How Long to Pressure Can Green Beans
20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts, hot pack or raw pack, at a pressure set by your gauge type and elevation: a dial gauge runs 11 to 14 pounds by altitude band, a weighted gauge runs 10 pounds up to 1,000 feet and 15 above it. Green beans are low-acid. There is no safe boiling-water-canner option.
Read this before the tables
Every figure below is transcribed from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and is unaltered. This page carries no purchase link inside the instructions, and nothing on it is a substitute for the current NCHFP page, which is linked at the bottom. If your canner manual and NCHFP disagree, follow the tested process and contact your local Extension office.
Sources last checked 2026-08-31 · next review due 2026-11-29 · reviewed by HomesteadingGear Editorial
Table 1 — dial-gauge pressure canner
| Style of pack | Jar size | Process time | 0 to 2,000 ft | 2,001 to 4,000 ft | 4,001 to 6,000 ft | 6,001 to 8,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot and Raw | Pints | 20 min | 11 lb | 12 lb | 13 lb | 14 lb |
| Hot and Raw | Quarts | 25 min | 11 lb | 12 lb | 13 lb | 14 lb |
Table 2 — weighted-gauge pressure canner
| Style of pack | Jar size | Process time | 0 to 1,000 ft | Above 1,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot and Raw | Pints | 20 min | 10 lb | 15 lb |
| Hot and Raw | Quarts | 25 min | 10 lb | 15 lb |
A weighted gauge has two altitude settings, not four. That is not a simplification we made: it is how the hardware works, because a weight can only hold one of a small number of fixed pressures.
Why the four distinctions matter
- Low-acid food. Green beans do not have enough acidity to prevent Clostridium botulinum growing in a sealed jar. Boiling water cannot reach the temperature needed to destroy the spores. NCHFP states plainly that there is no safe boiling-water option for them.
- Jar size. Heat has to reach the centre of the jar. A quart takes longer than a pint, so 20 minutes is not a quart process.
- Gauge type. A dial gauge is adjusted in one-pound steps and follows four altitude bands. A weighted gauge holds a fixed pressure and has two.
- Altitude. Water boils cooler as you go up, so the pressure has to rise to reach the same internal temperature. The time stays the same; the pressure changes.
The tested procedure
Quantity. About 14 pounds of beans per canner load of 7 quarts; about 9 pounds per load of 9 pints.
Preparation. Wash beans and trim ends. Leave whole, or cut or snap into 1-inch pieces.
Hot pack. Cover with boiling water and boil 5 minutes. Fill jars loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt per quart if desired. Cover beans with hot cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Raw pack. Fill jars tightly with raw beans, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add salt if desired. Add boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process in a pressure canner following Table 1 or Table 2 according to the canner you have.
Condensed from the NCHFP page linked below. Salt is optional and is for flavour, not safety — leaving it out does not change the process.
What invalidates the tested process
A tested process describes one specific thing in one specific jar. Change what is in the jar and the test no longer applies to it:
- Adding bacon, sausage, onion, garlic or other low-acid ingredients
- Adding flour, cornstarch or any thickener, which slows heat penetration
- Packing tighter than the instructions describe, or ignoring the 1-inch headspace
- Using jars larger than quarts
- Substituting a boiling water canner, an electric multicooker not tested for pressure canning, or an oven
None of these are matters of taste. Each one changes how heat moves through the jar, which is the entire mechanism the time and pressure were validated against.
When to get help rather than a web page
Dial gauges drift and should be tested for accuracy. Most county Extension offices will check one, and that is the correct place to take it rather than a forum.
If a jar failed to seal, lost a lot of liquid, or you are unsure whether a batch was processed correctly, do not taste it to find out. Read the signs of spoiled canned food and, when in doubt, dispose of it.
The equipment decision this leads to
- Pressure canners, ranked — if you do not yet own one — the process above requires a pressure canner and nothing else will do
Related reading
Where these numbers come from
- National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia — Beans, Snap and Italian - Pieces, Green and Wax
Primary source · read 2026-08-31
- Dial-gauge pressure canner: pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, at 11 lb (0-2,000 ft), 12 lb (2,001-4,000 ft), 13 lb (4,001-6,000 ft), 14 lb (6,001-8,000 ft)
- Weighted-gauge pressure canner: pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, at 10 lb (0-1,000 ft) or 15 lb (above 1,000 ft)
- There is no safe option for processing green beans in a boiling water canner
- Hot pack: cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes, fill loosely leaving 1-inch headspace
- Raw pack: fill jars tightly with raw beans, leaving 1-inch headspace, add boiling water leaving 1-inch headspace
- Optional 1 teaspoon canning salt per quart
- Quantity: about 14 pounds per canner load of 7 quarts; about 9 pounds per load of 9 pints
Common questions
How long do you pressure can green beans?
The National Center for Home Food Preservation gives 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts. The time is the same for hot pack and raw pack. The pressure depends on your canner's gauge type and your elevation: a dial gauge runs 11 to 14 pounds by altitude band, a weighted gauge runs 10 pounds up to 1,000 feet and 15 pounds above that.
Can you water bath can green beans?
No. NCHFP states directly that there is no safe option for processing green beans in a boiling water canner. Green beans are a low-acid vegetable, and low-acid foods require pressure canning to reach a temperature that destroys Clostridium botulinum spores.
What pressure for green beans at my altitude?
With a dial gauge: 11 pounds at 0 to 2,000 feet, 12 pounds at 2,001 to 4,000, 13 pounds at 4,001 to 6,000 and 14 pounds at 6,001 to 8,000 feet. With a weighted gauge: 10 pounds at 0 to 1,000 feet and 15 pounds above 1,000 feet. The processing time does not change with altitude, only the pressure.
Is the time different for pints and quarts?
Yes. Pints are 20 minutes and quarts are 25 minutes. Do not process quarts for the pint time.
Can I add bacon, onion or garlic to canned green beans?
Not to a tested process. Adding low-acid ingredients or thickeners changes how heat moves through the jar, and the tested time no longer describes what is in front of you. Follow the tested recipe as written, and add flavourings when you open the jar.