Easy Guide: Canning Vegetable Soup

There is nothing better than a warm bowl of homemade soup, especially when you know it was made with fresh vegetables. Home-canned vegetable soup is a flavorful, high-quality soup that saves money, builds self-reliance, and creates quick and easy meals. This is also a great recipe if you are just learning to can or you have been canning your own produce for years.

Why make your own canned vegetable soup?

When you can your own vegetable soup, you can proudly serve a flavorful, high-quality soup that saves money, will build self-reliance, and creates quick and easy meals on busy nights. It is also good that you have the ability to preserve vegetables from your garden or choose high-quality organic vegetables.

Canning left over soup

Homemade vegetable-based soups (with or without meat) are usually mixtures of low-acid ingredients and they need to be pressure canned by a process that has been developed by research methods known to control for botulism food poisoning

There is only one version of pressure canning directions for home-canned soups available from USDA.  Consumers should follow these directions exactly: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/soups.html.  Remember, if additional ingredients or thickening is desired, the soup should be canned as described, and those variations should be made when the jar is opened for serving.

Mix in ideas for soup

Most vegetables, dried beans, or peas can be added to this soup recipe. However, if dried beans are used, they must be rehydrated first. NOTE * List of vegetables that can not be added to your soup below.

Only add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk, or other thickening agents to home canned soups after being canned during the reheating process.

What kind of vegetables to use

This recipe is flexible enough to add your favorite vegetables or what your garden is producing an abundance of. You could substitute the potatoes for sweet potatoes, add peppers, peas, turnips, or cubed winter squash. Just keep in mind the thickness of cubes and slices should remain consistent with what the recipe calls for.

What vegetables are not safe to can?

• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts (can be pickled then canned)
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower (can be pickled then canned)
• Eggplant (can be pickled then canned)
• Kohlrabi. “Canning kohlrabi is not recommended because it develops a strong flavor and usually discolors when canned.”   
• Lettuce
• Zucchini and Summer Squashes (can be pickled; otherwise, there would be density issues for pressure canning).

Canning vegetable soup with frozen vegetables

There is no safety issue in canning food that was previously frozen. However, the quality issues are that the food could result in an undesirable texture. For instance, green beans that were blanched for freezing, then frozen, then thawed, then canned will be soft and mussy. If you want to use frozen vegetables in your canning, I suggest using firm vegetables such as potatoes and carrots.

New To Pressure Canning

If you are new to pressure canning, then I suggest you visit my post Learn How To Pressure Can. I cover detailed safety tips and instructions.

Also, it would be good to familiarise yourself with A Beginner’s Guide To Canning Terms and Canning Supplies Guide

Canning Tips and Safty FAQs

Can I use a water bath to can soup?

According to the National Center For Home Food Preservation, vegetable-based soups are usually mixtures of low-acid ingredients, and they need to be pressure canned by a process that has been developed by research methods known to control for botulism food poisoning; we will not recommend anyway to can vegetable or vegetable-meat soups in a boiling water canner.

Canning vegetable soup with out a canner

Because vegetable soup is a low-acid food, there is no other way to home can it to prevent botulism other than a pressure canner. Botulism is a potentially fatal foodborne disease.

Can you pressure can in an Instant Pot?

According to the National Center for Home Preservation, you should not use an electric pressure cooker to safely can with. Even if there are instructions for pressure canning in the manufacturer’s directions, we do not support the use of the USDA canning processes in the electric, multi-cooker appliances now containing “canning” or “steam canning” buttons on their front panels. 

I suggest reading the extensive article, Should I can in my electric multi-cooker appliance? to learn more about why you should not use an electric pressure cooker to can.

What can I add to canned vegetable soup?

After your soup has been canned and you are ready to open a jar to serve for a meal, you can get creative with add-ins.

One of our family’s favorite add-ins to soups is sweet and spicy jalapeno Canned Cowboy Candy. Canned Cowboy Candy is the perfect way to preserve many jalapenos in an addictive sweet and spicy sauce. They are also great on burgers, Mexican foods, in dips, and pimento cheese spread.

On a busy night, a quick dinner would be to make this Instant Pot Coconut Rice and then open a can of your soup, heat in a pan, and then stir in some sweet, creamy rice for a filling meal.

You could also add a tablespoon of homemade Sazon Seasoning or homemade Thai Seasoning. Both will infuse a new flavor profile to your homemade vegetable soup easily.

What to serve with the soup

Every good soup needs a big slice of bread to dip in it. This quick 10 minute Vegan Beer Bread has a sweet chewy crust outside with a soft, scrumptious yeasty inside.

Another great dipping bread for soup is warm toasted naan. This soft, chewy Whole Wheat Naan Recipe makes a healthy, authentic old-world bread.

The key to canning a safe, high-quality soup is to follow directions provided by a reliable science-based source like USDA. Do not deviate from the recipe instructions unless stated it is safe.

How long does canned food last?

Properly canned food stored in a cool, dry place will retain optimum eating quality for at least 1 year. Canned food stored in a warm place near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, or indirect sunlight may lose some of its eating quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature. Dampness may corrode cans or metal lids and cause leakage so that the food will spoil.

Tips For Making Canned Vegetable Soup

Tips For Adding Beans To Canned Soup

You can add dried beans when canning vegetable soup, however, it is best to rehydrate the beans before adding them to a soup canning recipe.

1. Step 1: Sorting and Rinsing
   Start by sorting through your dry beans, removing any debris, damaged beans, or stones you may find. Then, give them a thorough rinse under cold water to remove any dust or dirt. This step ensures that your beans are clean and ready for rehydration.
2. Step 2: Boiling Water
   In a large pot, add four cups of water for every cup of dry beans. Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat. The hot water will expedite the rehydration process, reducing the overall cooking time.
3. Step 3: Quick Soak
   Once the water is boiling, remove the pot from heat and carefully add the rinsed dry beans. Ensure that the beans are fully submerged in the hot water. Cover the pot with a lid and let them sit for one hour. This quick soak method helps soften the beans and kick-starts the rehydration process.
4. Step 4: Draining and Rinsing
   After one hour, drain the water from the pot. At this point, you’ll notice that your beans have absorbed a significant amount of water and have become plumper. Rinse the beans with cold water to remove any residual starch or impurities.

How To Reheat Home Canned Soups

Heat the soup in a pan over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until hot, or reheat in the microwave. Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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