Canning is a popular past time these days for those that want to make their own food, cut down on food costs or enjoy canning like the mothers and grandmothers once did.
Not only does canning save you money but you also know exactly what is in the food you are eating. Our society is increasing its focus on organic food and homegrown food and canning is a great way to preserve what you have grown.
Choosing the right jar for canning is the first step in the canning process. With several types on the market, it’s important to find the one that will work best for you and for the different types of food that you will be canning.
The 6 Best Mason Jars
- Loew-Cornell Ball Collection Elite Pint Mason Jar
- Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars
- Ball Regular Mouth Elite Collection Half Pint Mason Jars
- Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars
- Ball Mason “PINT” Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze (Our Top Pick)
- Jarden Ball Mason Wide Mouth Quart Jars
Our Pick for the Best Mason Jar
Our top pick for the best mason jar is the Ball Mason “PINT” Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze.
This mason jar has the widest range of capacity from 4 to 64-oz, and they are available in the regular and wide mouth. Ball Mason Jar is perfect for any purpose.
Check the price on AmazonWhich Jar Type/Size to Buy
Jars are made of either glass or metal. Glass jars are used more commonly as they can be used over and over again and metal jars can only be used once. Glass jars come in all different sizes and you can determine the size you need by what you are canning.
- Regular-Mouth Pint Jars: Standard canning jars have an opening of 2-⅜-inches. These jars are perfect for canning chilies, pickles, and smaller size foods.
- Regular-Mouth Quart Jars: The quart jars are perfect for sliced fruits and vegetables, juices and pickles. They are also great for storing other bulk items.
- Wide-Mouth Quart Jars: The wide-mouth quart jars have an opening that is 3-inches. These jars allow you to fill and empty them easily, however, sealing them right can be tricky.
- Wide-Mouth ½-Gallon Jars: The wide-mouth ½-gallon jars are perfect for juices and large volume foods. These jars tend to have poor heat penetration so heating the jar to the center can sometimes be a problem.
- 4-Ounce Quilted Jelly Jar: The 4-ounce quilted jelly jar is great for gift giving. It’s otherwise too small to be efficient or economical for canning large amounts of food.
- 12-Ounce Quilted Jelly Jar: The 12-ounce quilted jelly jar is also perfect for gift giving and small self-canning uses and is too small to be used for large volume canning.
- ½ Pint Jelly Jar: The ½ pint jelly jar is the normal-sized jar people use for canning butter, jams and jelly. It’s still small enough to use as gift giving but large enough to use for canning.
- Wide-Mouthed ½ Pint Jars: The wide-mouthed ½ pint jars are great for gift giving because it has a unique shape but it is not great for canning.
Best Mason Jar – Reviews
1. Loew-Cornell Ball Collection Elite Pint Mason Jar
The Loew-Cornell Ball Canning Jar is great for creative canning and for storage. These are beautiful jars to share with friends and family as they have a contemporary style and a unique shape, the jars are excellent to give as gifts. They look stunning on your table to hold salsa, pie fillings, fruit syrups, and dressings. They can be used to serve your preserves elegantly every time.
Pros
- Great size for breakfast shakes to take to work
- Jars don’t spill when carried in a bag
- Great contemporary style
Cons
- Top can get rusty if put through the dishwasher
- Only available in one size and mouth type
2. Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars
The Ball Jar Heritage Collection is part of a series of jars developed to mark the 100th anniversary of the Ball brothers in 2013. In 1913, they launched the first “perfect mason” jar and these limited edition jars are regular mouth pint jars and wide mouth quarts jars used to celebrate the Ball heritage.
This set features period-inspired purple coloring with logos embossed on both the front and back. Despite their throwback look, they retain modern quality and reliability standards. The jars are ideal for all your creations or as a collectible jar.
Purple pint colored ball heritage collection jar that is perfect for canning jellies, sauces, vinegars, jams, and mustards. Quality seal, each lid with custom time tested ceiling compound. The outside lid has a new brushed silver design that matches kitchen designs and can refrigerate them up to three weeks and freeze up to one-year fresh preserve and storage up to one year.
Pros
- Great color for a jar
- Can be used as drinking glass and storage
- Come with lids and rings but will also take Ball storage caps
Cons
- Advertised as wide mouth jars, they are just regular-sized jar
- Come with stickers that are really hard to get off
- Not everyone likes the color
3. Ball Regular Mouth Elite Collection Half Pint Mason Jars
The Ball Elite Collection Jars are great for preserving recipes of fresh foods like syrups, sauces, salsas and fruits and vegetables. Combined with our closures, our famous glass jar give you more than a canning jar, they are ideal for creative décor, serving, and gift-giving.
They are perfect for jellies, mustard, flavored vinegar, and jellies. The quality seal is ensured with a custom time-tested ceiling compound. The outside lids match kitchen designs with new brushed silver design. Jars are good for freezing for up to one year, refrigerate for up to three weeks and fresh preserve and storage up to one year.
Pros
- Can be used as decorative pieces
- Great for storing little items
- Available in two sizes
- Unique design
Cons
- Can’t actually can in the jars
- Might turn your food blue
- Not as good quality as other “Ball” jars
4. Ball Mason 32 oz Wide Mouth Jars
The Ball Jars with Lids and Bands are perfect for home canning. They are ideal for fresh preserving whole vegetables and fruits such as green beans and peaches. The jars are also great for homemade pickles. Ball glass jars are perfect for creative décor, serving and gift-giving.
A wide-mouth Ball quart jar is perfect for mustards, flavored vinegars, sauces, jams, and jellies. The custom time tested ceiling compound ensures quality seals with each lid. The new brushed silver design on the outside lids matches modern kitchen designs. These jars will fresh preserve foods and store for up to one year and refrigerate up to three weeks.
Pros
- Great for storing leftovers
- Easy to clean
- Great as a drinking glass
- Great for decor
Cons
- Break easily, especially when shipped
- Only available in one, big size
5. Ball Mason “PINT” Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze
The Ball Mason Jars Can or Freeze are great for freezing, storage, canning and preserving jelly with the accompanying airtight metal lids. Ball Glass produces each lid with a time-tested, custom sealing compound that has an underside coating that prevents natural acids from your food to react with the lid.
The mason jar is created with see-through glass metric ounce/cup markings for easy measurement and is dishwasher friendly.
The jars feature a wide mouth that makes cleaning easy and for storing leftovers or fresh food. It’s also available in the regular mouth. The mason jars are perfect for canning and preserving stores for up to one year, refrigerated for up to three weeks and frozen for up to one year.
A 12 pack of mason jars is a great gift and a fabulous décor piece. Jazz up any event with a couple of candles of party lights in the jars or to hold party favors. The metal lid has a two-piece metal screw top that is made of two parts: a thin circle that sits on top and a ring that holds it securely in place.
This versatile canning jar is sturdy, reusable, recyclable and dishwasher friendly. The glass jar has a convenient metric and ounce/cup markings for easy measuring. The glass keeps toxic things out of the food, unlike plastic jars. Great for use as creative décor and gift-giving. These glass jars take up very little space and can be endlessly reused.
The wide mouth makes filling the jar easy with no spills and cleaning is effortless. Save leftovers by freezing food or use the jars for storage and it can be used to store foods like sauces and smoothies. Creative uses can include apothecary jars, gift jars, toothbrush holder, water holder for craft or candle holder.
The metal lids have an airtight quality seal that prevents oxygen from getting into the jar after processing, while the rubber lining keeps jars from spilling even when the lid isn’t on extremely tight.
Pros
- Strong jars
- Covers seal jars perfectly
- Best value for the price
- Great for storing any liquid
- Available in six different sizes
- Available in wide and regular mouth
Cons
- Only available as a pack of 12
6. Jarden Ball Mason Wide Mouth Quart Jars
The Jarden Ball Jars are perfect for fresh preserves of whole fruits and vegetables. These famous glass jars are great for homemade pickles as well as preserves and jellies. Ball jars are also perfect for serving, for parties and home décor and make great gifts.
Quality seals prevent oxygen from getting into the jars after you have processed them and your food remains preserved just the way you made it. Ball lids have been manufactured in the U.S.A for over 125 years. Each quality lid is created with a time-tested, custom sealing compound that has an underside coating that prevents acids from your food reacting with the lid.
Pros
- Great for making salad in a jar
- Great for cookie dough recipes and to give as Christmas gifts
- High-quality glass jars with sturdy lids and the beautiful Ball embossed logo
Cons
- Only holds 30-ounces when filled to the rim
- Lids are lined with BPA
- Not freezer safe and may explode if you freeze food in them
Our Top Pick for the Best Mason Jar
Our top pick for the best mason jar is the Ball Mason “PINT” Jars Wide-Mouth Can or Freeze.
This jar has the widest range of selection, from 4 to 64-oz, and they are available in regular and wide mouth. Ball Mason Jar is perfect for any purpose.
Check the price on Amazon
