Easy Way to Freeze Whole Tomatoes (no peeling) 

Are you feeling overrun with fresh garden tomatoes? Here's a great way to quickly preserve tomatoes for later use in the kitchen!

When I first started preserving tomatoes, I always canned them. Tomato sauce, whole tomatoes, sliced tomatoes, tomato salsa...canning was all I did. 

Growing a large garden every year, the fall months always felt very busy. Here in my northern climate, tomato season begins just as the cucumbers, green beans, corn, apples, plums and nearly everything else comes ready! 

No matter how much food I preserved, there were always a bunch of tomatoes that needed to be dealt with. So I would push myself to get it all done and fall exhausted at the end of the preserving year!

Until recently, that is.

Just a few years ago, I decided to try freezing tomatoes. 

I hit a point where I simply didn't have the time or energy to deal with summer tomatoes. I hate food waste (especially when I've worked to grow that food!) and we had the freezer space.

So I decided to try freezing whole tomatoes and making sauce with them later in the year. 

Turns out, it was the easiest way to deal with an over abundance of tomatoes! 

Best Variety of Tomato for Freezing

You can freeze any kind of tomato for making sauce later in the winter months. Typically, home cooks like to use paste or plum tomatoes for their homemade tomato sauce. These types have lower water content and make a thicker end product. 

But if you're a home gardener, you probably have a few different varieties of tomatoes you need to preserve in some way. As far as I know, they all freeze well. 

Here's a list of commonly grown tomato types you can put up in the freezer. 

• Beefsteak 
• Cherry tomatoes
• Grape tomatoes
• Roma tomatoes
• Pear tomatoes
• Sweet tomatoes

Where to Find Fresh Tomatoes

If you've never tried growing your own tomatoes, I'm here to encourage you to give it a try, even if you just start with a few tomato plants! They're very easy to care for and unlike some vegetables, quickly outgrow the weeds. 

Otherwise, I would recommend buying in-season tomatoes for freezing, so they're cheap and fresh. You can get them at fruit stands, farmer's markets or sometimes at a grocery store that carries local food. 

How to Prepare Fresh Tomatoes for Freezing

Helpful Tips for Preparing Homegrown Tomatoes

If you're a gardener, you know the drill. 

1. Harvest ripe tomatoes into a large bowl or pail. 
2. Keep larger tomatoes away from smaller varieties, so small ones don't get squished during the harvest process.
3. Leave green tomatoes behind, so they can continue to ripen on the vine (unless a frost is coming, of course!). 
4. Bring the tomato harvest indoors and give fruits a quick rinse under cool running water. 
5. Remove the green stem top of the tomato, and your fruit is ready for freezing. 

Helpful Tips When Buying from a Farmer's Market or Fruit Stand

1. When buying a lot of tomatoes, call your local grower and put in a personal order for yourself, so you only have to buy once.
2. Just need a box or two? You should be able to get that without a pre-order. 
3. Tomatoes may be slightly underripe, so you may want to store them at room temperature for a week or two, until they deepen in color. 
4. When ready to freeze, remove green stems and caps. 

Items You Need to Freeze Whole Tomatoes

Some folks will tell you that you need to blanch and peel raw tomatoes before freezing, and will need a large pot, a slotted spoon, ice water and several hours to get the job done! 

But this just isn't so. You can freeze whole fresh tomatoes without any of that stuff. You just need the following items:

1. Plastic freezer bags (or freezer-safe containers)
2. A freezer

No, I'm not joking. It's really that easy!

I like to use zip lock freezer bags for holding my fresh garden tomatoes. They're heavy and will protect whole tomatoes against freezer burn if I don't get to them in the following few months. 

But if tomatoes will only be in your freezer a month or two? You don't even need to bag them. You can stack them in a cardboard box and freeze them in the open air. No lid required!

Easy Way to Freeze Whole Tomatoes

If you have common sense, you already know what to do! 

1. Make sure the green stems are removed from your fruit. 
2. Rinse dusty fruit under cold running water. 
3. Stuff tomatoes into a bag, until it's full and you can just get it closed. 
4. Lay bags in the freezer on their sides and leave tomatoes until you're ready to turn them into tomato sauce, tomato paste or the like. 
5. Tomatoes will last 8 months or longer in the freezer. 

How to Use Frozen Tomatoes in the Kitchen

There are lots of ways to use frozen tomatoes in your canning and cooking! Here are some tips and ideas for you, so those delicious tomatoes don't just sit in your freezer! 

How to Peel Frozen Tomatoes

If you don't want to deal with tomato skins in your soups and sauces, here's an easy way to get rid of them! You can read my article here: How to Peel Frozen Tomatoes (the easiest way), or follow the basic directions below.

1. Pull frozen tomatoes from the freezer.
2. Let tomatoes thaw for about 30 minutes in a large bowl at room temperature. 
3. Once the fruits begin to defrost, run each one under hot water and the peel will slip off, like it was meant to be!
4. Use as desired in cooking or preserving. 

But you don't have to peel your tomatoes to make sauce. Here's how I make sauce with the peel on (and get a smooth consistency!).

How to Use Whole Frozen Tomatoes for Sauce

Frozen tomatoes go very soft when they thaw out, so you need to keep in mind that they are only good for making sauce, juice or tomato puree for a soup base. 

I show you my favorite way to make homemade tomato sauce with frozen tomatoes RIGHT HERE.

Other Ways to Use Frozen Tomatoes 

1. Add whole tomatoes to soup for additional flavor. 
2. Cook tomatoes and puree them for soup or chili stock. 
3. Turn tomatoes into a delicious tomato sauce (you can refreeze it or can it).
4. Create homemade tomato paste. 
5. Add to homemade salad dressings (like homemade Thousand Island Dressing).

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Commonly Asked Questions

Can I freeze any variety of tomato? 

You bet! Paste tomatoes or plum tomatoes are commonly used for making sauce, tomato soup and soup stock, because they have lower water content and produce a thicker sauce.

But you can freeze and use any type of tomato in your kitchen. 

Does freezing change the texture of tomatoes?

Yes, tomatoes turn very soft after being frozen and thawed. That's why they're only used in tomato sauce, soups and the like. 

Should I remove tomato skins before freezing?

It's best to remove tomato skins after you freeze them. Frozen tomatoes release their skins beautifully as they thaw, and it's a low-hassle way to peel your fruits, if you desire. No dipping, blanching or boiling water required!

Can I dice my tomatoes before I freeze them?

If you want to, you can. But it creates a lot more work! It isn't necessary for making tomato sauce, pasta sauce or tomato juice, so I don't ever bother with pre-slicing my tomatoes. 

Is it safe to use frozen tomatoes in home canning?

Yes, you can make homemade tomato sauce, juice or a soup base and safely preserve it in the canner, just like you would with fresh tomatoes.

Can I use frozen tomatoes to make homemade salsa?

No, the texture of the tomato changes with freezing and turns very soft. You'll want to use fresh tomatoes from the garden or farmer's market for making homemade salsa.