How to Freeze Tomatoes - Step-by-Step Guide With Photos (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to freeze fresh tomatoes? ›

Use a paring knife to remove the woody core from the top of each tomato. Bag the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in a gallon-sized zip-top freezer bag. Force out as much air as possible and tightly seal the bag.

Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed. To use the frozen tomatoes, remove them from the freezer a few at a time or all at once and then use them in any cooked-tomato recipe.

Stick whole tomatoes in the freezer and let them freeze. Once the tomatoes are frozen and you're ready to can them or cook them, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw completely. The tomatoes will look slightly wrinkly once they've thawed entirely. From there, the tomato skins will peel right off.

Make sure they are not more than ½” inch thick when slicing. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half; if they are extra large, cut them in quarters with your knife. Place the tomatoes on the trays, with space between each slice. If diced, separate as best as possible and avoid stacking for the best freeze-dried results.

Cons of Freezing Tomatoes

Thawed tomatoes mushy and not as pleasant to eat plain as it is when it's fresh. Use them as you would stew tomatoes in recipes that require cooking. (soups, chilis, casseroles, stews, sauces). If you have a small freezer you may not have room for bags of frozen tomatoes.

Since tomatoes are made of mostly water, you can't freeze them as is, BUT if you dry them out prior to freezing, it protects their structure, preserves their flavor, and stocks your freezer full of their sunshine all year long. And you don't even need a fancy dehydrating contraption to do it.

Unfortunately there's no way to save the fresh, just-picked taste. However, frozen tomatoes do work well in sauces and stews. As you simmer the sauce or stew all that extra water will evaporate, leaving you with fresh tomato taste.

Freezing tomatoes is so easy that you'll be surprised. You can choose to dice, slice, or freeze them whole, with or without their skin. The biggest issue might be the room in your freezer after you save all those tomatoes for winter recipes.

Crush the tomatoes by hand or in a food processor or blender, depending on the consistency you're going for. Add the crushed tomatoes to an airtight, freezer-safe container, and transfer it to the freezer.

Why remove skins from tomatoes? ›

Why would you peel tomatoes? The tomato skin is a different texture from the tomato flesh, and will remain so in sauces and purées—you'll get tiny chunks of skin instead of an uniformly smooth mixture. Moreover, the tomato skin is heavy in a kind of nutrient called flavonols, which impart a bitter flavor.

Square or rectangular, straight-sided rigid plastic containers make the best use of freezer space. Wide-mouth, dual-purpose glass jars made for canning and freezing are tempered to withstand extremes in temperature and allow for easier removal of partially-thawed foods.

Dip wholes tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in pieces. Pack into containers, leaving 1-inch headspace.

The tomatoes would be fine, however, once they defrost they will be mush. Freezing breaks the cell walls of the fruit.

Does freezing tomatoes change the flavor? While the freezer does impact a tomato's texture, it doesn't ruin its vibrant, acidic flavor. Some diehard canners will argue that canning tomatoes preserves more of the fresh flavor, and they may be right. But freezing tomatoes is a great alternative, and it's so much easier!