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My easy canning diced tomatoes recipe uses tomatoes fresh from the garden mixed with fresh or dried herbs and canned to produce shelf stable tomato products that are versatile and so delicious.  I prefer to can them in pint jars and I use them for recipes that need chopped tomatoes like pasta, casseroles, all the things.  The herbs add a lovely fresh flavor to these diced tomatoes that you won’t be able to get enough of.  Diced tomatoes are on the store shelves so you sure as heck can can them at home, too!    

If you’re looking for more tomato canning ideas and not just canning diced tomatoes, check out my blog post containing all my tomato preserving recipes here to get some inspiration!

Water Bath vs Pressure Canning

For canning diced tomatoes, you will find times for both water bath canning and pressure canning for all tomato shapes.  Do whatever you want to do.  I choose to water bath them since pressure canning seems to overprocess them, especially diced tomatoes.  I save pressure canning for strictly low-acid food since the processing times are much longer.  

Pressure canning high acid foods doesn’t really save you much time, if any, since it takes the canner about an hour to depressurize unlike the water bath where you can just open the lid and take the jars out. If you do choose to process them via pressure canner, be sure and leave extra headspace as opposed to that you would leave when using a water bath canner.  Headspace for tomatoes is 1/2″ but for pressure canning it should be 1″.  If you’d like to read more about headspace and canning, check out my blog post here!

My Favorite Tomato Varieties

For diced tomatoes, my favorite varieties that are meaty and hold up well to canning are:

• amish paste
• federle
• san marzano

These 3 varieties grow very well here in Ohio for me and are amazing for canning as they’re very meaty and not super juicy or hard to core or remove the seeds.  You definitely should try them! They also are really easy to roast and then use for canning diced tomatoes. Nothing worse than trying to hand chop a bunch of diced tomatoes with tomatoes that are completely mush and falling apart.

Rebel Canning

Canning diced tomatoes can be considered rebel canning due to the shape of the tomato used in this recipe.  There are no tested or recommended recipes for canning diced tomatoes.  This means this exact recipe has not been evaluated nor approved/adopted by the USDA or NCHFP.  Does the mean this recipe is unsafe?  Sure doesn’t, as its one I and many others use and consume.  

What it does mean is as with any home canning, you should can at your own risk and use common sense.  Make your own decisions because what I do and say I’m doing in my own home should not affect what you do in yours.  If you are not comfortable with rebel canning, please don’t follow this recipe.   In the end, you will have canned something you are afraid of and you will not eat it or use it and you will have essentially wasted your time and money.  

For this shape of tomato, I choose to utilize the processing time for crushed tomatoes due to their similarity in density.  I also choose not to blanch and peel the tomatoes since I dice them pretty small with my food chopper.  You can absolutely peel yours if you’d like.  The audacity to claim a whole tomato squished in your hands is less dense than diced tomatoes layered in a jar due to the uniform pieces “packing tightly” compared to a literal jar squished full of tomatoes.

Those claims are not scientific. They’re guesses by people who claim to be experts to give you a reason that will satisfy your questions. Not actually answer them. Walk through the grocery store, there’s diced tomatoes. If they can it, so can you. Their equipment is different, NOT superior.

Now onto canning diced tomatoes!

Equipment You Might Want:

• Food Chopper
• Canning Jars
• New Lids and Screw Bands
• Jar funnel
• Jar lifter

Ingredients PER PINT JAR:

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning herb blend
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp real salt

Step 1:  Prep

Wash fresh tomatoes with cool water and rinse well.

Remove cores with a sharp paring knife and chop into uniform pieces to your preference.  I do not normally peel my tomatoes for this recipe which is rebel canning as I said above, so if you would prefer, use peeled tomatoes.  I use my Mueller brand food chopper and use the large dice blade.  A food chopper tool makes quick work of chopping when canning large amounts.  Add chopped tomatoes to a large mixing bowl as you work and reserve the juice left behind.

Wash pint jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse well, and set aside on a clean towel.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

If you would like, heat the diced tomatoes until simmering and allow to heat through for a few minutes. I then use a slotted spoon to add to jars to get them super full of tomatoes, add the herbs and salt, and then ladle over hot juice to headspace. But, you can also raw pack if it’s the end of canning season and you’re just over it. Been there.

Place diced tomatoes into pint jars, keeping below 1/2 inch headspace, and packing moderately tightly.  Press down gently to encourage the tomatoes to release their juices a bit to cover if raw packing.  You shouldn’t have any issue with that and if you need some extra, pour it from the bowl or the tomato chopper you were using.

To each pint jar, add herbs, minced garlic, and salt.

​Remove any air bubbles. Add more juice if needed to maintain headspace.

Wipe jar rims well, add new lid, and secure with band.

Step 3:  Canning

Water Bath Canning:

Place jars in hot water bath canner filled with warm water or steam canner and heat slowly.  Once canner is to temperature or at a full rolling boil, begin processing time and process pint jars or smaller for 35 minutes or quart jars for 45 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.

Pressure Canning:

Be sure and fill jars leaving 1 inch of headspace if pressure canning.  Place jars in pressure canner filled with correct amount of warm water.  Heat pressure canner slowly, process jars at your elevations recommended weight for high acid food for 20 minutes for both pints and quarts.  Normally, for a weighted pressure canner, your weight for a high acid food will be 5 pounds less than you would use for low acid food.  This obviously differs if you have a dial gauge as you can fine tune it.  See the National Center for Home Food Preservation on this or a canning book you trust.

Once processing time is complete, shut off heat, remove jars from water, and set aside to cool jars undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store jars in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine as long as the jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures.

Shelf life is ’til you eat them.  As long as the seal is good and the food looks good, it’s fine.  Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for maximum nutritional benefit and flavor, but don’t toss them if you haven’t eaten them all yet.

Notes:

You can use fresh herb if you would like, I just find dried ones can better and look nicer.

I really enjoy this recipe when I want to preserve some garden tomatoes very quickly with minimal effort.  Toward the end of the garden when I’m tired of picking my own tomatoes and preserving them, this is the recipe I lean into.  Little effort, maximum reward.  Chopping is quick work with my food chopper and then I just pack into jars, season, and can away.  It takes no time at all!  These canned tomatoes are some of my favorites and I never have many, if any, leftover after winter.

And now you know how I’m canning diced tomatoes with herbs for my pantry shelf!

Easy Guide to Canning Diced Tomatoes with Herbs

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 pint

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Food Chopper
• Canning jars
• New Lids and Screw Bands
• jar funnel
• jar lifter

Ingredients

Ingredients are PER PINT JAR

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes
• 1 tsp Italian herb blend
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Wash tomatoes. Remove cores. I don’t peel my tomatoes, but that’s my choice. Do what works for you. The current recommendation is to peel.
• Dice into uniform small dices; I use a food chopper, but you can absolutely do this by hand. Just make sure they’re small dices.
• Hot Pack: I do prefer to hot pack when I have the energy, just to get the jars super full of tomatoes as they do release water and shrink with cold packing. Add the diced tomatoes to a stock pot and heat to a simmer and allow to cook 2-3 minutes. Then, add diced tomatoes to jars using a slotted spoon, then ladle over enough juice to maintain headspace.
• Cold Pack: Pack diced tomatoes into pint jars, keeping below 1/2" headspace. Gently press tomatoes with your fingers to encourage them to give off juice.
• Add herbs, garlic, and salt to each jar.
• De-bubble and add more tomato juice if needed to top off to 1/2" headspace if desired.
• Wipe rims and add lids and bands.
• Water bath or steam can for 35 minutes for pints or 45 minutes for quarts, adjusting time for elevation if needed. When cold packing, since the tomatoes are not heated prior to canning, be sure and add jars to cool/warm water in your water bath and heat slowly.
• Once processing time is complete, shut off heat, remove jars from water, and set aside to cool jars undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
• After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store jars in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.

Notes

You can use fresh herbs, like fresh basil, if you would like, I just find dried ones can better and look nicer.