Have you ever wondered how you peel a tomato in 3 easy steps? We have the answers in this article, and there’s more than one way to peel them easily. These methods are easy so that you can cook your newly peeled tomatoes quickly.
This method works for peeling all types of tomatoes, including cherry, Roma and salad tomatoes.
What do I need to peel tomatoes?
You only need a few things to peel tomatoes, and all of them are basic kitchen utensils which you can use for both methods.
It’s a quick and easy process known as blanching in the cooking world, simply flash cooking something and cooling it down quickly.
To get going peeling your tomatoes, you will need the following:
- Heat-proof dish (Non-metallic for microwave method)
- A kettle to boil water
- A sharp knife
How do I peel tomatoes in three easy steps?
The following method is the standard process most chefs use in a commercial kitchen to peel tomatoes in three easy steps.
Step 1 – Cut a cross in the bottom centre of the tomato, skin deep
Step 2 – Place tomatoes in a heat-proof dish and cover with boiling water then leave for sixty seconds
Step 3 – Refresh the tomatoes with cold water & peel

And that’s it, simple as that! The taste of homegrown tomatoes peeled and made into your favourite sauce is second to none.
Peeling tomatoes in the microwave
You can also peel tomatoes in the microwave. You use a microwave to heat the skin, meaning you don’t need to mess about with pans and hot water.
The only negative of microwaves is that they heat the skin and the whole tomato this is because cooking the tomato can make it hard to peel as cooked tomato is very soft and may come away with the skin.
For this reason, we always recommend the accepted method mentioned above to peel your tomatoes in three easy steps.
How to peel tomatoes using a microwave in 3 easy steps
Step 1 – Cut a cross in the bottom centre of the tomato, skin deep
Step 2 – Place tomatoes in a non-metallic dish and microwave on full power for around 30 seconds or until the skin begins to peel.
Step 3 – Remove the tomatoes from the microwave and place them into a bowl of ice-cold water for 5 minutes before peeling them with your hands.
What is the easiest way to peel tomatoes?
The easiest way to peel tomatoes is using the first method with hot water and cooling them off in ice water to peel with your hands. All you need to do is boil a kettle. This method has no drawbacks, unlike when using a microwave to peel the skin of a tomato.
How to peel tomatoes for sauce
To peel tomatoes for sauce, you can use the easy 3-step method detailed at the beginning of this article. It involves using boiling water to soften the skins before cooling off and peeling the tomatoes, ready to make your tomato-based sauce. You can use this method to peel tomatoes for salsa or any other tomato-based dish.
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