How to Can Soup Safely With a Pressure Canner

Vegetable-based soup, chicken soup, and other meat-based soups are safe for home canning using a pressure canner. Per the USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation, pressure canning is the safest way to ensure your produce and solid ingredients don’t spoil. The pressure canner will kill off microorganisms that cause botulism or food poisoning.

Many soup recipes are safe for canning, but not all. Produce-based soups, such as vegetable soup or dairy-free tomato soup, are perfect for canning. Chicken soups or other meat-based soups are also safe for canning when using a pressure canner, and those jarred soups can last for a whole year—just be sure to fully cook your meat before canning. You should not can milk- or cream-based soups, such as a New England clam chowder.

When canning homemade soup, avoid adding thickening agents such as rice, pasta, and cornstarch, which absorb liquid during the canning process. You can cook and add these ingredients to the soup when it’s time to serve. If you are canning a chicken noodle soup, make the chicken stock and broth, store it in a dry, cool space, and only add noodles come serving time.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to fill your pantry with various pressure canning soups so you have ready-made meals for colder days:

1. 1. Wash your canning jars. Run your quart and pint jars along with their lids and jar rims through the dishwasher, or sterilize them in boiling water before handwashing with soap. Then, let your clean jars air dry.
2. 2. Cook your ingredients. Before canning vegetables and meats, you’ll have to cook them thoroughly. You can customize what solid ingredients go into your canning jars. You may choose to bake chicken, grill venison, sautée green beans and onions, roast carrots, or prepare other meats and vegetables.
3. 3. Create your broth. You might rely on pre-made chicken stock for your soup, or you may want to make broth. For vegetable broth, dice one pound of onions, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Mince a clove of garlic and add to your veggies, tossing with olive oil, then roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. Remove from the oven and combine with six cups of water and other spices, such as thyme, rosemary, and basil. Bring to a boil, then let the broth simmer until it reduces by one-third. Strain the hot water into another bowl; the liquid will be the broth.
4. 4. Combine your ingredients with the broth. Put your broth back into the pot and combine it with meats and fresh vegetables. Maintain a proportion of twice as much liquid as solids. Bring to a simmer and stir for five minutes. Taste to test and add spices or seasoning as needed.
5. 5. Fill the canning jars. Ladle your hot soup into the jars, leaving a one-inch headspace at the top. Use a fork to remove any air bubbles, cover with lids, and twist close the rims.
6. 6. Process the pints and quarts. Place your jars in your pressure canner; processing time and dial gauge levels will vary depending on ingredients, jar size, and altitude. Generally, pints will need an hour and quarts 75 minutes. Follow the individual instructions for your pressure canner to preserve soup in a way that reduces the risk of botulism.
7. 7. Let the jars cool. Remove the lid from your canner and let the hot jars cool for a few minutes. Then, use tongs to remove them from the canner, and place the jars a few inches apart on a thick towel on your counter. Let them sit and cool for twelve hours. Store in a cool, dark, dry place and your canned soup will last for a year.

When canning homemade soup, keep these tips in mind to ease the canning process:

1. 1. Label your soup. After canning your soup, label it with tape so you can list an expiration date and the ingredients to help you remember what you had cooked when you reheat the soup months down the road.
2. 2. Cook your dried beans. If your canning recipes call for any lima beans, black beans, or other legumes, cook the beans before canning as they won’t thoroughly cook when you reheat your soup.
3. 3. Remove any bones. If you are making a soup with chicken, pork, or other meat, remove the bones after cooking and before canning.
4. 4. Avoid oversalting. Many store-brand canned soups feature lots of sodium for flavor and preservation. You should cook your soup to your liking, seasoning it as needed, but know that the pressure canner will help maintain the quality of your soup, not the salt content.

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