How To Store Tomatoes So They'll Stay Fresh

Find a cool spot for them on the kitchen counter

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Updated on July 23, 2024

Come summertime, farmers' markets are buzzing with shoppers lining up to purchase their haul of peak-season tomatoes. These plump, juicy gems steal the show in summer recipes, from fresh salads to savory pies to BLTs.

Not to mention, those thick slices sprinkled with nothing but salt and pepper. The selection of tomatoes seems as endless as the dishes, with colorful heirloom varieties, petite cherry tomatoes, or larger beefsteaks. Whichever you choose, storing these prized pieces of produce in the right spot can help keep them fresher for longer. Here's how to store tomatoes to maintain peak flavor.

Fresh tomatoes sliced and in wedges — Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist Lydia Pursell

How To Store Tomatoes

To lengthen the lifespan of summer tomatoes, store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature and turn them shoulders down. Our Test Kitchen says 60° to 65° F is an ideal temperature for storing and recommends placing your tomatoes out of direct sunlight.

The Southern Living Test Kitchen also suggests putting smaller cherry and grape tomatoes in a shallow dish so air can flow around them. Avoid storing tomatoes (unless overripe) in the refrigerator because the colder temperatures can make them mealy, flavorless, and hard.

How to store unripe tomatoes

For unripe tomatoes, you can speed up the ripening process by putting them in a single layer in a paper bag and closing it loosely. Store the bag in a dry, warm spot and check on them daily for ripeness. Placing tomatoes in a bag traps the ethylene gas they give off, which ripens the fruit. If you really want to speed up the process, add a banana or apple to the bag, which will give off additional ethylene and help the tomatoes ripen even faster.

How to store cut tomatoes in the fridge

Once cut, the "no refrigerator" rule no longer applies to tomatoes. It's actually quite important that cut tomatoes be stored in the refrigerator because they are perishable and can harbor harmful bacteria that can make you sick. Tomatoes also spoil faster once cut, so placing them in an airtight container in the fridge can extend their shelf life. That said, try to use cut tomatoes within two days of slicing.

Does the "tape hack" actually work?

Some folks say that putting a piece of transparent tape over the stem will extend a tomato’s shelf life—and they’re right. The fruit can stay fresher for a longer period if it maintains its moisture, which can escape through the stem. We’ve found that storing them upside down works just as well and won’t damage their thin skins.

How To Pick the Best Tomatoes

If you grow your own tomatoes, some will likely mostly ripen on the vine, ready to use. It’s ok to pick them before they have fully ripened. It reduces the risk of cracking or critters getting to them first. To choose good tomatoes at the grocery store or farmers market that you plan to eat later in the week, look for firm, not hard, tomatoes that haven’t fully ripened. They will ripen at home and be just right when you need them. Look for tomatoes with no cracks, splits, or bruises.

What To Do With Overripe Tomatoes

Usually, tomatoes are pretty ripe around the time you buy them. If a tomato is overripe, our Test Kitchen says it's ok to put it in the refrigerator to slow the ripening process, but keep it in there for only one or two days, at most. When ready to use, allow the tomato to come to room temperature, if you can, before using. If you'd like to preserve your summer bounty to use in dishes later in the year, try freezing, canning, or pickling your tomatoes.

Those overripe tomatoes will also be good in tonight’s dinner. Turn them into Tomato Gravy that can be spooned over biscuits, meatloaf, or eggs. Halve your bounty of cherry tomatoes for Tomato Pudding. Blend up Easy Freezer Tomato Sauce to keep on hand for later.

Southern Living Easy Freezer Tomato Sauce in the dutch oven to serve — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

How To Freeze Tomatoes

If you have a batch of tomatoes that is ripening too quickly, you may have to get creative in how you use them. The good news is that you can freeze tomatoes. While they can’t be used in all of the same ways as fresh tomatoes, they’re good for soups and sauces. To freeze tomatoes, wash them and follow these steps:

Use a clean paring knife to cut an X in the skin.
Place the tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds for ripe tomatoes and 30 for unripe ones.
Let the tomatoes cool and use the paring knife to remove the skins. Thanks to the X, the skins should slide right off.
Cut the tomato open and scoop out the seeds.
Cut the tomatoes into cubes or wedges, place on a parchment-lined tray, and freeze till firm.
Once frozen, transfer the tomatoes to zippered plastic bags and store in the freezer for up to one year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tomatoes last longer in the refrigerator or on the counter?

Tomatoes will last longer in the refrigerator, however, long-term storage of tomatoes in the fridge can cause the fruit to become mealy and flavorless. If your tomatoes are already perfectly ripe, and you need a couple more days to use them up, you can keep them in the fridge with no consequences for up to two days. Otherwise, keep them on the counter at room temperature for two to five days.
Should you store tomatoes upside-down?

Storing tomatoes upside-down might sound like a dubious food hack, but it's not. Serious Eats even conducted a series of experiments to see if storing tomatoes upside-down worked better. After storing dozens of tomatoes both stem up and down, they concluded that tomatoes stored upside-down remained plump and juicy, while the ones stored stem-up started to wrinkle. So yes, you should flip those tomatoes over and store the upside down.
Will storing tomatoes under direct sunlight help them ripen faster?

Placing tomatoes on a window sill in direct sunlight is an old-school trick for ripening the fruit, but we recommend placing the tomatoes in a paper bag at room temperature instead, as this will ripen them more effectively and faster.

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