How to Pressure Can Potatoes

Potatoes that have been pressure canned make a quick and easy side dish for your dinner. If you have been wanting to learn how to pressure can potatoes, get ready to learn! You’ll soon be filling your pantry with jar after jar of home canned potatoes!

I absolutely love canning our own food. It’s hard work when you’re doing a lot, but having a pantry filled with vegetables grown from my own garden and my friends gardens during the winter when they’re not in season is an amazing thing.

And if you’re just learning how to pressure can food, you will find out the same thing.

What Kind of Potatoes Can Be Be Pressured Canned?

Well technically any kind of potato can be pressure canned, however, I have found that regular old russet potatoes or baby red new potatoes hold up the best.

When you pressure can food, you are essentially cooking it at extremely high temperatures and under pressure (obviously). This is why some foods are best not being pressure canned; they can not hold up top the pressure and your final result will end up being mush.

Potatoes can be one of those foods if they are not the correct type or are not processed correctly. With russets or baby red new potatoes being one of the most hardy potato types, they tend to hold up best to the pressure of canning.

Can you pressure can sweet potatoes?

Yes. You absolutely can pressure can sweet potatoes, however.

These instructions are not for sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a very different potato and as such they are actually pressure canned for more than twice the time of regular potatoes.

I will do another post on how to pressure can sweet potatoes some other day but for now, I will just say that sweet potatoes are canned at 11lb PSI. You will do 65 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.

Can Potatoes Be Pressure Canned Whole?

Yes. It is generally considered safe when canned whole. They can also be pressure canned chunked, quartered or diced/cubed. However, with that said, unless you are canning new potatoes, you will not be able to get that many potatoes in one jar.

In other words, it’s likely not worth it for you to pressure can whole potatoes unless you already have a pantry full of canned potatoes.

How Do I Use Pressure Canned Potatoes?

Since your potatoes have been cooked under very high pressure, they are unfortunately not great for every potato recipe you’ve got.

However, they can be added to soups or stews, pot roast (add last), mashed (they make amazing mashed potatoes! Yum!) or used in other recipes where they may not need to hold together as a big solid piece.

If you can them as slices, cubes or dices, they can be fried as well. However, you will need to drain them fully and allow them to “dry” for a bit. This may change the color of the potatoes.

Can I Eat Pressure Canned Potatoes Straight from the Jar?

Technically yes. However, no matter how careful you are when processing home canned goods, no matter how sterilized your jars are and no matter how clean your kitchen is, botulism is always a possiblity in a jar of pressure canned food.

So how do you minize your risk?

First, always inspect your jars. Before you even open it make sure the seal is still in tact.

If your seal has popped – meaning the button in the center of your lid is not pressed down – throw the food away and santiize the jar at a temperature above 275 °F.

If the seal is fine, do a quick check that that the food does not look “funny” or “off.” After you open the jar, inspect it again for any off looks, mold growth, funky smells and so on. Again, if you notice any of these, throw the food away and sanitize the jar.

Aside from those tests, always bring your home canned goods to a full rolling boil or heat them to a temp above boiling for a minimum of 10 minutes. Doing this is sufficient to kill any botulism spores that may be lurking in the jar.

What Supplies Do I Need to Pressure Can Potatoes?

Just like when you’re pressure canning anything, you will need a few supplies. You don’t need to have a kitchen full of canning supplies, however, there are a few that should be considered mandatory.

• 16 or 23 Quart Pressure Canner
• Mason Jars, Lids and Rings
• Mason Jar Lifter
• Canning Funnel
• Magnetic Lid Lifter
• Bubble Popper/Headspace Tool

Any other canning tool on top of these are gravy.

Can you Water Bath Can Potatoes?

No. Absolutely not.

Potatoes are a low acid food which makes them a prime environment for mold and other bacteria like Botulism spores to grow.

In order to properly can them, they must be pressure canned.

Let me repeat myself: It is not recommended that potatoes be pressure canned.

Instructions for Pressure Canning Potatoes