Have you ever made a refrigerator pickle recipe using garden-fresh tomatoes? This pickled tomatoes recipe is made without brine, but it tastes so good! These tomatoes are preserved with a light olive oil, simple seasonings, and fresh herbs.
How often do you hear “tomato” and “pickle” in the same sentence?
You worked hard to grow the perfect tomatoes during the tomato growing season. Those beautiful tomatoes deserve to be put in a delicious recipe.
Here is my favorite refrigerator pickled tomatoes made with carom seeds, olive oil, and parsley.
Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the Recipe card below.
- Tomatoes on the vine – They are my favorite tomatoes because they have just the right amount of sweetness and tang. They are also easy to flavor using simple spices. Learn more about campari tomatoes and check out my campari tomato recipes.
- Ginger – Ginger is good for digestion, bloating, and gas. It also provides relief to those with nausea. The best thing about them is that they are an antioxidant powerhouse. Source: Johns Hopkins and UCLA Health.
- Carom Seeds – AKA Ajwain seeds. This spice is rarely used in Western cooking but is heavily used in Indian cuisine. Aside from its flavoring prowess, carom seeds help alleviate respiratory issues, lower blood pressure, and ease arthritis pain. Plus, it adds a nice texture to this pickles. Source: The Spice Trader and Times of India.
🍅 Tomato Tip: Campari tomatoes are the best when it comes to preserving, followed by cherry tomatoes.
Instructions
- Place the tomato wedges in a large bowl.
2. Add the ginger slices. You can also use garlic, if you like it.
3) Top with carom seeds.
4) Add the red onion.
5) Add the curly parsley. You can also add fresh basil.
6) Pour extra virgin olive oil on the mixture.
7) Add pink salt to the mixture and mix well. You can use kosher salt too.
8) Let it sit for about 30minutes before transferring to a mason jar. Be sure to lid on tightly. It will be ready to eat after 5 hours of marination at room temperature.
🥒 Pickling Liquid Tip: Pickling in oil may be counterintuitive, but it’s a very common practice in Indian pickling recipes. You can always substitute it with vinegar of choice.
What kind of tomatoes can be pickled?
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Roma Tomatoes
- San Marzano Tomatoes
- Green Tomatoes
- Beef Steak Tomatoes
- Campari Tomatoes
- Jubilee Tomatoes
- Grape Tomatoes
- Tomatoes on the vine
I have never tried pickling with any other types of tomatoes, so if you have tried it, let me know how it turns out. Look at these campari tomatoes! Delicious and beautiful.
Have you checked out the history of tomatoes?
Benefits of preserving tomatoes
- You can enjoy them anytime
- They taste great when pickled
- The process of pickling them is a very zen experience
🧘♀️ Handy Tip: The process of pickling is a very zen experience. Try it when you are feeling out of sort and watch your mood change for the better.
❓ Answering Common Questions
They have 5 days of shelf life if left on the counter. Or, it will last about 2 weeks when you put them in the fridge.
Celery seeds or coriander seeds (roughly ground up) will be a great substitute for carom seeds.
Yes, you can use white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar instead of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Be sure to put them in an airtight container.
If you pickle them in vinegar, you can can them. However, these pickled tomatoes are pickled in oil, so it’s not a good idea to can them. To can vinegar-pickled tomatoes, boil water in a saucepan and then seal it with a lid. For the full process, follow BHG’s method of canning tomatoes. They use water bath canning.
I have used many other ingredients like dill, mustard seeds, bell peppers, jalapenos, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
How to use these tomatoes?
- In a simple tomato sandwich
- Soup recipes like Orzo Soup
- Curries like Cabbage Curry
- Vegan Calzone recipe with meatballs
- Cold pasta salads are perfect for this preserved tomato
- Greek Couscous Salad recipe – Use instead of sun-dried tomatoes
- Best DAMN Tomato sandwich – you can use pickled tomatoes instead of plain tomatoes
🌿 Useful Tip: This pickled tomatoes recipe is going to be welcome everywhere. They light up a grazing board or charcuterie board.
If you love pickling food, I have pickled vegetables that will pique your interest.
8 ways of preserving tomatoes
1. Make Ketchup
Making ketchup at home is so easy and healthier. You get to control the salt and other ingredients. Plus, you get to use fresh tomatoes
2. Make Cuban sofrito
Cuban sofrito is so versatile because you can use it in so many different recipes. You can put them in so many different meals like burritos and enchiladas.
Plus, a sofrito recipe can last a long time. You can even freeze them in ice cubes and keep them for months.
3. Make tomato relish
My friend Deb at Bowl Me Over is seriously talented. She posted this Tomato Relish recipe on my blog a while back and it has received so many, many compliments.
It’s such an easy recipe and you get to use nothing but fresh tomatoes in it.
4. Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes
Oven-roasted cherry tomatoes are so good! You can eat them like candy! When roasted, the cherry tomatoes release their juices and turn it into a sweet, yummy snack or topping.
Have you tried my fried green tomatoes recipe?
If you have a tomato lover in your life, here are 10 gag gifts that you can give to tomato lovers.
Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Please share your thoughts on this pickled tomatoes recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Summer Pickled Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3 tomatoes on the vine cut into wedges
- 4 slices ginger thinly sliced, with skin on
- 1½ Tbsp carom seeds AKA Ajwain Seeds
- ¼ red onion julienned
- ½ cup curly parsley finely diced
- 1½ cup extra virgin olive oil or adjust according to your taste
Instructions
- Place the tomato wedges in a large bowl
- Add the ginger slices
- Top with carom seeds
- Add the red onion
- Add the curly parsley
- Pour extra virgin olive oil on the mixture
- Add pink salt to the mixture and mix well
- Let it sit for about 30minutes before transferring to a mason jar.
When I think of preserving tomatoes, I’m thinking of a product that will last 6-12 months. Do you have a pickling tomatoe recipe that will last this long?
Hello Bev, thank you for your question. At this time, I don’t have a recipe that will make tomatoes last that long. What you could try is to make a salsa out of it and then freeze it. That can last you 6-12 months or longer. I have made salsa using similar ingredients in this recipe and kept it for about 4 months. So, I think you will have luck going the salsa route. The good thing about salsa is that it can be used in many recipes like marinating tofu, etc. Let me know how it works out for you.
Because its warm here we can get fresh tomatoes almost all year long but I love the addition of the spices and herbs for an extra tang!
Thank you, Jennifer.
These look so delicious!! I am always so sad when the summer tomatoes come to an end. Wha
Thank you, Michaela.
I can’t wait to try this next time I have extra tomatoes! This sounds so good!
Thank you, Madi.
I’m confused. There is no vinegar in this recipe? With the name Pickled Tomatoes, I expected it to have vinegar. Do they not have the traditional “pickled” flavor? Is this more of a way to keep fresh tomatoes a bit longer?
Thank you, Lisa. This is about preserving tomatoes and not necessarily pickling them. This is for keeping them fresh for about 2 weeks. You can also add vinegar. Just reduce the amount of oil. I am currently experimenting on a recipe and will post it later.
This is such a great idea that also looks delicious! I have to try this for sure! I am pinning this and will be making it soon.
Thank you, Kathy
I cant believe Ive never thought to pickle tomatoes.. what a great idea! Definitely saving this for when we get some great tomatoes!
Thank you, Michele.
This is such a delicious way to savor the summer bounty, especially when you get a nice and sweet tomato harvest. So simple and I agree that preserving is therapeutic! A jar of tomatoes would be a great holiday gift too!
Thank you, Sandra.
These look fabulous. I like the idea of adding them to soups. Or, I like to make meatball casseroles (with meatless meatballs), and toss some of these tomatoes in – super yum!
Thank you, Debi
This sounds amazing and I’m thinking it would taste great as a bruschetta on a piece of crusty bread!
Aww, thank you so much, Julie. I love the idea of putting it on bruschetta.