How to Can Roasted Tomato Soup (Using Garden Fresh Tomatoes)

This roasted tomato soup is rich, comforting, and full of flavor thanks to garden-fresh tomatoes and slow roasting. It’s the perfect make-ahead meal and a great way to preserve your summer harvest. Water bath can it for shelf-stable jars of homemade goodness you can enjoy all year long. No cream added, just simple, wholesome ingredients from scratch.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

There’s nothing quite like the rich, cozy flavor of roasted tomato soup, especially when it’s made with vine-ripened tomatoes straight from the garden. And when you can it? You get to preserve that fresh from the garden flavor all year long.

In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to can roasted tomato soup the safe and simple way, using a water bath canner. This is one of my favorite ways to put up a big tomato harvest, and it makes weeknight dinners so easy, just pop open a jar, warm it up, and serve it with grilled cheese or homemade rolls.

Whether you’re new to canning or looking to level up your food preservation game, this recipe will walk you through everything step-by-step.

Why Can Roasted Tomato Soup?

Roasted tomato soup isn’t just comfort food, it’s a flavor-packed way to preserve tomatoes with a little more depth than basic canned tomatoes or sauce. Roasting the tomatoes concentrates their flavor and caramelizes the natural sugars for a soup that’s rich, velvety, and satisfying.

By canning it, you:

• Lock in the peak flavor of summer tomatoes
• Skip the preservatives and mystery ingredients
• Stock your pantry with nourishing, homemade meals
• Use up a large tomato harvest in one fell swoop

This is also a great canning recipe for when your tomato plants are coming in hot, and you’ve got more than you can reasonably eat fresh.

Tools You’ll Need

To safely can roasted tomato soup, you’ll need:

• A water bath canner – tomato soup is not safe for water bath canning due to the low acidity and added vegetables like onion and garlic. Acid will have to be added to bring the acidity level up. I like to add citric acid but you can also add lemon juice.
• Canning jars (pint or quart)
• New lids and rings
• Dutch oven
• Immersion blender
• Large stock pot
• Canning funnel, jar lifter, and bubble remover

Ingredients

This recipe makes about 6 pints of soup. Feel free to double it if you’re swimming in tomatoes.

• 8 pounds of ripe garden tomatoes, halved
• 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 bulb of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional: fresh basil, oregano, or thyme
• Citric acid or lemon juice

Tomatoes can vary in acidity, which is why it’s essential to add citric acid or lemon juice when water bath canning any tomato-based recipe, including this roasted tomato soup. These adjustments help make the recipe safe for shelf storage without a pressure canner. For more information on acidification and safe tomato canning, check out the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (Tomato Products).

Step 1: Roast the Tomatoes

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Fill the Dutch oven with the cut tomatoes, onions, and peeled garlic. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes, onion, and garlic.

Roast for 1 hour or until everything is soft and starting to caramelize. This step is what gives the soup that incredible depth of flavor.

Step 2: Blend Until Smooth

Once everything has cooled slightly, transfer the roasted vegetables to a large stockpot. Do not add the liquid that is left in the bottom of the pot unless you want a thinner soup. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add the salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.

At this point, you can also season to taste or stir in fresh chopped herbs like basil or thyme.

How to Can Roasted Tomato Soup

Step 1: Heat the Soup & Prep Jars

Bring your blended soup to a gentle boil, stirring often. Meanwhile, wash your jars in hot soapy water and keep them warm. Prepare your water bath canner by bringing the water to a boil.

Step 2: Fill the Jars

Using a funnel, ladle the hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to each pint jar. 1/2 teaspoon for quarts. Run a bubble remover around the inside to release any trapped air. Wipe the rims with a damp cloth, then place on your lids and screw the bands on fingertip-tight.

Step 3: Water Bath Can the Soup

Place jars in a boiling water bath canner.

• Pints: Process for 35 minutes
• Quarts: Process for 40 minutes
• (Adjust for altitude if needed.)

Once the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the jars. Place jars on a towel and let them cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours.

Step 4: Check Seals and Store

After the jars are completely cool, check that each lid has sealed. Remove bands, wash the jars, label with the date, and store in a cool, dark pantry.

Properly canned tomato soup will last up to 18 months on the shelf or longer, but over time, it will slowly begin to lose nutritional value. 

How to Serve Canned Roasted Tomato Soup

This soup is lovely on its own, but here are a few favorite ways we enjoy it:

• Topped with shredded cheddar or Parmesan
• Stirred with a splash of cream for a bisque-style version
• Paired with grilled cheese or sourdough rolls
• Garnished with homemade croutons and fresh herbs

It also makes a great base for stews, pasta sauces, or even rice dishes!

FAQs

Other Recipes You’ll Love

If you’re swimming in garden tomatoes and love making pantry staples from scratch, here are a few more recipes you’ll want to bookmark:

• Homemade Ketchup from Garden Fresh Tomatoes
  Skip the store-bought bottle and make your own rich, tangy ketchup using ripe garden tomatoes. It’s thick, flavorful, and perfect for canning or freezing.
• How to Make Homemade Pizza Sauce
  This easy pizza sauce recipe is thick, zesty, and packed with flavor, no store-bought jar required. Great for canning or freezing and perfect for Friday night pizza night!
• How to Make Pasta Sauce from Scratch Using Garden Tomatoes
  Turn your summer tomato harvest into the best pasta sauce you’ve ever tasted. This from-scratch sauce is slow-simmered, full of flavor, and made for canning.

There’s something special about opening a jar of homemade roasted tomato soup in the middle of winter and tasting the sunshine from your summer garden. Learning how to can roasted tomato soup is one of those simple homestead skills that makes a big difference, for convenience, for nourishment, and for that deep satisfaction of knowing you made it from scratch.

Whether you’re brand new to canning or a seasoned pro, I hope this recipe brings warmth to your pantry and your table. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes!

Shop Post

Save Pin For Later