Freezing Tomatoes For Winter or Canning (Simple!)

Freezing whole tomatoes from your garden is easy! This is the simplest method – no blanching or cutting! It is simple and helps preserve your amazing bounty of ripe garden tomatoes for use in the winter or even for canning later in the fall when you have more time.  

I usually plant about 5 tomato plants.  Early in the season we barely have enough for the fresh eating we want to do.  But as August rolls around and the plants ramp up production I quickly get overrun!  It is always fun to share some of the extra with friends who don’t have gardens but I also take a few SHORT minutes to put some away in the freezer for winter!

Once my garden no more than a summer memory I have a freezer full of delicious, ripe, organic tomatoes to toss in soups and spaghetti.  I can even pull them out of the freezer and take time to can them if I want!

The texture of tomatoes does change in the freezer – you won’t be pulling these out for a fresh salsa or to slice up on salad!  But they are great anywhere you would want a can of tomatoes or will be cooking the tomatoes!

Freezing Tomatoes is Easy

It is crazy simple and fast to freeze tomatoes.  This is NOT a big all day project.  While several methods exist for freezing tomatoes this is by FAR the easiest!

Every time I have extra tomatoes they get washed and go into a freezer bag.  The stems and peels stay ON – no fuss, no blanching, no stress!  All I do is wash the tomatoes, let them dry, and put them in the bag in a single layer.  The bag goes in the freezer with the year on it.

Note:  Some people don’t wash their tomatoes before they freeze them this way.  They will be removing the skins afterwords and the fruit gets washed in the process.  However, my preference is to wash the tomatoes before they go in the freezer.  

When I’m ready to use the tomatoes I take the bag out of the freezer and hold each tomato under cool running water. The skin and stem slips right off in about a second.  In just a few minutes ALL my tomatoes are peeled and ready to go!

I use this method for standard eating tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Often with the cherry tomatoes I remove the stems before putting them in the bag because I don’t expect to peel them later.

How to Freeze Tomatoes

I freeze tomatoes in two ways – whole with skins and stems on and cut with the juice and seeds partially squeezed out.  You may find you have one method you like better depending on how you plan to use the tomatoes.  I like to freeze some both ways for different uses.

Freezing Whole Tomatoes:

This is the best method if you want to can the tomatoes later in the fall when you have more time and the weather is cooler.

1. Use firm tomatoes that are fully ripe and not damaged.
2. Wash each tomato and set it on a towel to dry.
3. Leave the skins and stems on! (no blanching – woohoo!)
4. Fill gallon freezer bags with dry tomatoes one layer thick.
5. Label the bag with the year and lay flat in the freezer for up to a year.
6. When you are ready to use them, hold each tomato under cool running water.  The skin and stem will slip right off in a second!
7. After peeling thaw in refrigerator or add to frozen to soups and stews.

Freezing Cut Tomatoes: 

I like this method for preserving tomatoes that have a little damage or one end didn’t get fully ripe etc.  I will use these tomatoes in places where I plan to puree them during cooking so the skin won’t matter.  (For example I use these in my homemade cream of tomato soup where they get pureed with an immersion blender.)

1. Wash tomatoes.
2. Cut away any damage, the stem, and any part that didn’t ripen (such as a yellow top on a red tomato).
3. Slice the tomato in half across the wide part – like you were slicing for a sandwich.
4. Gently squeeze each half over a bowl to remove some juice and seeds (this is optional but gives you a denser, less watery final product good for homemade spaghetti sauce).
5. Place squeezed halves into a quart bag until the bag is full.  Tip:  Stand the bag upright in a bowl with the top sides folded down for filling!
6. Remove as much air as possible, label the bag with the year, and freeze for up to a year.
7. Thaw and use wherever you would want cooked or canned tomatoes!

Freezing Cherry Tomatoes:

1. Use cherry tomatoes that are ripe and not split.
2. Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.
3. Leave tomatoes on a towel to dry.
4. Fill gallon freezer bags with dry tomatoes 1-3 layers thick.
5. Label the bag with the year and lay flat in the freezer for up to a year.
6. Thaw bag in a bowl in the refrigerator or add frozen handfuls to soups and stews and curry.

How to ripen garden tomatoes perfectly

My mom is the master of perfectly ripe garden tomatoes!  Her secret is to bring them in and leave them on the counter for one to two nights before she serves them!  It is GENIUS!  Tomatoes don’t ripen well when the nights are a little bit cool.  The house is a bit warmer and they ripen very well inside!  Letting the tomatoes ripen on the vine as much as possible and finishing them off in the house gives you the best tomatoes you have ever eaten!

I always leave my tomatoes on the counter in a single layer on a tray for a few days before I wash them for freezing.  Then when I go to freeze them they are at their sweetest! When you buy canned tomatoes from the store sugar has often been added to make them taste ripe.  Tomatoes ripened fully won’t need as much or any sugar added to be sweet in your cooking!

Bonus Tip:  Never put fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator.  It will make them mealy.  They also have the best tomato flavor when fresh!  Store tomatoes at room temperature until they have been cut.  After cutting leftover tomatoes must be stored in the refrigerator.  

What to do with frozen tomatoes

• Make your own cream of tomato soup 
• Make the best spaghetti sauce ever
• Add them to 30 minute chili 
• Use to make stew
• Use as a base for curry
• Make simple beef  minestrone soup
• Can frozen tomatoes after the season (Get info on water bath canning for beginners here.)

MORE RECIPES PERFECT FOR GARDEN TOMATOES

• Balsamic Tomato Salad 
• Old Fashioned Tomato and Cucumber Salad
• Hearty Beef Stew

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How to Freeze Tomatoes

I freeze tomatoes in two ways - whole with skins and stems on and cut with the juice and seeds partially squeezed out.  You may find you have one method you like better depending on how you plan to use the tomatoes.  I like to freeze some both ways for different uses.

Cuisine American

Keyword freezing tomatoes, how to freeze cherry tomatoes, freezing whole tomatoes, freezing ct tomatoes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Mirlandra Neuneker

Author Mirlandra Neuneker

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 3 pounds tomatoes

Instructions

Freezing Whole Tomatoes: This is the best method if you want to can the tomatoes later in the fall when you have more time and the weather is cooler. It is also the fastest way to save tomatoes for winter cooking.

• Use firm tomatoes that are fully ripe and not damaged.
• Wash each tomato and set it on a towel to dry.
• Leave the skins and stems on! (no blanching - woohoo!)
• Fill gallon freezer bags with dry tomatoes one layer thick.
• Label the bag with the year and lay flat in the freezer for up to a year.
• When you are ready to use them, hold each tomato under cool running water.  The skin and stem will slip right off in a second!
• After peeling thaw in refrigerator or add to frozen to soups and stews.

Freezing Cut Tomatoes: I like this method for preserving tomatoes that have a little damage or one end didn't get fully ripe etc.  I will use these tomatoes in places where I plan to puree them during cooking so the skin won't matter.  (For example I use these in my homemade cream of tomato soup where they get pureed with an immersion blender.)

• Wash tomatoes.
• Cut away any damage, the stem, and any part that didn't ripen (such as a yellow top on a red tomato).
• Slice the tomato in half across the wide part - like you were slicing for a sandwich.
• Gently squeeze each half over a bowl to remove some juice and seeds (this is optional but gives you a denser, less watery final product good for homemade spaghetti sauce).
• Place squeezed halves into a quart bag until the bag is full.  Tip:  Stand the bag upright in a bowl with the top sides folded down for filling!
• Remove as much air as possible, label the bag with the year, and freeze for up to a year.
• Thaw and use wherever you would want cooked or canned tomatoes!

Freezing Cherry Tomatoes: This is my favorite way to use the extra cherry tomatoes that my garden is always full of!

• Use cherry tomatoes that are ripe and not split.
• Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.
• Leave tomatoes on a towel to dry.
• Fill gallon freezer bags with dry tomatoes 1-3 layers thick.
• Label the bag with the year and lay flat in the freezer for up to a year.
• Thaw bag in a bowl in the refrigerator or add frozen handfuls to soups and stews and curry.

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Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 20kcal

A Note on Nutrition

Nutritional info is an imperfect estimate. Please take it with a grain of salt.

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