Canning Green Beans—Two Ways to Preserve Taste and Freshness (2024)

Canning tomatoes isn't the only thing you can do to preserve summer's best flavors. To help you save your veggies for later, we'll show you how to can fresh green beans two different ways—with and without a pressure cooker.

Learning how to make canned green beans yourself is surprisingly simple, and once you've mastered the canning process, you won't have to toss another can of store-bought beans into your cart again. To ensure not a single jar of homemade green beans goes to waste, we've also got tips for how to cook canned green beans once the canning process is finished.

How to Pressure-Can Green Beans

Grab your pressure canner and six canning jars, and put a kettle of water on to boil. Pressure-canning green beans might seem like an intimidating process, but our step-by-step guide below makes it easy. Have your canner checked annually. Rubber gaskets can start to leak, and gauges need to be calibrated. Your local cooperative extension service can check it for you, or ask at the store where you bought it.

Step 1: Prep the Green Beans

Start with 3½ to 4 pounds of fresh green beans. Wash the beans, drain, and trim the ends, then cut or break the beans into 1-inch pieces. Measure 12 cups of beans, and place them in a 4- to 6-quart kettle or pot. Add just enough water to cover the beans, and bring them to boiling. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes, then drain.

Step 2: Pack the Jars

Pack the beans into six hot, sterilized pint canning jars, being sure to leave a ½-inch headspace. If you want, you can also add ½ teaspoon canning or pickling salt to each jar. Pour boiling water over the beans in each jar, again leaving a ½-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims to remove any food or liquid around the rim, then attach each lid and screw band. Never reuse canning jar lids. The sticky sealing material is made for just one use. Make sure the screw bands aren't too tight—if they are, you might not get a vacuum seal. Instead, twist the bands on just tight enough that you could still turn the band another ¼ to ½ inch tighter.

Step 3: Add Filled Jars to Canner with Hot Water

Place each filled jar on a rack in a pressure canner that's at least half-filled with simmering water. Lower the rack back into the water to keep the jars hot while you fill the remaining jars. Repeat until all of the jars are added to the canner.

Once all the filled jars are in the canner, pour additional hot water into the canner as needed until all of the jars are covered with at least 1 inch of hot water. Fasten the canner lid securely. Leave weight off the vent port or open the petco*ck. Heat at the highest setting until steam flows freely from the open petco*ck or vent port.

Step 4: Begin the Pressure-Canning Process

While maintaining the highest heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes. Then place the weight on the vent port or close the petco*ck. Your canner will pressurize during the next 3 to 5 minutes.

Start timing the process when the pressure reading on the dial gauge indicates that 11 pounds of pressure has been reached, or when the weighted gauge begins to jiggle or rock as the canner manufacturer suggests for 10 pounds of pressure. Process pint jars 20 minutes.

Regulate the heat under the canner to maintain a steady pressure at (or slightly above) the correct gauge pressure.

Step 5: Remove Jars from Canner and Cool

When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat, remove your canner from the heat (if possible), and let the canner depressurize naturally. Once the canner has depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petco*ck. Wait 10 minutes, then unfasten the lid and carefully lift it away from you so the steam doesn't burn your face.

Remove the jars with a jar lifter and place them on a towel, leaving at least an inch of space between each jar. Let the jars cool, undisturbed, at room temperature. Don’t move the jars for 12 to 24 hours. Let them cool on the countertop so the seal can set before you stash them in the pantry or drive them anywhere in a car

How to Can Green Beans Without a Pressure Canner

If you want your beans to keep their natural flavor over time, pressure-canning green beans is the best way to can. However, if you want to learn how to can green beans in a water-bath canner, it is possible, but you'll have to make a few changes. Because green beans are low in acidity, they have to be canned in a pressure canner so they're safe to eat up to a year later. But if you're willing to increase the acidity of your green beans by pickling them, you can process them in a water-bath canner.

Instead of pouring boiling water over your beans once they're in jars, use a pickling mixture made with vinegar, water, and pickling salt. One advantage of pickling your green beans is that they'll need less time to process; 20 minutes is about how long to pressure-can green beans, but processing pickled green beans in a water-bath canner takes only about 5 minutes.

Ultimately, it comes down to flavor—for the freshest flavor, stick to pressure canning; if you want pickled beans, possibly for a bloody Mary garnish, water-bath canning is worth a try.

Now that you've learned how easy canning and preserving your food can be, why stop at green beans? You can also learn how to can corn, how to can peaches, how to can hot peppers—most fruits and veggies can be preserved in either a pressure canner or a water-bath canner. And if you're eyeing produce that isn't so well-suited for canning, there's always time to learn how to freeze fruits and veggies!

How to Cook Canned Green Beans

Once the work of canning is over, it's time to enjoy your beans! Luckily, learning how to prepare canned green beans once you've preserved a batch is easy. To serve a can of green beans, place the contents of one of your jars in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil, then boil, covered, 10 minutes.

If you're wondering how to season canned green beans, a pinch of salt and a shake of pepper is the most classic method, or you can drizzle on a little melted butter or even a crumble of crispy bacon on top. Or try making a recipe of canned green bean and mushroom skillet or carrots and tomatoes for more flavor.