How to Can Salsa Using Frozen Tomatoes

For years, canning season used to be such a hustle. All those tomatoes would come on at once, and I was always in a rush to preserve them before they got overripe.

Then I learned you can freeze tomatoes and can them later.

Now, I slip them into gallon freezer bags and tuck them into the deep freeze. When the weather cools, and I feel like standing in front of a stove, I pull out a few bags and make some salsa.

Here’s the easy way I turn frozen tomatoes into our family’s favorite salsa, using a tested Ball Canning recipe as my guide.

In This Post:

• Why Freeze Tomatoes for Salsa
• Using Tested Salsa Recipes
• Equipment Needed
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Process
• Canning Tips

Why Freeze Tomatoes?

Freezing tomatoes is a great alternative to blanching them.

I grew up helping my mom blanch tomatoes every summer for canning. I’d stand over a pot of boiling water, watching for the skins to crack, then dumping steaming tomatoes into an ice bath in the kitchen sink so they could be peeled and packed into jars. It worked, but it also meant spending hours in a hot kitchen during the hottest part of the year.

Freezing tomatoes changed all of that.

Now, when the harvest comes on, I rinse them, core them, and toss them in a gallon freezer bag. Then they wait in the freezer until I’m ready. It might be only a month or maybe in the late fall or winter, on a day when I want to warm up the house.

One of the best things about this method is that frozen tomatoes are so much easier to work with. The skins slip right off after thawing (no blanching or handling hot tomatoes), and the tomatoes break down beautifully for salsa. I freeze my peppers the same way, so when I’m ready to can, everything’s prepped and waiting.

I’ve written the full process for freezing tomatoes here and for peppers here.

Using Tested Recipes

I stick with tested recipes when canning. Ball has several salsa recipes in their latest book, and our family favorite is Jalapeno Salsa. The original recipe yields about 3 pints, but I’ve tripled it here to make around 7 pints – not 9, because I strain my tomatoes for a thicker salsa and lose some of the liquid in the process.

If you want only a few jars, cut the recipe in half or thirds. And if you’re canning at higher altitudes, check Ball’s processing time chart here.

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, use simple water-bath canning tools.

• Water-bath canner
• 5-7 pint canning jars with matching lids and rings
• Stockpot to heat the salsa
• Canning utensils – funnel, jar lifter, and spatula or bubble-removing tool
• Strainer
• Large measuring cup (I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup)
• Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

Tomatoes. This recipe calls for 9 cups of tomatoes. I like to drain the tomatoes first, then measure. This creates a thicker, chunkier salsa. Depending on your type of tomatoes and how full you pack the freezer bags, this could be two or three gallon-sized bags of tomatoes.

Jalapeno peppers. This salsa is equal parts tomato and pepper. If you’d like less heat, try replacing some of the jalapeno with bell pepper. Or, if you’re like me and want it hotter, mix in a cup of habanero.

Onion. I use a coarsely chopped sweet yellow onion. Three cups are about three large onions.

Garlic. Now, I love garlic, but I find the recipe is too heavy-handed for me.  I use 12 minced cloves instead of 18.

Seasonings. This recipe uses traditional salsa seasonings – cumin, oregano, cilantro, and salt. I like to use fresh cilantro, but the other seasonings are dried.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Not all tomatoes are highly acidic. The vinegar brings the acidity to a safe level for canning and adds a nice tangy flavor.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Salsa Using Frozen Tomatoes

Before preparing the ingredients, I set out all my canning tools around the stove and clean and sterilize my jars. I like to keep the jars hot in a pot of gently boiling water. I’ll also fill my water-bath canner about two-thirds full with water and start heating it.

Step 1: Thaw the tomatoes

I pull the tomatoes out of the freezer and either let them thaw in the bags on the counter or dump them into a large bowl. I let them sit while I’m setting up my canning station. It usually takes about half an hour, or a little longer, for the skins to start thawing and separating from the fruit.

Step 2: Peel, drain, and chop the tomatoes.

Frozen tomatoes are so much easier to peel. After thawing, I gently squeeze the half-frozen tomatoes, and the skin slips right off. Sometimes there might be a tight area, but a quick flick of your paring knife or a quick rinse under warm tap water should loosen it.

That’s it. No blanching. No ice bath. No mess. Easy-peasy.

Next, I chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and set them in a colander to drain. I do this one bag at a time, then measure the drained tomatoes and pour them into my stockpot.

I save the tomato juice for cooking or pour it onto my compost.

Step 3: Prep the rest of your ingredients.

I do this step while the tomatoes are draining. I chop the fresh peppers, onions, and cilantro, and mince the garlic (or use the stuff in the jar from the grocery store).

Everything is measured and added to the stockpot, along with the seasonings and the drained, measured tomatoes. Now’s the time to taste the salsa and adjust any seasonings.

Step 4: Cook the salsa.

Once everything’s in the pot, I bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer (about 180 degrees Fahrenheit) and continue simmering for 10 minutes.

Step 5: Fill the jars.

To fill the jars, I ladle the salsa into the hot jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top, and remove any air bubbles. I attach the lid and screw on the retaining ring, and gently lower each jar into the simmering water in the canner. I repeat this until all the jars are filled and in the canner.

Step 6: Process in a water-bath canner.

I process the jars according to Ball’s tested processing time for my jar size and altitude. For me, that’s bringing the canner to a rolling boil and letting it boil for 15 minutes for pint jars.

Once the time is up, I turn off the heat and remove the cover. After waiting 5 minutes, I use the jar tongs to remove the pint jars from the canner to a wooden cutting board. I cover them with a couple of kitchen towels to let them cool slowly, then leave them there for 12 – 24 hours.

While they’re cooling, I sometimes hear the “ping!” as the lids seal to the jars. It’s always a satisfying sound when things go right. The following day, I’ll remove the retaining rings, wash the jars with warm water and dish soap, label them, and put them away in our canning cupboard.

That’s the beauty of freezing tomatoes. You can harvest when they’re ready, and can them when you’re ready. No rush, no stress, no steaming pot of boiling water on a hot day. Just a good day making salsa.

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Salsa Canning Tips

• Use tomato varieties recommended for canning, like Amish Paste, San Marzano, and Rutgers. Determinate varieties are best since they ripen all at once, making it easier to freeze a big batch.
• Check your canning jars for chips and always use new lids. Follow a trusted source like Ball for proper jar sterilizing methods.
• Always follow the recommended processing times and altitude adjustments.
• After cooling, make sure the jar is sealed properly by pressing the center of the lid. There should be no movement. If a jar doesn’t seal, put it in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks.