter (those are super-cute lid lifters!)
• Beginner canning kit with lifting rack fitted for standard stockpots 
• Water bath canner with rack 
• Pressure canner – This is my favorite one!

Basic Salsa Ingredients

• Tomatoes (5 to 15 lbs)
• Peppers
• Onions
• Garlic (optional)
• Cilantro (optional)
• Salt & Spices
• Lime Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar (3/4 cup per 5 lbs of tomatoes, needed to ensure proper preserving) 

How much of each ingredients do you need to make salsa? 

Here is the most basic recipe for 5 pounds of tomatoes. Below this recipe, I shared 7 more recipes you can try too. There are so many ways to make salsa – do you like cilantro? Spicy? Lots of garlic? 

Basic Salsa recipe for 5 pounds of tomatoes.

• 5 pounds of tomatoes (about 25 or so ripe tomatoes) 
• 3-5 onions, chopped 
• 3-5 cloves of garlic 
• 4 green bell peppers
• 4 banana peppers
• 2-3 jalapeno peppers
• 2.5 bunches of cilantro
• 3/4 cup lime juice or apple cider vinegar

Suggested Salsa Recipes

• Smokey Fresh Garden Salsa, multiply proportions for canning
• Effortless Summer Salsa, multiply proportions for canning
• Roasted Salsa
• Green Chile Salsa
• Mango Salsa
• Tomato Salsa with Cilantro
• Homemade Canned Salsa 

Basic Salsa Canning Preparation

1. Prepare the tomatoes by washing, coring and quartering. Chop in food processor or by hand until they reach your desired level of chunkiness. Use a strainer and drain off excess juice. You can reserve this juice for adding to soups or rice, or discard it if you like. (Classic canning recipes call for additional steps to remove the peels and seeds from the tomatoes, we prefer to skip this step to save time. We have found that we are equally pleased with the texture of the salsa, especially when using the food processor we don’t notice the peels at all.)
2. Prepare the peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro by rinsing, removing peels, stems and/or pith. Roughly chop by hand and then finely chop in the food processor. Adding the cilantro with the onions in the food processor helps immensely with getting the cilantro into small pieces.
3. Stir together all chopped ingredients in a stockpot on the stove, adding the amount of lime juice or apple cider vinegar listed above to ensure your salsa is acidic enough to stay well preserved. Also stir in salt and spices to taste. See the recipes linked above for ideas on how to season your salsa. (You can also purchase a salsa seasoning mix here). Note: One time-saving, practical modification my husband used was to stop and refrigerate the prepared veggies over night, moving onto the next step the following evening after our toddler was tucked in bed.
4. Bring your salsa to a gentle boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. While salsa is simmering, place lids and jars in another pot and pour boiling water over them to sterilize. You can also use your sterilize cycle on your dishwasher for the jars and place lids in a sauce pan on the stove with simmering water.
6. Fill the jars with salsa (can use jar funnel, ladle or liquid measuring cup), leaving at least 1/2 inch empty space at the top of the jar. Drain hot water off lids.
7. Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean, damp cloth and check lid to make sure both are completely free of any salsa debris to ensure a strong seal. Place lid on jar and hand-tighten the ring.
8. Follow the canning instructions based on your chosen method below. 

Water Bath Canning Method Instructions

No extra special supplies needed. Perfect for the true beginner. You can always invest in additional gadgets later.  

1. Place jars in your large stockpot or canner with a little free space around each jar. If you are using a stock pot this may be 3-5 pint jars, or if using a larger canner you may be able to fit up to 9 pint jars.  
2. Cover the jars with very hot or boiling water until the water completely covers the jars by at least 1-2 inches. Using hot water at this step prevents the jars from breaking from avoiding a quick temperature change.
3. Turn the burner to high and boil steadily for 15 to 25 minutes, less for a low elevation and more for a higher elevation.
4. Remove the jars carefully from the water with tongs, jar lifter (pictured here) or metal rack (pictured here) and place on a folded towel on your countertop to cool.
5. Monitor jars for the next 12-24 hours. The lids will make a popping sound when they seal. After 24 hours, check the jar lids by pressing in the center and make sure they are immovable, sucked down into a concave position and do not make a clicking sound when you release your finger. Remove the bands and store them for reuse. Salsa will be optimum if consumed within 6 months and may be stored for up to 18 months, though taste, color and texture may start to slightly decline over time.  

Pressure Canner Method Instructions

Perfect for beginners who have a gifted or inherited pressure canner but confused about how to use it. 

1. Prepare your pressure canner by placing its rack in the bottom and filling the bottom with about 2-4 inches of very hot water or boiling water. (We boil water in an electric kettle, but you can also add water from the tap and bring to a boil in the canner before adding jars).
2. Place as many jars as will fit, keeping a small amount of free space around each jar (not touching sides or other jars).
3. Put the canner lid on, turning it until it is tightly sealed and locked into place.
4. Using our old-style pressure cooker, we set the jiggler at 10 pounds and process for 10 minutes, which means when it starts jiggling we set the timer for 10 minutes of continuous jiggling or processing time, slightly turning down the heat of the burner from time to time if the jiggling gets too intense. For more information on modern pressure canners with a pressure dial or digital guage, or for information on canning at very high or low altitudes, click here.
5. After processing time, turn off the burner and let the pressure canner cool until the pressure is released and the lid can turn easily.
6. Remove the jars carefully from the water with tongs, jar lifter (pictured here) or metal rack (pictured here) and place on a folded towel on your countertop to cool.
7. Monitor jars for the next 12-24 hours. The lids will make a popping sound when they seal. After 24 hours, check the jar lids by pressing in the center and make sure they are immovable, sucked down into a concave position and do not make a clicking sound when you release your finger. Remove the bands and store them for reuse. Salsa will be optimum if consumed within 6 months and may be stored for up to 18 months, though taste, color and texture may start to slightly decline over time.  

Still have questions?

Refer to these amazingly thorough resources:

• General Canning Information for Beginners 
• Boiling Water Canners for Beginners 
• Pressure Canners for Beginners 
• University Tested Sensational Salsa Canning Recipes 
• Safety Concerns and Tested Recipes 
• Safe Food Preservation Salsa Edition 
• Fresh Preserving – From the makers of Ball canning products 
• National Center for Home Food Preservation Resource List