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Do you ever look at a bag of potatoes and realize you need to do something with them before they start going bad?
That is exactly how I ended up canning potatoes one day.
I had a lot of potatoes that needed to be used, and I certainly didn’t want to throw them away. Instead, I turned them into jars of potatoes that could go right onto my pantry shelf.
That is one of the things I love about food preservation.
I don’t only can during the traditional canning season. I preserve food all year long.
If I find a great deal, have more food than we can use, or notice something needs to be used before it spoils, I start thinking about how I can preserve it.
It’s one more way I put strategic shopping to work in my own kitchen.
Why I Can Potatoes
Potatoes are one of those basic foods I like having around.
But buying something at a great price doesn’t save you money if half of it ends up in the garbage.
Canning potatoes gives me another way to take advantage of a good price or preserve potatoes I already have before they go bad.
And once they’re canned, a lot of the work is already done when I need to get dinner on the table.
That’s a win in my book!
Watch Me Can Potatoes
Years ago, I recorded a video while Sarah and I were canning seven quarts of potatoes.
In the video, you’ll see me peeling and preparing the potatoes, filling the jars, using my pressure canner, and eventually putting those beautiful jars onto my pantry shelf.
One important note before you watch: This is an older video, and I no longer recommend relying on it for the actual processing instructions.
Home food-preservation recommendations need to come from a current, tested source. Some of the details I used or mentioned in that older video differ from today’s tested recommendations.
Enjoy the video for a peek into my kitchen, but follow the current tested instructions below when you’re actually canning potatoes.
Always Use a Tested Canning Method
Potatoes are a low-acid food, which means they must be processed using a pressure canner and a tested recipe.
I use the current recommendations from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Before beginning, make sure you understand how to operate your particular pressure canner and know your elevation. The amount of pressure required can change depending on both your altitude and whether you use a dial-gauge or weighted-gauge pressure canner.
Preparing Potatoes for Canning
Start with good-quality, mature white potatoes.
Wash and peel the potatoes.
If you’re cutting them into pieces, the current tested instructions call for approximately ½-inch cubes. Small potatoes that are about 1–2 inches in diameter may also be canned whole.
To help prevent darkening while you’re working, you can place the prepared potatoes in an ascorbic-acid solution.
Next comes an important difference from my old video.
Potatoes should be hot-packed.
For cubed potatoes, place them in boiling water and cook for 2 minutes, then drain.
If you’re canning small potatoes whole, boil them for 10 minutes, then drain.
Do not use that cooking water to fill your jars because it contains too much starch.
Filling Your Jars
Place the hot prepared potatoes into your jars.
If you want to add salt for flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon per quart. Salt is optional.
Cover the potatoes with fresh boiling water.
Leave 1 inch of headspace.
Remove air bubbles, check your headspace again, clean the jar rims, and apply your lids and bands according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Then the jars are ready for the pressure canner.
How Long Do You Pressure Can Potatoes?
According to the current tested recommendations:
Pints: 35 minutes
Quarts: 40 minutes
But don’t stop there.
The correct pressure depends on your elevation and the type of pressure canner you’re using.
For a dial-gauge pressure canner, the current recommendation begins at 11 pounds of pressure at elevations from 0–2,000 feet and increases at higher elevations.
For a weighted-gauge pressure canner, the recommendation is 10 pounds at elevations of 0–1,000 feet and 15 pounds above 1,000 feet.
Always check the current processing chart for your elevation before you begin.
Don’t Skip Proper Pressure-Canner Procedures
Safe pressure canning involves more than putting the lid on the canner and bringing it to pressure.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your canner along with current tested canning recommendations.
Your pressure canner needs to vent properly before processing begins, maintain the required pressure for the entire processing time, and cool and depressurize naturally afterward.
If the pressure drops below the required amount during processing, current guidance says you need to bring the canner back to the correct pressure and restart the full processing time from the beginning.
That’s why I never recommend guessing when it comes to pressure canning.
After the Jars Come Out of the Canner
Set your finished jars somewhere they can cool undisturbed.
Allow them to cool at room temperature for 12–24 hours.
Then check the seals.
Once I’m satisfied that my jars have sealed properly, I remove the screw bands, clean the jars if necessary, label them, and put them away.
There is something incredibly satisfying about looking at a row of food you preserved yourself sitting on the pantry shelf.
Turn a Good Deal into Food for Later
This is the part of food preservation that fits so well with strategic shopping.
Maybe potatoes are on sale.
Maybe someone gives you a big bag.
Maybe your garden produces more than you expected.
Or maybe, like me in that old video, you simply realize:
These potatoes need to be used NOW.
Instead of letting food go to waste, look for a safe way to preserve it.
A bargain that ends up in the garbage isn’t really a bargain.
But food purchased at a great price and safely preserved for your family to eat months later?
That’s how we put more in our cart, keep more in our wallet, and put more food on our pantry shelves.
What Do You Keep on Your Pantry Shelves?
Now I want to hear from you!
Do you can potatoes? If you do, what is your favorite way to use them once they’re on your pantry shelf?
And if you’ve never canned potatoes before, is this something you’d like to try?
Leave me a comment below. I love hearing what you’re preserving and adding to your pantry! ❤️
Before You Start Canning
Please don’t use a blog post, social-media video, or even one of my older videos as your only source for home-canning safety.
Canning recommendations can be updated, and processing requirements depend on what you’re preserving, your jar size, your equipment, and your elevation.
Always check the current tested recommendations from the National Center for Home Food Preservation before you begin.
Then get those potatoes onto the pantry shelf instead of letting them go to waste!
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