How to preserve tomatoes without cooking, canning or bottling them, here are 3 easy methods for freezing them for use all year long! Methods for whole tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and diced tomatoes.
If there is one thing I can never grow enough of in my summer garden, it is tomatoes. There is nothing that tastes more like summer to me than a fresh tomato on a piece of sourdough bread. But what I really love about tomatoes is that they are such a versatile ingredient - particularly if you love to preserve like I do!
They are something we use year round in so many meals, so once I've finished making all the salsa, pasta sauce and tomato jam that I can manage, I always love freezing some tomatoes to use year round.
As much as I love bottling fruit and vegetables, freezing is just SO easy! And if you have the freezer space, it makes a lot of sense.
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Which method is best?
I have 3 methods that I use to successfully freeze my tomatoes and which one I use comes down to how much time I have on the day, or how much I can be bothered doing! It also depends on how I plan to use the tomatoes after they have been frozen.
Method 1: Peeling and chopping tomatoes before freezing
This is the most time consuming method, however it does give you the best results, particularly if you want to use these tomatoes in place of tinned tomatoes or as an easier option than water bath preserving diced tomatoes. This is a great option if your tomatoes have skins that are quite blemished.
Method 2: Chopping tomatoes before freezing
If I don't have the time to peel my tomatoes (or simply can't be bothered) I just chop and freeze my tomatoes without peeling. There have not been any times that I've been annoyed by the skins left on the tomatoes, so this is a super quick way to deal with a lot of tomatoes in one go.
Method 3: Freezing tomatoes whole
This is the method I use for cherry tomatoes or if I am planning to make a batch of sauce down the track and don't have time to deal with them right then and there. The bonus of freezing tomatoes whole is that once they thaw, the skins will slip right off which is great if your recipe requires peeled tomatoes!
Ingredients needed:
The beauty of freezing tomatoes is that you don't need anything else - just tomatoes!
While canning tomatoes requires citric acid or lemon juice to help acidify the tomatoes to keep them safe, freezing tomatoes just as they are is perfectly safe.
How to freeze tomatoes:
Method 1: Peeling and chopping tomatoes before freezing
Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt.
Step 2: Peel tomatoes - there are 2 ways you can peel your tomatoes - I find grilling the tomatoes to be much quicker, easier and less fussy - you can do a lot more in one go!
Grill (my preferred method) - line a large rimmed oven tray with baking paper or a silicone liner. Slice the tomatoes in half and place skin side up on the tray. Place under the pre heated grill (as hot as it can go) for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Once the skins start to blister, remove the tray from the oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and discard.
Blanch and peel - Bring a large pot of water to the boil and fill the clean sink with cold water and ice. Score a cross in the bottom of the tomatoes and place several in the boiling water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the skins start to peel back. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins - they should slip right off.
OPTIONAL STEP
If you have extra time, you can add the peeled tomatoes into a pot and cook them down on the stove for 30 minutes. This gives the tomatoes a really great, concentrated flavour. I also love adding herbs and spices (such as my Homemade Burrito Spice Mix) at this stage to make an instant meal very quick by just adding the tomatoes to cooked mince or chicken or pouring over enchiladas.
Step 3: Roughly chop tomatoes and weigh into snap lock freezer bags or freezer proof containers in any quantity you prefer - I usually do 400 grams as that is the equivalent of a tin of chopped tomatoes. If I am using a snap lock bag I like to fill it with tomatoes, squeeze out any excess air and then spread the tomatoes flat to fill the bag so that it freezes flat. This makes them easier to stack in the freezer and they also thaw out much faster.
Step 4: Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes and freeze.
Method 2: Chopping tomatoes before freezing
Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt. I don't usually bother doing this with cherry tomatoes.
Step 2: Roughly chop tomatoes and weigh into snaplock freezer bags or freezer proof containers in any quantity you prefer - I usually do 400 grams as that is the equivalent of a tin of chopped tomatoes. If I am using a snap lock bag I like to fill with tomatoes, squeeze out any excess air and then spread the tomatoes flat to fill the bag so that it freezes flat. This makes them easier to stack in the freezer and they also thaw out much faster.
Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes.
IMAGE OF CHOPPED TOMATOES ON BOARD
Method 3: Freezing tomatoes whole
Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt.
Step 2: Pack tomatoes directly into snap lock freezer bags and freeze. The tomatoes will not stick together so will naturally freeze free flow (individually) making it easy to remove as many as you need.
Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes..
Freezing tomatoes - FAQs:
Frozen tomatoes will easily keep well in the freezer for the whole year - just in time for the next harvest!
No you don't. While canning or bottling tomatoes require citric acid or lemon juice to acidify the tomatoes to be able to water bath preserve them safely, frozen tomatoes do not require this.
Yes! You sure can - if you know what recipe you are going to make, prepare the tomatoes according to the recipe before freezing, otherwise just freeze them whole and then thaw them out and go from there when you are ready to make your recipe!
Absolutely! the wonderful thing about freezing is that you can add anything else you like! I love cooking down my tomatoes slightly and adding Italian or Mexican seasoning to the tomatoes which makes meal time so quick and easy!
Other ways to preserve tomatoes:
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How to Freeze Tomatoes - 3 methods
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
Instructions
Method 1: Peeling and chopping tomatoes before freezing
- Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt.Step 2: Peel tomatoes - there are 2 ways you can peel your tomatoes - I find grilling the tomatoes to be much quicker, easier and less fussy - you can do a lot more in one go!Grill (my preferred method) - line a large rimmed oven tray with baking paper or a silicone liner. Slice the tomatoes in half and place skin side up on the tray. Place under the pre heated grill (as hot as it can go) for a few minutes, keeping a close eye on them. Once the skins start to blister, remove the tray from the oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and discard.Blanch and peel - Bring a large pot of water to the boil and fill the clean sink with cold water and ice. Score a cross in the bottom of the tomatoes and place several in the boiling water for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the skins start to peel back. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tomatoes to the ice water and once they are cool enough to handle, remove the skins - they should slip right off.Step 3: Roughly chop tomatoes and weigh into snap lock freezer bags or freezer proof containers in any quantity you prefer - I usually do 400 grams as that is the equivalent of a tin of chopped tomatoes. If I am using a snap lock bag I like to fill with tomatoes, squeeze out any excess air and then spread the tomatoes flat to fill the bag so that it freezes flat. This makes them easier to stack in the freezer and they also thaw out much faster.Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes and freeze.
Method 2: Chopping tomatoes before freezing
- Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt.Step 2: Roughly chop tomatoes and weigh into snaplock freezer bags or freezer proof containers in any quantity you prefer - I usually do 400 grams as that is the equivalent of a tin of chopped tomatoes. If I am using a snap lock bag I like to fill with tomatoes, squeeze out any excess air and then spread the tomatoes flat to fill the bag so that it freezes flat. This makes them easier to stack in the freezer and they also thaw out much faster.Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes.
Method 3: Freezing tomatoes whole
- Step 1: Wash tomatoes and remove stalks- fill a clean sink or bowl with water and give the tomatoes a quick wash to remove any bugs, leaves or dirt.Step 2: Pack tomatoes directly into snap lock freezer bags and freeze. The tomatoes will not stick together so will naturally freeze free flow (individually) making it easy to remove as many as you need.Label the bag or container with the contents, date and weight of tomatoes.
If you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below!
Irene DLH says
Tried for the 1st time grilling the toms as I usually always blanch to remove the skins. Sorry, but it really was a NoNo. So many lovely joices came out of the toms because they had been cut, will be staying with the "Old School' of blanching to remove the skins prior to freezing. Just another note, you'll need to make sure they are all the same size before grilling, else slightly smaller toms will just cook and turn to mush.
Laura says
It really does depend on the variety of tomato, some are really juicy and do lose a lot of juice during this process but your roma tomatoes and similar don't seem to!
Dennese says
The grilling really made removing the peel so easy. I put the under the broiler until they started to shrivel, when slightly cooled the tomatoes slid right out of the peel. I put them in freezer bags and popped them into the freezer.
This was my first time growing, picking, processing and freezing...so easy!