How to Freeze Tomatoes Without Blanching?

If you don’t want to boil and peel your tomatoes, you can freeze them without blanching. Just boil your tomatoes for three to five minutes and pull off the skin. Then, thaw them overnight and continue processing them as usual.

Fresh tomato preservation can be accomplished quickly and easily by freezing whole tomatoes. This is for you if you’ve ever wondered How to Freeze Tomatoes. Alerting: No blanching is required!

Can you Freeze Tomatoes?

You can, indeed!

You’re not the only one who has never tried to freeze tomatoes. Not everyone knows that tomatoes freeze well and can be used later in sauces, soups, and stews.

If you want to use tomatoes in cooking, you should store them in the freezer rather than freezing them if you intend to eat them raw in salads, sandwiches, or pico de gallo.

Every year in our backyard, I grow tomatoes, and often, our tomato plants produce way more than we can consume all at once. I find myself gifting tonnes of tomatoes to family and friends when that occurs. I could also freeze them!

Although I can buy tomatoes year-round at the grocery store, they have a much richer flavor when picked at the right time.

I enjoy freezing summer tomatoes when they are fully ripe and juicy because of this. When cooking tomato sauce, using in-season tomatoes makes the biggest difference ever!

How to Freeze Tomatoes Without Blanching?

Instructions

  • Picking the freshest, firmest, and spotless tomatoes should be our first step. For this technique, there is no predetermined number. You can pickle as many or as few tomatoes as you’d like.
  • You’ll notice that I’m using plum tomatoes. To remove any dirt, carefully scrub the tomatoes under cool running water. Take the stem off.
  • Dry the tomatoes completely, one by one, with a fresh tea towel.
  • On a pan or baking sheet, arrange the tomatoes in a single layer, spaced out. Place for at least an hour in the freezer.
  • Transfer to a freezer bag with a zip lock. Never forget to date-stamp your bag.
  • To empty the freezer bag of air, use the straw method.
  • When you need tomatoes, take out the bag from the freezer.

I’m done now! It’s just that simple!

Additional Advice

  • When partially freezing the tomatoes, use an ovenproof baking sheet that will fit in your freezer.
    The tomatoes won’t stick to the bags if you partially freeze them before packing them. You can then take out exactly the amount you need as a result.
  • Check that your tomatoes are firm, ripe, and severely unbruised.
  • Before chopping, thoroughly wash and dry your tomatoes. If I buy them from the supermarket and they aren’t organic, I prefer to scrub them with a vinegar vegetable wash.
  • Before cutting, make sure to remove the stem and core.
  • Make sure to wrap items properly for freezing. I employ the straw vacuum seal technique and a freezer bag. I put them in a freezer container as an extra safety measure.
  • The shelf life of properly packaged frozen tomatoes is six months.
  • These can be used in place of canned tomatoes in any recipe; no thawing is necessary.

In this manner, all tomato varietals can be frozen.

Freezer Bag’s Size 

As you are probably aware, freezer bags are available in various sizes. Choose the size that best suits your needs based on the number of tomatoes you plan to freeze and the amount of freezer space you have.

Freezer Bag Types

Choosing the proper freezer bag is crucial because we will freeze our tomatoes. By doing this, the tomato’s quality will be preserved throughout its duration in the freezer.

A Vacuum Sealer Instead of a Straw 

You can use a vacuum sealer if you have one.

However, I find it nearly impossible to reuse the special bags. I find it easier to use a Ziplock bag and the straw approach because I only use a small number of frozen tomatoes at a time.

Advantages of Freezing Tomatoes

  • You may enjoy summer-ripened tomatoes in the winter by freezing them. They do lose some flavor over time, as any fresh product that is frozen does, but they are still excellent for cooking.
  • One of the simplest and quickest ways to preserve tomatoes is by freezing them. This is ideal for smaller gardens since you may make large or little batches as your tomatoes ripen. Tomatoes don’t need to be blanched before freezing. (Congratulations on avoiding icy and hot water!)
  • Frozen fresh tomatoes are ideal for all the soups, stews, and chili you make during the winter!
  • To avoid waste, tomatoes should be frozen. How many tomatoes have I had to throw out of my fridge because they were mushy?

The Drawbacks of Tomato Freezing

  • We apologize if you were hoping for a firm tomato for a tomato sandwich or ripe tomatoes for a salad. It won’t happen! Fresh tomatoes are far more enjoyable to eat than thawed ones since they are less mushy. Once thawed, they lose their substance.
  • When using them in dishes that call for cooking, use them like stew tomatoes. (Sauces, chili, pot pies, casseroles, stews, etc.)
  • You might not have room for bags of frozen tomatoes in a tiny freezer. However, you can stack the bags and conserve freezer space if you freeze them flat.

Cubed Micra RS tomatoes were frozen for 12 months at 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Analysis was done before and after the storage periods of 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The amount of dry matter, soluble solids, sugars, dietary fiber, total nitrogen, nitrates, and nitrites, as well as the pH, ash content, and alkalinity, were unaffected by storage. But statistically significant variations were found in the amounts of protections, pectins, total acidity, vitamin C, carotenoids, beta-carotene, and lycopene, as well as in the activities of peroxidase, catalase, and lipase.

Reference: Effect of storage period and temperature on the chemical composition and organoleptic quality of frozen tomato cubes

What Tomatoes are Best for Freezing?

Any tomato variety can be frozen, but Roma tomatoes, also known as plum tomatoes, are the best. They are freezer-friendly since they contain the most pulp. Roma and other paste tomatoes typically maintain their shape when frozen.

Sliced tomatoes are best used in soups and sauces because, like beefsteak, they tend to change texture when frozen. Whatever recipe asks for stewed tomatoes will work just fine!

Can Grape or Cherry Tomatoes be Frozen?

Yes, but because grape or cherry tomatoes are so small, there is no need to peel or blanch them beforehand. All that needs to be done to prepare them is to rinse, dry, and freeze them on a cookie sheet until solid before placing them in a freezer bag.

How Much Time will a Frozen Tomato Last?

Although it is fine to freeze tomatoes without blanching them beforehand, I still strongly advise spending the time to do so. The image below shows that blanching tomatoes substantially increased their shelf life!

Raw, unblanched tomatoes can be frozen for up to two months.
Whole or diced tomatoes that have been blanched can be frozen for up to 10 months.

Frozen Tomato Defrosting Instructions

Frozen tomatoes can be defrosted in a few different methods.

You might not always need to thaw them beforehand, though. As an illustration, diced frozen tomatoes can be added to a soup or stew (note that the cooking time will need to be increased).

Refrigerator: Thaw overnight in a freezer bag or airtight container.
Counter: Thaw for about an hour at room temperature.
Hot water: Put the tomatoes (which have been placed in a freezer bag) in warm water for a Short while. Larger amounts can defrost the quickest in a colander.

Using Frozen Tomatoes

Once frozen, tomatoes can be used in soups, salads or frozen for later use. They can also be turned into puree or crushed. This process helps preserve the bright flavor and acidity of tomatoes. To do this, you’ll need a blender or food processor. You’ll also need a sharp knife to remove the stems.

When ready to use frozen tomatoes, take a bag out of the freezer, then submerge the tomatoes in warm water.

The skin will readily peel off if you pull it toward the blossom end (bottom) of the tomato after waiting 3 to 5 minutes.

Alternatively, you might put the frozen tomatoes in a bowl and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Still, the skins will just come off.

However, letting the tomatoes thaw before using them is a little messier.

After blanching the tomatoes to remove the skins, prepare them as you typically would with tomatoes.

Which are Preferable, Whole or Chopped Tomatoes for Freezing?

I prefer to slice, dice, or crush the tomatoes before freezing them because much of the structure will be lost to the freezer. When trying to make the most of limited freezer space, they will be much more compact than whole tomatoes and easier to use once thawed.

Do Tomatoes Need to be Peeled Before Freezing?

Freezing makes it incredibly simple to remove the skins when it’s time to cook, so trying to peel them beforehand wouldn’t be a good use of time. Instead, you can rinse your frozen tomatoes in water for about 10 seconds when ready to use them, and the peels should come right off!

Conclusion

If you want to preserve summer-ripened tomatoes without blanching them, you can cram them into quart-sized Mason jars. Just make sure to core the tomatoes so that their skins break easily and that you have a thin layer of water covering them. Once you’ve done this, fill the jars halfway with boiling water, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top. Process the jars in a water bath for 45 minutes, or use a canner. When you’re finished, remove the jars from the water and place them in a cool room before consuming them.