How to Freeze Fresh Tomatoes for Sauce, Soups and More
Come learn the best way freeze fresh whole tomatoes – no cutting, peeling, blanching, or de-seeding required! This is the perfect quick and easy way to preserve tomatoes from the garden when you’re too hot or busy to fuss with canning.
Instead, you can slowly freeze bags of tomatoes as you harvest them, saving up to make sauce or other preserves later. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected to your garden in the colder winter months! Plus, frozen tomatoes are exceptionally easy to peel later if needed – especially if you follow our prep tips.
NOTE: This post was originally published in 2020, but it was due for a major update since we’ve discovered better tips to freeze tomatoes since then.
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Why Freeze Tomatoes Whole?
There are a number of benefits to freezing tomatoes whole and with the skins on, rather than peeling or cutting them up first.
- It’s the most quick and easy way! Why fuss with blanching and peeling the tomatoes first, especially when the skins slip off so easily as they defrost later?
- They hold up better – in quality, flavor, and structure. Whole tomatoes with the skins on are less susceptible to freezer burn compared to cut or skinned tomatoes with more exposed wet flesh. The skins also help hold in valuable tomato juices that may otherwise be lost while defrosting.
- Left whole, the tomatoes are far less likely to stick or clump together in the freezer than cut ones, making it much easier to take out and use just a portion if desired.
We love to use frozen tomatoes to make our favorite roasted tomato sauce recipe, homemade ketchup, and creamy roasted tomato basil soup.
The Best Tomatoes to Freeze
Technically, you can freeze any type or variety of tomatoes. Paste tomatoes hold up exceptionally well, while big juicy slicers tend to break down more as they defrost… but it doesn’t really matter if you’re using them for sauce or soup! We usually save our most prime heirloom tomatoes for fresh eating, and freeze our paste or Roma-type tomatoes for sauce.
If you intend to peel them later, I don’t necessarily recommend freezing cherry tomatoes (given their small size and high skin-to-flesh ratio). However, our roasted tomato sauce doesn’t require peeling at all – so we often freeze whole cherry tomatoes too!
RELATED: If you love the ease of freezing, don’t miss our guides on freezing green beans, freezing carrots, or freezing zucchini and summer squash – with tips for the best results possible!
Supplies Needed
- Fresh tomatoes – choose ones that are ripe (but not overripe) and relatively blemish-free.
- A cutting board and sharp paring knife or tomato corer.
- Airtight freezer bags – such as reusable silicone food storage bags or heavy-duty freezer ziplock bags. Or, this is a great time to use a vacuum sealer if you have one! Any airtight freezer-safe container will work.
- Optional: a baking sheet or large freezer-safe tray that can fit inside the freezer. (Only needed if you do the optional flash freeze step.)
Instructions
1) Prep Tomatoes
- Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.
- Gently dry the tomatoes. We don’t want any extra moisture inside the bags, which will lead to freezer burn!
- If you’re freezing a tomato variety that has a large center core, use a tomato coring tool or small paring knife to remove the core now. (Many of our Roma’s have little-to-no core so we simply remove the stems and leave them whole.)
- Next, cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato, just through the skin. This makes the skins slip off even easier later! (If you don’t intend to peel your tomatoes, you can skip this step.)
2) Flash Freeze (optional)
Before packing the tomatoes into bags, you have the option to individually flash-freeze them first. This is often recommended as a “best practice” when freezing whole tomatoes, but I’ve found it isn’t necessary in all cases, especially if you plan to use the whole bag of tomatoes at once to make sauce.
Flash-freezing makes it easier to pack freezer bags nice and full (and press or squeeze the air out) without squishing the tomatoes. It also prevents them from clumping or sticking together once frozen, so you can easily pull out just a few tomatoes as needed (though I’ve found they don’t stick together too much either way).
So, this can be a good option if you: a) plan to use just a few frozen tomatoes at a time, b) are working with extra-soft ripe tomatoes, or c) are using extra-large bags or don’t have space to lay bags of tomatoes flat in the freezer.
- Spread the dry, prepped tomatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two) that will fit in your freezer. Try to leave some space so they’re not touching.
- Now, freeze the tomatoes until they’re frozen solid, for several hours or overnight.
- Once frozen, quickly transfer the hard tomatoes to air-tight freezer bags for final storage.
3) Bag and Freeze
Whether fresh or flash-frozen, now it’s time to time to bag ’em up!
- Pack the tomatoes into your freezer bags or other airtight container of choice. When working with fresh raw tomatoes (not flash-frozen), I like to pack my bags on a clean cutting board to make it easy to carry and transfer them directly into the freezer.
- Take care to tightly arrange the tomatoes in a way that minimizes empty space in the bag. The less air inside the container, the less likely they are to develop freezer burn!
- Now gently try to remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing it. I create my own “vacuum seal” by closing the bag 99% of the way, then sucking the excess air out before quickly sealing it shut. Lol. Or, you can use a straw to suck air out of the bag in the same manner.
- Don’t forget to label and date the bag.
- Finally, place the bags of tomatoes in the freezer for long-term storage. See notes on shelf life and defrosting below.
Shelf Life
Frozen tomatoes will stay good in the freezer for up to a year (I’ve honestly used older) but will have the best flavor and quality if used within 6 months.
Using Frozen Tomatoes
Truth be told, you won’t want to use once-frozen tomatoes in place of “fresh” ones on sandwiches or salads. The structure breaks down as they defrost and makes the texture soft, watery, and less-than-ideal to eat raw.
However, frozen whole tomatoes are excellent to use in soup, sauce, stew, chili, or for canning later – where the fresh tomato flavors will shine through! In addition to turning them into tomato sauce or soup, you can use frozen tomatoes in any recipe that calls for cooking tomatoes, or in place of canned or stewed tomatoes.
You may not even need to defrost or peel them first. We sometimes throw frozen or partially defrosted tomatoes right in the pot to finish thawing over heat.
How to Defrost Frozen Tomatoes
To defrost frozen tomatoes, either allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge, at room temperature for a couple of hours, or under warm water for a short time. When making sauce, I generally leave them in the bag so I can simply dump the contents right into the pot or pan.
One of the best things about frozen tomatoes is how easily they peel! As they defrost, the skins should slip right off – especially if you prepped them the way I recommended. If they don’t, make a small slit in the skin with a knife to help ease them off. Don’t forget to save the skins to dry into homemade tomato powder!
This makes recipes that call for peeled tomatoes extra easy, such as homemade ketchup. On the other hand, we typically leave tomato skins on when we make roasted tomato sauce or blended soups – they have a ton of nutrients and flavor!
Easy peasy!
All in all, freezing tomatoes is an easy way to preserve a lot of fresh tomatoes in a hurry. I hope you found these tips to be useful! If so, please leave a review below! Also feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments. Enjoy, and thanks for tuning in!
Don’t miss these related articles:
- Preserving Tomatoes: How to Make Herb ‘Sun-Dried’ Tomatoes
- How to Make Homemade Chili Powder (oven or dehydrator)
- Quick and Easy Refrigerator Pickled Peppers
- The Besto Pesto: Basil, Lemon, Walnut & Parmesan Pesto Recipe (freezer-friendly)
- How to Plant Tomatoes: When, How Deep, Fertilizer, Pots & More
The Best Way to Freeze Fresh Whole Tomatoes
Equipment
- freezer bags, such as silicone food storage bags, heavy-duty ziplock bags, or vacuum sealer bags (or other airtight freezer container with lid)
- cutting board and small paring knife or tomato coring tool
- for optional flash-freezing step) baking sheet or other tray that fits inside your freezer
Ingredients
- fresh tomatoes (ripe but not overripe, relatively blemish-free)
Instructions
Prep
- Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.
- Allow the tomatoes to fully air dry, or pat them dry with a clean lint-free towel.
- If the tomatoes have a large center core, use a small paring knife or coring tool to remove the core.
- If you plan to peel the tomatoes later, cut a small shallow X in the bottom (opposite end of the stem). This will help the skins slip right off as they defrost.
Flash-Freeze (Optional)
- Individually freezing tomatoes first helps you pack freezer bags full without squishing the tomatoes, and prevents the frozen tomatoes from sticking together, though it isn't required. It's a good option if you a) plan to use just a few frozen tomatoes at a time (instead of the whole bag at once), b) are working with extra-soft ripe tomatoes, or c) are using extra-large bags or don’t have space to lay bags of tomatoes flat in the freezer.
- Spread the dry tomatoes out on a baking sheet or other tray that fits inside your freezer, with space between the tomatoes (not touching or overlapping)
- Freeze the tray of tomatoes for several hours or overnight, until they're frozen solid, then transfer the hard tomatoes into their final storage container or bags.
Bag and Freeze
- Raw or flash-frozen, pack the tomatoes into your freezer bags or other airtight container of choice. When working with fresh tomatoes, I like to pack my bags flat on a clean cutting board to make it easy to carry and transfer them directly into the freezer.
- Take care to tightly arrange the tomatoes in a way that minimizes empty space in the bag. Less air in the container = less freezer burn!
- Now gently try to remove as much air from the bag as possible before sealing it (you can close the bag 99% of the way, then use your mouth or a straw to suck the air out before quickly sealing it)
- Finally, place the bags of tomatoes in the freezer for long-term storage. Don’t forget to label and date the bag!
Shelf Life, Defrosting and Use
- Store the frozen tomatoes in the freezer for up to one year. Best quality if used within 6 months.
- Frozen tomatoes are perfect for making tomato sauce, soup, or any recipe that calls for cooking tomatoes, or in place of canned or stewed tomatoes. (The texture after defrosting is not ideal for fresh eating.)
- To defrost frozen tomatoes, either allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge, at room temperature for about an hour, or under warm water. (You may not need to defrost them at all – could be used frozen whole or grated, depending on the recipe and called-for process.)
- Once defrosted, the skins should slip right off. If not, make a small slit in the skin with a knife to help ease them off.
Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico (aka DeannaCat) is a garden educator and writer with over 15 years experience in organic gardening. She is a retired Senior Environmental Health Specialist, and holds a M.A. in Environmental Studies and B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources.
25 Comments
Lori Calvert
Hi! What about all the juice that comes from the frozen tomatoes… do I pour off before cooking for sauce or keep it in the pot?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Lori, we would typically just use the tomatoes and whatever juice they contain, if you let the tomatoes defrost somewhat before adding them, you can likely pour off whatever water/juice seeps out before adding them to the pot. Hope that helps and good luck!
Dee
Hi!
I have large NJ tomatoes I bought at a local
Market (I am in South Florida), I haven’t had time to make my usual fresh tomato soup, can I freeze these large tomatoes? I hate for them to go to waste and we do love our tomato soup!
Thanks so much!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Dee, you can absolutely freeze the larger tomatoes to make soup or sauce when you have more time.
Jenni
I have a lot of frozen tomotoes that I would like to make spaghetti and pizza sauces from. But I don’t want to can the excess. Could I freeze sauces that I make from frozen tomotoes?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Jenni, that should work out just fine! If you have fresh tomatoes, you can make our roasted tomato sauce or roasted tomato soup. Good luck!
Candy
I have so many questions! I froze a bunch of tomatoes and wanted to use them in tomato soup that my ball book called for but when I thawed them out – they were floating around in a lot of water! Do I pour that water out? What if I wanted roasted tomato flavor? I can’t roast those tomatoes that thawed can I?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Candy, roasting thawed tomatoes could be interesting, however, I would likely save the liquid for your soup and see if you can get the tomatoes (minus the extra liquid) to roast a little bit before using them in the soup. We have a delicious roasted tomato soup recipe as well if you want to compare the two recipes. Hope that helps and good luck!
Debbie
Hi, could I freeze Roma tomatoes and then use them to make stewed tomatoes for canning?
Would they get too mushy during the pressure canning process?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Debbie, yes you can use tomatoes that you have previously frozen to preserve using your pressure canner. You may see a slight difference in texture but being that they are stewed tomatoes, it should work out just fine. Hope that helps and good luck!