Freezing Tomatoes Whole the Simple Way
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases through our affiliate link. For more information read our Entire Affiliate Disclosure.
Freezing tomatoes whole requires very little effort. No blanching or peeling required! After a year in my freezer, my frozen whole tomatoes have great flavor. They are So easy to use. Learn how it’s done!
Our tomatoes are ripening daily and giving us amazing garden fresh flavor and nutrients. My counters are filling up with bowls of these gorgeous vine ripened tomatoes.
If you have a load of perfectly ripe tomatoes what do you do with them?
I have water bath canned them plain and as salsa. Juiced them. Dried them. And, in the past, blanched, peeled and frozen them.
Today I will share how to freeze whole tomatoes the EASY way.
At the end of this post you will find the links to some of our contributors posts on the Fall garden theme. Be sure to click on them all and have a good morning garden read. What could be better than that?
UPDATE: After several years of using this simple method of preserving tomatoes I am still a fan. It’s so easy to get them in the freezer and I LOVE just dumping them out of the ziplock freezer bags frozen solid and adding them to soups and other recipes.
Dave keeps the garden in pretty good shape most of the year so his Fall Garden chores are rather simple anymore. We wind the garden down after our summer harvest.
Since our summers are trending warm, dry and sunny, the Tomatoes are very happy. And since Dave (our tomato gardener) planted Borage in with the tomato vines… HOLY COW. Borage is a Bee’s Dream plant. Borage draws them in and keeps them working on our tomatoes too. Nasturtiums are also good bee magnets for tomato plants.
Honey bees, mason bees and even bumble bees are ALL over those tomato flowers making us TONS of beautiful juicy flavorful tomatoes that will produce fruit clear to the first frost.
Dave’s tomato plants grow in his greenhouse and the vegetable garden. In our milder winters the greenhouse will keep us in tomatoes to Thanksgiving. Tomatoes grow well in both locations in our temperate climate. When we get full sun. That is iffy some years.
Tomato preserving is my department. Salsa, dried tomatoes, Tomato sauce and soups are all great ways to use them up.
But sometimes there are just too many of these gorgeous fruits. That’s where the ziplock bag and indelible ink pen come in. NOTE: If you have a vacuum packer use that. Just follow the tomato freezing preparation guide in our recipe card.
I like the ease of throwing my tomatoes in a Ziplock bag and sucking out the air. Also they are easy to reseal if I just want a few tomatoes out of the freezer. I reseal the bag with minimal air in it and put it back in the freezer. Easy Peasy.
How I Learned to Freeze Tomatoes Whole: The Story:
Several years ago, on a lovely Fall day, my mom came over and took a look at the MASSES of tomatoes in boxes all over my counters. My food dehydrator was loaded to the top with lovely drying tomatoes. It was not keeping up with them!
I looked her in the eye and said. “More come in from the greenhouse every day!” The dear woman immediately offered me her food dehydrator and a tip.
“Why don’t you freeze them?” She asked. “Well, it’s over 90 in my kitchen and I hate blanching and peeling tomatoes,” I replied.
She told me her friend Marge, an excellent longtime gardener and harvest preserver, just froze her tomatoes whole. No blanching. NO peeling!
I was stunned….and suspicious. How long will they hold without freezer burn? All year… she said. Hmmm.
I waited the ENTIRE year before I shared this method of freezing whole tomatoes with you. I wanted to be sure I had the method correct (it just seemed too easy) and that it would work. It DID.
The flavor is fine. The tomatoes are perfect. I have used my frozen tomatoes in several soup and crock pot recipes. I made German Borscht with them the other day. What a fabulous tomato base.
Why have I never known this???? Whoever is keeping the secret just got outed. Thanks, Marge!
Freezing Tomatoes Whole-NO Blanching or Peeling:
I put all the instructions in the printable recipe card for you at the bottom of this post.
Note: The variety of tomato you freeze matters.
- Slicing and beefsteak tomatoes are full of juice and break down when defrosted. This makes them great for recipes needing stewed tomatoes. Use these for soups stews and casseroles. They will not hold their shape very well once defrosted and you can’t slice them. They tend to disintegrate.
- Roma and other paste type tomatoes freeze well and will hold their shape. They can be sliced once defrosted. These tomatoes can be used for cold pasta salads and other dishes that require more tomato substance.
One more thing…
If you are completely swamped with garden tomatoes and your season is done. You can freeze tomatoes at any stage of ripeness. I have frozen them green.
I mix the green ones into my soups and sauces with the ripe ones and the y work out fine. If you have green tomato recipes try this and see if it works for you.
Finally you can cheat this method. You can freeze tomatoes with the stems on straight of the garden unwashed. IF you are not planning to use them straight out of the bag once defrosted.
I have done this. As you run the warm water over the frozen tomatoes stem and peel them. They are perfect and ready to use in your recipe.
Using your frozen whole tomatoes:
As you see in the printable recipe method, I just pull them out of the bag and put them whole into soups and stews, Like canned tomatoes.
Here is what happens when you do that:
- The tomato skins fall off the tomato when they cook down. So you need to fish the skins out of the pot if that concerns you.
- OR run the whole frozen tomatoes under warm water before adding them to your recipe. The skins will slip off and peel off easily.
- The whole tomatoes taste EXACTLY like whole canned tomatoes and make an excellent tomato base for soups or crockpot recipes like this Chicken Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe below.
Let me know in the comments section how you use them. I’m so curious!
This method of freezing whole tomatoes is incredibly simple.
Here is the printable recipe card for you.
Freezing Tomatoes Whole the Simple Way
This is the EASIEST method for freezing whole fresh tomatoes. They hold well in the freezer up to 6 months if properly prepared with no freezer burn.
Ingredients
- 12 tomatoes/ gallon bag OR As many surplus tomatoes as your freezer will store
Instructions
For small freezer spaces:
- Prepare your perfectly ripe, blemish free whole tomatoes by simply destemming, washing and patting them dry.
- You will need a large freezer space for the baking sheet. If you don't have a large freezer with space, you could use your refrigerator freezer in a pinch using this method.
- Lay the tomatoes on a piece of level heavy cardboard with space in between.
- When they are completely frozen; Bag them in labeled freezer bags.
- If you're not able to lay the perfectly dried tomatoes flat Just bag them loosely and freeze them that way. Next day suck the air out of the bag as much as possible. This is NOT ideal. The tomatoes may stick together and get misshapen. But the food quality should be fine.
The Preferred freezing Method with a chest, or large freezer.
- Place perfectly ripe, blemish free, de-stemmed, washed and dried tomatoes on a large baking sheet. NOT touching each other. You can core the tomatoes if you desire but it is not necessary.
- Place the baking sheet in your chest freezer flat and level.
- After the tomatoes are frozen hard several hours later; Bag them in heavy duty zip lock freezer bags.
- Push or suck out as much air as possible. Use a paper straw if necessary)
- Label the bags with the current date.
- Store in the freezer for up to one year.
- To use the tomatoes, simply pull out as many as you need at a time and thaw them or put them frozen into your soup pot or crock pot. Use frozen whole tomatoes just like canned whole tomatoes in your recipes.
DEFROSTING:
- Take the frozen tomatoes out of the freezer bag as you need them. (Reseal the bag with minimal air and stick it back in the freezer.)
- Put the frozen tomatoes either directly into your soups and stews or other whole tomato recipes skins on.
- OR put the frozen tomatoes under running warm water. The skins will release and split. Slip off the skins and use as you wish. (see video)
Notes
This method of freezing tomatoes DOES take a lot of room in your freezer. I find it worth it but you will need a roomy chest or upright freezer with a large capacity for large amounts of tomatoes.
Note: The variety of tomato you freeze matters.
- Slicing and beefsteak tomatoes are full of juice and break down when defrosted. This makes them great for recipes needing stewed tomatoes. Use these for soups stews and casseroles. They will not hold their shape very well once defrosted and you can't slice them. They tend to disintegrate.
- Roma and other paste type tomatoes freeze well and will hold their shape. They can be sliced once defrosted. These tomatoes can be used for cold pasta salads and other dishes that require more tomato substance.
One more thing...
If you are completely swamped with garden tomatoes and your season is done. You can freeze tomatoes at any stage of ripeness. I have frozen them green. I mix the green ones into my soups and sauces with the ripe ones and they work out fine. If you have green tomato recipes try this and see if it works for you.
Finally you can cheat this method. You can freeze tomatoes with the stems on straight out of the garden unwashed. IF you are not planning to use them straight out of the bag once defrosted. I have done this. As you run the warm water over the frozen tomatoes, stem and peel them. They are perfect and ready to use in your recipe.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 62Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 17mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 4gSugar 9gProtein 3g
Ways to Use Frozen Tomatoes
Frozen tomatoes are a great substitute for canned tomatoes. You can drop them straight into the pot — the skins slip off easily as they thaw and cook.
Try them in:
Soups:
Stews & Chili:
Skillet Dinners (when you’re out of fresh tomatoes):
Thaw a frozen tomato, chop or crush it, and stir it into skillet meals or quick pan sauces for instant tomato flavor.
Tip: If you don’t want extra liquid, thaw tomatoes in a bowl and pour off some juice before adding to sauces.
More garden & food preservation guides
- Garden & Greenhouse hub:
- Freeze Drying category
- freezing Corn on the Cob
- Freezing Peppers-How To Roast Peppers For the Freezer
- Freezing Zucchini
- Freezing Blueberries
- Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes
PIN IT:
Tuesday Garden Blog Hop
At what point is the fleshy tissue removed? Before or after freezing.
Hi Krad, After freezing.
I am curious what would happen if you wrapped the tomato in a paper towel and then freeze it . Would it take away from the tomato? What is your opinion .
Hi Elizabeth, Using only paper towels to freeze tomatoes will not work well in my opinion. The tomatoes will not be protected from the freezing air in your freezer or dirt for that matter. The result will be freezer burned tomatoes rolling around in the bottom of your freezer.
If your wanting to avoid single use plastic freezer bags I found this page of options for you on amazon. I would love to find a good reliable biodegradable plastic freezer bag. If you have one you love please let me know. All the best!
@Diane, Hi Diane, I wash my ziplock bags and reuse them over and over again! I wash with soapy water, rinse well and air dry them inside out first, then turn them through then air dry the ziplock bags again the right way round. I’ve found them absolutely great in the freezer. I tend to use my orchid plant sticks to ‘hang’ the bags on (they do look like schooners/sailboats in full sail when placed in the orchid plant – but it works fine for me!).
Hi Jane, How wonderful of you to share your experience with us! I love the tips about reusing the plastic bags. And the orchid plant sticks, Genius!
Thank you Thank You Thank You
For this I’ve being looking for a way to freeze tomatoes for the last two years. It’s just a waste here other people take them and I never get any to keep for winter. I so happy I found this website.
Hi Isabel, Welcome to Homemade Food Junkie. 🙂 I also remember how excited I was to find this method. I will always be grateful to my moms friend Marge for sharing this simple method of freezing tomatoes. It’s not only simple. The tomatoes last well in the freezer. Happy Gardening!
Thank you for these tips! So much easier than peeling and processing. 🙂 Can you tell me what the recipe is that you have the image of below the line “The whole tomatoes taste EXACTLY like whole canned tomatoes and make an excellent tomato base for soups or crockpot recipes like the one below.”? It looks so yummy, but there is no link. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, I think it is this recipe. Slow Cooker Chicken Stuffed Pepper Soup. I make soups all the time like this and add in different things depending on what’s in my cupboards.These frozen tomatoes are so handy for recipe like this. Thanks for asking. I’ll link it in the post for you.
FYI, although it’s always great to attract bees to any garden for pollination of plants such as squash, melons, cucumbers, etc., tomatoes are self-pollinators. They aren’t pollinated by bees. But I might plant some borage around my cucurbits next year since you mentioned it!
Hi MW, Thanks for the info. We have noticed a lot more pollination in the garden of many of our crops with borage and other flowers in with the vegetables. We will keep the borage but it does tend to go wild. So a bit of a cautionary tale for you. Thanks for adding your gardening expertise in here. Happy Gardening!
Tomatoes are both pollinated by bees and self pollinating.
Can you use a food saver vacum sealer ? Or will it mash the tomatoes ?
Hi Linda, I believe a vacuum sealer will be ok for the firmer fleshed paste tomatoes like Romas. I have not used a vacuum sealer for this process so I’m guessing here. One thing you can do is vacuum seal AFTER freezing the tomatoes on the baking sheet. That should work great.
As you know the juicier tomatoes are especially delicate. Freezing before vacuum packing is definitely recommended for them.
Otherwise you can blanch and peel the tomatoes and vacuum pack them as more of a stewed form. Hope this helps. All the best.
First time we’ve grown Romas and we were overrun with tomatoes. Rinsed and froze them whole (didn’t bother with the baking sheet; just made sure the tomatoes (and bags) were completely dry before freezing. They thawed perfectly, peeled oh so easily and sliced up as if they were fresh from the garden. Romas are IDEALLY suited for this method. Freezing worked well for our Heirlooms, too, but the tomatoes do get a bit mushy and can’t be neatly sliced as you noted.
Hi John, Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this process. I am so happy to hear it worked well for you. Happy Gardening!
Once I get a large amount of tomatoes can I skin them, thaw them and then can them?
Hi Faythe, Yes you can. As long as the tomatoes do NOT FREEZE ON THE VINE. According to this article that will change the acidity and ruin the tomatoes for canning. The article has lots of info for you.
Thank you, thank you! I’ve never frozen my tomatoes because it just sounded too hot to go to the trouble of blanching and peeling them in the hottest part of the summer. I can’t wait into my tomatoes get ripe so I can try this out. They are being so slow this summer!
Hi JA, Our tomatoes are not ripe yet either. Very slow this year. But this is certainly how I will freeze mine. So simple and no blanching involved. I have frozen all my extra tomatoes this way for years now. love this easy method. Have a great weekend!
I love your page and here is a tip to get the air out of the ziploc bags when freezing anything. Use a tall stockpot or bowl filled with water. Partially seal the bag with just a tiny opening in the top. Submerge the bag as much as possible without allowing water to get in the bag and complete the seal. The water pressure pushes out almost all of the air. I do this with anything I put in freezer bags.
Hi Anita, What a GREAT tip!. Thanks so much for sharing. I will be doing that from now on. Have a fantastic day.:)
I have a question, wouldn’t it be better to use the vacuum sealed bags instead of ziploc freezer bags?
Hi Paula! If you have vacuum sealed bags they would be the best! ziplock freezer bags will work just fine, but you just need to be sure and get all the air out that you can.
can you use this on a tomato that has blemishes or is a little too ripe
Hi Shaye, Blemishes that get below the tomato skin are not a good idea. Cut the blemishes the are under the tomato out so they don’t spoil the batch once the tomatoes are defrosted. If the tomatoes are in good shape but very ripe that is ok. If you want to eat them you can freeze them. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing this post with us!!!
I never knew you could freeze tomatoes. At this point I am fed up with canning, maybe I will freeze the rest. One question – , would these frozen tomatoes be suitable for salsa?
Hi Sophia, If you have the freezer space this is the BEST way to put up tomatoes in my opinion. So easy and they hold really well. You can make salsa with these tomatoes if you are making a cooked one. The structure of the frozen tomatoes will break down when they are thawed. I love using them for soups stews and chili, sauces or casseroles. just run them under hot water when you pull them out of the freezer and the skins will come right off. I will be forever grateful to my Mom’s friend for passing on this method. I use it every summer. All the best!
Thank you very much!
Have a nice day:))))
Sophia recently posted https://allneedoff.com/plant-watering-system/
Me, too! This is my preferred way of making thicker sauces without having to cook them down as long – just drain the clear juices from the bags and proceed. I’ll even freeze tomatoes for a few days, just to save the time thickening the sauce, ha!
@Jami, if the clear juices aren’t crystallized ice but tomato water you can add them to homemade Bloody Mary mix. Your friends will appreciate it for pregame cocktails before kickoff. You can also add it to store bought cherry tomatoes, basil, bacon, grilled shrimp and cornbread croutons for a great lunch in the winter that reminds you of summer. I think cherry tomatoes are the best store bought variety.
This is the method I use to freeze my tomatoes. So simple and easy. We like peeled tomatoes for soups and stews. I love that once they are thawed slightly the skins slip right off. Now if only my tomatoes for this year would hurry up and ripen.
Yes! I love this freezing method
I love this idea, Diane. I don’t have a tomato crop of my own but I know I can get a huge bucket from the Farmer’s Market. Can’t wait to try this. Thanks!
I have been doing this for a couple of years. I love it. I do can some when time allows. This is just so easy. Wonderful in spaghetti sauce and chili. Will never throw tomatoes again.
Hi Pamela, Same here. This method is a lifesaver for me. It does take a lot of freezer space but it’s so easy to use the frozen tomatoes too. A good trade off for us. Thanks for stopping by!
Well I haven’t heard anything about someone taking them out of the freezer, letting them thaw then just slicing it to put on sandwiches. What do you say about that
Hi Teresa, I tried your idea out. There is no structure left in the thawed tomatoes. The thawed tomato is only suitable for cooked tomato recipes or adding to juices. you might be able to cut them into chunks for a pasta salad though. Thanks for adding to our conversation!
I’ve been reading about this and with my garden turning out an abundance of juicy tomatoes this year I’m going to try it out….all my work will pay off this winter…
Hi Paula, It’s so wonderful to pull those tomatoes out in deep winter. Try drying some for home dried tomatoes too. So yummy!
I have done this with my surplus of tomatoes. You can take them from the freezer and run them under cold water to remove the skin. It will slip right off. That way, no fishing them out of your finished meal.
Hi Linda, What a great tip! Thanks so much for commenting. I will do this from now on. Have a great day!
Exactly the way I’ve been doing this for the last couple of years.
Why? Because I was lazy and decided to try it. Lucky me.
You’ll never no back to all that work
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! My tomato plants are absolutely dripping with ripe fruit and with my wedding in one week I don’t have the time to actually take care of them. I’ll start the freezing process tomorrow. You’ve save my crop (and a chunk of my sanity too!)
YAY! I’m delighted. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and Congratulations on your wedding 🙂
@Diane, we have frozen our tomatoes like you do for a few years and we discovered a new trick for using the frozen tomatoes. We use an immersion blender to whiz up the partially thawed tomatoes..sometimes adding a few small onions. The result is instant fresh tomato sauce to heat in a saucepan. It is so much fresher tasting than tomatoes that are cooked to thicken the sauce.
Hi Ann, This is genius! I’m definitely going to try this. Thanks so much for sharing. Our tomatoes are just coming ripe. Every year we are amazed at the intense delicious flavor of homegrown tomatoes. I’ll be freezing them whole soon. Happy Gardening!