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Carrots are a great thing to add to your prepper pantry, and canning carrots is a great way to store carrots long term. In this article I demonstrate pressure canning carrots in the Nesco Smart Canner. The same process also applies to the Carey Smart Canner.
Pressure Canning Carrots in the Nesco Smart Canner
Now let’s get into how to pressure can carrots in the Nesco. But first, if you’re concerned about whether or not the Nesco canner is safe, be sure to check out my article, Is the Nesco Smart Canner Safe?
#1: Cut Carrots into Large Chunks
You can slice your carrots, but I like to cut them into large chunks because they hold up better in the canning process. If you cut your carrots too thin, they’ll get mushy. The carrots I used were very large, so at the fatter end of the carrots I cut slices that were about 1/3″ thick. As the carrots narrowed, I cut large chunks, as large as an inch or so.
#2: Add Onion Soup Mix to the Jars (optional)
I love onion soup mix, so I decided to add onion soup mix to two of the five-pint jars. I put about a half of a tablespoon of onion soup mix to each jar, and then added a bit of water to the jar. I did this just so the onion soup mix would mix in better.
#3: Fill Each Jar with Raw Carrots
I then filled each of the jars with the cut-up carrots.
#4: Add Room Temperature Water to the Jars
Note: This was a cold pack recipe. I used raw carrots, room temperature jars, and room temperature water in the jars. I also poured room temperature water into the canner.
You can see that some of the jars had onion soup mix, and some had plain water.
#5: Debubble the Jars
Once I filled the jars with water, I debubbled them, to make sure there weren’t any air pockets.
After debubbling, I realized that some of the jars were too full, so I removed a small amount of water and a few of the carrots.
I was going for an inch headspace.
#6: Add Lids and Rings
I wiped the rims with vinegar, and then added the lids and rings.
I used Harvest Guard reusable canning jar lids. If you are unfamiliar with how those lids work, be sure to check out my tutorial here.
#7: Add the Jars and Water to the Canner
I then added the jars to the canner, poured the leftover vinegar into the canner, and then added 8 cups of water to the canner.
5 pints of carrots in the Nesco Smart Canner.
Adding 8-cups of water to the Nesco Smart Canner
#8: Pressure Can the Carrots for 25 Minutes
Next, I closed the lid, and kept the valve in the exhaust position.
I selected high, and then set the time for 25 minutes. (Note that if using quarts, pressure can for 30 minutes.)
The water will heat up and then exhaust for 10 minutes (E 10 will show on the canner) and then once it counts down to E 0, put the valve in the airtight position.
While pressure is building, you’ll see what is called the “digital chase.”
Once it gets to pressure the display will show 25 minutes, and the canner will count down 25 minutes.
#9: Allow the Pressure to Come Down Naturally
Once the timer counts down, the canner will turn off. It’s VERY important to let the pressure come down naturally. Keep the valve in the airtight position and wait a minimum of an hour before attempting to open the canner. You may need to wait longer than an hour before you’ll be able to open the canner. In my experience, it takes up to 90 minutes for the pressure to completely go down on its own.
#10: Remove the Jars from the Canner
If you are using reusable lids, once the jars have sat for about five minutes, tighten the lids and then cover with a towel.
#10 Check the Seals
Here’s what the finished pressure canned carrots look like.
After the jars have cooled completely, check to make sure the lids have sealed on each of the jars. If you have any that didn’t seal, put them in the fridge and use within the next few days. I had one jar that didn’t seal, which is why you see just four jars in the photo above.
Pro tip: Read my article, Can Canning Lids be Reused? for tips on reusing canning lids.
Organize Your Canning Life without Breaking the Bank!
My Canning Planner Printables will help you accomplish and keep track of your canning goals and projects so you can stock your pantry with home-canned food your family loves!
Here are some of my favorite canning tools
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful as you strive to stock your pantry with delicious home-canned food! Here are some tools that I use as a canner that I’m hoping you’ll also find helpful. These are affiliate links, so if you do decide to use any of them, I’ll earn a commission. Please know that these are the tools that I actually use and recommend and believe in 100%!
Nesco Smart Canner: You can see that many of the posts on my site show me using the Nesco canner. This is by far my favorite canner to use, and because of that, it’s the one that I recommend. Note that the Nesco and Carey Smart Canners are the exact same thing. So, if you go to Amazon and see that Nesco canners are out of stock, but the Carey is available (or cheaper!), then by all means buy a Carey. As long as you have either a Nesco or Carey, you can follow along with what I demonstrate on this blog.
Tattler Reusable Lids: I use both Tattler and Harvest Guard reusable canning lids. They are both American made, made by the same family. I prefer to buy my Tattler lids from Lehman’s, since they are a small, family-owned company. You can get Tattler lids from Lehman’s here, but if you prefer to buy from Amazon, you can get them here.
Metal Canning Lids: I have always been a fan of Ball canning lids. However, due to cheap knock offs on Amazon that claim to be Ball lids, I no longer purchase them from Amazon. You can get them from Lehman’s here. Another solid brand that Lehman’s sells is Superb. They are thicker and seem to have better quality gaskets. Here are the regular mouth lids and here are the wide mouth lids.
Norpo Canning Tools Boxed Set: I love this set of canning tools because it truly includes all the basics that you need, whether you’re water bath or pressure canning. Occasionally I’ve lost one of the items in the set and to replace it, had to buy it separately. It’s definitely more cost effective to buy the entire set.
The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: This is the first canning book that I purchased, and it’s still the one that I refer to most often. Especially when you’re first learning to can, it’s important to use trusted recipes and instructions that you know are safe. This book provides some great canning recipes to get you started, and also gives a lot of great “how to” canning information. When in doubt, look it up in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving!
