How to Peel Tomatoes

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: June 3, 2021 References Tested

Tomatoes are a delicious and nutritious fruit that you can eat raw or cooked, and can also turn into soups, sauces, stews, and other dishes. Tomato skins are thin and edible, so most of the time it’s easier to leave them on. But cooked tomato skins can be somewhat bitter and stringy, so sometimes you need to peel them, such as when you're making sauce or soup. There are several ways you can peel tomatoes, and the easiest ones involve boiling or roasting the tomatoes first to loosen the skins.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Peeling Tomatoes Through Blanching

1
Boil a pot of water. Blanching is the process of boiling something for a short period of time and then plunging it into an ice bath. The boiling will loosen the tomato skins, and the ice bath will stop the cooking process. Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Use a small pot if you're just peeling a few tomatoes, and a larger pot if you have many tomatoes to peel.
- The blanching method is very effective, and it works well when you have to peel many tomatoes.^{[1]
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2
Prepare the ice bath. Fill a bowl halfway with ice, and then fill it the rest of the way with water. Place the ice bath near the stove, so the tomatoes won’t have far to go when you remove them from the boiling water.^{[2]
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- A small bowl of ice water will do if you're just peeling a few tomatoes. For larger batches of tomatoes, use a larger bowl filled with ice and water.
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3
Remove the stems and score the tomatoes. Pull off any stems that are still attached to the tomatoes. Use a sharp, pointed knife to cut out the stem scar from each tomato. Turn the tomato over and use the knife to cut a shallow X into the bottom of the fruit. This will make the skin easier to remove.^{[3]
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4
Boil the tomatoes for 30 seconds. When the water is boiling, carefully transfer the tomatoes to the pot. Don’t boil the tomatoes for longer than 30 seconds, or they will start to cook and become soft. After 30 seconds, remove the tomatoes from the water using a slotted spoon.^{[4]
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5
Transfer the tomatoes to the ice water. As soon as you remove the tomatoes from the boiling water, plunge them immediately into the ice bath you prepared. Chill the tomatoes for 30 seconds, and then remove them with the slotted spoon.
- When blanching, it’s customary to chill your fruit or vegetable for the same amount of time that you boiled it.
6
Peel off the skins with your fingers. After blanching, the tomato skins should be slightly wrinkled and curling away from the flesh.^{[5]
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Research source} Starting where you cut the X into the skin, pinch the skin that’s lifted away and peel it from the tomato. Continue removing sections of skin until the tomato is fully peeled.
- Use a knife to aid the peeling process if you encounter any stubborn sections of skin that won’t come off easily by hand.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using a Flame

1
Stem and score the tomato skins. Peeling tomatoes is always easier if you heat the fruit enough to start cooking the skin, and using a flame is another way you can do this. Remove the stems from the tomatoes, carefully cut out the stem scars, and cut a shallow X into the bottom of each tomato.^{[7]
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- Scoring the tomato will help the skin lift away from the flesh, making it easier to peel.
2
Turn on a gas burner to high. The easiest way to use fire to scorch and peel a tomato is to use the flame from a gas range.^{[8]
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Research source} If you don’t have a gas range, alternatives you can use include the flame from a:
- Kitchen torch
- Woodstove or fireplace
- Gas-powered camp stove
3
Hold the tomato over the flame until charred. Pick up the tomato with a pair of metal tongs. Place the tomato 1 inch (2.5 cm) over the flame and rotate the tomato very slowly for 15 to 25 seconds. Any longer and the tomato will cook and soften. Remove the tomato from the flame when the skin is splitting, blistering, and lightly charred.^{[9]
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- If you don’t have metal tongs, pierce the tomato with a fork where you removed the stem.
- If you're using a blowtorch, put the tomato in a shallow heat-proof dish and bring the flame to the tomato. Move the torch around to loosen the skin all over the tomato.
4
Set the tomato aside to cool. When the skin has been loosened, set the tomato onto a glass or wooden cutting board. Don’t use a plastic cutting board, as it could melt. Leave the fruit to cool for about five minutes, or until it’s cool enough to handle.
- To speed up the process, hold the tomato (with the tongs) under cold water, or plunge it into a bowl filled with ice water.^{[10]
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5
Peel off the skin. When the tomato is cool enough to touch, pinch the peeling skin where you scored the X into the fruit. Peel away the skin with your fingers, working in sections until the entire tomato has been peeled. You can use a knife to remove any stubborn sections of skin if necessary.^{[11]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Peeling Tomatoes by Hand

1
Use a tomato peeler. Hold the tomato with one hand, and place the blade of the peeler against the skin at the tip of the tomato. Apply gentle pressure against the tomato and in one smooth stroke, remove a strip of skin. Move the peeler over and repeat until all the skin has been removed.
- Always peel tomatoes and other vegetables so that each stroke is directed away from your body. This will prevent accidents and cuts.
- Regular vegetable peelers won’t work on a soft tomato, but these special tomato peelers have serrated blades that let them dig into the skin more easily.^{[12]
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2
Cut the skin off with a knife. You can also cut the skin from a tomato with a knife, the same way you’d peel an apple. Because the flesh and skin are soft, it’s more difficult to peel a tomato this way, but it can be done. To peel the skin with a knife:
- Cut off a half-inch (13 mm) from both the top and bottom of the tomato
- Place the tomato cut-side down on a cutting board
- Use a sharp knife to carefully peel the skin from the tomato, following the contour of the fruit and removing as little flesh as possible
- Work in sections until the tomato has been peeled
3
Freeze the tomatoes before peeling. Chilling the tomatoes in the freezer before peeling them with a knife will help the skins to come off easier. Place the tomatoes in the freezer and leave them there until they're frozen through. Before peeling, allow the tomatoes to thaw at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the skin in sections.^{[13]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Peeled Tomatoes

1
Make a pot of soup. Tomato soup is a delicious and comforting meal when you're sick, when it’s cold out, or when you just feel like a warm bowl of something homemade. Peeled tomatoes are ideal for soup, because they’ll produce a smooth and creamy soup. You can enjoy tomato soup by itself, with a side of salad, with a sandwich, or as a starter for your favorite meals.
- Additionally, you can can tomato soup and enjoy it later if you don't have a taste for it right now.
2
Stew them. Stewed tomatoes can be enjoyed on their own, added to other dishes, eaten on breads and crackers, or even transformed into chili or pasta sauce. Stewing tomatoes is quite simple, and the trick is dicing the tomatoes and cooking them over low heat for an extended period of time.
- Stewing is also a great way to preserve fresh tomatoes from the garden for the fall and winter months.
3
Whip up some homemade tomato sauce. Tomato sauce is a household staple that you can use to make anything from pizza to pasta to soups and more. While tomato sauce is readily available, you can also make your own fresh sauce with peeled tomatoes. The best part about homemade tomato sauce is that you can customize it any way you like, such as by adding:
- Aromatics like garlic and onion
- Herbs and spices
- Different vegetables
- Cheese