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Are you making a recipe that calls for diced tomatoes? Did you just find out that you’re out of the stuff? If you did, then you’re probably trying to find out what the best substitutes for diced tomatoes are and this post will help you out a lot!
Diced tomatoes usually contain peeled ripe tomatoes that have been diced and are topped with fresh tomato juice as a packing medium. Thus, diced tomatoes will usually contain ingredients like tomato chunks, tomato juice, sea salt and citric acid.
Diced tomatoes, like many other canned tomatoes are usually slightly sweet with a bit of acidity and can be used to make salsa, sauces, chunky soups, chili, soups, sloppy joes, casseroles, bolognese, pasta and so much more.
But, what if you’re about to make a recipe that calls for diced tomatoes and you have none on hand, you are most likely wondering if you can use other foods to replace it. And the answer is yes!
Below you will find the list of foods that can be used in place of diced tomatoes with great results.
Best diced tomato substitutes
Fresh tomatoes
Diced tomatoes can be replaced with fresh tomatoes. This works because fresh tomatoes can easily be diced, seasoned with salt and placed in its own tomato juices.
The flavor will be more fresh, sweet, tangy and bright and less acidic than that of canned diced tomatoes but it can work for dishes like salsa, soups, casseroles, sauces and most other recipes that call for diced tomatoes.
If you are using freshly diced tomatoes in place of canned diced tomatoes, they will need to be cooked for longer so as to breakdown the flesh of the tomatoes and make them more like the canned stuff.
Also, while caned diced tomatoes are not always peeled, consider cooking them in hot water to make skin removal easier if you prefer your tomatoes skinless.
Substitute ratio: 1 part canned diced tomatoes = 1 part freshly diced tomatoes
Crushed tomatoes
Crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes are very similar expect for the fact that crushed tomatoes typically includes more finely diced tomatoes packed in tomato puree and citric acid.
Crushed tomatoes are thicker and smoother than diced tomatoes, but, if you happen to have a c6 Best Substitutes For Crushed Tomatoes on hand, you can use it to make smooth sauces, smooth soups, chili, pizza and more.
Substitute ratio: 1 cup of diced tomatoes = 1 cup of crushed tomatoes
Whole canned tomatoes
Another good substitute for diced tomatoes are whole canned tomatoes. Whole canned tomatoes contain whole peeled tomatoes packed in tomato juice.
These are a perfect substitute because they are so versatile. Since they’re whole, you can make them into anything you need including diced, crushed and pureed.
So, in order to get the perfect substitute for diced tomatoes, simply dice the whole peeled tomatoes and use just like you would use canned diced tomatoes with a 1:1 sub ratio.
It works in any recipe that calls for diced tomatoes including chili, soups, stews, chunky sauces and more.
Substitute ratio: 1 part whole peeled tomatoes = 1 part diced tomatoes
Stewed tomatoes
While stewed tomatoes are a bit different, they can also be used as a replacement for diced tomatoes in certain dishes.
Stewed tomatoes are chopped, then cooked, seasoned and canned which means that they have added flavors. Nonetheless, because they’re cut into larger pieces before they’re canned, you can easily chop up the stewed tomatoes to make diced tomatoes and use in a 1:1 sub ratio.
Note, because stewed tomatoes usually include seasonings and flavorings like sugar, salt, dried onions, dried celery and so on, you will need to adjust the other seasonings in your dish so the flavors in the meal are well balanced.
Feel free to check out more stewed tomato alternatives that work here.
Tomato purée
Another way to replace diced tomatoes is with some tomato puree. It will not work in all recipes that call for diced tomatoes such as salsa or chunky soups and sauces.
However, if you are making a recipe that can benefit from the tomato flavor like a smooth sauce, soup, gravy or casserole and in which the texture is not overly important, tomato puree can work. Read more about some tomato puree alternatives here.
Tomato paste
Like tomato puree, tomato paste will not work in every recipe that asks for diced tomatoes, but it can work for certain sauces, soups, gravies, meatballs and more.
Tomato paste is very thick, so you will need to thin it out until it has a consistency similar to puree.
To use tomato paste as a sub for diced tomatoes, simply add equal parts tomato paste and equal parts water to a bowl and mix until you have a puree-like texture.
Use this in sauces, soups, and any other recipe that need a boost of tomato flavor but not necessarily the chunky texture.
Also feel free to read more about the best replacements for tomato paste here.
Final thoughts
These are the 6 best substitutes for diced tomatoes. These substitutes are easy to find, any you likely have most of them in your kitchen pantry. This means that if you’re in the middle of a recipe, you can easily continue preparing your dish without any hassle or without needing to go to the grocery store for just one ingredient!
