Are you looking for a substitute for tomato puree? I have the best alternatives for tomato puree that are perfect for cooking!
All of these Tomato puree substitutes will help you make your favorite dishes without using any artificial ingredients.
They’re also great if you’re vegan or vegetarian. You can still enjoy delicious meals with these substitutes!
Even if you avoid tomatoes or tomato sauce allergy, I also have Non-Tomato Substitutes for tomato puree. So keep reading.
What is Tomato Puree?
Tomato puree is a smooth, thick paste/sauce cooked down or strained to remove seeds. Tomato puree is the same thing with the water and tomato solids removed.
It has advantages over canned tomatoes. There is no added sodium, and it may be frozen without the fear of any metallic taste.
What is tomato puree made of?
Tomato puree is made of crushed or ground tomatoes that have been peeled, seeded, and reduced to a pulp.
The tomatoes are first cooked and then strained. The resulting juice is then cooked down to a thick consistency.
This pulp is then processed into either a concentrated paste (with approximately 65% pulp) or a fine, free-flowing powder (with approximately 95% pulp).
The best quality tomato concentrate available contains 95% tomato solids. Tomato puree provides a thick, rich, and smooth consistency to other foods, such as soup.
12 Best Cooking Substitute for tomato puree
Do you need substituting Tomato Puree? Use these instead- Canned tomato, Diced tomatoes, Tomato Sauce, ketchup, sundried tomato, Tomato paste, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, roasted tomato, and more.
1. CANNED TOMATO Best Substitute for Tomato Puree
Canned tomatoes are the most convenient way to replace tomato puree in your recipe. Use a 1:1 ratio of canned tomato.
Canned tomato is an easy find and uses an alternative for tomato puree; just don’t add extra seasoning cause puree is unseasoned.
2. Use DICED TOMATOES Alternative for Tomato Puree
Diced tomato is another good option for tomato puree. Since tomato puree is a cooked version, you need to cook diced tomato before use.
Use 1 cup diced tomatoes for 1/2 cup tomato puree.
3. TOMATO PASTE Good Replacement for Tomato Puree
Tomato paste is thick consistent than tomato puree, so you need to blend with water. But tomato paste is a great tomato puree substitute. Use 1/4 tomato paste for 1/2 cup of puree.
Tomato paste even sold cube versions, so you can use them too. You don’t need to add extra seasoning as puree is unseasoned.
4. TOMATO SAUCE Easy Alternative to Tomato Puree
Tomato sauce is always present in our kitchen, so it is easiest to add to your recipe instead of puree. Remember, tomato sauce mixed with various seasoning ingredients may change the flavor of your recipe, so take care of that.
Otherwise, you can use a 1:1 ratio for the tomato puree recipe.
5. Try KETCHUP Place of Tomato Puree
Ketchup is best when you need just a little amount of tomato puree for the recipe. If you don’t have any tomato sauce, canned tomato or paste ketchup will suffice.
Since ketchup is a strong flavor and seasoning with different herbs, always use a small amount in place of tomato puree.
6. ROASTED TOMATO Replace of Tomato Puree
Do you ever try roasted tomato! If not, go try; you’ll be amazed by the taste of roasted tomatoes. Make it at home so easy.
Just place the medium or whatever tomatoes over the oven, roast each side then remove the burned skin.
After that, mash the whole thing; you can add it into soup, salsa, chicken recipes, etc. Roasted tomato brings a depth of flavor to your dish. Use 1:1 Ratio.
7. PIZZA SAUCE Decent Alternate for Tomato Puree
Pizza Sauce is not always used for Tomato puree because it contains various seasoning ingredients such as garlic, oregano, and herbs, so you can only use it for stew or soup.
8. Add MARINARA SAUCE substituting for Tomato Puree
You can add even marinara sauce to the place of tomato puree at a 1:1 ratio. The Marinara sauce brings a sharp Italian flavor to your recipe.
9. PASSATA
Passata is a similar flavor and texture to the tomato puree. Passata is mainly a uniform blend of tomatoes also strained tomato puree available in bottles.
You can use passata instead of tomato puree in every recipe.
10. CRUSHED TOMATOES be substituted for tomato puree
Diced tomatoes are combined with tomato paste to make crushed tomatoes. Crushed tomato is almost the same texture and flavor as tomato puree.
You can use crushed tomatoes 1 cup for 1 cup tomato puree to the sauce, salsa, soup, etc.
11. SUN-DRIED TOMATOES Excellent Substituting Tomato Puree
Do you hear about sun-dried tomatoes? Sun-dried tomatoes are nothing but dried over the sun for future use. Just take 4 to 5 slices of sundried tomatoes and soak in warm water.
After it’s getting soft, blend and make a puree. Use any recipe you want from tomato puree like sauce, soup, chicken recipes, etc. Hey, don’t forget to check ideal sun-dried tomatoes alternatives.
12. STRAINED TOMATOES
Strained tomato is the last replacement for tomato puree for your next recipe. Strained tomatoes are slightly thicker than Puree. But you can use the same amount of tomato puree.
Non tomato substitute for Tomato puree
One possible replacement for Non-tomato substitutes for tomato puree is pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin puree is a good substitute because it has a similar consistency to the tomato puree. It also has a mild flavor that will not overpower the other flavors in the dish.
Don’t have pumpkin puree, don’t worry, use pumpkin puree substitutes instead, give your same flavor.
Another possible Non-Tomato substitute is mushroom puree. The mushroom puree has a strong flavor, so it is best used in dishes where the other flavors will balance out its taste. Check best shiitake mushrooms alternatives.
Tomato puree uses
Tomato puree is delicious and packed with several nutrients and health benefits.
Due to its versatile nature, you can use it in many dishes. It is delicious on its own and also enhances the flavors of other vegetables and herbs.
You can add it to pasta dishes, soups, chili con carne, rice dishes, salads, meat dishes, casseroles, etc.
Tomato puree is most commonly used as a base for sauces and soups.
How do you make tomato puree from tomato sauce?
To make tomato puree from tomato sauce, you need a saucepan, tomatoes, and salt.
1. Start by heating the saucepan on medium heat.
2. Slice the tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the saucepan.
3. Add salt to taste and stir continuously until the tomatoes have cooked through.
4. Use a blender or food processor to blend the cooked tomato mixture until it becomes a smooth puree.
5. You can add water, if necessary, to make the puree thinner.
6. Transfer the tomato puree from the blender back to the saucepan and keep it over low heat until you’re ready to use it.
How to make tomato puree from canned tomatoes?
To make tomato puree from canned tomatoes, open the can of tomatoes and pour them into a bowl.
1. Use an immersion blender to blend the canned tomatoes until they form a puree.
2. For a smoother puree, you can pass the blended tomatoes through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any seeds and skins left behind by the immersion blender.
3. Stir in salt to taste.
4. Transfer the puree into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Tomato puree recipe for storage
Tomato puree is a fantastic way to add flavor and nutrition to your food. You can store it in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for a few months.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Pour the tomato puree into a container with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Label the container with the date and contents.
3. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
4. Thaw frozen tomato puree in the fridge overnight before using.
Notes: Freeze tomato puree in a plastic container, or pour it into ice cube trays to make individual servings.
To use tomato cubes, thaw them in a bowl. You can defrost the rest of the tomato puree at the same time.
Tomato puree vS crushed tomatoes
Tomato puree and crushed tomatoes are both canned tomato products, but they have different uses.
Tomato puree is a thick, smooth product made from stewed tomatoes. Crushed tomatoes are made from whole peeled tomatoes that have been ground or chopped. Check best stew tomatoes alternatives.
Tomato puree and crushed tomatoes can be used interchangeably in many recipes; however, some recipes call for one over the other.
One example of this is if a recipe specifically calls for crushed tomatoes, the dish will likely be chunkier and heartier.
This typically means that crushed tomatoes are better for dishes that are to be served hot. In contrast, tomato puree is preferred for dishes that are to be served cold.
Another example of a recipe that may call for one over the other is if a recipe calls for tomatoes to be peeled. Tomato puree typically has the skins removed, whereas crushed tomatoes may not have the skins removed.
What I use instead of tomato puree
- · Diced Tomato
- · Passata
- · Tomato Soup
- · Tomato Paste
- · Canned Tomato
- · Worcestershire
- · Roasted Tomato
- · Pizza Sauce
- · Sun-Dried Tomato
Wrap Up On Tomato Puree Substitutes
I hope this article helps you find a substitute for tomato puree and make you smile.
Please let me know which tomato puree substitution you prefer in the comments section and share your favorite one.
If you know of any more options that aren’t on this list, please let us know in the below box.
FAQs Related to Tomato Puree & Its Alternatives
Q1. Can crushed tomatoes be substituted for tomato puree?
Yes, crushed tomatoes can be substituted for tomato puree. While they do contain added salt, sugar, and spices in most cases, the dish’s overall flavor will not be altered.
In fact, crushed tomatoes may add slightly more flavor than plain tomato puree because of their thicker consistency.
Replace the crushed tomatoes called for in your recipe with an equal amount of tomato puree.
We know that crushed tomatoes are basically peeled whole tomatoes which have been cut and crushed and contain no other ingredients besides salt and spices.
Canned crushed tomatoes are the equivalent of canned tomato puree, but not vice versa. Crushed tomatoes are just that — crushed whole or diced tomatoes.
Q2. Can I substitute passata for tinned tomatoes?
If you’re very careful, you could try substituting passata for tinned tomatoes in a recipe.
For example, if a recipe calls for 300mls of tomatoes and you have 300mls of passata, then theoretically, they should be interchangeable.
However, passata is a cooked product, so reduce the amount of liquid added to your recipe. For example, if a sauce calls for 500mls of water, you should only use 300mls of passata plus another 300mls of water.
If your recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, it is not advisable to substitute them with passata.
Q3. What is the difference between tomato paste and tomato puree?
Tomato puree is basically tomatoes cooked for a long time to remove water.
Tomato paste has the same ingredients as tomato sauce, including tomatoes, tomato puree, citric acid, and sometimes salt.
Tomato paste is a thicker version of the sauce because it has additional cooking time to reduce the water content and concentrate the tomato flavor.
Q4. Is tomato puree the same as tomato sauce?
Yes and NO. According to the FDA’s standards, both tomato sauce and puree must be made from tomatoes. However, the two products are formulated differently.
Tomato sauce must contain no less than 5% tomato solids. In contrast, the puree is made from tomatoes that have been strained to remove seeds, skins, and other tough parts of the fruit.
Tomato sauce is chunkier than puree because it has more solids, but it can still be smooth and spreadable.
Tomato puree is created by grinding tomatoes into a thick liquid. On the other hand, Tomato sauce contains additional ingredients such as herbs and spices.
The difference between tomato paste and sauce is similar in that paste has been strained to remove seeds and skin. In contrast, the ingredients in tomato sauce remain intact.
Q5. What products are made from tomatoes?
Tomatoes are used to make various products; some of the most popular tomato-based food items include ketchup, pizza sauce, and salsa.
The red fruits are also eaten as a vegetable or used to make juices, sauces, soups, and stews.
Tomatoes are a fruit used to make many different types of food products.
Tomatoes are also often the default option for salads, especially when no lettuce is found.
Q6. 1 cup tomato puree is how many tomatoes?
Yup, 1 cup tomato puree equals 6 ounces of tomatoes. I’m not kidding! The standard size for weighing an average tomato is 5 ounces.
1 cup = 6 oz tomatoes