As we round the corner into autumn here on our farm, I'm often found in the kitchen making preserved tomatoes in olive oil. It is one of those tasks each summer and early fall that I simply must do. One musn't be without these jars of ruby-colored-morsels lined up in the cold room. A jar of gorgeous preserved tomatoes in olive oil is as welcomed in winter as a ray of sunshine. And that's very welcomed indeed.
I opt to preserve tomatoes in olive oil for a few reason:
- I prefer the taste to regular jarred tomatoes
- I have room in my walk-in refrigerator to spare for the storage
- I don't have to bring out my water canner
- I can process the tomatoes as they come off the vine versus trying to save them up for an all-in-one canning day
- I can easily scoop a small portion of tomatoes out as needed without having to open an entire jar
Preserved Tomatoes in Olive Oil
You will need:
- Tomatoes (I prefer cherry tomatoes for this)
- Olive oil
- Salt (or seasonings of choice)
- Clove garlic (optional)
- Springs of fresh rosemary (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet before drizzling them with a touch of olive oil.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt.
- Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, until the skins have split and the tomatoes are fragrant but still firm enough to hold together.
- Scoop the tomatoes into a glass jar, adding in the garlic and rosemary if desired. Leave 1″ of headspace at the top of the jar.
- Top the jar off completely with olive oil. Using a butter knife, insert it on the inside of the jar, around the tomatoes, helping to release any air bubbles trapped inside. Again, make sure all the tomatoes are covered with olive oil at this point, adding more oil if needed.
- Place a lid and label on the jar before transferring them into the refrigerator for long-term storage.
Lest you think it's unsafe, rest assured, people have been preserving foods in fats (olive oil, lard, tallow, etc.) for millenia. One of the many benefits of preserving tomatoes in olive oil (or any food for that matter) is that if it goes bad – you know. The tomatoes will simply mold. Even if the top of the tomatoes do mold a bit from being exposed to air, simply scrape the mold off with a spoon and keep enjoying the rest of the jar.
Remember, any tomatoes exposed to air will mold over time so each time you use the tomatoes, make sure to submerge the remaining fruits under the oil (add a bit extra if you need to) before putting them back in the refrigerator. If you're faithful about doing this, the tomatoes will last well into next spring for you.
Sigh. What a beautiful gift from the garden in winter!
If you'd like to checkout all of our preserved recipes, you can do that right here.
And if you'd like to checkout a video of my preserved tomatoes in olive oil, you can do that right here.
Preserved Tomatoes in Olive Oil
Ingredients
- Tomatoes (I prefer cherry tomatoes for this)
- Olive oil
- Salt (or seasonings of choice)
- Clove garlic (optional)
- Springs of fresh rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet before drizzling them with a touch of olive oil.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt.
- Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 20 minutes, until the skins have split and the tomatoes are fragrant but still firm enough to hold together.
- Scoop the tomatoes into a glass jar, adding in the garlic and rosemary if desired. Leave 1″ of headspace at the top of the jar.
- Top the jar off completely with olive oil. Using a butter knife, insert it on the inside of the jar, around the tomatoes, helping to release any air bubbles trapped inside. Again, make sure all the tomatoes are covered with olive oil at this point, adding more oil if needed.
- Place a lid and label on the jar before transferring them into the refrigerator for long-term storage.
Love the video…and you vlog. New to oil preserved tomatoes. Might you list how you use them through the winter. I love what you did. My tomatoes come trickling through On Whidbey Island. Thinking I can add tomatoes and oil to the jar as I go. keeping it in the fridge of course. Thoughts? Planning on making the herb salt for Christmas gifts this year!
what do/can you use these soaked roasted tomatoes for, examples if different recipes please!!!
yessss!!! I was hoping she might have linked some recipes here so I hopped over from youtube!
I made these, and they are delicious! I don’t think they will last through the winter…LOL! My favorite way to eat them is on a crusty piece of French bread!
I would think just about any pasta dish would be great…. grilled chicken! Salads even.. tuna maybe? Casseroles… really anything! Great side dish all on their own!
I never know what to do with all the cherry tomatoes when I have a bumper crop. Now I know! Thanks for the recipe and video.
It looks delicious
Does the oil oil solidify?
Depending on the olive oil, yes it can.
What do you do if olive oil solidifies? I used a California extra virgin oil and now the whole top is solidified? Should I bring out of fridge and let it warm up before use?
I had the same problem with olive oil congealing in the frig but now use a 50/50 solution of olive and canola oils – the latter is very neutral tasting and no hardening in the frig!
hi….I like your video of preserving tomatoes without canning, though i had a question regarding olive oil in the frigerator. by covering the tomatoes with olive oil wouldn’t the oil solidify so if you remove some tomatoes how would the remaining tomatoes get covered sufficiently to stop mold from growing?
thank you…neil
Just add a bit more oil on top whenever you take some out 🙂
Just put more oil each time you take some out
My oil solidified, what do I do?
Love this recipe for tomatoes I have more little tomatoes than I knew what to do with thanks for this
Do you cut the tomatoes in half?
Nope! Not unless they’re big 🙂
Is it 400 degrees Fahrenheit? Question coming from Aussie girl
Can you pressure can them?
Love tomatoes and this is a grate way to enjoy them all winter
My first year of growing tomatoes. I cant wait to do this and give one jar to my vegan eating daughter! Thank you for the video because I’m a visual learner.😎
Can you roast onion and garlic with the tomatoes and save them all the same way?
Pretty sure there’s danger of botulism with garlic, I’ve read you should make your own garlic in oil because of this. Assuming its the same for onion?
*shouldn’t! I think my previous reply said should!
Thanks so much for the introduction to storing tomatoes this way. My tomatoes are coming in a bit at a time. Can I start with a pints worth in a quart and just add more later?
Hi, do you roast the garlic or put it in raw?
Thank you!
Would basil and garlic be a good seasoning combination to use since I have so much of each?
I love this. Will surely try it. Can these jars be frozen?
I’ve never tried oven roasting. That sounds really good! I usually dehydrate mine in a dehydrator, pack into jars, and then cover with EVOO. I keep mine in a dark pantry at room temp. Makes a quick tasty appetizer served over a block of cream cheese with crackers or spooned over thick slices of cheese atop crackers. Also, great served over a salad or on garlic toast. If you have extra EVOO left over, simply mix it with some basalmic vinegar and make a tomato-infused dressing to use as a marinade, on a salad, or for dipping bread.
Hi, I have just got a dehydrator but am not confident with it yet. How do you dehydrate the cherry toms? Do you cut them, what temperature and how long? Thanks in advance x
Thank you for this! I had my first success with starting plants from seed this spring and didn’t want to throw away any of the plants so now I have an over-abundance of cherry tomatoes and just don’t want to waste them – I am excited about this recipe!!
Do you have to use olive oil?
Hi Shaye! Thanks for this recipe, I just made my first batch and I am so happy. One thing I wanted to ask, was if it matters if you have a lot of juice from the tomatoes? It has all sunk to the bottom, and so the oil is covering everything, which seems to be the crucial piece! I wondered if I had maybe cooked them a little too long, perhaps?
Thank you!
I wonder if you think it would work to pack them with basil? I’ve had a bumper crop this year. I’m concerned the basil might turn black and become limp- not appetizing.
I added basil to mine this year (August) and it is still green and lovely (December).
This is amazing! You totally saved my harvest. I had just thrown a whole failed batch of salsa down the drain, resulting in a sobbing disappointed toddler and me swearing off the annoying little cherry tomatoes. I said I’d never plant them again as they’re a pain to can and my kids won’t eat them raw, and then here I discovered your video. We have minimal fridge space but I’m making a jar to try to redeem these little tomatoes. My boys already loved them roasted and were nibbling them off the cookie sheet. This is way better than trying to can them and my family loves that the kitchen smells like pizza.
Ok…………….these are amazing, I was sceptical, but they are delicious!
I made this great recipe last weekend with all of the cherry tomatoes from my garden. Have you ever had the oil slightly solidify? My bottles look gorgeous but there seems to be a little sediment that I have noticed and I think it just might be the oil?? I was hoping you might have some ideas. Many thanks! I love your web site!
Kristen Berry
So, I did these the day this video came out because I was going to do then the best I could based on previous info you gave me.
But! They fermented in my fridge! Even under all the olive oil, they got fizzy. Is there a way to keep that from happening? Or is it just my weird problem? Thank you!!
I also followed the directions exactly. Even bought a glass jar just like the one used in the tutorial to put them it. They came out delicious. I was so excited to use them this winter. Just pulled the jar out to use some, and just like Amanda, found the jar to be teeming with bubbles. It smells good, and when I tasted it I am pretty sure I have a jar of fermented tomatoes. But I’m not sure if its OK to use them. Any thoughts?
Mine also fermented under the oil! There’s no mold, but definitely a zing.
Yes! Mine fermented as well
This is a really important question. Fermentation comes from bacteria, and food preserved in oil isn’t going to retard bacterial growth unless the food is acid enough (Ph>4.6). So this will happen if your tomatoes aren’t acidic enough. To prevent this from happening you have to add acid, which I always do to ensure safety. Easiest way is to add lemon juice – 1 tablespoon per quart does the trick (adjust accordingly so if you are using 1 pint jars use 0.5 tbsp /1.5tsps, etc.) it only very modestly impacts the flavor.
Could you use basil instead of rosemary?
I love your roasting pans! Are they antiques? Enamelware or cast iron? Just the right size!! Thanks
I absolutely love this recipe! I filled a large jar with cherry tomatoes from a local farm, and had to go back this week to get more to do this week as we head into the colder season. New go-to recipe! Thanks so much for posting this!
I froze all my cherry tomatoes before I saw this. Can I still use them for this.
Hello from Spokane! Thank you for sharing the recipe. We planted 75 tomatoes again this year but with weird weather were having most of ours are still green, however the story is different with our cherry tomatoes. This gave me idea how to preserved our bounty of tomatoes to be used over salads through the winter. I just subscribe and looking forward to read your blog.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have so many tomatoes and I’m tired of canning. This will be a quick way to preserve my yummy cherry tomatoes. I absolutely love watching your videos. Especially the one with the milk cow. She is so pretty. My dream is to have a milk cow one day and learn how to make butter, cheese and bread. I live with anxiety and listening to your voice and your husbands voice completely relaxes me and puts me in such a good frame of mind. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Hi! I love this recipe! Quick question. If you find an oil bubble you missed later on, should that jar be disposed of?
I also followed the directions exactly. Even bought a glass jar just like the one used in the tutorial to put them in. They came out delicious. I was so excited to use them this winter. Just pulled the jar out to use some, and just like Amanda, found the jar to be teeming with bubbles. It smells good, and when I tasted it I am pretty sure I have a jar of fermented tomatoes. But I’m not sure if its OK to use them. Any thoughts?
I love these but now they kind of smell like beer, is that normal?
I made these last summer and enjoyed them through the fall. I have a few jars left in the fridge. Despite my efforts to clean around the rims some mold has grown. It is above a cap of olive oil. Do you think I can remove this and still eat the tomatoes or so I need to toss it all? How do others get their rims clean enough to discourage mold?
Food stored in oil can grow botulism that is a dangerous even deadly toxin, and does not have obvious signs. Here is a link to Oregon State publication on food safety for storing in oil https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/8836/sp50701herbsandvegetablesinoil.pdf
4 days???
How have we survived as a species?
I know my comment sounds sarcastic but I’m totally serious.
Can this recipe be given a water bath to preserve in the cupboard?
This is so delicious! I couldn’t wait to do it again this year but more.
I do have a question though. As the tomatoes ripen can I just keep adding oil and tomatoes little by little or is it better to do in a big batch? Thank you!
Is it normal for the Olive oil to solidify when I put these in the fridge?
Your site does not show up correctly on my i phone – you may wanna try and fix that
I have tried this and it’s amazingly delicious! was going to serve over pasta, but then my husband brought home a baguette. So, I made cacio e pepe and put the roasted tomatoes and garlic on the baguette, topped with mozzarella cheese, and baked in a hot oven for a few minutes. Cannot wait to get more tomatoes!
Love the recipe, and I want to store outside the fridge, so How do I get an airtight seal on the cold jars please? Thankyou.
We had to fail with our cherry tomatoes this year, can you use large chopped regular tomatoes? Will they preserve just as well? No cherry tomatoes here
Would this work without roasting? How long will the oil/tomatoes last if kept in the fridge? How does one tell if the jar of oil/tomatoes (completely submerged in oil) has gone bad? Thanks.
Could this be made without roasting? How does one tell if the oil/tomatoes (submerged in the oil) have gone bad? Thank you.