Freezing Raw Tomatoes: How to Make a Good Thing Last
By Michelle Fabio
For many of us, the end of summer means the end of beloved fresh tomatoes, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
You can easily freeze tomatoes for enjoyment throughout the colder months.
You may have heard that foods with a high water content, like tomatoes, aren’t ideal for freezing, and that’s true; once tomatoes are defrosted, they’re quite mushy so you won’t be using them in salads.
But defrosted frozen tomatoes are great in soups, sauces, stews, and salsas, and below are two ways to freeze and store them.
Keep in mind that you should always start with firm, ripe, deep red tomatoes and always wash them and cut away the stem scars and any imperfections before beginning.
- Freezing tomatoes with skins on.
Simply place the clean, groomed tomatoes on cookie sheets and then in the freezer. When the tomatoes are frozen, transfer them to plastic freezer bags or other freezer-safe containers. When you’re ready to use them, take out as many as you’ll need and simply run them under warm water; the skins should come off easily.
- Freezing tomatoes with skins off.
In this method, you’ll need to blanch the tomatoes, i.e., dip them into boiling water for about thirty seconds to a minute until the skins split. You should then drop them into cold water, core, and peel them. From here you can cut the tomatoes into chunks or freeze whole in freezer bags or other container, being sure to leave about an inch of room at the top.
Remember that tomatoes will stay best frozen at temperatures of 0°F or below, and are best if used within eight months after freezing.
Now your winter already looks better, doesn’t it?
August 14th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Ohhh I just found this blog and I am so happy to learn I can freeze tomatoes!!
I did not think this was OK to do… I will certainly be freezing my home grown tomatoes this year - instead of giving them all away!!
Thanks,
Ellie
August 21st, 2007 at 7:29 am
Ellie, glad you found us! I hope you’ve seen the newest post on freezing about juice and stewed tomatoes
December 30th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
This works great! Froze mine with the skins on (had about 80 lbs from the summer), I just go into the freezer, get a bunch and make a quick tomato sauce. Plunge blenders make it nice and quick, too!
December 30th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
Glad to hear it Andrew! Thanks for letting us know
August 10th, 2008 at 12:00 am
To freeze tomatoes, can I use a vaccuming food saver?
August 10th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Hi Pamela, I’ve never heard of that, but I don’t see why you couldn’t do it so long as you follow the instructions above before vacuum-saving. Let us know how it turns out!
August 23rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
It sounds like freezing all of our excess tomatoes is our best option, as we love to make homemade salsa. When making the salsa, my husband, the house “chef” actually grates the tomatoes into a chunky, saucy blend. Would it be best to go ahead and do that before freezing? Since they turn “mushy” with freezing, I’m not sure how easy it might be to grate them after freezing. Thanks, in advance, for any help!
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 am
Sounds like an experiment to try to me, tlc! I would suggest freezing some whole and also freezing some grated just to see which you prefer–the answer might surprise you
And please report back!
September 14th, 2008 at 12:27 am
[...] are plenty of ideas for what to do with your crop here on Tomato Casual from freezing to canning to homemade tomato juice, but have you thought about tomato [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
[...] was possible to freeze whole tomatoes raw, skins and all. I found what I wanted at a website called Tomato Casual. The instructions are brief, because the process is so [...]
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August 26th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
This year is very odd, I make tomato juice and this year I cant get enough tomatos at one time So is it okay to juice the tomayos and freeze the juice until I have enough to make a decent batch of juice.