Pressure canning green beans: time & PSI by altitude

Q: How long do you pressure can green beans?

USDA processes green beans (hot or raw pack) for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, at the pressure for your altitude and gauge. The time is the same for hot and raw pack. Source: USDA/NCHFP.

Q: What PSI for canning green beans?

With a weighted gauge, use 10 psi up to 1,000 ft and 15 psi above that. With a dial gauge, use 11 psi to 2,000 ft, 12 psi to 4,000 ft, 13 psi to 6,000 ft, and 14 psi to 8,000 ft. Source: USDA/NCHFP.

Q: Can you water bath can green beans?

No. Green beans are a low-acid vegetable (well above pH 4.6), so a boiling-water bath cannot reach the temperature needed to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores. Green beans must be pressure canned. Water-bath or 'oven canning' green beans is a botulism risk. Source: USDA/NCHFP.

Q: Do you have to blanch green beans before canning?

For a hot pack you boil the beans 5 minutes, then pack hot and cover with boiling water. For a raw pack you pack cleaned, cut beans tightly into the jar and cover with boiling water. Both use the same processing time. Leave 1 inch of headspace and 1 teaspoon of salt per quart is optional, for flavor only.

Green beans are low-acid — pressure canning is the only safe method, and the pressure changes with your elevation.

Food-safety topic.

Green beans are a low-acid vegetable. A boiling-water bath — and any "oven" or "open-kettle" shortcut — cannot destroy Clostridium botulinum spores in them. Green beans must be pressure canned. The numbers below summarize USDA/NCHFP; always follow a current USDA-tested recipe for your equipment and elevation.

Green beans (snap, string, Italian, wax) are one of the most-canned garden vegetables of the summer — and one people most often try to shortcut. Because they're well above pH 4.6, boiling water (212°F at sea level) can't get hot enough to make them safe. Only a pressure canner reaches the ~240°F that a USDA-tested process requires.

How long do you pressure can green beans?

The processing time depends only on jar size — it's the same for hot pack and raw pack:

Jar size	Process time
Pints	20 min
Quarts	25 min

Start timing only after the canner reaches the correct pressure, and let the canner depressurize naturally at the end — don't rush-cool it.

What PSI for canning green beans at your altitude?

The time above stays fixed, but the pressure rises with elevation, and the table depends on your gauge type:

Altitude (ft)	Dial gauge	Weighted gauge
0–1,000	11 psi	10 psi
1,001–2,000	11 psi	15 psi
2,001–4,000	12 psi	15 psi
4,001–6,000	13 psi	15 psi
6,001–8,000	14 psi	15 psi

Not sure which bracket you're in? See canning at altitude: how to find your elevation and adjust.

Hot pack vs. raw pack

Both are USDA-approved for green beans and use the same process time:

Hot pack: boil washed, cut beans 5 minutes, then pack loosely into jars and cover with the boiling cooking liquid or fresh boiling water.
Raw pack: pack washed, cut beans tightly into jars, then cover with boiling water.

For either pack, leave 1 inch of headspace. Salt (about 1 tsp per quart) is optional and for flavor only — it does nothing for safety. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids fingertip-tight.

Don't over-pack, don't improvise. Cramming beans in too tightly slows heat penetration; adding butter, thickeners, or extra low-acid vegetables voids the tested process. If you want a bean recipe with other vegetables, use a recipe that was specifically tested that way.

FAQ

How long do you pressure can green beans?
20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts, at the pressure for your altitude. Same time for hot and raw pack. (USDA/NCHFP.)

What PSI for canning green beans?
Weighted gauge: 10 psi to 1,000 ft, 15 psi above. Dial gauge: 11 psi to 2,000 ft, then 12/13/14 psi as you climb to 8,000 ft.

Can you water bath can green beans?
No — they're low-acid, and a water bath can't kill botulinum spores in them. Green beans must be pressure canned. There is no safe water-bath process.

Do you have to blanch green beans before canning?
Only for a hot pack (boil 5 minutes). Raw pack goes in uncooked, covered with boiling water. Both use the same processing time.

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Gear this guide uses

Green beans can only be made safe in a canner that actually reaches and holds pressure.

Low-acid vegetables need the ~240°F only a pressure canner (Presto or All American) can reach — a water-bath canner can't.
A weighted-gauge regulator can't drift out of calibration, which is why it jumps to 15 psi above 1,000 ft.
Pack into tested-recipe Ball mason jars and lids and leave 1 inch of headspace.

Seal gives you the beans number for your altitude

Pick green beans and your jar size, set your elevation once, and Seal shows the USDA processing time and the exact PSI for your gauge — with voice + haptic timer prompts for hands-busy canning. Every number cited “Per USDA / NCHFP.” Pay once, no subscription, works offline.

Get Seal on the App Store

Sources

General education, not a recipe. Always follow a current USDA-tested process for your food, equipment, and elevation.