Tomato paste vs puree — what’s the difference? Though both are pantry staples made from cooked and strained tomatoes, they differ in texture, flavor, and how they’re used in cooking. Tomato paste is a thick, concentrated form of tomatoes, while tomato puree is thinner and less intense in flavor.
What is tomato puree?
Tomato puree is a blended mixture of cooked and strained tomatoes. Tomato puree has a deep, tangy taste created by mixing ripe tomatoes, salt, and citric acid (like lemon juice) using a blender or food processor. Puree is often sold as a canned tomato product, you can make it at home with your own ripe plum or tomatoes.
What Is Tomato Paste?
Tomato paste vs puree differ mainly in thickness and concentration. Tomato paste is a thick cooking concentrate made of blended tomatoes. To make tomato paste, producers cook, strain, and recook tomatoes, creating a dense, concentrated paste with body and sweetness but less acidity than pureed tomatoes. Cooks commonly use tomato paste as a thickening agent in tomato soups, stews, sauces, and ground meat dishes like meatballs, meatloaf, or tacos.
What is the difference between tomato puree and tomato paste?
Both tomato puree and paste come from cooking and blending tomatoes, and cooks often use them to add flavor and texture to soups, stews, and sauces. However, there are some notable differences between tomato puree and paste.
- Their consistency is different. Tomato paste has a thicker consistency than tomato puree. You need to spoon or squeeze tomato paste out of its container because it is a concentrated paste. Tomato puree is thinner and more liquid, like a blended sauce. Producers sometimes make tomato puree by mixing tomato paste with water, while they make paste by reducing puree.
- One is sweeter than the other. Tomato paste has a milder and sweeter flavor than puree, which has the more acidic taste of fresh tomatoes.
- They’re prepared differently. Both tomato paste and puree come from cooking and straining tomatoes. However, producers cook the tomatoes longer to make paste and reduce it to a concentrate after the water evaporates.Tomato puree is a blended tomato mixture that is a little thicker than a sauce but is less thick than a paste.
- They’re used differently. You can use puree and paste interchangeably with a few adjustments, but cooks usually reserve tomato paste for thickening tomato sauces (like marinara) or adding extra flavor to pasta or pizza sauce. Chefs use tomato puree to make many Italian sauces such as pizza sauce, as well as sauce-based condiments like salsas or dips.
How to substitute tomato puree and tomato paste
Rather than run out to the grocery store, you can substitute tomato puree for your own homemade tomato paste. Read on for a quick breakdown of how to substitute tomato puree for paste and vice versa.
- Substitute tomato paste for tomato puree. If you find yourself out of tomato puree (or without any fresh tomatoes to make your own), you can combine equal parts tomato paste and water to make a tomato puree substitute. For instance, if your recipe calls for a cup of tomato puree, combine half a cup of tomato paste with half a cup of water until your puree reaches your desired consistency.
- Substitute tomato puree for tomato paste. You can substitute puree for paste in a 1:3 ratio. For each tablespoon of tomato paste needed in the recipe, use three tablespoons of puree. Cook the puree in a saucepan until you reduce the water content and it thickens into a pastier consistency.
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