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Thick and juicy, tangy and fresh -homemade tomato puree tastes SO much better than the canned kind from a grocery store. Capture that sun-ripened garden flavor so you can enjoy it throughout the year.
If you grow tomatoes in your garden, you know what it's like during peak tomato season. You often end up with more tomatoes than you can eat fresh.
Making the excess into tomato puree is a great way to use them up and turn them into something really useful for a lot of common recipes. The flavor will be so much better than the canned tomato puree that you get from grocery stores. It's well worth spending your time to make, and will save you money. The flavor is so sweet! Once you taste one you will be spoiled forever - grocery store tomatoes will just taste disappointing.
I'm going to tell you which tomatoes to use for the best flavor, walk you through exactly how to make it (with lots of step by step pictures), and show you the best ways to store it, including the water bath canning method. First let's talk about tomatoes:
Choosing the Right Tomatoes
It's important to use a good paste tomato such as Roma or San Marzano. But I also like to include some heirloom tomatoes from my garden because they have a really sweet and tangy taste that paste tomatoes don't typically have.
A combination of several types of tomatoes will give you the best texture and the most robust flavor.
I'll list some common tomato varieties, and whether it's a good idea to use them for making tomato puree.
- Paste tomatoes (also called plum tomatoes): Roma tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes are the main types that I use for making fresh sauce. They have less water content and fewer seeds than other varieties, so they are perfect for tomato puree.
- Heirloom tomatoes: the best tomatoes in the world! The first time you taste one, sweet and still warm from the sun, you will not settle for anything that comes from the grocery store. Heirlooms do NOT have the genetic mutation that has been developed for grocery store varieties that makes them have a uniform size and color, but at the expense of sweetness (which is why heirlooms are so great). They have too much juice to be made into sauce on their own, but are excellent combined with paste tomato varieties.
- Cherry tomatoes: similar to heirloom in that they are full of juice. Since they are so small and full of juice, it's really not worth including them in your tomato sauce.
- Grape tomatoes: have a meatier texture and lower water content than cherry tomatoes, but with the amazing sweetness of an heirloom. They can be cooked without entirely evaporating, unlike a cherry tomato. If you have a lot of grape tomatoes, why not throw them in the food mill with your other tomatoes? I wouldn't try to make tomato sauce out of just grape tomatoes though.
The Difference Between Tomato Sauce and Tomato Puree
When you see tomato sauce and tomato puree side by side, you can tell there are some definite differences.
- Sauce is thin, with all the skins and seeds removed.
- Puree is made of the whole tomato minus the skin (removing seeds is optional). It is cooked down to achieve a thicker consistency, so it has less water than tomato sauce.
What is Tomato Puree Used For?
You can use homemade garden tomato puree in any recipe that calls for tomato puree. Here's what I typically use mine for:
- I use it in my spaghetti sauce recipe
- It's also in my zucchini lasagna recipe
- It adds a nice richness to recipes like chili, or a good thick stew
How to Prep Tomatoes for Puree
- Rinse tomatoes in water and remove any leaves or stems.
- You will need to peel the skin off the tomatoes to make a good tomato puree.
- You can also go the extra mile and remove the seeds by pushing the tomato pulp through a mesh strainer, but I never do. Why? That sweet, tangy flavor is mostly contained in the juicy gel that surrounds the seeds so I just leave the seeds alone.
How to Peel Tomatoes
Method 1 - Blanching
This is the traditional way that cooks have removed the skins from tomatoes for ages. The only downside is that you can only peel one tomato at a time.
What You'll Need:
- Large pot
- Large bowl with ice and water
- Strainer to grab tomatoes, like this spider strainer
Blanching Step by Step
Step 1. Using a small, sharp knife cut an X in the end of each tomato.
Step 2. Drop in hot boiling water for about a minute until the skin starts to become slippery. You can lift one up and pinch the skin to find out.
Step 3. Drop in a bowl of ice water. This sharp contrast from the heat helps the skins loosen up.
Step 4. Now the tomato skins should slide right off. If some of the peel is still clinging on, use a knife to cut the stubborn pieces off.
Method 2 - Roasting
Roasting is my favorite way to remove skins from tomatoes. You can get a lot of tomatoes going at one time in the oven where they will be out of the way, while you're busy doing something else.
What You'll Need:
- Large baking sheets
- Small knife
Roasting Tomatoes Step by Step
Step 1. Cut tomatoes in half, remove the stem end and the core, if desired.
Step 2. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. No need to grease the pan - the tomatoes will release juice while roasting that will prevent them from sticking.
Step 3. Bake in an oven at 425℉ for 25-30 minutes, or until you see the skins wrinkle.
Step 4. Let cool, then pinch the skins off. A knife can help cut through any skins that seem stuck.
How to Turn Peeled Tomatoes into Puree
Once the peels are removed, it's time to blend the tomatoes up.
What you'll Need:
- Food processor or immersion blender
- Large pot
How it's done:
You can add the peeled tomatoes to a food processor or blender and blend them on high speed. This only takes about a minute.
You could also add the tomatoes to a large pot on the stove and puree the tomatoes using an immersion blender. This takes a little longer, but you'll have less dishes to wash!
Either way, you will need to bring the fresh tomato puree to a boil, reduce the temperature to low heat, and simmer until reduced and thickened. This will take about 1-2 hours. Keep the lid slightly off so the excess liquid can evaporate. I let this batch shown in the picture go for quite a while - closer to 3 hours. It got pretty thick! Just keep an eye on it, and simmer it until the consistency of the puree is just right.
How to Store Tomato Puree
You can save your homemade tomato puree in 3 ways.
Refrigerate: Store in airtight containers in the fridge. Use within 7-10 days.
Freeze: Pour into freezer-safe containers or bags and seal tightly. Store flat in the freezer to save space.
Canning: Tomatoes can be canned very easily. Let me show you how its done! 👇
Why I Love the Water Bath Canning Method
I always use the water bath canning method. It's really easy to do. The jars are shelf stable, so you can grab one to use at a minute's notice. They will store safely for over a year in a cool, dark place like a pantry or basement.
Canning at home might seem intimidating at first, but it's really straightforward and totally easy to do. The only thing hard about it is that it takes time. You should plan on spending a while morning or an afternoon on this project.
I think it is by far the best way to preserve fresh garden tomato puree or sauce for long term storage for several reasons:
- it will save you money since you can reuse your jars for years.
- Canning garden tomatoes is so much more delicious and tangy than the store bought sauce in metal cans.
- No preservatives or additives.
- You don't have to worry about allowing extra time to thaw out sauce (if you kept yours in the freezer). With canning, you just open a jar and it's ready to use.
Disadvantages: the time it takes might seem like a disadvantage, but I find it kind of therapeutic. Put a good movie on, clear off your counters, and just enjoy a good, old-fashioned home project.
Another drawback is that you need space to store canning equipment. If you have room for a big pot, you can keep most of the canning supplies you need inside that pot, which might make that a little easier.
Water Bath Canning Tomato Puree
Canning tomato puree is just as easy as canning tomato sauce. In fact, you can process both types in a water bath at the same time. Which is nice if you just want to make a few jars of each.
Here's what you'll need:
- Jars and rings
- Large pot or water bath canner
- Jar lifter
Water Bath Canning Step by Step
Step 1. Sterilize jars by washing them in hot soapy water. Keep them in the water bath as you heat the water on the stove to a boil.
Step 2. Pour the hot, reduced puree into each jar. A canning funnel makes a neat and tidy job of this step.
Step 3. You will need to add something acidic to each jar. The acid level is very important when water bath canning for food safety. I add ¼ tsp. citric acid to each jar, but some people use a tablespoon of lemon juice.
Step 4. Wipe each jar rim clean, add the lids and screw on the bands. Add each jar to the canner, add water to cover each jar by about 2 inches depth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a low boil for 30 minutes. Set a timer - it's important to be precise.
Step 5. Let them cool on a clean dry towel. As they cool off, you will hear each lid "pop" or "click". When you hear that sound and the lid is completely flat (no bulging on the lid), then you know it is safely sealed and preserved. Label the jars and store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
How to Make Homemade Tomato Puree from Fresh Tomatoes
If you grow tomatoes in your garden, you know what it's like during peak tomato production time. You often end up with more tomatoes than you can eat fresh.
Making the excess into tomato puree is a wonderful way to use them up and turn them into something really useful for a lot of common recipes. The flavor will be so much better than the canned tomato puree that you get from grocery stores. It's well worth your time to make it, and will save you money. The flavor is so sweet!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 7-8 pints 1x
- Category: sauces, dressings, seasonings
- Method: stove top
Ingredients
- tomatoes, about 15-18 pounds
- 2 teaspoons citric acid powder
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes and remove the stems and skins (see step by step guide above for details).
- Ad peeled tomatoes to a blender or food processor and blend on hight speed until smooth.
- Add the tomato puree to a large pot on the stove.
- Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer 1-2 hours until the puree is thickened the way you like it.
- Store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days in airtight containers.
- For long-term storage, freeze in freezer safe bags, or can them using a water bath caner as shown in the blog post.
Equipment
Ball Wide Mouth Pint Glass Mason Jars with Lids and Bands
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Buy Now → Notes
- Be sure and read the blog post to see all the step by step instructions with pictures.
- lemon juice can be sued in place of the citric acid. You will need 1 tablespoons of lemon juice for each pint jar of tomato puree.
- Some tomatoes will be juicier and meatier than others, which is why the recipes say 15-18 pounds. It's more of a guideline, really 😃
Tomato Puree FAQs
Here are some common questions people ask about canning tomatoes and tomato puree. If you have more questions about canning tomatoes, you might find what you're looking for in my blog post on canning tomato sauce.
Tomato puree is made from fresh tomatoes that are cooked down until slightly thickened. It has a tangy, juicy tomato flavor.
Tomato paste is a very concentrated form of cooked tomato, where nearly all the liquid is cooked out of it. Tomato paste has a very intense depth of flavor.
Properly canned tomato puree that is stored in a cool, dark place can be safely kept for 12 - 18 months
Tools You Might Need
Canning Essentials
Buy Now → Ball Wide Mouth Pint Glass Mason Jars with Lids and Bands
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