Fresh Tomato Juice Recipe - The Spruce Eats

• Turn ripe tomatoes into homemade juice for soups, drinks, or freezing.
• Make this tomato juice with just fresh tomatoes, salt, pepper, and any added seasonings you like.
• With clear steps for canning or freezing, your juice will stay safe, flavorful, and ready year-round.

When you have lots of fresh tomatoes on hand, turn them into homemade tomato juice that can be frozen or canned. It's a perfect way to preserve tomatoes when they're in season, whether you find them at a reasonable price or because your garden yielded more than you can use right away. With jars of tomato juice ready, you'll be all set when soup season arrives. It can also be thawed for a cold glass of tomato juice or a bloody Mary.

By doubling or tripling the amounts in this recipe, you can keep a frozen stash in your freezer to use for recipes all year round. The basic juice needs any ripe tomatoes you can find and salt and pepper to enhance the flavor. You can add more seasonings to suit your taste as well.

What Tomatoes Make the Best Tomato Juice?

Choose ripe tomatoes, such as red tomatoes on the vine, plum tomatoes, Roma, Beefsteak, or heirloom tomatoes. Or use grape or cherry tomatoes for juice with a sweeter flavor. 

Tips for Canning Fresh Tomato Juice

Because fresh tomatoes are not high in acidity, you will have to add some bottled lemon juice or citric acid if you plan on canning. Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid to each quart of tomato juice, or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid to pint jars. You can add bottled lemon juice or citric acid directly to the jars of tomato juice before processing them in a boiling water bath.

Is Fresh Lemon Juice Okay to Use in Home-Canned Tomato Juice?

According to the USDA, the level of acidity in bottled lemon juice is consistent, while the acidity in fresh-squeezed lemon juice can vary. To be safe, use bottled lemon juice or citric acid.

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