The 21 Best and Safest Canning Recipes for Newbies and Experts (2024)

The Canning Supplies You Need to Preserve Foods Safely and Successfully

Canned Applesauce

This three-ingredient applesauce is the best way to savor fall apples all year. One of the top water bath canning recipes to try; this is great for beginners because it's so simple and delicious. Cinnamon sticks are optional, but they'll help create cozy flavors whenever you open a jar and enjoy.

Canned Green Beans

Pressure canning recipes (like these fresh green beans) are great for foods without much acid, like veggies. Can the green beans plain if you want and add seasoning later when you're ready to serve or add a little canning or pickling salt to the mix. It will bring out the flavor of the beans, so you won't need to dress them up as much when you reheat and eat.

Garlicky Pickled Mixed Veggies

If you have a lot of vegetables you want to save, this is one of the best canning recipes for your abundance. Pick everything left in your garden at the end of the season, then preserve them with vinegar, garlic, and a hint of crushed red pepper. After canning, try serving on a sandwich or enjoy a few pickled veggies as a side dish.

Mexican Beef Garden Soup

Did you think canning recipes were just veggies and jams? Think again. Canning meals like this Mexican-inspired beef soup are a delicious way to meal prep and stock your pantry. Cook an ultra-yummy soup with beef chuck roast, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and more, then grab a jar off the shelf whenever you need a warm, cozy dinner.

Pickled Three-Bean Salad

Black-eyed peas, green beans, and edamame make a tasty trio. The canning recipe calls for dried black-eyed peas, but there's no reason you can't take a shortcut and use canned beans if you want to speed everything up a little. After making this water bath canning recipe, serve it at a picnic or alongside your favorite barbecue.

Canned Apple Pie Filling with Maple and Cinnamon

If you're a baker, make the jump into canning recipes with this homemade pie filling. You can choose your favorite apples and use any special seasonings you want. Then, when it's pie time, just make the crust and open a can of this canned filling.

Smoky Carrot Sticks

Not your usual canned vegetables, these carrots come with a little extra smokiness thanks to smoked paprika. This canning recipe uses vinegar, so when you're ready to grab them from the pantry, your carrot sticks will have a bit of pickled flavor. They're an easy, fresh side dish to grab when you want to add a few more veggies to dinner.

Pickled Plums

Fresh plums don't stick around very long, but you can enjoy them all year when you preserve them. Thanks to red onions and a vinegar-based pickling liquid, this canning recipe has a little bit of bite, but warm spices like allspice and cloves pair well with the plums' natural sweetness.

Caramel Apple Butter

Canning is usually considered a summertime activity (gotta save those garden goodies!), but don't limit yourself to preserving jams and fresh produce. Break out your book of canning recipes in the fall and treat yourself to this gooey, delicious caramel apple butter. Set aside a few tart cooking apples, then combine them with apple cider, brown sugar, and cinnamon for a yummy spread you can savor throughout the year.

Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles

It's safe to say that zucchini owns summertime, so why not help this vibrant veggie appear more throughout the year? If you mourn the end of each zucchini season, set aside a few pounds for pickling and canning so you can enjoy them all year long. This canning recipe produces 5 pints of pickles, so you might want to consider a double batch if you're always left with pounds of extra zucchini.

Jalapeño Jelly

Add a little spice to your life with this water bath canning recipe. A taste of sweet and spicy, this jalapeño jelly will have you rethinking your usual fruit jams and jellies. Packed with jalapeño and poblano peppers, the fiery jelly is best when spread on crackers with cream cheese or smeared across toasted bread with ricotta.

Homemade Sauerkraut

New to fermenting? No problem. A slow cooker and some close tending are all you need to make this condiment favorite (no water bath or pressure canning today). You'll know it's ready when every spoonful of sauerkraut has a slightly crunchy texture and pleasantly tangy flavor. Stir it into soups and stews or layer it onto burgers and dogs. Craving something sweeter? Make an apple-caraway version with a few easy tweaks.

Pickled Lemon-Thyme Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts may not top your list for pickling, but this oh-so-tasty recipe will change that. A simple pickling mix including vinegar, fresh thyme, and lemon peel preserves your sprouts so you can snack on them all year. And thanks to the high acidity of the pickling liquid, you can use your boiling-water canner for these veggies—no special equipment is required for this top canning recipe.

Tomato-Basil Jam

Savory jam? Yes, please, especially when it helps use up a surplus of summer tomatoes. The zippy combination of lemon juice and fresh basil provides this subtle tomato jam with a pop of herbed citrus flavor. Make this canning recipe toward the end of the summer when fresh tomatoes are at their prime.

Raspberry-Chipotle Applesauce

You certainly won't find any bland applesauce here. Chipotle peppers give this recipe an uncharacteristic (but utterly delicious) zippiness, while fresh raspberries balance it out with a little extra sweetness. If you want to keep a few jars in your pantry, be sure to can a batch while apples are in season—but you can also freeze this applesauce for up to 8 months.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

Summer is strawberry season, no doubt. With four simple ingredients and three easy steps, a pretty-in-pink strawberry jam is ready to tuck into the freezer. Or, if you don't want to wait that long to enjoy this canned recipe, you can enjoy some strawberry jam right away and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Make-It-Mine Wine Jelly

There's no better way to experiment with a new canning recipe than by adding wine to it, if you ask us. And with this make-it-mine canned recipe, you can use your go-to Zinfandel, Merlot, or anything you want. Choose your favorite wine (yes, even Prosecco!), then add just four other ingredients to turn it into a spreadable jelly. Your cheese boards just got way better.

Spicy Barbecue Sauce

Grab a jar of this BBQ-tastic sauce and slather it on ribs, wings, pizza, and more. Savory spices and mix-ins, such as garlic, paprika, and fresh jalapeños, give it a mouthwatering kick. It's one of the best canned recipes for summer because the combo of tomatoes, onions, and spicy peppers will fit right in at a backyard barbecue.

Blue-Ribbon Corn Relish

You'll need up to 20 ears of sweet corn to make this safe canning recipe, and it's the best way to save those summer flavors for later. Complete with fresh onion, peppers, and lots of corn off the cob, this tangy blue-ribbon relish is an undeniable winner. Feeling adventurous? Try cumin-poblano, apple-chutney, or olive-corn relish variations with a few easy twists.

Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

Your pasta deserves the best, and this homemade garlic-tomato concoction fills the bill. Featuring garden-fresh herbs, bell peppers, and brown sugar, it's an Italian recipe that's magnifico! The trick to this canned recipe is roasting the garlic until it's soft and has a hint of sweet, caramelized flavor.

Chunky Tomato Salsa

Scoop up a crunchy tortilla chip full of tangy fresh peppers, tomatoes, and onions. Add a splash of lime juice for zest and a bit of garlic for bold flavor. This lively salsa will go fast, so you may want to make a double batch of this canning recipe, especially if you love snacking on chips and salsa.

Peach Jam

Craft your favorite fruit into a smooth, candylike jam. Soft, juicy peaches get transformed into basil, cardamom, chipotle, and bourbon variations. Choose your preferred flavor and make a big batch, or go ahead and sample each of these yummy canning recipes.