Model profile
Ball EasyCanner: An Electric Water Bath Canner, Not a Pressure Canner
The Ball EasyCanner is a plug-in water bath canner. It holds seven quart jars or eight pints, says Ball. It has no pressure mode. Use it for tested recipes for high-acid foods (jam, most fruit, pickles). Low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish) need a pressure canner, says the USDA.
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The short answer
The Ball EasyCanner is a water bath canner. It does not pressure can. Use it for tested recipes for high-acid foods such as jam, fruit and pickles. The USDA says low-acid foods must be canned in a pressure canner. So green beans, meat and other low-acid foods do not belong in it, whatever an AI answer may say.
Is it right for me?
If you love making jam, peaches and pickles, this is a friendly machine. It takes the big pot off your stove. It is our pick for electric water bath canning.
If you want to can green beans or chicken, it is the wrong machine. No setting changes that.
Ball
Ball EasyCanner
A water bath machine with a spigot. It builds no pressure, so it is only for high-acid recipes.
- Type
- Electric water bath canner with heat sensors and spigot; also sold as multicooker and steamer
- Pressure canning
- No
- Water bath
- Yes, per Ball's catalog
- Liquid capacity
- 21 quarts
- Jars per load
- 7 quarts or 8 pints
- Altitude
- Water bath times change with altitude; follow your tested recipe
- Price class
- Upper mid-range
Stated in: Ball catalog page for the EasyCanner 2177240, read 2 November 2026
Why here: Our pick for electric water bath: seven quart jars or eight pints at a time, a built-in spigot, and no pressure mode, says Ball.
Best for: You want to make tested recipes for fruit, jams and pickles.
- Seven quart jars or eight pints at a time, says Ball
- Built-in spigot, says Ball
- Takes the water bath pot off the stove
- No pressure mode, so low-acid food does not belong in it
- The National Center's exception names the older Ball Automatic Home Canner, so do not carry it over to this machine
- Water bath times still change with altitude
What speaks for it
- Good for tested recipes for fruit, jams, jellies and pickles
- Sits on the counter, so the stove stays free
- Holds seven quart jars or eight pints, says Ball
- Has a spigot for draining into the sink, says Ball
What to keep in mind
- No pressure mode, so low-acid food does not belong in it
- Holds eight pints, where Presto says its 23-quart pots hold ten regular-mouth pints in water bath
- We have read the catalog page only, not Ball's manual
- Water bath times still change with altitude
Can it replace a pressure canner?
No. Some AI answers call this machine a pressure canner and even give steps for green beans. That is wrong.
Low-acid foods are red meat, seafood, poultry, milk and all fresh vegetables except most tomatoes. The USDA says they must be canned in a pressure canner. The CDC says pressure canning is the only recommended way. It also says a boiling water canner does not protect against botulism in these foods.
A water bath canner, plug-in or not, cannot get as hot as a pressure canner. Our botulism page explains why that matters so much.
"Electric canner" in a listing can mean several different machines. Our guide to electric canner types sorts them out. If you want to can low-acid food, start with the stovetop canner page. More is on the page about this mix-up and the low-acid foods page.
Do the experts say Ball canners are exempt?
You may read that Ball's machines are exempt from the National Center for Home Food Preservation's warning about electric multi-cookers. That goes too far for this model.
The National Center's note leaves out the older Ball Automatic Home Canner, for high-acid foods only. It is a canner made just for canning, with its own instructions. The note also mentions a plug-in boiling water canner from Jarden Home Brands. It says to follow the maker's directions for that one.
The EasyCanner is not named in that note. It is also sold for cooking and steaming. So we do not carry the exemption over to it. See what the National Center says for the full wording.
Penn State Extension says the Ball FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System is not a multi-cooker. It says it was designed and tested for the high-acid foods in its manual. We could not confirm how FreshTECH and EasyCanner relate.
What are the facts and figures?
All of this comes from Ball's catalog page.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Plug-in water bath canner with heat sensors |
| Pressure canning | No pressure function described |
| Pot size | 21 quarts |
| Jars at a time | Up to 7 quarts or 8 pints |
| Draining | Built-in spigot |
| Other uses | Sold as a multicooker and steamer for cooking |
| Care | Base can go in the dishwasher; pot is hand-wash only |
| Price class | Upper mid-range |
We could not read Ball's own product page, and we have not read the manual. So we say nothing here about watts, warranty or spare parts. Look for those in the manual before you buy.
How do you use it?
Ball says you set a timer. Heat sensors keep the temperature steady from start to finish. A spigot drains the water into the sink.
The cooking and steaming settings are for dinner. They are not a way to can low-acid food. Stick to water bath recipes tested for jars, and adjust for your altitude as each recipe says.
What else could I look at?
- Older Ball listing: the Ball Electric Canner listing* (paid link) has that title on Amazon. We could not check which model it is. Read the manual first.
- Other water bath machines: the electric water bath canner page covers the no-name units. We know them only from their listings.
- One pot for both jobs: the stovetop Presto 01781* (paid link) also works as a water bath canner for quarts and smaller, says Presto. It is a pressure canner when you move on to low-acid recipes. See the stovetop page.
A search for "ball canner" also finds Ball's plain stovetop pots. We do not cover those. To compare all kinds of canners, start at our overview. For official downloads, see our manuals page.
What people ask
Is the Ball EasyCanner a pressure canner?
No. Ball sells it as a water bath canner and describes no pressure function. The USDA says low-acid foods must be canned in a pressure canner. So green beans, meat, chicken and other low-acid foods do not belong in this machine. An answer that says otherwise is wrong.
What can I can in a Ball electric water bath canner?
Tested recipes for high-acid foods. The USDA lists fruit, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades and fruit butters. Tomatoes and figs need acid added, exactly as a tested recipe says. Your recipe gives the time and any change for altitude. We give no times of our own.
How many jars does the Ball EasyCanner hold?
Ball says up to seven quart jars or eight pint jars at a time. The pot holds 21 quarts. Some other water bath machines list bigger numbers, but we could not confirm them. Check your own jars against the manual before you plan a batch.
Is the EasyCanner the same as the Ball FreshTECH?
We could not confirm how the two names relate. Penn State Extension says the Ball FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System was designed and tested for the high-acid foods in its manual. The National Center for Home Food Preservation names the older Ball Automatic Home Canner. Neither names the EasyCanner, so we do not carry their words over.
Does the Ball EasyCanner adjust for altitude?
Water bath canning always needs an altitude change. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says to add time from about 1,000 feet up. Ball's page does not describe an automatic change. Follow the altitude line in your tested recipe. Our altitude page links to the official advice.
Where this comes from
More from the shelf
- Buying guideElectric water bathElectric water bath canners build no pressure, so they are only for tested high-acid recipes. See our pick and which listings to read with care.
- Buying guideElectric canner typesFour kinds of plug-in machine get called electric canners, and they do different jobs. See which can pressure can, which can't, and what the experts say.
- Buying guideStovetop cannersA stovetop pressure canner is the type the canning experts wrote their advice for. See dial vs weighted gauge, jar counts, stove fit and our pick.
- ExplainerBotulismBotulism and home canning: why you can't judge a jar by its look or smell, the signs to throw food out, and the National Center's steps for a suspect jar.
- ExplainerAltitudeHigh altitude canning depends on your machine: USDA tables for stovetop canners, Presto's sensor claim, NESCO's regulators and water bath changes.
Who writes here
electricpressurecanner.com Editorial Team
Machine comparisons & source reading
We are the editorial team at electricpressurecanner.com. We read manuals, spec sheets and the statements of NCHFP, USDA, CDC and Extension services, and we report who says what, with dates. No lab work happens here, and this site publishes no processing times or recipes of its own.
- Manuals and food-safety guidance read
- Sources and dates on every page
- No lab tests, stated openly
- No own processing times or recipes