• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Modern Homestead

Yesterday's Values for Today's Busy Life

  • Einkorn Recipes
  • Gardening
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Homesteading >>
      • How We Make $8000+ A Month Online While Homesteading
      • Canning
      • Gardening
      • Homesteading
      • Homestead House Plans
    • Handmade >>
      • Gift Giving
      • Knitting
      • Sewing
      • Printable Art
      • All Crafting
    • Seasonal >>
      • Christmas
      • Thanksgiving
      • Halloween
      • Easter
      • Birthday
      • Party
      • Fall
      • Summer
      • Spring
      • All Seasonal Content
    • Blogging
      • How to Start a Blog!
      • Make Money Blogging FAST
      • Guest Posting Application
      • All Blogging Posts
  • Shop
    • All Products
    • Homestead House Plans
  • Our Homestead House
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  •  
Home » Canning » How to Can Green Beans

How to Can Green Beans

This page may contain affiliate links. Learn More.

January 19, 2023 by Victoria 54 Comments

Canning green beans is an easy summer activity that allows you to enjoy them all year long! Find out how to can green beans in a pressure canner, as well as how to deal with the fact that green beans are not ready to harvest at the same time.

Home grown and canned green beans in mason jars

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

There's nothing quite like reaching into the pantry and grabbing a jar of home canned food. Whether it's homegrown, or purchased from the store, canning your own food is a blessing that lasts all year long!

No matter what level of canner you consider yourself to be, canning green beans is a simple process that will let you enjoy your efforts for many months to come!

I especially enjoy using home-canned green beans for the holidays in green bean casseroles and soups!

Canning Green Beans

If you've pressure canned before, you know what to expect from the process...

But if you're new to pressure canning, or canning in general, it can seem really scary!! In reality, it's very easy to do and extremely satisfying to complete!

If you're new to pressure canning, I encourage you to read my in-depth look at the process of pressure canning here. It gives a very detailed account of exactly what to expect so that you're not caught off guard!

Once you've done that, or if you're not new to pressure canning, then you're ready to get started canning your green beans!

Before you can them, make sure you snap them and remove the strings first. In the past we've had bean varieties that grew 2-4 thick strings PER bean... what a pain! 

However, whatever type of bean you have, make sure that you don't skip the snapping process or your canned beans will be difficult to eat!

How to Snap Green Beans

Snapping green beans isn't terribly difficult, but it is something that needs to be done - especially if you are growing heirloom varieties. 

So, to snap (or string) your green beans, start at one end of the green bean and "snap" the tip. You can do this with a knife or with your hands. I like using a knife, but that's up to you! If you decide to use a knife, only slice through the end about 3/4 of the way and then continue.

Pull the broken tip down along the seam to remove any "string" that may be hiding there. Snap off the other end of the bean in the same way.

Discard the snapped-off ends and any strings in the small bowl and feed them to the chickens or pigs if you have any!

From there, you can leave the beans whole or cut them into 1-2" segments for canning.

Bulk Canning Green Beans from Your Garden

Even when you're harvesting several pounds of green beans a day like we were, that's not really enough to fill up the pressure canner. So in order to make the canning effort more "worth it", I tried a few different things to help the green beans stay fresh long enough to can in larger batches.

In order to do this you need to refrigerate the fresh green beans right away - without washing them first. Make sure they are in a sealed bag (press out the air before sealing), and they will stay fresh for up to 7 days!

Then you can wash and snap the green beans in larger batches for bulk canning! Once you have enough beans to can, and you have them all washed and snapped, just follow the directions below to pressure can your own home-canned green beans. 

Adjusting Pressure Canning by Altitude

It is important to note that the pressure used during canning changes based on altitude at which the food is being canned. If you are pressure canning a 0-1000 ft above sea level, then no changed are needed.

Refer to the chart below for how to change the pressure according to your altitude:
pressure canning changes by altitude chart

Best Green Beans for Canning

When you are sourcing green beans for canning, you will have good luck at farmer's markets, and local grocery stores. Be sure to reach out to friends and neighbors who might ben growing green beans, because it's likely they will have extra! 

Or, if you want, you can grow your own green beans. I love growing green beans because they are a high yield, low space requirement plant. You can grow two five-foot rows of greens beans and harvest them daily for months. That's a lot of food!

If you're interested in growing your own food, also check out our post on growing in the Back to Eden gardening method. It's so easy to set up and helps lengthen your growing season for even more produce. 

Common Questions about Canning Green Beans

Can you use any type of green beans for canning?

Yes, absolutely! I'm partial to round beans, but flat or round beans can be used. You can also use any variety of green beans (even if they are purple beans) for this canning green beans recipe.

I want to can green beans in pints, what's the timing difference from quarts?

You'll follow the same process, but pints can be processed for 20 minutes in a pressure canner instead of 25 minutes for quarts.

Do I have to add salt to my canned green beans?

No, you don't. It's not needed for safety. However, it's very difficult to season the green beans after the canning process, so I would add at least a little salt. You can adjust the salt to your tastes.

How long are home canned green beans good for?

The current "conventional wisdom" is that home canned food is only good for 1 year. However, even the USDA notes that as long as the jars and lids are in good condition, canned food never goes bad. You may lose nutritional value over time, but the food is not "bad".

How do you water bath can green beans?

Currently, water bath canning is not recommended for vegetables, unless they are pickled. The added vinegar raised the PH level and allows foods to be water bath canned where they wouldn't normally be able to. However, if you are canning green beans in just water and salt, they need to be pressure canned. Many people say "my grandmother did it for 50 years and we are all fine" - and I agree. Feel free to use your judgement when canning - however, pressure canning is currently considered the only "safe" way to can green beans.

Canning Green Beans

This is the easiest method for canning green beans in a pressure canner. Save time and effort with the raw pack method!
4.64 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Canning Green Beans, How to Can Green Beans, Pressure Canning Green Beans
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 1 cup servings
Calories: 88kcal
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • Pressure Canner (here's the one I use)
  • 4 Quart Canning Jars (OR 8 pint canning jars)
  • Canning Tools

Ingredients

  • 10 lbs Green Beans
  • Canning Salt

Instructions

  • Prep jars according to canning instructions
  • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Filtered or spring water is my preference.
  • Wash and de-string green beans. Remove ends, and cut or snap into 2" pieces.
  • Pack beans tightly into hot jars leaving a 1" headspace.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to pint jars, and 1 teaspoon to quarts (optional, but strongly recommended!)
  • Ladle boiling water over beans/salt, leaving a 1" headspace.
  • Remove air bubbles with canning knife and add additional beans or water as needed. Adjust 2-piece lids to finger tightness.
  • Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.
  • Remove from canner according to canning instructions and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before putting them away for storage.

Notes

Salt is optional, but strongly recommended as the beans will be flavorless after canning and seasoning after the fact is almost pointless.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Canning Green Beans
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 88 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.03g
Sodium 17mg1%
Potassium 598mg17%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 1956IU39%
Vitamin C 35mg42%
Calcium 105mg11%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @AModHomestead or tag ##amodernhomestead!

Share with your friends!

Filed Under: All Posts, Best Performing Content, Canning, Homesteading Favorites, Reader Favorites Tagged With: Canning, Canning Vegetables, From scratch, Homestead Pantry, Homestead Skills, Homesteading, Pressure Canning, Water Bath Canning

Previous Post: « Water Glassing Eggs for Long Term Storage
Next Post: The Best Homemade Mashed Potatoes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judy Hale says

    August 15, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    I mistakenly pressure canned my qt green beans for only 20 min. Can I put the jars back in the pressure canner for 5 more min?
    Love your website!

    i

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 16, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      Hi Judy! That’s up to you, I would probably leave it – however, conventional wisdom would be to re-can them for the full 25 minutes (because it has to get up to a certain temp that it wouldn’t reach in just 5 minutes). I’m sorry about that!

      If you have kept those jars separate, you could just eat them first and/or keep them in the fridge until they are gone. But that’s up to you <3

      Reply
  2. Pat says

    August 19, 2020 at 1:53 pm

    Where can I find a pressure canner large enough canned green beans

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 20, 2020 at 3:49 pm

      Hi Pat! I use an All American canner, and you can read more about the pressure canning supplies I recommend here!

      Reply
  3. Ronnie says

    August 23, 2020 at 9:53 am

    How long do you pre cook green beans before putting them into the jars

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 24, 2020 at 12:36 pm

      Hi Ronnie! No cooking is required before canning :-)

      Reply
  4. Hugh A Byron says

    August 23, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    We have been canning quarts of green beans 15 pounds pressure 10 minutes wi great success. I want to know about time to pressure can half gallons of green beans at 15 pounds pressure.

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      August 24, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      Hi Hugh, I’m sorry, I can’t comment on that, since the recommended pressure is 10lb. I would have no idea how to recommend a change.

      Reply
  5. Connie says

    October 3, 2020 at 11:07 pm

    I pressure can punts for 20 minutes, however I add 1/2 tsp canning salt, fill the jar with snapped beans, but do not add hot water, just can them raw and dry. Less mush, and they last just as long. You ever try “dry” canning?

    Reply
    • Victoria says

      October 5, 2020 at 9:17 am

      Hi Connie, I am familiar with dry canning, but can’t recommend it here (due to the official canning regulations for safety). But I’m glad it’s working well for you! I do know people who dry can often :-)

      Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »
Unlock commenting as a premium member. PLUS, enjoy ad-free reading of the entire site. And more!

✨ JOIN NOW ✨

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hi there! I’m Victoria – a work at home mom to an active 4 year old, homesteader, from scratch chef, and full time blogger!
Here you will find delicious real food recipes, canning and gardening help, frugal living tips, and more! Learn more about our story here!

FOLLOW US!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Popular Content

How to Can Green Beans

roasted chicken in a baking dish surrounded by vegetables

How to Cook a Frozen Chicken

Finished home canned peaches in mason jars

How to Can Peaches in Syrup

  • Home
  • Affiliates
  • Contact Me
  • Work With Me
  • Join Now (Ad-Free Experience)
  • Ad-Free Login
  • Privacy
  • My Account
  • Course Login

Copyright © 2023 · Niche Theme