The Best Way to Freeze Whole Tomatoes
The best way freeze fresh whole tomatoes - no cutting, peeling, or blanching required! This is the perfect quick and easy way to preserve tomatoes from the garden, and save up to make sauce, soup, or use in other recipes later. Tips on how to defrost, peel and use frozen tomatoes included.
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.
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