How to Freeze Tomatoes (Defrost & Use)

Are you in need of a quick, easy solution to preserve fresh tomatoes? Well, freezing whole tomatoes is arguably the most simple way – ever!  Throughout the summer garden season, we put up more than our fair share of preserved tomatoes by making simple roasted tomato sauce and dehydrated ‘sun-dried’ tomatoes. However, when the time comes to yank dwindling tomato plants and replace them with cool season crops at the end of summer, we are usually far too busy and worn out to process any more tomatoes. That’s when freezing tomatoes has become a lifesaver – no tomatoes go to waste, and we can simply deal with them later!

Read along to learn how to freeze fresh whole tomatoes. No peeling, no blanching, no de-seeding required! The process is incredibly straightforward, though I have a few tips to share to make it go as smoothly as possible. When you’re too busy (or too hot!) to spend hours over the stove making sauce or canning tomatoes, just pop that bumper crop in the freezer instead! They’ll be there – ready and waiting for when you have the time or need for them. 

Even if you don’t have a huge garden, or even a garden at all, this is an excellent way to stock up on fresh seasonal produce – and reduce waste!

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What can you use frozen tomatoes for?

I’ll be honest: once you freeze tomatoes, you probably will not want to use them on your future sandwiches or salads. After freezing and defrosting, the texture changes in a way that makes them less-than-ideal to eat raw. However, frozen tomatoes are excellent to use in soup, stew, sauce, chili, or for canning later. If you think about it, canning your summer tomatoes during the slower cold days of winter is a great way to stay connected with the garden during the off season!

SUPPLIES NEEDED

• Fresh tomatoes –  Choose tomatoes that you won’t mind turning into sauce or otherwise processing later. We save the most prime and juicy tomatoes for fresh eating, and freeze our paste and Roma-type tomatoes. Ripe (but not overripe) tomatoes are the best for freezing.
  
• A baking sheet or other flat rack that can fit in the freezer.
  
• Freezer bags – such as reusable silicone food storage bags, freezer-duty ziplock bags, or vacuum seal bags.

DIRECTIONS

Prep Tomatoes

Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems. If you’re freezing a tomato variety that has a large firm center core (as some big beefy heirloom varieties do), use a small paring knife to cut the core out now. 

Allow the tomatoes to fully air dry, or pat them dry with a clean lint-free towel.

Pre-Freeze Tomatoes

Once dry, spread the tomatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet (or two) that will fit in your freezer. The goal is for them to touch one another as little as possible, so don’t pack the tray totally full. (They will roll around when you move the tray into the freezer, so don’t fuss with it too much now. Re-situate them once the tray is in the freezer.)

Freezing tomatoes individually like this first prevents them from clumping and sticking together once they’re transferred to their final storage container or bag. Then, you can easily pull out just a few frozen tomatoes at a later time as needed. 

Now, freeze the tomatoes until they’re frozen solid. This may take several hours. I often leave them overnight.

Bag & Final Freeze

Collect and transfer the frozen tomatoes into their long-term storage container. Any freezer-friendly and fairly air-tight container will do. We love to store our frozen tomatoes in large reusable silicone food storage bags, though freezer ziplock bags work as well. Or, use a vacuum sealer if you have one! The less air inside the container, the less likely they are to develop freezer burn.

Work as quickly as possible to move the tomatoes from the trays to bags – we don’t want them to defrost at all in the process! Finally, place them back in the freezer for long-term storage. Frozen tomatoes will stay good in the freezer for up to a year, but will be the best quality if used within 6 months. 

Defrosting & Using Frozen Tomatoes

When it comes time to use your frozen tomatoes, there are a ton of options! Essentially, you can use them in any recipe that calls for cooking tomatoes, or in place of canned tomatoes. You may not need to defrost them first. Just toss the frozen tomatoes in the soup or sauce you’re making – whole or even grated, depending on the recipe and called-for process. 

To defrost frozen tomatoes, either allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge, at room temperature for about an hour, or under warm water.

One of the best things about frozen tomatoes is how easy they are to peel! Once they’re defrosted, the skins should slip right off. If they don’t, make a small slit in the skin with a knife to help ease them off. We typically leave tomato skins on when we make roasted tomato sauce or blended soups – they have a ton of nutrients and flavor! Yet if you do peel your tomatoes, you can also save the skins to dehydrate and create tomato powder. 

See? I told you freezing tomatoes was crazy simple!

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! Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this article. Enjoy your tomatoes, and thanks for tuning in!

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