35+ Practical + Beginner-Friendly Waterbath Canning Recipes You’ll Actually Eat
Inside: The best water bath canning recipes that are easy to make, practical for everyday life, and delicious!
Whether you’re trying to save money on groceries or just have too many homegrown veggies to eat, home canning is the gateway to homesteading. It’s a great skill to learn, helps you avoid waste, and definitely saves money. As a bonus, many canned items are delicious: think spiced apple butter, marinara sauce loaded with herbs, and sweet-spicy pickled jalapenos. And let’s not forget about how beautiful they look in your pantry.
Here are the best canning recipes you’ll return to year after year. They are all water bath recipes, which means you can safely store them at room temperature for a year.
Pickled Banana Peppers: Step-by-Step Easy Canning Recipe
A vibrant and tangy preserve, perfect for adding a zesty kick to sandwiches and salads.
Apple Syrup Canning Recipe: Transform Apple Peels To Make A Sweet Syrup
This apple syrup recipe transforms kitchen scraps into a sweet and flavorful syrup perfect for drizzling on pancakes, waffles, or ice cream.
Blueberry Syrup Canning
This simple syrup recipe captures the vibrant flavor of fresh blueberries in a sweet, pourable syrup perfect for preserving summer's bounty.
Habanero Hot Sauce For Canning
A bold and fiery hot sauce that’s perfect for adding intense heat and flavor to your favorite dishes.
Canning Grape Juice
This homemade juice captures the pure, sweet flavor of fresh grapes, perfect for canning and enjoying year-round.
Easy Canning Recipe: Blueberry Preserves
This simple canning recipe captures the sweet essence of fresh blueberries, perfect for enjoying year-round.
Delicious Raspberry Jam
This easy canning recipe captures the sweet and tangy flavor of fresh raspberries, perfect for enjoying all year round.
Raspberry Syrup for Canning
This vibrant and sweet syrup is perfect for adding a burst of summer flavor to your breakfast and desserts.
Sweet Orange Marmalade
This easy and delightful recipe brings a touch of homemade sunshine to your pantry with just a few simple steps and ingredients.
Blackberry Pie Filling
This recipe offers a simple way to preserve the fresh, vibrant taste of blackberries, perfect for making pies, tarts, or using as a topping for various desserts.
How to Can Pears
This recipe will guide you through the process of water bath canning pears. When done right, you’ll have jars of pears that you can enjoy year-round.
Hot Pepper Jelly
This melds the fiery heat of jalapeños and habaneros with the mellow sweetness of bell peppers, creating a bold condiment that’s perfect for jazzing up your favorite dishes.
Pineapple Mango Salsa
This salsa combines sweet and spicy flavors, making it the perfect topping for tacos, grilled meats, or simply enjoyed with chips.
Homemade Applesauce for Canning
Discover the joy of canning this fall. Turn apples and spices into something magical with this step-by-step canning guide. Makes 6 pints
Strawberry Syrup for Canning
Sweet, bright, and beautiful. This syrup is perfect on pancakes or waffles.
Classic Apple Butter
A delicious recipe with plenty of brown sugar, warm spices, and apple brandy. Apple butter is the coziest thing to make in fall; it fills your home with the scent of apples, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.
Canned Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a versatile ingredient that can be used in many different recipes. They’re perfect for canning because you can turn them into just about anything: soup, sauce, salsa, and more. Once you can whole tomatoes, you can do halves, slices, or diced. If there’s one recipe to master, it’s this one!
Raspberry Pie Filling
One of the best things about raspberry pie filling is that it’s so versatile. You can use it in pies, tarts, crisps, and more. It also makes a great topping for ice cream or yogurt. Raspberries are in season for such a short time, and one of the best things about food preservation is getting to enjoy them longer.
Dill Pickle Relish
Dill pickle relish is a great way to use up any extra cucumbers you may have. It’s also a great way to add flavor to sandwiches, burgers, and tacos. It’s also great for adding flavor to recipes like old-fashioned tartar sauce and potato salad.
Candied Jalapenos
Candied Jalapenos are perfect for adding a bit of spice to dishes. They’re also great for snacking on and a great addition to cheese boards. They’re easy to make and only require a few simple ingredients. We love to pour a jar of these over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers.
Hot Pepper Sauce
Hot pepper sauce is the perfect way to add spice to your food. It’s also a great way to add flavor, to just about anything. Hot peppers are easy to grow and very affordable at farmer’s markets, making this recipe a fun way to try water bath canning.
Apple Chutney Recipe for Canning
Transform everyday dishes into gourmet treats with the perfect blend of tart apples and warm spices.
Pickled Carrots
Canned carrots usually require pressure canning, but this canning recipe is for pickled carrots, making this a canning recipe that’s perfectly safe and processed in boiling water. These are crisper and more flavorful than other carrot recipes and make a great, super convenient snack.
Strawberry Jam
Strawberry jam is a classic for a reason: it’s delicious! Strawberries are one of the first to be ready in late spring or early summer. We love to spread it on toast or biscuits or use it in recipes. This strawberry jam uses pectin, lemon juice, and enough sugar for a no-fail recipe.
Spiced Pears
Spiced pears are one of our favorite home-canning recipes because you can open and eat them right out of the jar. Kids love these, and so do adults: they have the right amount of spice and aren’t too sweet.
Pickled Jalapenos
Pickled jalapeno slices are the perfect way to add spice and flavor to any dish. They’re also the perfect topping for everything from nachos to pizza to hot dogs. These spicy slices make a great garnish and snack.
Apple Pie Filling
Apple pie filling is a delicious and convenient way to have homemade apple pie any time you want it. Just a bit of time is required to assemble a pie when the filling is ready to go, making this one of a few recipes we always keep on hand.
Habanero Apricot Jelly
Apricots are in season during the summer, and habaneros add a perfect level of heat to this jelly. It’s great for spreading on toast, or for pairing with savory foods like grilled chicken. Plus, it makes a great gift for friends and family.
Canned Blueberry Pie Filling
An easy canning recipe with minimal prep, you’ll love this in cobblers, on top of cheesecakes, and swirled into vanilla ice cream. Makes 4 quarts.
Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Home-canned drinks might sound a bit odd, but this delicious blend of fresh strawberries and lemon juice is one of our favorite ways to enjoy summer year-round. This recipe makes several jars, and you’re guaranteed to use them all up.
Quince Jelly
Beautifully pink, lemon-scented, and just sweet enough, this wonderful jelly is perfect on toast and biscuits. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh quince, you can make this for free. (Most people with quince trees have a bumper crop that they don’t know how to use.)
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
These two early fruits are a match made in heaven (try them in strawberry rhubarb cobbler!), and this jam pairs them beautifully. This delicious jam recipe does not use any added pectin, but it does include a few special ingredients.
Blueberry Syrup
Feeling intimidated by homemade jam? Try making a fruit syrup! You don’t have to worry about pectin or anything setting up properly. This delicious blueberry syrup is one of the best ways to add natural sweetness to everything from pancakes to homemade marinades.
Chunky Applesauce
Homemade applesauce is the perfect thing to keep on hand: serve it as a side dish or snack, to kids or adults. The water bath canning method is perfect for homemade applesauce, making this one of the very best beginner recipes.
Salsa
In late summer, when your garden is overflowing with tomatoes and peppers, this is the salsa recipe you’ll want. With great flavor and not too much heat, homemade salsa is a pantry staple you can easily eat at home.
Honeysuckle Jelly
Made of basically sugar and wildflowers, this tasty jam is super affordable to make and makes your kitchen smell heavenly. Most recipes will require a garden or a trip to the farmer’s market, but not this one. As soon as honeysuckle bloom in the spring, harvest a basket and get to work.
Tomato Puree
Most tomato products are versatile, and tomato puree is another great one to have on hand. You can use this in other recipes like lasagna, sauces, soups, and marinades. If you need a great basic pantry staple, this is a perfect course.
Fig Jam
Fig jam is a delicious and easy canning recipe that you can make with figs that are in season. This recipe is perfect for beginners and is perfect for gifting. The jam is sweet, flavorful, and perfect on toast or biscuits. You can also use it as a delicious filling for cookies.
Tomato Jam
Different from tomato sauce or puree, this is one of the more unusual jam recipes on this list. You won’t want to skip it though, because it’s amazing. We love it spread in between a grilled cheese sandwich or spooned on top of lamb chops. Bonus, you can mix in some green tomatoes if you’re making it early or late in the season.
Homemade Mustard
If you have a hankering for canning during the winter, try making your mustard. Sound strange? It’s a great idea: it saves money, is easy to make, and is much better than store-bought. Really.
Pickled Beets
While the other canning recipes on this list are crowdpleasers, it takes a certain person to enjoy pickled beets. But if you do like them, this simple recipe is one of our favorites. We love them served alongside mashed potatoes and fried chicken.
Salsa Verde
This recipe combines roasted tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, and garlic for a rich, tangy salsa perfect for dipping or enhancing your favorite dishes.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
It is simple to can cranberry sauce to have it ready on time for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. This homemade sauce tastes better than any store-bought variety and is quick and easy to prepare. This recipe uses star anise and apple juice to add sparkle to fresh cranberries, orange juice, and sugar. We love it as a cracker spread mixed with cream cheese and chopped walnuts.
Canned Cherries
One of those home canning recipes you’ll turn to again and again, these cherries are perfect for cobblers, pies, and cocktails. They’re also super easy to make and don’t require any special equipment (you’ll find instructions on how to prepare them without a cherry pitter).
Strawberry Mango Jam
Strawberries and mangos are a wonderful match. Their tastes go well together, so it’s only natural that a strawberry jam with mangos would be delicious. Strawberries and mangos are plentiful throughout the summer. This recipe is sweet, bright, and fruity.
Triple Berry Jam
Nothing says summer like this delicious blend of strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. A classic jam method with pectin and sugar ensures this recipe will be a success.
Elderberry Syrup
This easy-to-make syrup, packed with immune-boosting benefits, is perfect for canning and enjoying year-round.
Pear Preserves
These are a delightful blend of sweet pears and warm spices, perfect for spreading on toast or adding to your favorite desserts.
Canning Safety and Guidelines
- Safe Way to Can: Ensure all your canning is done in a safe way by following guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other reputable sources. Some things can’t be waterbath canned, and some shouldn’t be canned at all.
- Heat Process: Always follow the recommended heat process times for each recipe to ensure safety.
- Citric Acid: For low-acid foods like tomatoes, adding citric acid can help in safe preservation.
Substitutions and Variations
- Red Wine Vinegar: Substitute white vinegar with red wine vinegar for a richer flavor in pickling recipes.
- Olive Oil: Add a bit of olive oil to your homemade tomato pizza sauce for a smooth texture.
- Amount of Sugar: Adjust the amount of sugar in your jam recipes to suit your taste, but be mindful of the role sugar plays in preservation.
- Spicy Hot Sauce: For a spicier condiment, try making garlic banana pepper rings or spicy hot sauce.
Amish Canning And Preserving Cookbook: 350+ The Complete Delicious Waterbath Canning And Preserving Recipes, Including How To Make Jams, Jellies,Fruits,Sauces, Chutneys, Marinades, Curds And MoreFreeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Flavor and VersatilityBall Canning Back to Basics: A Foolproof Guide to Canning Jams, Jellies, Pickles, and MoreThe Complete Guide to Pressure Canning: Everything You Need to Know to Can Meats, Vegetables, Meals in a Jar, and MoreThe Homestead Canning Cookbook: •Simple, Safe Instructions from a Certified Master Food Preserver •Over 150 Delicious, Homemade Recipes •Practical … Lifestyle (The Homestead Essentials)A Guide to Canning, Freezing, Curing & Smoking Meat, Fish & Game
Seasonal Suggestions
- End of the Summer: The end of the summer is a great time to can sweet corn, spicy hot sauce, and tomato ketchup.
- Farmers Market Finds: Visit your local farmers market for the freshest ingredients. Look for ripe tomatoes, green beans, and red onions.
- Unique Fruit: Try canning unique fruit like quince for quince jelly or apricots for apricot jam. They offer a tart flavor that’s hard to resist.
FAQs
The best way to start is by using tested recipes and following guidelines from reliable resources such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation or your local extension service like Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service. For beginners, high-acid foods like fruits and pickles are perfect because they are safe for water bath canning.
No, a pressure canner is only necessary for low-acid foods like meats, vegetables (excluding tomatoes), and some homemade soups. For high-acid foods like fruits, jams, and pickles, a boiling water bath canner is sufficient.
If you’re looking for a new hobby to get into, canning might be just the thing. With so many recipes available that are perfect for beginners, there’s no reason not to give it a try! You can find everything from water bath canned tomatoes and pickles to jams made with fruit like strawberries or pears. We hope this list of beginner-friendly canning recipes has helped inspire your next project in the kitchen.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.