60+ Cherry Tomato Recipes

Cherry tomato recipes make the most of a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes in season.

Cherry tomatoes come in a whole host of colors. Be they red, yellow, purple or orange, these juicy and refreshing bite-sized fruits add a brilliant burst of flavor to many-a-recipe.

Cherry tomatoes are a spectacular fruit to grow, be it a single plant or an entire garden row. Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) need fewer days to mature than regular tomatoes due to their smaller size, which is handy if you live in a locale with a shorter growing season.

Quick and easy to grow, cherry tomatoes can be sown in all types of soil, although they prefer acidic, well-draining soil. The only soil types that tomatoes won’t tolerate are clay types. Plant cherry tomatoes in the spring after the danger of frost has subsided. Fresh cherry tomatoes should be ready to harvest just 50 to 65 days after planting.

A member of the nightshade family, the leaves and stem of cherry tomatoes are toxic to pets and mildly toxic to humans. The ripe fruit, however, is nontoxic and delicious eaten both raw and cooked.

Choosing the Best Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes ripen around 2 months after planting. Ripe cherry tomatoes will change from green to whichever color the chosen variety is – they can be red, orange, yellow or even purple.

Ripe tomatoes will pull easily from the stem with very little resistance. You won’t need scissors or pruners, the fruit should come away easily in your hand, detaching from the stem without much resistance as long as tomatoes are ripe.

When fruiting, check plants every other day for ripe fruit as overripe tomatoes can fall off the plant, rot or split.

There are two types of cherry tomatoes: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes produce just a single crop of tomatoes while indeterminate tomatoes will fruit for several months. Keep this in mind when choosing a variety to plant.

Some popular varieties include Golden Sweet – a yellow variety, Sun Gold – an orange cherry tomato and Black Cherry – a beautiful deep purple heirloom variety.

As tomatoes do continue to ripen off the vine, you can pick cherry tomatoes that have not yet reached peak ripeness and allow them to finish ripening on a countertop. Still, this is best done only if necessary due to either pests or extreme weather events like a massive heat wave or heavy rain in the forecast (heavy rain can cause cracked tomatoes), as tomatoes picked before full ripeness will have less flavor.

Once harvested, cherry tomatoes are best kept at room temperature and eaten in a few days. Before use, it is a good idea to give tomatoes a quick rinse in some cool water, especially if eating raw.

A Bucket of Sungold Cherry Tomatoes from my garden.

Cherry Tomato Recipes

Unlike grape tomatoes, which are meaty and crunchy with a thicker skin, cherry tomatoes possess a thinner skin with a flavor that is exceedingly juicy, crisp and quite sweet. They are delicious whether consumed fresh off the plant or cooked. You’ll find this tiny tomato pairs well with strong cheeses, basil, oregano, garlic and rosemary, as well as veggies like corn and asparagus among other ingredients.

Cherry tomatoes are lovely featured in salads, served alongside breakfast and brunch or even blended into drinks. Appetizers, main courses and even desserts can make use of these fresh garden delights. Additionally, there are a multitude of preservation methods when faced with a glut of cherry tomatoes from freezing and dehydrating to canning.

Fresh Cherry Tomato Recipes

Add succulent fresh-picked cherry tomatoes to numerous salads for crisp and green options. Try a marinated cherry tomato salad for a simple starter served with fried sourdough or sample a creamy cherry tomato salad with whole cherry tomatoes, chopped onions and parsley. For a showier salad, consider Greek salad skewers with feta, cucumber, Kalamata olives and ripe cherry tomatoes.

Bite into a cherry tomato caprese salad with olives and fresh basil or a tomato and feta salad with oregano, olive oil and a simple vinaigrette. Toss cherry tomatoes into any number of regular salad recipes as well, pairing them with your favorite dressing and greens or try something new like a salad assembled from fresh asparagus, parmesan and pine nuts.

Cherry tomatoes can also be featured in a creamy roasted cherry tomato soup. Enjoy it topped with bacon croutons or perhaps even paired with a grilled cheese and cherry tomato sandwich.

Cherry Tomato Breakfast Recipes

You can highlight the bright and juicy flavor of sweet cherry tomatoes in a number of breakfast recipes. Cherry tomatoes can be added to everything from large breakfast fare like quiches, cheesy breakfast pies, galettes and clafoutis to simple scrambled eggs, frittatas and omelets. You’ll find the flavors of cherry tomatoes pair exceptionally well with asparagus, bold cheeses like feta and fontina as well as herbs like thyme, rosemary, basil and parsley.

For fresh ideas, try a white bean egg skillet with cannellini beans, dried oregano, fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese for a breakfast as tasty as it is filling. Eggs baked over halved cherry tomatoes with parm and basil are another spectacular option for brunch. For something a bit more surprising, test out a recipe for a savory grain-free coffee cake made with almond flour, eggs, roasted cherry tomatoes and parsley pesto or try a cherry tomato corn cake.

Breakfast Pies, Cakes and Quiches

Eggs and Skillets

Cherry Tomato Savory Main Courses

When searching for ways in which to incorporate cherry tomatoes into dinner recipes, look to everything from pasta to protein. Cooked cherry tomatoes with a little garlic and olive oil will yield a sweet and versatile tomato sauce for topping with either meat or spaghetti. Add red pepper flakes for a spicier take on this sauce and pasta combo and consider mixing with the flavors of capers, summer squash and creamy ricotta.

Additionally, blistered tomatoes can top everything from salads and grain bowls to proteins like fish and chicken. Pair tomatoes with pan-seared salmon, chicken and herbs or even partnered with skirt steak and balsamic vinegar.

For vegetarian options, the plates are also plentiful. Experiment with cherry tomatoes and burrata, risotto and polenta. A vegetarian pizza with 5 simple ingredients is another great opportunity for cherry tomatoes and salty mozzarella to stand out.

Pasta

Protein-Based

Vegetarian

Cherry Tomato Drink Recipes

For drinkable recipes, the first to mention must be simple fresh tomato juice. Using cherry tomatoes will result in a juice with a much sweeter flavor, perfect for adding to cocktails, mocktails and tonics. Try El Gallito, a sweet and savory cocktail pitcher blending cherry tomatoes with flavors like cilantro, pineapple, fresh agave and vodka for a shareable concoction perfect for serving with salsa.

Other ideas include cherry tomato martinis, cherry tomato mojitos accentuated with basil rather than mint, and a cherry tomato spritz. For more classic beverages, combine cherry tomato juice along with gin, lime juice and Tabasco sauce to make a flavorful bloody mary.

A surplus of cherry tomatoes can also be transformed into clear tomato juice if you have a steam juicer. Also sometimes called tomato water, this flavorful smoothly-textured juice is great for mixing with beer and other drinks. For another healthy, alcohol-free idea, mix cherry tomato juice with apple and cucumber for a refreshing boost.

Cherry Tomato Snack Recipes

Sweet and juicy cherry tomatoes are a prime ingredient for adding to healthy snacks and appetizers. Try cherry tomatoes in salsa recipes for serving with chips or topping fish tacos. Consider adding this savory fruit to shredded chicken tacos as well. Tip: garnish with fresh corn salsa for added sweetness.

Squish cherry tomatoes between bread, pesto and mozzarella for a snackable sandwich or add to appetizer-style flatbreads for more noshable fare. Cherry tomatoes also make a delectable spread for topping crackers or crostini as well as a flavorful bruschetta for serving over fried bread. When in search of quick, bite-sized food, toss together some caprese skewers with cherry tomatoes and cheese. For more shareable snacks, add cherry tomatoes to dips like creamy onion dip, garlicky goat cheese dip or even a whipped feta dip for snacks that are sure to delight.

Cherry Tomato Dessert Recipes

It may sound odd, but cherry tomatoes can actually be used in quite a few dessert recipes given their sweet nature. You can dehydrate cherry tomatoes to make jammy sweet and savory raisins for topping ice cream or angel food cake. In addition, candied cherry tomatoes make an incredible trimming for a vanilla cornmeal crumb cake baked with a sweet cinnamon and brown sugar crumb topping.

More sweet ideas range from dipping cherry tomatoes in salted caramel and rolling with seeds to super-simple baked cherry tomato candies. Try cherry tomatoes with cream in a recipe from Paula Deen or bake a cherry tomato and cherry cobbler served with basil ice cream. For something truly unique, consider tomato cherry sacher, a spongy chocolate torte traditionally made with apricot jam instead filled with cherry tomato jam.

Preserving Cherry Tomatoes

When assailed with a landslide of cherry tomatoes, a good supply of preservation techniques is a valuable thing. One of the best ways to preserve cherry tomatoes is to oven-roast and then freeze them. Roasting tomatoes first brings out their sweet flavor – freezing them raw can leave the fruit bland and watery when thawed. Frozen roasted tomatoes can be used in many of the same ways canned tomatoes are used such as pasta, proteins and sauces.

Another helpful preservation method is canning. Both raw and cooked tomatoes may be canned for future use, lasting up to 18 months in a cool, dark pantry. Roasted tomatoes can also be preserved in olive oil, sometimes referred to as cherry tomato confit.

Cherry tomatoes can also be dehydrated, flash-frozen raw, or transformed into cherry tomato jam. Other canning opinions include canning cherry tomato corn salsa and canning cherry tomatoes in pickling brine.

Cultured & Fermented Cherry Tomato

One way to address an oversupply of cherry tomatoes is to preserve them via fermentation. Fermented cherry tomatoes possess a light effervescent flavor. When fermenting, choose tomatoes that are slightly under-ripe for fermenting or pick green cherry tomatoes for a taste that is tangy and sweet.

Pickled cherry tomatoes are lovely added to charcuterie plates, sandwiches or as a garnish for cocktails. They keep wonderfully in the fridge, lasting for weeks. Try pickling with the flavors of coriander, mustard seed and black peppercorn, garlic and dill, or spicy red pepper and jalapeno. You can also lacto-ferment green cherry tomatoes for an olive-like flavor.

And for those patient enough, you can try using cherry tomatoes in tomato wine. Best racked for a full year, the resulting flavor is more acidic and savory compared to grape wine.

Farmer’s Market Favorites

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