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For pressure canning green beans, the tested process from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) is 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, for both raw and hot packs, with 1 inch of headspace. At 0 to 1,000 feet, that's 10 psi in a weighted-gauge canner or 11 psi in a dial-gauge canner. Pressure goes up as your elevation rises, as shown in the chart below.
Green beans are a low-acid vegetable, so there's no water bath shortcut. The NCHFP states there is no safe option for green beans in a boiling water canner. This guide follows the NCHFP's recipe for snap and Italian beans (green or wax) exactly. If you're new to the canner itself, read our beginner's guide to using a pressure canner first.
Use only this tested recipe or another one from the USDA, the NCHFP or your extension service. Don't change the times, pressures, jar sizes or headspace.
Green Beans at a Glance (NCHFP)
| Method | Pressure canner only |
| Packs | Hot pack or raw pack (same times) |
| Headspace | 1 inch |
| Salt | Optional, 1 tsp canning salt per quart |
| Pints | 20 minutes |
| Quarts | 25 minutes |
| Pressure, 0–1,000 ft | 10 psi weighted gauge / 11 psi dial gauge |
Processing Times and Pressure by Elevation
These tables come straight from the NCHFP's snap bean recipe. Processing times don't change with elevation. Only the pressure does.
Dial-gauge pressure canner
| Jar size | Process time | 0–2,000 ft | 2,001–4,000 ft | 4,001–6,000 ft | 6,001–8,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 20 min | 11 psi | 12 psi | 13 psi | 14 psi |
| Quarts | 25 min | 11 psi | 12 psi | 13 psi | 14 psi |
Weighted-gauge pressure canner
| Jar size | Process time | 0–1,000 ft | Above 1,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 20 min | 10 psi | 15 psi |
| Quarts | 25 min | 10 psi | 15 psi |
The dial-gauge table stops at 8,000 feet. If you live higher, contact your county extension office before canning. Not sure of your elevation? The USDA suggests asking your county extension agent, and our pressure canning altitude chart explains how the bands work.
Pressure canning altitude calculator
Enter your elevation to get the USDA canner pressure for a dial-gauge or weighted-gauge canner.
Use only tested recipes. The processing time always comes from your recipe (USDA, NCHFP, your state extension service or your canner maker), never from this calculator. This tool only gives the canner pressure for your elevation.
- Vent every pressure canner for 10 minutes before pressurizing, at any elevation.
- Have a dial gauge checked for accuracy every year. Many county extension offices test gauges.
- If the pressure drops below the target, bring it back up and restart the processing time from the beginning.
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) pressure canner tables.
How Many Beans You Need
From the NCHFP:
- A 7-quart canner load: about 14 lb of beans
- A 9-pint canner load: about 9 lb of beans
- Rule of thumb: about 2 lb per quart. A 30-lb bushel yields 12 to 20 quarts.
Choose pods that are filled out but still tender and crisp, and discard any that look diseased or rusty.
What You'll Need
- A pressure canner that holds at least 4 quart jars upright (see our best pressure canner picks)
- Pint or quart canning jars with new lids and bands
- A jar lifter, funnel and plastic bubble remover
- Canning salt (optional)
- A large pot of boiling water
Step-by-Step: Pressure Canning Green Beans
Prepare the beans
- Wash the beans and trim the ends.
- Leave them whole, or cut or snap them into 1-inch pieces.
- Get the canner ready: rack in, 2 to 3 inches of water (or the amount your manual specifies), and water heated to about 180°F (82°C) for a hot pack or 140°F (60°C) for a raw pack, per the USDA. Keep clean jars hot.
Option A: Hot pack
- Cover the beans with boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
- Fill the jars loosely with the hot beans, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt per quart if you like. The NCHFP says salt is for flavor only and isn't needed for safety.
- Cover the beans with the hot cooking liquid, keeping 1 inch of headspace.
Option B: Raw pack
- Fill the jars tightly with raw beans, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Add salt if desired, as above.
- Cover the beans with boiling water, keeping 1 inch of headspace.
Process
- Release air bubbles with a plastic spatula, recheck the 1-inch headspace, wipe the rims and put on the lids and bands.
- Load the jars on the rack and lock the canner lid.
- Vent for 10 minutes with the weight off (or the petcock open) once steam flows freely.
- Put the weight on (or close the petcock) and bring the canner to the pressure for your elevation and gauge type from the tables above.
- Start timing when you reach pressure: 20 minutes for pints, 25 for quarts. If the pressure drops below the target, bring it back up and restart the full time.
- Turn off the heat and let the canner depressurize on its own. Remove the weight, wait 10 minutes and open the lid away from you.
- Lift the jars out upright and cool them on a towel, 1 inch apart, for 12 to 24 hours. Then check the seals, remove the bands, label and store.
Canning Green Beans in a Pressure Cooker
This is one of the most common searches about green beans, so here's the direct answer. The USDA and NCHFP processes above were developed for pressure canners that hold at least four quart jars standing upright. The USDA says smaller pressure saucepans aren't recommended for canning. The NCHFP says its canning processes are not recommended in electric multi-cookers such as the Instant Pot, even models with a canning button.
The data supports that caution. Utah State University Extension measured in-jar temperatures in jars of green beans (and other low-acid foods) inside an Instant Pot Duo80 and a Power Pressure Cooker XL. Neither reached 121.1°C (250°F) at any elevation tested. Our full guide to canning in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot explains why.
Common Mistakes With Canned Green Beans
- Water bath canning them. No safe water bath process exists, per the NCHFP. That includes "long boil" methods passed down in families.
- Adding vinegar and shortening the time. The NCHFP says vinegar doesn't allow shorter processing for fresh vegetables. Dilly beans are a different, tested pickle recipe.
- Dry canning. Packing raw beans without covering liquid is not recommended. The NCHFP says it can cause under-processing and a risk of botulism.
- Oven canning. The USDA says processing filled jars in an oven is not recommended.
- Packing hot beans tightly. The recipe calls for a loose fill with a hot pack and a tight fill only with a raw pack.
- Using the wrong pressure for your elevation. Above 1,000 feet, weighted-gauge canners must run at 15 psi. Dial-gauge pressures step up by elevation band.
- Mixing in other vegetables. Mixed vegetables have their own tested recipe, with different times. Our canning vegetables chart will cover them.
Storing and Using Your Beans
Store sealed jars without bands in a cool, dark, dry place. The USDA says to store them below 95°F (35°C), and that 50 to 70°F (10 to 21°C) helps hold quality. The NCHFP says properly canned food keeps its best quality for at least a year.
Before opening any jar, check it. The USDA says not to taste food from a jar with an unsealed lid or signs of spoilage. Warning signs include a bulging lid, streaks of dried food from the top of the jar, rising bubbles, spurting liquid, an off smell or mold. The USDA says suspect low-acid foods should be treated as if they contain botulinum toxin, and disposed of carefully as its guide describes.
If you're still choosing a canner, our Presto pressure canner review compares the 16- and 23-quart sizes, which both hold seven quarts of beans.
FAQ
How long do you pressure can green beans?
Per the NCHFP, process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, for both hot and raw packs. At 0 to 1,000 feet, use 10 psi in a weighted-gauge canner or 11 psi in a dial-gauge canner, and raise the pressure at higher elevations as the NCHFP table shows.
Can you can green beans without a pressure canner?
Not safely. The NCHFP says there is no safe option for processing green beans in a boiling water canner, and adding vinegar does not shorten processing times for fresh vegetables. Pickled beans such as dilly beans are a separate, tested pickle recipe.
Can you can green beans in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot?
The NCHFP does not recommend its canning processes in electric multi-cookers such as the Instant Pot, and the USDA says small pressure saucepans are not recommended for canning. Use a pressure canner that holds at least four quart jars upright.
Do you have to blanch green beans before canning?
No. The NCHFP gives two options with the same processing times: a raw pack, where raw beans go straight into the jars, and a hot pack, where you boil the beans for 5 minutes first. The hot pack lets you fit beans in loosely; the raw pack calls for packing them tightly.
Why did my canned green beans lose liquid?
Liquid loss usually comes from pressure swings during processing or from cooling the canner too fast. The NCHFP says lost liquid does not make the food spoil, though beans above the liquid may darken. If a jar loses half or more of its liquid, refrigerate it and use it within 2 to 3 days.