Tomato Puree Recipe (With Fresh Tomatoes)
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.
About Homemade 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.
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).
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.
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.
4. Let the water come to a rolling boil on a high heat.
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.
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.
7. Strain the tomatoes using a colander or strainer. Let them cool to room temperature.
8. Once the tomatoes are at room temperature, peel the skins and discard them.
9. Remove the stalk end of the tomato and discard.
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.
11. Add the chopped tomatoes in a blender jar or grinder jar.
12. Purée till smooth.
13. Place a bowl or pan beneath a juice strainer. Add the tomato pulp in the strainer.
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.
15. You will see a lovely red tomato purée collected 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.
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.
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.
Recipes Using Tomato Purée
Brighten up your everyday meals with this homemade tomato purée. Below, I’m sharing a collection of recipes from the blog where tomatoes are a key ingredient — from Indian dals and curries to pasta, pizza, and more.
You can use this purée in any dish where tomatoes are essential or when you want to add a bit of tang and depth to your cooking.
Handy Tip: You can replace chopped tomatoes with tomato purée in most recipes. As a general rule, 1 medium tomato = ¼ cup tomato purée.
Indian Recipes Using Tomatoes
Tomatoes form the base of many flavorful Indian dishes. Whether it’s a comforting dal or a spicy curry, their natural tang and sweetness bring balance to the spices.
- Dal Makhani – A rich and creamy lentil dish made with whole black gram and kidney beans.
- Paneer Butter Masala – A rich and creamy North Indian curry where tomato purée forms the base of the buttery, spiced gravy.
- Malai Kofta – Soft paneer-potato balls served in a rich, creamy tomato-based gravy that’s mildly spiced and flavorful.
- Tomato Curry – A delicious Goan style curry made with tomatoes, coconut and spices.
Pasta Dishes with Tomato-Based Sauces
Tomato sauces give pasta their signature color and flavor. These recipes are comforting, bold, and always satisfying.
- Arrabbiata Pasta – Spicy red pasta with garlic and chilli flakes.
- Red Sauce Pasta – A classic pasta in tomato and herb sauce.
- Vegetarian Lasagna – Layers of pasta, tomato puree, mushroom, spinach and cheese.
Pizza & Tomato-Based Sauces
Tomato purée is the foundation for many Italian sauces and pizza recipes. Here are some popular ones:
- Pizza Sauce – A basic, versatile tomato sauce for pizzas.
- Marinara Sauce – Great for pasta, dips, and more.
- Ketchup – Homemade version with clean ingredients.
- Margherita Pizza – A timeless pizza with tomato, basil, and cheese.
- Veggie Pizza – Loaded with vegetables and a tangy tomato base.
Soups with Tomatoes
Tomatoes add warmth, acidity, and a comforting richness to soups. These are perfect for cooler days or light meals.
- Tomato Soup – A classic, smooth, and comforting soup made primarily with ripe tomatoes and a touch of spice.
- Cream of Tomato Soup – Silky, smooth, and mildly sweet.
- Tomato Carrot Soup – A nutritious twist with natural sweetness from carrots.
- Minestrone Soup – A hearty Italian soup with vegetables, pasta, and beans.
Rice Dishes
Tomato purée adds a lovely depth and tang to rice dishes too. Here are a few flavorful rice recipes where it’s used as one of the ingredients:
- Tomato Rice– An easy, simple, tangy South Indian style rice dish.
- Mexican Rice – A vibrant and lightly spiced rice dish flavored with tomato puree or sauce, herbs, and garlic.
- Soya Biryani – A protein-rich biryani where soya chunks are simmered in a flavorful tomato-based masala.
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.
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Tomato Puree Recipe (Homemade & Without Preservatives)
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
- 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.
- Tangy & Sour Tomatoes: If the tomatoes are too tangy, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar while blending.
- 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.
- Cleanliness: Do make sure that the chopping board, knife, juice strainer, bowl and your hands are clean.
- 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.
- 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.
- Substituting Tomatoes with Tomato Puree: Replace 1 medium sized tomato with ¼ cup tomato puree.
Nutrition
Homemade Tomato Puree recipe from the blog archives was first published on April.
If we make puree of more quantity, how preserve for long time.
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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.