How to make Tomato Puree (Easy Homemade Recipe)

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A handy jar of Tomato Purée is super helpful when making any tomato-based dish. Here, I show you how to blanch tomatoes and then purée them to help preserve your summer harvest. All you need is 2 ingredients and about 15 minutes of active time to make this pantry staple.

tomato puree in a spoon on top of a glass jar filled with tomato puree and two tomatoes placed on top left side

About Tomato Puree Recipe

Tomato Puree is simply blanched or cooked tomatoes that are blended to a fine consistency and later strained with or without the addition of salt.

If you have an excess of tomatoes and don’t know what to do, my easy suggestion is to purée them and freeze them in ice cube trays.

Add the frozen tomato purée cubes to any dish where tomatoes are an essential ingredient, including pasta, sauces, curries and so much more!

It is very easy to make homemade tomato purée. All you need are some fresh tomatoes and a pot of boiling salt water to make it. Feel free to use any type of tomatoes so long as they are ripe.

Depending on the type of tomatoes, the consistency of the puree will be thin or thick. I use ripe, red, and meaty tomatoes like Romas which yield a thick purée.

This tomato purée is made without any preservatives, so the shelf life is about 12 to 15 days in the refrigerator and 3 to 4 months in the freezer.

frozen cubes of tomato puree on a white plate.
Step-by-Step Guide

How To Make Tomato Puree

Prep Tomatoes

1. First, rinse the tomatoes very well. I have used 1 kilogram of tomatoes, but you can easily scale the recipe up or down depending on your needs.

Using a paring knife or a small knife, make a ½ inch criss-cross cut on the base of the tomatoes (not on the stalk side).

giving criss cross slits on the base of the tomatoes.

2. Now take a large pan and heat water in it. The water should be enough for the tomatoes to be immersed.

I used 2 litres of water for 1 kilogram of tomatoes. Make sure the tomatoes have space to move and are not overcrowded in the pan.

water in a pan.

3. Add salt. I have added 2 teaspoons of salt. You can easily halve or double the salt depending on the amount of tomatoes you are using.

salt being added to water in the pan.

4. Let the water come to a rolling boil on a high heat.

water is boiling.

Blanch & Purée Tomatoes

5. Gently place the tomatoes in the hot water. Feel free to use a slotted spoon to help you. Cook the tomatoes in the boiling water for 2 minutes.

tomatoes boiling in water for 2 minutes.

6. Turn off the heat and leave the tomatoes immersed in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover the pan with lid.

Alternately, boil the tomatoes for 2 minutes in hot boiling water and then place them in cold water for 2 minutes.

tomatoes immersed in the hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Strain the tomatoes using a colander or strainer. Let them cool to room temperature.

straining the tomatoes.

8. Once the tomatoes are at room temperature, peel the skins and discard them.

tomatoes have been peeled.

9. Remove the stalk end of the tomato and discard.

slicing the top eye part off the tomatoes.

10. Using a clean chopping board and clean knife and with clean hands, chop the tomatoes roughly.

If you have a powerful high speed blender you can just throw in whole tomatoes in it. No need to chop them.

tomatoes roughly chopped for making homemade purée.

11. Add the chopped tomatoes in a blender jar or grinder jar.

tomatoes added to a blender.


12. Purée till smooth.

blended to a smooth puree.

13. Place a bowl or pan beneath a juice strainer. Add the tomato pulp in the strainer.

tomato puree being strained.

14. While straining, stir with a spoon and press the pulp while stirring so that all the purée and pulp is strained leaving only the seeds in the strainer.

strained till only the seeds remain in the sieve.

15. You will see a lovely red tomato purée collected in the bowl.

strained tomato puree in the bowl.

Storage Suggestions

16. Pour homemade tomato purée into a sterilized glass jar. To sterilize the jar, boil the jar and lid in hot boiling water for 5 minutes.

You can refrigerate the puree for up to a week without any further processing.

tomato puree poured in a clean sterilized jar.

17. You can also pour the purée in ice cubes trays for freezing, then cover the tray loosely with parchment paper or foil before freezing.

Once they are frozen, remove them and keep in an air-tight box or a sealed zip-lock bag in the freezer. Just pop the cubes in any dish.

tomato puree added in ice cube trays.

18. For canned tomato purée, pour the tomato puree in sterilized canning jars. Seal the jars and boil them in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove and let them cool. Later refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

top shot of tomato puree in a glass jar.

Recipes Using Tomato Purée

Brighten up your recipes by adding this homemade tomato purée to them. I am sharing some recipes from the blog where tomato is one of the main ingredients. Add this homemade tomato purée in any dish where tomatoes are mandatory or where you want to bring some tangy flavor to the food.

Handy Tip: You can easily replace the chopped tomatoes with tomato purée. Replace 1 medium-sized tomato with ¼ cup of tomato puree.

Tomato Pasta Dishes

  1. Arrabiatta Pasta
  2. Red Sauce Pasta

Sauces & Pizza

  1. Pizza Sauce
  2. Ketchup
  3. Margherita Pizza
  4. Veggie Pizza

Indian Recipes Using Tomatoes

  1. Tomato Rice
  2. Tomato Chutney
  3. Tomato Curry
  4. Tomato Dal

Soups With Tomatoes

  1. Tomato Soup
  2. Cream of Tomato Soup
  3. Tomato Carrot Soup
  4. Minestrone Soup

FAQs

What is the difference between tomato sauce and tomato purée?

Tomato sauce is typically cooked to concentrate the tomato flavors, and often has sugar added to it. Tomato purée is simply made from blanched and peeled tomatoes.

Can I leave the skins on for making tomato purée?

Unless you have a very high-powered blender like a Vitamix, I don’t suggest it. Tomato skin gets sort of papery when cooked and can add strange texture to your dishes. That said, it is quite easy to peel tomatoes using the blanching method described above.

Can I turn tomato purée into tomato paste?

Absolutely! Simply simmer the purée in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat until it reduces to your desired consistency.

More DIY Recipes To Try!

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tomato puree

Tomato Puree Recipe (Homemade & Without Preservatives)

Thick, pulpy homemade Tomato Puree made from scratch. I show you how to blanch tomatoes and then purée them to help preserve your summer harvest. All you need is 2 ingredients and about 15 minutes of active time to make this pantry staple.
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Blanching Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Cuisine World
Course Condiment
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan
Difficulty Level Moderate
Servings 1 medium-sized jar
Units

Ingredients

  • 1 kilogram tomatoes – 35.27 ounces or 2.2 pounds
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 litres water

Instructions
 

Prepping Tomatoes

  • Rinse the tomatoes a few times very well in clean fresh water in a colander or strainer. Give a ½ inch criss cross slit on the base of the tomatoes (not on the stalk side)
  • Bring water and salt to a rolling boil on high heat.

Blanching Tomatoes

  • Add the tomatoes one by one in the hot water.
  • Continue to cook on the same high heat for 2 minutes.
  • After 2 minutes turn off the heat and let the tomatoes be immersed in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.
    When resting the tomatoes in the hot water, cover the pan with a lid.
  • Later using a colander strain the tomatoes of all the water.
  • Let them cool at room temperature.
  • Remove the peels and discard them. Slice the eye part on the stalk and discard.
  • Chop the tomatoes roughly.

Pureeing Tomatoes

  • Add the chopped tomatoes in a blender or grinder and puree them till smooth. Do not add any water while blending.
  • Strain the tomato puree through a juice strainer.
  • Stir and press the pulp with a spoon so that all the purée and pulp is strained leaving only the seeds.

Storing Tomato Puree

  • Pour in a sterilized glass jar and refrigerate.
  • You can even pour in ice cubes trays. Cover the tray loosely with a parchment paper or foil.
  • Freeze and use later. Just pop in the cubes in any dish that need tomato puree or tomatoes.
  • This homemade tomato puree stays good for 12 to 15 days in the refrigerator and 2 to 3 months in the freezer.

Notes

  1. Type of tomatoes: You can use any variety of tomatoes to make the puree. The consistency of the homemade puree will be thin or thick depending on the type of tomatoes added. But make sure that the tomatoes are ripe. 
  2. Tangy & Sour Tomatoes: If the tomatoes are too tangy, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar while blending. 
  3. Freezing: For a long term storage, freeze the puree in ice cubes tray. When they are frozen, remove them and place in a steel container or box or ziplock bags. Seal the container or box tightly. 
  4. Cleanliness: Do make sure that the chopping board, knife, juice strainer, bowl and your hands are clean.
  5. Sterilizing Jar: To sterilize the jar, you can boil the jar and lid in hot boiling water for 5 minutes or rinse the jar and lid with hot water. 
  6. Canning: Add the tomato puree in a sterilized canning jars. Seal the jars and boil them in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and let them cool. Later refrigerate. 
  7. Substituting Tomatoes with Tomato Puree: Replace 1 medium sized tomato with ¼ cup tomato puree.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Tomato Puree Recipe (Homemade & Without Preservatives)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 180 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 4701mg204%
Potassium 2370mg68%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 8330IU167%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 6mg30%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 137mg166%
Vitamin E 5mg33%
Vitamin K 79µg75%
Calcium 100mg10%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 150µg38%
Iron 3mg17%
Magnesium 110mg28%
Phosphorus 240mg24%
Zinc 2mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This homemade Tomato Puree recipe from the blog archives first published in April 2020 has been updated and republished on February 2023.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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10 Comments

    1. You can freeze it. Simply pour the tomato puree in ice trays and keep in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the cubes and place them in a freezer safe air-tight container or zip lock bags.

      Place the container/zip lock bag in the freezer and use the cubes, as needed when cooking. You don’t need to thaw or defrost the tomato puree cubes before cooking.

  1. Hi Dassana,
    Hope you all are well.

    I’m sorry my comment is unrelated to the thread. I had a query pertaining to seasoning of cast iron tawa for dosa. I had a spare cast iron tawa that I’ve started using for pan frying to develop seasoning on it.
    How should I wash it? Sometimes, there are sticky/burnt residues left behind- shall I give them a good scrubbing?

    Sorry if the queries seem really silly but I have no clue about cast iron seasoning. Any advice/tip would be highly appreciated.

    Thanks & regards,
    Ruchi

    1. Hi Ruchi, yes you need to wash it and give a good scrub. After rinsing, wipe dry well. Then spread a layer of oil on it when storing the pan. Sorry, I have yet not been able to reply to your email, but I have read it and was going to reply.

      At times, I add water in the pan. Add detergent (can be liquid or powder). Mix and heat it till comes to a boil. The I let the water cool or become warm. Discard the water. Rinse with clean water. Wipe dry and spread on oil on it and store. Hope this helps.

  2. First of all, your recipes can never be less than 5 star. My kids tease me that “my go to place” is vegrecipesofindia but that is because your recipes are fool proof – I have tried many of them with exceptionally good results. I love the fact that you use healthy ingredients. I just have a suggestion to make – if you can include them in the main recipe itself. e.g ghee in place of oil, reduced quantity of oil/ghee, curd in place of vinegar, milk in place of water…. Also the ingredient brands that work for you e.g Gloripan dry yeast, Kikkoman soy sauce – sometimes we have to read hundreds of comments to find about this.
    Lastly regarding this recipes, what is the need of removing the skin? And what about freezing after frying?5 stars

    1. Thank you so much Neera. With regards to you suggestions, I will keep them in mind. Though many times I do mention replacements or substitutes in the post. Yes, I will keep in mind to add the brand name. If the tomato skins are thin and soft, you do not need to peel them. But for tomatoes with thick skins, it is better to remove. In a puree we are looking for a smooth consistency which is not possible if the peels are also added. Secondly the peels can contribute to having a slight bitter flavor in the puree. Yes of course, you can even cook the tomato puree for some minutes till it thickens more and its color changes and then freeze. Some oil can also be added. I hope this helps.

      1. Thank you so much, your reply helps. I am a blind follower of your recipes and would even like to limit myself to the brands that you recommend since I am sure they are tried and tested ones and on top of that you keep in mind the “health” aspect and would recommend natural products as far as possible.

        1. Welcome Neera. I will try to mention the brands I use in the recipes going forward. For all the existing recipes, it will be very difficult for me as I cannot single handedly update all of them. But whenever I update an existing recipe with better photos, I will try to add the brand suggestions.

  3. Hi
    How are you?

    Do you have any recipe of dosa with rice with out any dal?

    will be happy to get

    thanks a lot stay safe