What Canned Vegetables are the Best to Buy? A Dietitian Picks 6 Good Options
Key takeaways:
Canned vegetables can be a convenient, affordable way to add vegetables to your diet.
Canned vegetables retain their quality for years, making them a good option for those mindful of food waste.
The process of canning can reduce some water-soluble vitamins. But canned vegetables are still a nutritious addition to your diet.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 2 to 3 cups worth of vegetables per day. But only about 10% percent of folks in the U.S. meet this recommendation. Vegetables, no matter the type, contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These important nutrients can support longevity, cognitive function, and digestive health. This is why they’re such an essential part of a healthy diet. But are canned vegetables as nutritious as fresh or frozen vegetables? Here’s what you should know about adding in canned vegetables to your diet.
Are canned vegetables healthy?
Yes. Canned veggies are a nutritious and convenient option to increase your vegetable intake. Though canned vegetables are a bit more processed than their fresh and frozen counterparts, they still contain fiber and retain a majority of their vitamins and minerals.
The canning process involves heat, which is why their nutrition is affected by processing. To safely can vegetables, high heat is required. This can reduce the amount of certain water-soluble vitamins like vitamins B and C. But the overall impact on nutritional quality is minimal.
Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, remain intact. And fiber — one of the nutrients that makes vegetables so good for your health — isn’t affected by canning.
Canned vegetables are also helpful for families with tight grocery budgets, as they reduce the risk for spoiled produce. Getting a mixture of fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables can help limit food waste and encourage families to include more produce in their diet.
What are the longest-lasting veggies? If produce usually goes bad in your home, try shopping for these vegetables that stay fresh for the longest.
Fresh versus frozen veggies: Frozen veggies are another great option to have on hand. As long as you know what to look for, they may even be better than fresh veggies.
What are the healthiest vegetables? All veggies are good for you. But these ones have the most research to support their nutritional benefits.
What are the healthiest canned vegetables?
The healthiest canned vegetables are the ones you actually enjoy and will eat. Adding veggies to your diet will enhance your nutrition — whether they are fresh, canned, or frozen.
But because canned vegetables are slightly processed, you may want to consider which ones give you the most bang for your buck.
Here are six of the healthiest canned vegetables on the market.
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1. Canned tomatoes
Canned tomatoes make the list due to their lycopene content, which is actually enhanced in the canning process. Lycopene is an antioxidant that’s been studied for its supportive impact on inflammation and heart health.
Canned tomatoes come in many forms:
Stewed tomatoes
Tomato paste
Tomato sauces
Tomatoes mixed with other spices and veggies (like green chilies)
Canned tomatoes can add flavor and richness to soups, chilis, and slow cooker recipes. Adding tomato sauce to your pasta instead of cream-based sauces like alfredo can help add a serving of vegetables to your day.
2. Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin is a good source of fiber. It has 4 g per half-cup serving (and about 14 g per can). It’s also high in beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A that’s been shown to support eye health and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Canned pumpkin can be easily added to:
Sauces
Chilis
Baked goods
Oatmeal
Pancakes
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3. Canned mixed veggies (carrots, peas, and corn)
If you’re running low on time — and want to add a variety of veggies to your meal — canned mixed veggies are a great staple.
Most have about 3 g of fiber per half-cup serving and are relatively low in carbohydrates (about 9 g to 10 g per serving).
Though the contents can vary from brand to brand, look for the ones with primarily non-starchy vegetables like carrots and green beans, with a sprinkle of corn and peas (starchy vegetables).
Canned mixed vegetables are easy to toss in stir-fries and soups. They can even be a side dish on their own. Just heat them up on the stove and sprinkle in your favorite herbs and spices like garlic, oregano, and a dash of pepper.
4. Canned green beans
Green beans are a star player in the canned veggie world because they’re a non-starchy vegetable (less than 5 g of carbohydrates per serving). They also retain a lot of their flavor and texture in the canning process.
They contain around 2 g of fiber per serving. Green beans also contain vitamin C, A, and B. Although, some of the nutrients may be affected (slightly) by processing.
Green beans can be used as a side dish on their own. They can also be used as an easy addition to any soup, stir-fries, or casseroles.
5. Canned peas
Peas make the list because of their high protein content in comparison to other veggies. They contain about 8 g of protein and 8 g of fiber per 1-cup serving.
Peas are a starchy vegetable, so they have more carbohydrates than other vegetables (about 15 g of carbohydrates per half-cup serving, or 30 g per cup). It’s good to pair them with other non-starchy vegetables to get a balanced plate.
Canned peas can be a side dish on their own. They can also be added to:
Soups
Stir-fry
Salads
Pasta
6. Whole kernel corn
Corn is a starchy vegetable that contains several phytochemicals (nutrients found in plants). These include Vitamins A, B, E, and K, and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Since fat-soluble vitamins and minerals aren’t significantly affected in the canning process, canned corn retains a majority of its nutrients.
There can be several different options on the selves. Opt for the whole kernel, no-salt-added variety.
Try adding them to:
Stir-fries
Tacos
Burritos
Salsa
Beans
Salads
Soups
What should you look for when picking canned vegetables?
Selecting quality canned products can be tricky because you can’t actually see the veggies inside the can. Here are a few things to look for when picking quality canned vegetables:
Choose ones with low to no sodium or added sugar. Most people are familiar with how too much salt or added sugar can be harmful — like raising your risk for high blood pressure or diabetes. So it’s important to be mindful of these ingredients in packaged foods.
The fewer ingredients, the better. Vegetables, water, and maybe a little salt is all you need. You can also rinse the veggies to reduce the salt.
Avoid cans with visible dents or damage to the rim or lid. This can increase the risk of contamination with botulism toxin. This is a rare but serious form of food poisoning.
Canned vs. frozen vegetables: Which is healthier?
If you compare the nutrition of canned versus frozen veggies, frozen is slightly better. Frozen veggies are picked at peak ripeness. Then they’re blanched (cooked for a brief period of time and quickly cooled), which preserves their vitamin content more than canning.
Canned veggies are prepped, blanched, sealed in a can, then heated at high temperatures to ensure safety. Since there’s more heat involved in processing canned vegetables, their nutritional content is impacted more than frozen veggies.
But canned vegetables still have some advantages over frozen vegetables. The frozen variety often retain their texture and quality for around 8 to 12 months in the freezer. Canned vegetables often sacrifice a crispy texture, but stay good for 2 to 5 years. So there are pros and cons to both options.
The bottom line
If you’re trying to find ways to incorporate more vegetables in your diet, canned vegetables may be a good option. They don’t offer a huge variety, so eating fresh and frozen produce is still important. But they have the advantage of being affordable, convenient, and long-lasting. No matter how they’re packaged, more vegetables in your diet is a good thing.
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References
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Ellis, E. (2023). Are canned foods nutritious for my family? Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
FoodData Central. (2022). Green beans, canned, cooked, no added fat. U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Khan, U. M., et al. (2021). Lycopene: Food sources, biological activities, and human health benefits. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.
Lee, S., et al. (2017). Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables. Food Science and Biotechnology.
Lee, S. H., et al. (2022). Adults meeting fruit and vegetable intake recommendations — United States, 2019. MMWR and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Mao, X., et al. (2019). Intake of vegetables and fruits through young adulthood is associated with better cognitive function in midlife in the us general population. The Journal of Nutrition.
Murcia, J. (2020). Canned versus frozen fruits and vegetables: What’s better for you? UCLA Health.
Sheng, S., et al. (2018). Corn phytochemicals and their health benefits. Food Science and Human Wellness.
Wang, D. D., et al. (2021). Fruit and vegetable intake and mortality: Results from 2 prospective cohort studies of US men and women and a meta-analysis of 26 cohort studies. Circulation.
