Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/09/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Increase boiling-water processing by elevation: 45, 50, 55, or 60 minutes across the documented altitude bands.
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Keep the exact ratio of 1 teaspoon citric acid to 14 pounds of tomatoes and mix it into the sieved tomatoes before final reduction. Do not use larger jars.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Half-Pint Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 45/50/55/60 min at 0–1,000 / 1,001–3,000 / 3,001–6,000 / above 6,000 ft
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare the canner, jars, and ingredients.
- Simmer chopped paste tomatoes until reduced by half, sieve without blending, mix citric acid into the entire sieved batch, then reduce by half again.
- Fill half-pints only, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 45/50/55/60 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, heavy stockpot, fine sieve or food mill, jar lifter, and half-pint jars.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Select sound fruit or vegetables and measure exactly.
- Pack: Hot pack; remove air bubbles and maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Boiling-water canning; use the schedule for your altitude.
- Cool: Keep jars upright and undisturbed before testing seals.
Safety essentials
Tested NCHFP boiling-water recipe. Use the tested citric-acid proportion and half-pint jar size only.
About this recipe
Tomato Paste is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe using hot pack and boiling-water canning.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Half-pints only
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Read the authoritative source completely before processing.
Altitude and processing schedule
45/50/55/60 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Tomato Paste — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 14 lb Roma tomatoes or other paste-type tomatoes
- 1 tsp Citric acid divided among the batch as directed
- 2 bay leaves Bay leaves
- 1 tsp Canning or pickling salt
- 1 clove Garlic optional
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner For the documented process.
- 8 Half-pint canning jars Yield about 8 half-pints; use this tested jar size only.
- 8 Two-piece canning lids Use new flat lids and prepare according to manufacturer directions.
- 1 Food mill or sieve For removing skins and seeds.
Directions
- Wash tomatoes and remove stems and cores. Cut into quarters.
- Combine the first portion of tomatoes with citric acid in a large saucepan, crush, and heat rapidly to boiling while stirring. Add remaining tomatoes gradually while keeping the mixture boiling. Simmer 5 minutes after all tomatoes are added.
- Press the hot tomato mixture through a food mill or sieve to remove skins and seeds.
- Return pulp to the pan. Add bay leaves, salt, and optional garlic. Simmer slowly until thick, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Remove bay leaves and garlic.
- Fill hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Process half-pints 45 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 50 minutes at 1,001–3,000 ft, 55 minutes at 3,001–6,000 ft, or 60 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Use a spoonful to deepen pasta sauces, soups, braises, stews, and chili.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the ingredients or process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by the authoritative source. Keep the exact ratio of 1 teaspoon citric acid to 14 pounds of tomatoes and mix it into the sieved tomatoes before final reduction. Do not use larger jars.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process if current food-safety guidance permits.
How this recipe compares
Tomato paste is reduced twice to a spoon-mounding consistency and uses half-pint jars, unlike fluid tomato sauce.
Troubleshooting
Stir frequently during both reductions to prevent scorching; do not use a blender or food processor because it incorporates unwanted air.
Discard any jar that leaks, bulges, spurts, is moldy, or otherwise shows spoilage. Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Tomato Paste. Developed by the University of Georgia and released in May 2015.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
40–80 lb of Tomatoes per person per year
The source-cited calculator below can convert your pantry goal into row foot estimates where compatible yield data exists.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.