Presto Stovetop Pressure Canners: 16-Quart, 23-Quart and Induction

Presto's stovetop line is small and easy to sort. Its real differences are height, gauge and base. Nothing here is hard to learn, and one good pot can serve you for many seasons with some care.

Who makes it?

Presto is a brand of National Presto Industries in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The same company makes the Presto Precise digital canners. Those are a different kind of machine with their own open questions. This page is about the pots you put on a burner. For the case for this type, and for other brands, see stovetop pressure canners.

What are the four models?

Jar counts come from Presto's comparison guide. Sizes and weights come from Presto's spec sheets, as measured out of the box.

Presto says the 01745 is sold only at Walmart, so we have no link for it. The surprise for most people is the quart row. Buying the taller pot adds no quart jars under pressure. It adds stacked pints, and room to cover quart jars with water. Answer that question first. Canner sizes walks through it.

Which one is right for me?

Which one, then?

• If you want stacked pints and water bath quarts in one pot → Presto 23-Quart Stovetop (01781)

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• If you want a lower pot and can live with water bath pints only → Presto 16-Quart Stovetop (01755)

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• If you cook on induction → Presto 23-Quart Induction (01784)

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• If you want to compare dial and weighted gauges first

  Compare gauges

Our pick for stovetopAd

Presto

Presto 23-Quart Stovetop (01781)

A pot for your stove, the kind the USDA's canning steps were written for.

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Type

Stovetop pressure canner with dial gauge

Pressure canning

Yes

Water bath

Yes, quarts and smaller, per Presto

Liquid capacity

23 quarts

Jars per load

7 quarts, or 20 regular-mouth pints stacked

Altitude

You raise the pressure by altitude from the USDA tables. Water bath times also change with altitude.

Price class

Mid-range

Stated in: Presto Canner Comparison Guide (2025), read 2 November 2026

Why here: Start here if you're unsure. Presto says it holds the same 7 quart jars as the lower pot, plus stacked pints and water bath quarts.

Best for: You want to pressure can low-acid foods (vegetables, meat, chicken, fish) and can stay near the stove.

• The National Center's advice was written for stovetop canners
• Seven quart jars, or up to 20 regular-mouth pints stacked, says Presto
• Also works as a water bath canner for quarts and smaller, says Presto
• Works on gas and on electric coil and smooth-top ranges, says Presto

• You watch the gauge and adjust the heat yourself
• The dial gauge needs an accuracy test every year, says Presto
• Presto does not list induction for this pot. The 01784 is its induction version

View on Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on AmazonLearn more

The 23-quart stovetop page has more on the 01781. If you cook on induction, go to the induction canner page and read about the Presto 01784^* (paid link). For the lower pot, the Presto 01755^* (paid link) is the dial-gauge model we can link.

• Presto 23-quart stovetopPresto says the 01781 holds 7 quart jars, or 20 regular-mouth pints stacked. It has a dial gauge, works on gas and on electric coil and smooth-top stoves, and also works as a water bath canner for quarts and smaller. It doesn't work on induction. It is a stovetop canner, the type the National Center for Home Food Preservation wrote its advice for. The USDA doesn't approve any canner.
• Presto 16-quart stovetopPresto says the 01755 holds 7 quart jars or 10 regular-mouth pints under pressure. It has a dial gauge and works on gas and on electric coil and smooth-top stoves, but not on induction. In water bath canning it takes pints and smaller only, because Presto says it isn't tall enough to cover quart jars. The USDA doesn't approve any canner.

What are the strengths and weaknesses?

Will it work on my stove?

Presto says all its stovetop canners work on electric coil and regular gas stoves. Current models also work on glass and smooth-top stoves. Presto tells you to check your stove's manual for weight limits, because a full canner can weigh over 50 pounds. Other makers and university experts are more cautious here, so read canning on a glass-top stove if that's your stove.

Presto also says a portable induction cooktop may work only if it meets its wattage, heating-zone and load limits. It says electric hot plates typically can't hold the heat required.

What about gauges, weights and care?

The dial-gauge models have a one-piece regulator, which Presto calls a safety device. You don't read it. The dial shows the pressure, and you adjust the burner.

The 01745 works differently. Its removable weights set the pressure, and a gentle rocking motion tells you it has been reached. Presto says it is best suited to altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. The gauge comparison goes through what that means.

Presto's care sheet asks you to have the dial checked before the canning season. That's usually done at your county extension office (free local food-safety advice), or you can send it to Presto. Replace the sealing ring every two to three years, or when it has shrunk or hardened, and replace the overpressure plug with it. Check that the vent pipe is clear before each use. Presto also suggests a trial run with water before the season starts. Pressure canner parts covers symptoms and replacements.

What about old, small and colored Presto pots?

Searches for Presto canners often mean things outside the current line. Here is what we could and couldn't confirm.

• 6-quart and 8-quart. These aren't in Presto's comparison guide. See the 4-quart page before you trust a small pot's label.
• Vintage pots. Presto says canners from before 1979 have no cover lock, and later locks vary by brand. Presto's gauge testing unit covers only dial gauges for Presto, National, Magic Seal and Maid of Honor canners.
• Yellow and other colors. We found nothing about them in Presto's current documents, so we say nothing about them here.
• "17-quart Presto." In Presto's current line, that number belongs to the digital 02152. It plugs in and is not a stovetop pot.

What are the alternatives?

If you'd like a seal with no gasket and don't mind more weight, read about All American canners. If you want a plug-in machine, weigh electric vs. stovetop first.