The best mason jars you can buy

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When it comes to something as timeless as a Mason jar, you can’t beat a classic.
The Ball brand name still represents everything you could want in a good Mason jar with sturdy glass, tight-sealing two-piece lids, and old-school American-made quality.

Mason jars are one of those simple items that are wonderful to have but easy to take for granted. Named after American inventor John Landis Mason, Mason jars are distinguished by their airtight screw-top lids (usually with a two-piece design), glass construction, and old-fashioned American aesthetic that hasn’t changed much since they were first patented in the 19th century.

Glass Mason jars are typically used for preserving perishable food products, and they are handy for many other things as well. Canning homemade goodies including jam, storing dry food items such as herbs and spices, and serving as airtight containers for keeping things like coffee or pipe tobacco fresh (two of my personal favorite uses). They’re also often used as decorative items, to hold candles, or even for drinking, as the popularity of Mason jar mugs has shown.

True Mason jars should always be made of glass, not plastic, and have a lid that creates an airtight seal. Two-piece Mason jar closures typically feature a rubberized rim underneath the flat part of the lid. This is securely pressed onto the jar’s opening by the ring part of the lid, or “band,” which screws down, thus creating a tight seal. These lids also usually have a “popper” in the center. After spending time in the fridge, after being boiled for canning, or if the jar contains something that consumes oxygen, a properly sealed lid will pop when opened due to the pressurized air inside.

There’s little reason to go cheap with these. American-made Mason jars don’t cost much at all and can last forever, so it’s worth going for high-quality brand names. Ball and Kerr are the two biggest names in the Mason jar business (and ones you may already be familiar with yourself), but there are some other brands worth checking out which we’ve included as well.

Mason jars come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so no matter what you need for your home, chances are we’ve got it covered. From small four-ounce jelly jars to handled drinking glasses, read on for the five best Mason jars you can buy right now.

Here are the best Mason jars you can buy:

Best Mason jars overall: Ball Mason jars
Best with smooth sides: Anchor Hocking Mason jars
Best with wide mouths: Kerr wide-mouth Mason jars
Best with bail tops: Bormioli Rocco bail top Mason jars
Best with handles: Libbey handled drinking Mason jars

Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.

The best Mason jars overall

Ball

Why you’ll love them: Ball is a 19th-century American icon in the world of home canning, and its Mason jars have stood the test of time owing to their great US-made quality, tightly sealing lids, and low price.

When shopping for Mason jars, Ball is the name you’re going to see the most. The Ball Corporation has been making jars and other home canning products since 1880 and continues to offer high-quality American-made Mason jars to this day. Your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents probably used Ball jars. You’ll even hear many people refer to all Mason jars in general as “Ball jars.”

I have a simple rule that I apply to many things around the home: If it’s grandma- and grandpa-approved, it’s probably solid. I’ve personally used Ball Mason jars for years, although not for canning jams or other kitchen creations as I’m not much of a home chef. I use mine to store pipe tobacco and coffee beans. I have about 18 of them (in various sizes) for these purposes and they’re all well-made with airtight lids that have kept their seal after years of regular use.

If there’s one flaw, it’s that the rubberized rim of the lids tends to absorb and retain the aromas of the jar’s content. I use the term “flaw” loosely, as this is something that will affect all two-piece lid designs that feature this rubber seal. It’s the rubber itself that likes to hold onto odors, and this can be a bear to get out.

White vinegar soaks help but don’t completely eliminate lingering smells. This may or may not be a problem for you depending on what you’re using your jars for, but you can easily buy new lids separately if it is. On the brighter side, the lids do exactly what they need to do and are coated on the underside to prevent certain foods (particularly acidic ones) from reacting with and tainting the jar’s contents.

Ball Mason jars can be used for just about anything and are still made right here in the United States, just as you’d expect from an all-American classic. Even better: They’re super cheap at less than a buck per jar when you order by the dozen. They’ll probably last forever, too.

Pros: Made in America, durable glass bodies, two-piece lid design seals tightly, heat- and freezer-safe, raised measurement markings on the side, and they’re super cheap by the dozen

Cons: The rubber seals on the lids absorb and retain odors

Buy the Ball Mason jars (4 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 7

Buy the Ball Mason jars (8 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 7.50

Buy the Ball Mason jars (16 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 6

The best smooth-sided Mason jars

Anker Hocking

Why you’ll love them: Whether it’s for presenting gifts, attaching custom sticker labels, arts and crafts projects, or just showing off your creations on a shelf, these smooth-sided Mason Jars from Anchor Hocking offer American quality.

Most Mason jars you’ll see, including pretty much all of our top picks except for this one, have raised markings on the side. These aren’t necessarily unattractive; in fact, they do impart a bit of traditional charm to the jars that harks back to the days before metal cans were used for food storage.

But if you’re presenting your homemade canned treats as gifts, or just want a jar without markings for aesthetic reasons, then smooth-sided Mason jars like these from Anchor Hocking might be a more suitable alternative to standard Ball and Kerr jars. Smooth-sided jars are also great if you like to attach your own sticker labels, as raised markings can leave unsightly bumps and air pockets or can even make the labels fall off.

Most of the Mason jars I use at home have markings (some are also the quilted-style jelly jars), and I find that the raised markings and bumps make it tricky for even masking tape to stay stuck to the sides of the jars. The Anchor Hocking Mason jars also feature gold-toned lids instead of the usual silver and are also free of markings and branding, which looks a bit nicer and more gift-friendly.

Other than the smooth-sided design and attractive gold lids, the Anchor Hocking Mason jars offer everything else you could want: They’re made in the U.S., the glass is thick and sturdy, and the lids seal down well, although some buyers report that the jars don’t provide an airtight seal as reliably as Ball jars.

If you end up with a couple lids that don’t seal properly, you can always buy new ones separately (Ball and Kerr lids fit the threads just fine). This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, either, considering that the Anchor Hocking jars come in at $ 8 or less per dozen.

Pros: Made in America, durable glass bodies, smooth-sided jars with no raised markings or branding, attractive gold-tone lids, and they’re a good value at around $ 8 per dozen

Cons: The lids are not as reliably airtight as those of Ball and Kerr Mason jars

Buy the Anchor Hocking smooth-sided Mason jars (4 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 7.50

Buy the Anchor Hocking smooth-sided Mason jars (8 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 7.50

Buy the Anchor Hocking smooth-sided Mason jars (16 oz., 12 count) from Walmart for $ 8

The best wide-mouth Mason jars

Kerr

Why you’ll love them: For juices, soups, sauces, and other liquid contents, large wide-mouth jars like these Kerr Mason jars are just the ticket for clean and easy pouring.

As we’ve stated, Mason jars have a ton of uses, from canning homemade goods like jams and jellies to storing wet and dry cooking ingredients. Owing to their airtight lid design and heat-resistant glass construction, Mason jars are also great for holding liquids like homemade soups, sauces, and juices.

Standard Mason jars might be a bit small for this endeavor, however. At the very least, the somewhat narrow mouths of most jars can make pouring liquids unnecessarily messy and difficult. In this case, what you need are Mason jars with wide mouths like these ones from Kerr, which feature a larger opening that makes it easier to add and remove wet or larger contents (while also making the jars easier to clean by hand).

If the Kerr jars and their packaging looks eerily similar to that of Ball jars, it’s because they’re basically the same: Both Ball and Kerr brands are now owned and manufactured by the parent company Jarden. That means that the Kerr Mason jars boast all of the tough American-made quality of their Ball counterparts, so you can buy with confidence.

Like other Ball and Kerr jars, these are also safe for heating and freezing and are available in various sizes to suit your need. They’re still pretty cheap, too, although slightly less so, as the 32 ounce jars come in at around a dollar each.

Pros: Made in America, solid construction quality with tightly-sealing lids, wide mouths make it easier to pour liquid contents cleanly, replacement lids are readily available, and they’re heat- and freezer-safe

Cons: The larger ones are slightly more expensive than their normal-mouth counterparts

The best mason jars you can buy

Here are the best Mason jars you can buy: