As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Learn all about safely canning asparagus in a pressure canner. This is the perfect pressure canning recipe for new canners. You’ll love having jars of home-canned asparagus to extend the taste of spring all year long.
Ok, real talk. Canned asparagus is not for me. I prefer quick-pickled asparagus or roasted asparagus in the air fryer. Canned? No, thank you.
But, it’s not always about ME. If you’re wild about canned asparagus, I’m here to help YOU learn to can it.
Just a heads up before we get too far into this, you’ll only find instructions on how to can asparagus using a pressure canner. Sorry, but it is NOT safe to can asparagus in a water bath canner. Don’t do it!
If you decide that canning asparagus is just not for you (no shame in your game!), check out our post on how to freeze asparagus.
How much asparagus do you need for canning?
For 7 quarts, you’ll want to use ~24-25 pounds. For 9 pints, you’ll use ~16 pounds. A US crate of asparagus is 31 pounds and will yield approximately 7-12 quarts. (source)
If you don’t have a large batch of asparagus to can at once, you can process just a few jars if needed. It eventually does add up over the season! You need at least two jars in the canner to process the batch safely.
How to can asparagus
As your elder millennial grandma, I’m going to walk you through the process here with photos, and you’ll also find a detailed and printable tutorial at the bottom of this post.
For canning asparagus, you’re going to choose fresh and tender spears. Remove the woody ends and trim any of the little scales that grow on the stalks.
You’re able to can whole (trimmed) spears or cut them into 1-inch pieces if that’s more your jam. You do you, boo.
Wash and clean your jars. It is no longer necessary to sterilize jars before canning (hurray!) but you should make sure they are preheated enough to not crack when placed in hot water.
You can put them in a clean dishwasher and run them through a quick wash cycle, or place them in a large pan with some water in a low-heat oven (my lowest temp is 170˚F) until you need them. I’ve even just put hot tap water in them before and left them on the counter.
Wash your lids with hot soapy water. Rinse and place them in a clean bowl for now.
If you are hot packing, cook the spears or pieces in a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. If you are doing a raw pack, allow 8 (ish) cups of water to come to a boil in a pot or kettle.
For me, I raw pack my asparagus. It’s easier and faster; two things I very much prefer when it comes to a canning project!
Add 3 quarts of water to your pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.
Add the asparagus to the jars, gently tapping the jars on the counter to allow the spears (or pieces) to settle and create more space for additional spears (or pieces).
Using a canning funnel, carefully and slowly add the boiling water, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag. Any food debris left on the rim may impact the seal of the lid in the canner. Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner. Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe (I call it the steam chimney).
Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator (I call it the chimney cap) on top. Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up. That is a sign that you’re starting to build pressure inside the canner (get excited. This is happening!). See the 4 photo grid below for a visual of this process step by step.
Processing times will vary based on altitude. See the chart below.
Pressure Canning Asparagus in a Dial-Gauge Pressure Canner
| Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of | ||||||
| Style of Pack | Jar Size | Processing Time | 0-2,000 ft | 2,001-4,000 ft | 4,001-6,000 ft | 6,001-8,000 ft |
| Hot & Raw | Pints | 30 min | 11 lbs | 12 lbs | 13 lbs | 14 lbs |
| Quarts | 40 min | 11 lbs | 12 lbs | 13 lbs | 14 lbs | |
| *Source: National Center For Home Food Preservation | ||||||
Processing Time for Asparagus in a Weighted-Gauge Pressure Canner
When the dial gauge reaches 11 pounds of pressure, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at 11 or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time. You’ll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.
When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive “click” of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid of the canner (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is super hot).
Let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then carefully lift them out with canning tongs. Pro tip: allowing the jars to sit in the canner with the lid off can help reduce the siphoning of liquid in your jars. Siphoning is when liquid seeps out from under the lids and reduces the overall amount of liquid in the jar.
Place hot jars on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.
After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can add salt to each jar prior to canning it. Use canning salt and add 1/2 tsp of salt per pint or 1 tsp per quart. Personally, I find the unsalted version easier to use in recipes because it allows me to control the overall sodium.
- Pressure canners can often leave white lines on lids and rings. It’s totally normal and safe. To prevent this, add 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the canner before processing.
- Once the jars have sealed, remove the rings. Label and store sealed jars in a cool (best results are 50-70˚F) dark place for up to 12-18 months.
Prevent your screen from going dark
-
Wash and clean your jars. Make sure they are preheated enough to not crack when placed in hot water.
-
Wash your lids with hot soapy water and place them in a clean bowl.
-
Trim asparagus to remove woody ends. Cut into smaller pieces or cut to fit the jar. Whole pieces should be 1-inch shorter than the inside of the jar.
13 lbs asparagus
-
(HOT PACK & COLD PACK INSTRUCTIONS) If you are hot packing, add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. If you are not hot packing, allow 8 (ish) cups of water to come to a boil in a pot or kettle.
8 cups water
-
Add 3 quarts of water to the pressure canner and put it on a burner set to high. Make sure there is a canning rack in the bottom of the canner.
3 quarts water
-
Add the asparagus spears/pieces to the sanitized jars. If adding salt, do that now. Gently tap the bottom of the jar on the counter a few times to pack the spears/pieces in there as well as possible.
4.5 tsp canning salt
-
Using a canning funnel, carefully and slowly add the clean boiling water from the kettle/pot, leaving 1-inch of headspace. Headspace is the distance between the top of the food and the top of the jar.
-
Using a long utensil (I prefer a plastic chopstick), remove air bubbles from the jar.
-
Clean the rim of the jar very well with a hot damp rag. Any food debris left on the rim may impact the seal of the lid in the canner.
-
Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
-
Using canning tongs, gently place the jars in the canner.
-
Lock the lid. Soon, steam will start coming through the vent pipe. Allow the steam to pass through for about 10 minutes. Then put the pressure regulator on top.
-
Pretty soon, the air vent will pop up.
-
In a dial-gauge pressure canner, process pints and quarts based on the elevation guide below (see processing chart in post for altitude adjustments):*0-2,000f ft {PSI: 11 lbs of pressure} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 40 min*2,001-4,000k ft {PSI: 12 lbs of pressure} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 40 min*4,001-6,000k ft {PSI: 13 lbs of pressure} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 40 min*6,001-8,000k {PSI: 14 lbs of pressure} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 40 min
-
When the dial gauge reaches the appropriate PSI, reduce the burner temp to medium, and start your timer. The pressure must stay at the PSI or (a little bit) above for the duration of the cooking time. You’ll likely need to adjust the temp on the burner a few times depending on your stove.
-
When the time is up, remove the canner from the burner and allow it to sit until you hear a distinctive “click” of the air vent dropping. Remove the pressure regulator and carefully remove the lid of the canner (Pro tip: I always use oven mitts when I take the lid off because the steam is super hot).
-
Let the jars sit for 5 minutes in the canner and then lift them out with canning tongs. Pro tip: allowing the jars to sit in the canner with the lid off can help reduce the siphoning of liquid in your jars.
-
Remove with canning tongs and place on a towel where they can sit undisturbed for 12 hours.
-
After a few hours, to check for sealing, gently press down in the middle of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. If you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars are not sealed.
Pints: Salt (optional) 1/2 tsp
- If you don’t have a large batch of asparagus to can at once, you can process just a few jars if needed. It eventually does add up over the season! You need at least two jars in the canner to process the batch safely.
- Store in a cool dark place for 12-18 months.
Serving: 1pintCalories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 13gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gSodium: 45mgPotassium: 1178mgFiber: 12gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 4409IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 160mgIron: 12mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
