Canned vegetables get a bad rap. That’s true even of the best canned vegetables. But we’re here to say, “Justice for canned vegetables!” Sick of being forced to toss past-their-prime fresh veggies in the trash? That’s where canned vegetables come in. Don’t have a ton of freezer space to stockpile the best frozen vegetables? Canned vegetables, baby. From canned corn you would swear came right off the cob to canned yams that put fresh sweet potatoes to shame, these are the best canned vegetables we’ve found in our taste tests, presented in alphabetical order.
- Del Monte Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn
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Canned corn is, without a doubt, one of the best canned vegetables. The kernels stay sweet and actually retain their crunch, but not all canned corn is created equal. This Del Monte canned corn really blew us away. Our taste tester loved it so much they even wrote a little rhyme: “Buttery, salty, and sweet, Del Monte canned corn is a real treat.” This canned corn really is sheer poetry.
Read the full ranking of the best canned corn
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- Del Monte Cut Green Beans
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Even the best canned green beans don’t quite muster the snappy sweetness of fresh green beans, but they’re delicious and nostalgic in their own way. Did you grow up loving diner and cafeteria food? Then you probably have a soft spot for canned green beans. Well, you can forget the rest because we found the best: Del Monte Cut Green Beans. They have a subtle sweetness and (unlike a lot of competitors) they don’t taste like can. We like that these are perfectly bite-size, too. Make a green bean casserole with these puppies and no one is going to complain.
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- Green Giant Sliced Mushrooms
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Yes, this is a list of the best canned vegetables, but we’re making an exception for these Green Giant jarred mushrooms. They are well seasoned without being overly salty, and they’re firm without being too tough or woody. According to our taste tester (a canned mushroom fan), “These taste exactly like what you want on a slice of thin-crust cheese pizza.”
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- Kroger Garden Variety Sweet Peas
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Much like canned green beans, canned peas are sort of their own thing. You can’t compare canned peas to fresh peas, but there are a lot of dishes in which canned peas are the right move (boxed mac and cheese really sings with a handful of briny canned peas tossed into the mix). Kroger Garden Variety peas represent the category on our list of the best canned vegetables. They have a pleasantly neutral flavor and actually have some bite rather than disintegrating in your mouth. If you have a Kroger-owned grocery store nearby, you should have these canned peas in your pantry.
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- Amazon Fresh Whole White Potatoes
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There’s a good chance you’ve never purchased canned potatoes, but you should definitely start. And if you buy these Amazon Fresh potatoes, we bet you’ll never peel a potato again. Want to make a silky potato soup or add some potatoey texture to instant mashed potatoes? This canned vegetable is your jam. They’re pleasantly starchy, perfectly sized, and don’t taste too much like the can they came in. Next time you’re ordering some socks and a kitchen mat from Amazon, add these to your cart!
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- Del Monte Leaf Spinach
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Del Monte strikes again on our list of the best canned vegetables. When we taste tested canned spinach, it was a fight to the finish for first place between Popeye spinach and this Del Monte spinach—they both taste great—but Del Monte beat out the competition because it’s lower in sodium and has more potassium and protein. It’s spinach! It should be good for you! This canned spinach is, and it tastes good, too.
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- Bianco DiNapoli Whole Peeled Organic
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We tasted a lot of canned tomatoes and Bianco DiNapoli whole tomatoes were the team’s unanimous favorite. They’re sweet, tart, well seasoned, and perfectly acidic. They were the only canned tomatoes we tasted that really reminded us of fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes. Throw these in a pot with some basil, garlic, and olive oil and you’ll have a simple, slow-simmered pasta sauce in no time.
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Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Happy Harvest Yams
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When we went into this canned yam taste test, none of us really knew what to expect. We all walked away big yam fans. Granted, a lot of canned yams are actually canned sweet potatoes, but these Happy Harvest “yams” are so good, we doubt anyone at the dinner table will care. These sweet, buttery chunks of sweet potato are obviously gonna make a great sweet potato casserole, but they shouldn’t be relegated to Thanksgiving—our taste tester said they’d happily eat these with a weeknight dinner.
Read the full ranking of the best canned yams
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Best Canned Corn
Rating:
9.5/10
Sporks
Best Canned Green Beans
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Best Mushrooms
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Canned Peas
Rating:
9/10
Sporks
Best Canned Potatoes
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Canned Spinach
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Best Canned Tomatoes
Rating:
9.5/10
Sporks
Best Canned Yams
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
Not only are mushrooms in a jar not “canned” they also aren’t vegetables.