Laura Fuentes

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Eat Healthy
  • Quick Meals
  • Pancakes
  • About
  • Pasta Night
  • Best Chicken Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Cookbooks
  • Contact
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Eat Healthy
  • Quick Meals
  • Pancakes
  • About
  • Pasta Night
  • Best Chicken Recipes
  • Meal Plans
  • Cookbooks
  • Contact
×
Home » Recipes » Kitchen Skills

How to Peel Tomatoes

By Laura Fuentes Updated May 18, 2024

5 from 8 votes

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

Learn how to peel tomatoes the easy way so you can use them for canning and all your favorite tomato-based recipes.

When I say how to peel tomatoes the easy way, I mean a simple, no-boil method where the tomato skin practically falls out by itself. This post shows you how to do it in the oven without blanching.

peeling tomatoes

Peeling Tomatoes the Easy Way

The easiest way to peel tomatoes is to roast them long enough to where the skin separates from the meat and you can peel them easily.

While some tutorials use the blanching method which entails submerging fresh tomatoes in boiling water and then inside an ice water bowl; I’ve found that roasting the tomatoes involves fewer steps, it’s safer, and it adds a nice caramelized flavor.

With the roasting method, you won’t have to score the bottom of each tomato or try to submerge a dozen hot tomatoes in iced water. All you need is a sheet pan and the oven does the rest.

tomatoes on a sheet pan

How to Roast and Peel Tomatoes

Alright, let’s get to the step-by-step directions on how to roast and peel tomatoes!

  1. Prep
    Preheat the oven to 450F and lightly grease a baking sheet. Rinse the tomatoes under warm water and give them a good towel dry.
  2. Place the tomatoes onto the baking sheet
    Line them up in a single layer. The bigger the baking sheet, the more tomatoes you can fit.
  3. Roast
    Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are bright red, and shriveled.
  4. Let them cool
    Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the tomatoes to cool down until they are easy to touch.
  5. Time to peel
    With your hands gently remove the skins from the tomatoes.
  6. Optional step
    Remove the seeds by cutting the tomato in half and using a spoon to scoop out the center. While this isn’t necessary, some people appreciate this step.

Benefits of Roasting Before Peeling Tomatoes

Roasting makes it possible to peel tomatoes in a single step therefore, it’s much faster. Roasting tomatoes eliminates other steps, like having to slice the skin first, submerging them in boiling water, and then the ice bath water.

The tomato “meat” softens in the oven and the skin separates from it on its own. Plus, roasting caramelizes the natural sugars and makes the tomatoes even sweeter.

How Long to Roast Tomatoes Before Peeling

Roma or medium tomatoes will need to roast for 20 to 25 minutes in a 450F (230C) oven. You will know they are ready once the tomato is easily pierced through with a fork and the skins have separated from the meat. They should look like this:

roasted tomatoes in a pan

Do You Need to Peel Tomatoes for Salsa

To make great canned salsa the tomatoes should be peeled before mixing it with the remaining salsa ingredients.

Unlike fresh salsa, which doesn’t require peeling, canned salsa needs to be cooked in order to be shelf-stable. Leaving the skins on the tomatoes can give canned salsa a weird texture with tough pieces of skin throughout.

How to Store Peeled Tomatoes

Once your tomatoes are peeled and seeded they can be stored by canning them, refrigerating, or freezing.

Canning
Once your tomatoes have peeled, follow the recipe directions. This process turns tomatoes into a shelf stable food, for up to 18 months, like my canned salsa recipe.

Refrigerator
Once you’ve peeled the tomatoes and they’ve cooled down to room temperature, transfer them inside an airtight container and refrigerate for 5-7 days.

Freezer
Peel the tomatoes, and allow them to cool down completely. Then, transfer them whole or chopped into a large freezer-safe container labeled with the date. Freeze for up to 2 months.

roasted tomato in a sheet pan

How to Use Peeled Tomatoes

I have epic ideas to use those peeled tomatoes. Recipes like this delicious Crockpot Tomato Sauce, Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup, and this Tomato Veggie Soup will call for a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, which you can easily swap out for 3 cups crushed tomatoes.

My famous All Meat & Veggie Chili calls for a 15-ounce can that you can substitute with 2 cups diced tomatoes.

How to Peel Tomatoes

peeling tomatoes
Servings: 16
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Learn how to peel tomatoes the easy way so you can use them for canning and all your favorite tomato-based recipes.
5 from 8 votes
Print Pin

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 5 lbs Roma tomatoes

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450F and lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Rinse the tomatoes with warm water and completely dry with a clean kitchen towel.
  • Arrange the tomatoes in an even layer onto the baking sheet.
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes until the tomatoes are easily pierced through with a fork and the skins peel back.
  • Remove the sheet pan from the oven and allow the tomatoes to cool until they are easy to touch.
  • Using your hands, gently remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard them. Your peeled tomatoes are ready to be used in your favorite recipe with or without the seeds.

Equipment

canning starter kit
Canning starter kit
the taco tuesday cookbook
The Taco Tuesday Cookbook

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg






More Kitchen Skills

  • round loaf of homemade bread on parchment paper
    No Knead Dutch Oven Bread
  • shredded chicken on a bowl and a whole chicken on the side
    How to Shred Rotisserie Chicken
  • closeup of cooked spaghetti squash half
    How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Microwave
  • spaghetti squash in a slow cooker
    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash

Comments

    5 from 8 votes (7 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Karen says

    August 27, 2023 at 9:09 am

    5 stars
    This was way esaier than than the boiling water method, Next time though i think I would remove the core before baking them. That got kind of messy to do with out them smashing in my hands. The skins came off easily thoug!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes says

      August 28, 2023 at 11:28 am

      Thank you for sharing this was an easy method. You can definitely remove the core before baking. I simply assume it’s going to be messy and go with it! lol

      Reply

Hi! I'm Laura.
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, mom of three, and the woman behind the world’s best pancakes—here to help you ditch the mealtime drama with recipes your family will actually eat.

More about me →

Let's Be Social!

Facebook Pinterest Instagram YouTube
5 Secrets to Healthy(er) Family Meals

Fresh Favorites

  • large stack of fluffy pancakes with slice of butter on top
    Best Fluffy Pancakes Recipe
  • rotisserie chicken alfredo
    Rotisserie Chicken Alfredo
  • three hard shell tacos
    How to Make Taco Shells
  • 4 fillets of baked cajun salmon served with roasted potatoes and broccoli
    Baked Cajun Salmon

Trending Now

  • large stack of pancakes topped with a slice of butter. a small bottle of maple syrup behind the stack of pancakes.
    How to Make Pancakes Without Eggs
  • copycat canes nuggets and fries with texas toast and two sauces
    Copycat Cane’s Chicken Recipe with Homemade Cane’s Sauce
  • large plate of freshly baked mixed chicken pieces
    Juicy Baked Chicken Pieces
  • creamy garlic sauce in a large pot with pepper on top
    5 Ingredient Creamy Garlic Sauce

Footer

Browse

  • Start Here
  • Eat Healthy in 30 Days
  • Weekly Family Meal Plans
  • Recipe Index

Useful Links

  • Contact
  • Permissions
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT © 2025 LAURA FUENTES · DESIGN BY FUENTES MEDIA

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.