Homemade Tomato Juice Recipe

Tomato juice is a delicious and versatile drink that can be served as a refreshing beverage, as an ingredient in recipes, or as a soup base. But did you know that it’s also super easy to make at home?

Two glasses of tomato juice and three quart jars of canned tomato juice

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This Homemade Tomato Juice recipe tastes similar to V8 but is SO much better! Serve it chilled or hot—either way, you’re going to love the zesty flavor and fresh taste of this homemade tomato juice.

Made with Home Grown Tomatoes

I love growing tomatoes in our garden each summer for canning. I love preserving the tastes of summer for those cold Winter months. If you love canning as much as I do, I hope you will enjoy this and all of our other easy canning recipes!

Homemade Tomato Juice is so rich, delicious, and filling! It tastes so much better than V8 Juice, and probably a lot better for you since you know exactly what is in it. I am not even kidding, this stuff is like liquid gold at our house. Even the kids love drinking it! I like it best drinking it ice cold, but I save plenty to use in all sorts of recipes and as a base for many soups. If you’re not sure about making your own tomato juice, read on. It’s really quite simple and it tastes so much better than those store bought varieties.

Three quart jars of tomato juice and a glass of tomato juice with a celery stalk in it for garnish.

Ingredients in Homemade Tomato Juice

Obviously the key ingredient for homemade tomato juice is tomatoes. The better the tomatoes, the better the juice. I always use fresh tomatoes from my garden but tomatoes from a local farm or farmer’s market will work just as well. Try to buy your tomatoes in the late summer months in your area, when they are at their peak (most are between June-September). Season your tomato juice with salts, onion salt, and celery salt (or powders) to your liking. You can also try adding pepper, basil, or oregano for different flavor variations.

How to Can Tomato Juice

When canning tomato juice, follow the directions in the recipe card below, but make sure to leave about a half inch to one inch of air space (or as some say an inch headspace) at the top below the lids. Store it in a cool, dry place and you’ll be able to enjoy this juice for up to two years. If you are looking to make a LOT of juice (which I like to make at least 25 quarts at a time) you will want to save yourself some frustration by getting a Tomato Strainer. I also have the little attachments. This will save you a lot of time having to press everything by hand through a colander.

I have seen cheaper ones on Amazon and even one that attaches to a Kitchen Aid— I am sure all of them are great (I am really tempted by the Kitchen Aid one because you don’t have to manually turn the crank… if I cave and get it I will let you know). Anything that keeps you from having to do extra work is a winner in my book.

Three quart jars of canned tomato juice with tomatoes and celery stalks

Benefits of Drinking Tomato Juice

According to the National Institute of Health, food sources that are high in lycopene, such as tomatoes, have many potential health benefits. Lycopene may reduce the risk of certain cancers, help with cardiovascular disease, and get this… reduce the risk of SUNBURN. These are just a few of the potential health benefits from drinking tomato juice. Read more about the health benefits from the source at the National Institute of Health.

In a study done by the Department of Nutrition in China, and published by the National Institute of Health, it was found that tomato juice supplementation significantly reduced body weight, body fat, waist circumference, and BMI in healthy women between the ages of 20-30. Pretty cool. Right?! Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3850026/

Two glasses of fresh tomato juice and canned tomato juice jars in the background.

Reduced Sodium Tomato Juice:

Did you know that store-bought tomato juice can be VERY high in sodium? This causes the store-bought juice to lose some of it’s health benefits. By making tomato juice from scratch at home, you have full control over the amount of sodium that is added! Reduce the salt in your juice to your specifications in this recipe and enjoy your healthy drink!

Make It A Virgin Bloody Mary

Turn this tomato juice into a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary by simply adding a squeeze of fresh lemon and a few drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco sauce). Serve with ice cubes, fresh parsley, celery, or pickles.

Canned Homemade Tomato Juice in a glass with a piece of celery sticking out.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tomatoes work best?

When it comes to juicing tomatoes, it’s always a good idea to use nice, beefy, juicy varieties, but you almost can’t go wrong with any kind. Some of our favorites are Park’s Whoppers (these grow GREAT in our area, so this one is a favorite), Early Girl, Beefsteak, Better Boy, Celebrity, or Brandywine. Check your local nurseries to see what varieties grow best in your area.

How long does tomato juice last?

If you are making it fresh and storing it in your refrigerator in an air-tight bottle or jar, tomato juice can last 2-3 days. If you decide to can your tomato juice, it can last 12-18 months after it has been canned. After the jar has been opened, it can last 2-3 days, refrigerated– same as if it were fresh.

What size jars should I use?

Both pint jars and quart jars work great! Just make sure they have been cleaned and sanitized before using.

Read Next: Easy Dinner Ideas

More Canned Tomato Recipes

We end up with bushels of tomatoes from our garden each year and it seems they go bad before we can use them all. Here are some of our favorite ways to can tomatoes so we can enjoy them all year long. Try a few for yourself!

Recipes that Use Homemade Tomato Juice

Use this delicious homemade tomato juice as a base for so many rich recipes, like these:

Cafe Zupas Tomato Basil Soup
Sirloin Steak with Tomato Basil Sauce
Mom’s Cheater Chili
Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Sausage

Tomato Juice Recipe

5 from 62 votes

This Homemade Tomato Juice tastes similar to V8 but is SO much better! Serve as a refreshing drink, an ingredient in recipes, or as a soup base!

Video

Ingredients

▢ 23 pounds tomatoes 3 ¼ pounds per quart or 23 pounds per canner load of 7 quarts
▢ water approximately ¼ cup to 1 cup

Per Quart of Juice:

▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
▢ 1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Instructions

Wash, core, and remove blemishes from tomatoes.
Cut into small sections.
In a large stock pot, add tomatoes and very little water (at most 1 cup).
Bring to a boil.
Put through colander to remove seeds and skin (see above notes for tips).
Discard seeds and skin.
Return juice to the stock pot and bring to a boil again, adding salt, onion salt, and celery salt according to how many quarts of juice you have yielded.
If canning, pour 2 tablespoons lemon juice into sterilized quart-sized jars to bring up the acidity to make it safe for canning. Add tomato juice, leaving about 1/2" air space at the top of the jar.
Process in a hot water bath canner according to canner directions for 40 minutes.

Notes

Recipe Tips

When canning tomato juice, follow the directions in the recipe card below, but make sure to leave about a half inch of air space at the top.
Store it in a cool, dry place and you’ll be able to enjoy this juice for up to two years.
If you are looking to make a LOT of juice (which I like to make at least 25 quarts at a time) you will want to save yourself some frustration by getting a Tomato Strainer. THIS is the EXACT one that I use.
I also have the little attachments, seen here. This will save you a lot of time having to press everything by hand through a colander. I have seen cheaper ones on Amazon and even one that attaches to a Kitchen Aid— I am sure all of them are great (I am really tempted by the Kitchen Aid one because you don’t have to manually turn the crank… if I cave and get it I will let you know). Anything that keeps you from having to do extra work is a winner in my book.