How long to water bath can apple juice
Process apple juice for 5 minutes (half-pints, pints and quarts) or 10 minutes (half-gallons) in a boiling-water canner at 0–1,000 ft, then add minutes as altitude rises: +5 at 1,001–3,000 ft, +10 at 3,001–6,000 ft, +15 at 6,001–8,000 ft and +20 at 8,001–10,000 ft.
Apple juice canning times by altitude
| Altitude | Half-pints, pints and quarts | Half-gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 5 min | 10 min |
| 1,001–3,000 ft | 10 min | 15 min |
| 3,001–6,000 ft | 15 min | 20 min |
| 6,001–8,000 ft | 20 min | 25 min |
| 8,001–10,000 ft | 25 min | 30 min |
By jar size: half-pints, pints and quarts · half-gallons
What the time assumes
- Method: boiling-water (water bath) canner
- Acidity: high-acid (or acidified)
- Headspace: ¼ inch
One of only two foods with a tested half-gallon process. Half-gallon jars are for apple and grape juice alone: never tomato juice, vegetables or meat.
Questions
- How long do you water bath can apple juice?
- Process apple juice for 5 minutes (half-pints, pints and quarts) or 10 minutes (half-gallons) in a boiling-water canner at 0–1,000 ft, then add minutes as altitude rises: +5 at 1,001–3,000 ft, +10 at 3,001–6,000 ft, +15 at 6,001–8,000 ft and +20 at 8,001–10,000 ft.
- How long do you process apple juice at 5,000 feet?
- 20 minutes for half-gallons at 3,001–6,000 ft: the 10-minute tested time plus 10 minutes for altitude.
- What headspace should I leave for apple juice?
- Leave ¼ inch of headspace.
Sources
- NCHFP "Apple Juice" (USDA Complete Guide, Guide 2)
Times and pressures are restated from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, in our own words. They are the same table Putby's app uses; a test in the app fails if the two ever disagree. Altitude schedule: Putby adds minutes to boiling-water processes in five steps up to 10,000 ft; at the higher steps that can be a few minutes longer than a food's own USDA altitude table, never shorter. If your tested recipe gives a longer time, use the recipe's time. Last reviewed 2026-10-16.