How to Pressure Can Green Beans (Step-by-Step for Beginners)

Learn how to pressure can green beans at home with this beginner-friendly recipe. Step-by-step instructions and safety tips for preserving your harvest.

A Simple and Safe Recipe for Building Your Pantry

If you’ve never pressure canned before, green beans are one of the very best places to start.

They’re forgiving, familiar, and don’t require any fancy ingredients, just green beans, water, and a pressure canner. Whether you’re harvesting from your own garden or grabbing a bushel at the market, home-canned green beans are a classic pantry staple worth preserving.

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how I pressure can green beans, step by step. This is the method I’ve used for years, and it’s helped me fill shelf after shelf with wholesome food I trust.

If you’re new to pressure canning, I recommend starting with Pressure Canning 101, but if you’re ready to put your canner to work, let’s get started.

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🫘 Why Pressure Can Green Beans?

Green beans are a low-acid vegetable, which means they must be pressure canned to be safe. Water bath canning doesn’t reach a high enough temperature to kill the bacteria that can cause botulism, but a pressure canner does.

Once they’re canned and sealed, these jars will last 12–18 months or longer in your pantry. They’re shelf-stable, soft but not mushy, and ready for quick side dishes or casseroles all year long.

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🌿 What You’ll Need

• Fresh green beans (approximately 1–1.5 pounds per quart jar)
• Canning salt (optional)
• Water
• Quart or pint mason jars, lids, and rings
• Pressure canner
• Jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover

👉 This recipe can be done as either a raw pack or hot pack. I’ll explain both.

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Step 1: Prepare the Green Beans

Wash beans thoroughly, trim the ends, and cut into 1–2 inch pieces (or leave whole if you prefer).

Make sure your beans are free from spots or damage. You’ll want about:

• 7 pounds for 7 quarts
• 4 pounds for 9 pints

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Step 2: Choose Raw Pack or Hot Pack

Raw Pack:

• Add raw beans directly into hot jars
• Pour in boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace
• Add 1/2 tsp salt per pint or 1 tsp per quart if desired
• This is my preferred method for speed!

Hot Pack:

• Boil beans in water for 5 minutes, then pack into jars
• Cover with cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace
• Add salt if desired

Use a bubble remover or chopstick to release air bubbles. Wipe rims clean and apply lids fingertip-tight.

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Step 3: Load the Pressure Canner

• Add 2–3 inches of hot water to the bottom of the canner (My canner specifies 3 quarts of water, read your canner instructions thoroughly!)
• Place jars on the rack inside
• Lock the lid and turn heat to high
• Let the canner vent steam for 10 full minutes before adding the weight or closing the valve

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Step 4: Bring to Pressure

• Most recipes call for 10 PSI at sea level
• If you’re above 1,000 feet elevation, use 15 PSI or refer to your canner’s manual
• Once pressure is reached, begin your processing time:

Jar Size	Processing Time
Pints	20 minutes
Quarts	25 minutes

Adjust heat as needed to maintain steady pressure—don’t let it dip or spike.

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Step 5: Cool and Remove Jars

• When time is up, turn off heat and let the canner depressurize naturally (This can take up to an hour)
• Do not remove the weight or open the lid until the pressure gauge reads zero
• Once safe, open the lid away from you. I like to let my hot jars sit about 5 minutes before removing them. After 5 minutes, carefully lift jars out
• Place on a towel and let sit for 12–24 hours

You’ll hear the satisfying “ping” as the jars seal. Such a good feeling!

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Check Seals and Store

• Once jars are cool, remove rings and check seals by pressing the center of each lid
• Label and store in a cool, dark pantry
• Any unsealed jars can be reprocessed within 24 hours or refrigerated and used within a few days

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FAQ: Pressure Canning Green Beans

Can I add garlic or bacon?
No—stick to tested recipes. Add flavor when you cook the beans later.

Can I use frozen green beans?
Fresh is best for texture, but you can pressure can thawed frozen beans in a pinch.

Do I have to use salt?
Nope! It’s totally optional and for flavor only.

Do I need to sterilize jars?
Not for pressure canning, just clean and hot is fine.

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How We Use Canned Green Beans

• Heated with a little butter, salt, and garlic
• Tossed in a quick stir-fry
• Added to soups and stews
• As an easy side for busy homeschool days or Sunday dinner

Home-canned beans have a softer texture than store-bought, but they’re clean, nourishing, and deeply satisfying to have on the shelf.

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Green Bean Pressure Canning Recipe

Ingredients:

• 7 lbs green beans (for 7 quarts)
• Water
• Canning salt (optional)

Instructions:

1. Wash and trim green beans. Cut to preferred size.
2. Raw pack: Fill jars with raw beans and cover with boiling water.
3. Hot pack: Boil beans for 5 min, then pack with cooking liquid.
4. Leave 1” headspace. Remove bubbles. Wipe rims. Apply lids.
5. Process at 10 PSI (or adjust for altitude):
   • Pints: 20 minutes
   • Quarts: 25 minutes
6. Let pressure return to zero naturally. Remove jars. Cool for 12–24 hours.

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Recommended Reading

When I was learning to pressure can, I relied heavily on the Ball Blue Book and Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Both are full of safe, tested recipes and helpful charts. You can find them here on Amazon or at most farm stores—I always keep mine handy during canning season!

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🫙 Want to Learn More?

Be sure to check out these related posts:

👉 Pressure Canning 101 – Everything you need to know to pressure can safely
👉 How to Can Chicken Broth – Another beginner-friendly pressure canning recipe
👉 Water Bath Canning 101 – If you’re new to canning and want to start simple