21 Small-Batch Canning Recipes You'll Want to Try (2024)

Home Recipes Techniques Preserving Canning

Save yourself hours in the kitchen and shelves of pantry space with these small-batch canning recipes. Each recipe is a preserve or uses a standard, freezer or fridge canning method, so you can try one out no matter your skill level.

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Cut down on the time and expense of traditional canning by trying one of these smaller-scale canning recipes. You’ll still get the preserving power and homemade taste of your go-to canning recipes without being stuck with the same flavor of jam for weeks on end. Each of the following small-scale canning recipes make just a few cans of jelly, jam, pickles or veggies each. New to canning? Make sure you read our canning 101 guide.

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Homemade Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a scrumptious spread for scones, biscuits or other baked goods. You can find it in larger grocery stores alongside the jams and jellies or with the baking supplies, but we like making this lemon curd recipe from scratch. —Mark Hagen, West Allis, Wisconsin

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3/22

Best Ever Sweet Pickles

I pack away homegrown cucumbers every summer. This recipe is based on the pickled veggies in Brown Eggs and Jam Jars by Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, but I’ve made it less mustardy and more garlicky to fit my family’s tastes. This method keeps them incredibly, refreshingly crunchy. —Ellie Martin Cliffe, Taste of Home Digital Deputy Editor

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Pineapple Kiwi Jam

Pineapple, kiwi and a hint of lime blend nicely in this unique combination. It’s especially good slathered on biscuits. —Sondra Rogers, Columbus, Indiana

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Spiced Pickled Beets

With sweet, tangy and spiced flavors, these pickled beets are so good that they'll win over just about everyone in your house. Jars of colorful beets make great gifts, too! —Edna Hoffman, Hebron, Indiana

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Green Tomato Jam

As the tomato season draws near and you have a bumper crop of green tomatoes on your vine, reach for this one-of-a-kind jam! Everyone is pleased with its great taste.—Norma Henderson, Hampton, New Brunswick

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I love the roasted flavor that grilling gives food, so I decided to make a salsa from grilled vegetables. I think this recipe would also taste great using plum tomatoes. Also, if you can't use wood chip charcoal, you might try adding a little liquid smoke to the salsa while it cooks. —Shelly Bevington, Hermiston, Oregon

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Pickled Green Beans

This recipe produces zippy little pickled green beans, preserving my veggies for months to come ... if they last that long. I crank up the heat a bit with cayenne pepper. —Marisa McClellan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Fig Jam

I have had a love of figs ever since I had an amazing appetizer that used a combination of them with blue cheese and prosciutto. Since then, I created this fig jam and have used it as a glaze on our Easter ham, smeared it on a bagel with cream cheese and dolloped on pizza. &mdashMonica Keleher, Methuen, Massachusetts

10/22

Canned Nectarines in Honey Syrup

Nectarines are in season for such a short time, you'll want to do whatever you can to extend the season. With this quick method for canning nectarines, you'll have delicious fruit all year long. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Most people don't think about grapes when creating a canned pickle recipe. The pickling liquid for these grapes includes red wine, vinegar and common pickling spices like coriander, mustard seeds and hot pepper; it also contains warm spices like cinnamon and star anise along with brown sugar. These flavor-packed grapes are unique and delicious on a fab antipasto, pickle or cheese tray. —Cheryl Perry, Hertford, North Carolina

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Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Butter

You can spread this apple butter on thick and still enjoy a breakfast that's thin on calories. For a smoother texture, use tender varieties such as McIntosh or Cortland apples. —Diane Widmer, Blue Island, Illinois

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Chunky Ketchup

I created this chunky homemade ketchup to jazz up chopped steak sandwiches and hot sausage sandwiches for my family. It's so delicious and fresh-tasting. I gave some to our friends, too, and they enjoyed it on hamburgers and even stuffed peppers. —Susan Stahr, Driftwood, Pennsylvania

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Pickled Peaches

Fresh peach quarters soaked in vinegar, sugar and warm spices are a classic southern treat. Serve with ice cream, pound cake, roasted meat and veggies, or mix into your favorite salad greens.—Nick Iverson, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Rose Petal Honey

This delicious recipe is a perfect topping for toast or English muffins. It is so simple to make and will impress guests at tea.—Mary Kay Dixson, Decatur, Alabama

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Mom's Pickled Carrots

My mother is the only other person I've known to make this recipe. In fact, when I take it to a potluck or picnic, no one has ever heard of pickled carrots. But once they try them, they are hooked. —Robin Koble, Fairview, Pennsylvania

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Bourbon Peach Jam

Bourbon has been popular at our house since we visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail a few years ago. Every bite of this jam reminds me of that fun trip. —Katie Ferrier, Houston, Texas

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Rhubarb Raisin Marmalade

At a retreat in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, I sampled a marmalade combining rhubarb and raisins. I loved it so much that I went home and tried to duplicate it. I added the strawberries to make the marmalade even sweeter. —Carmen Tuck, Airdrie, Alberta

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The Best Marinara Sauce

I developed this marinara sauce recipe with a friend to make the most of a bumper crop of tomatoes. Now we like to make huge batches—we’re talking 220-pounds-of- tomatoes huge—and then give jars along with a pound of pasta as gifts around the holidays. Knowing this sauce is made from the heart with the best possible ingredients makes me feel good about giving it to my family and friends. —Shannon Norris, Cudahy, Wisconsin

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Rhubarb-Cherry Chutney

I love surprising recipes like this chutney with rhubarb, apple and cherries. Try it with cream cheese and crackers or as a condiment for grilled chicken. —Sue Gronholz, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

Caroline has been with Taste of Home for the past seven years, working in both print and digital. After starting as an intern for the magazine and special interest publication teams, Caroline was hired as the third-ever digital editor for Taste of Home. Since then, she has researched, written and edited content on just about every topic the site covers, including cooking techniques, buzzy food news, gift guides and many, many recipe collections. Caroline also acts as the editorial lead for video, working with the Test Kitchen, videographers and social media team to produce videos from start to finish.When she’s not tip-tapping on a keyboard, Caroline is probably mixing up a killer co*cktail, reading a dog-eared library book or cooking up a multi-course feast (sometimes all at once). Though she technically lives in Milwaukee, there is a 50/50 chance Caroline is in Chicago or southwest Michigan visiting her close-knit family.