Use

Best tomatoes for sauce

Meaty, low-moisture paste tomatoes that cook down fast into a thick sauce without watering it out.

24 varieties

San Marzano

San Marzanoopen-pollinated · 85 days · LateCompared with Roma, San Marzano is described as stronger, sweeter and less acidic, with thicker flesh and fewer seeds, which is why it is the benchmark sauce and canning tomato. Attributed description, not a measured claim.

Amish Paste

Amish Pasteheirloom · 85 days · LateDescribed as somewhat seedier and sweeter than normal paste cultivars, with catalogs calling the flavor excellent and the flesh meaty and large for a sauce tomato. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Roma

Romaopen-pollinated · 75 days · MidDescribed in catalogs as mild and sometimes tangy and meaty, valued more for firm, low-moisture flesh than for bold taste. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Celebrityhybrid · 70 days · MidDescribed as exceptionally flavorful and all-purpose, a dependable balanced red-tomato taste that pairs with its heavy yields. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Reisetomate

Reisetomateheirloom · 79 days · MidDescribed as sweet yet sharp and acidic with a tart edge, but not bitter or too sour. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Costoluto Genovese

Costoluto Genoveseheirloom · 85 days · LateDescribed as a bold, rich, deep flavor with a tangy edge, the deeply pleated fruit slicing into flower-like rounds prized for fresh eating and sauce. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Speckled Roman

Speckled Romanopen-pollinated · 81 days · LateDescribed as having excellent flavor, dense and meaty enough to cook quickly into sauce yet good enough to eat fresh. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Opalka

Opalkaheirloom · 82 days · LateDescribed by Fedco tasters as round and mellow, full-bodied with a pleasing texture and lingering good aftertaste. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Kellogg's Breakfast

Kellogg's Breakfastheirloom · 80 days · MidDescribed as sweeter than most beefsteaks while still carrying a deep true tomato taste, juicy and rich. As with every flavor note here, this is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

German Pinkheirloom · 85 days · LateDescribed as having a big, sweet-tart flavor with rich, sweet notes and a meaty, nearly seedless texture. Flavor is subjective, so treat this as the recurring catalog and grower description rather than a measured claim.

Juliet

Juliethybrid · 60 days · EarlyDescribed as a sweet, rich tomato flavor good for salads, salsa, and fresh pasta sauce. Flavor is subjective, so treat this as the recurring catalog and grower description rather than a measured fact.

Rutgersopen-pollinated · 75 days · MidDescribed as having an intense, classic tomato taste with an excellent balance of acidity and sweetness. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Dr. Wyche's Yellow

Dr. Wyche's Yellowheirloom · 80 days · MidDescribed as a rich, sweet, low-acid taste that leans fruity, often called one of the best of the yellow beefsteaks. As with every flavor note here, this is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Manitobaheirloom · 60 days · EarlyDescribed as a rich, old-fashioned tomato flavor with a balanced sweet-acid taste that holds up in sauces and preserves. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Black Plum

Black Plumheirloom · 80 days · MidDescribed as sweet, meaty, and complex with the earthy depth typical of dark tomatoes, good enough that some prefer it to Roma for sauce. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Red Pear

Red Pearheirloom · 70 days · MidDescribed as a mild, pleasant tomato flavor valued more for its shape and abundance than for a bold taste. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Box Car Willieheirloom · 80 days · MidDescribed as a sweet-tangy, old-fashioned tomato flavor, a dependable all-purpose fruit. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Anna Russian

Anna Russianheirloom · 75 days · MidDescribed as sweet and complex with a juiciness uncommon for an early oxheart, rich enough for sandwiches. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Principe Borgheseheirloom · 75 days · MidDescribed as concentrated and meaty rather than juicy, the classic Italian tomato for sun drying. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Super Siouxopen-pollinated · 70 days · MidDescribed as a well-balanced sweet-acid flavor on a tough, dependable plant, good fresh or cooked. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Bonny Bestheirloom · 78 days · MidDescribed as a firm, mildly tart classic red tomato with a balanced sweet-acid taste, a longtime canning favorite. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Japanese Black Trifele

Japanese Black Trifeleheirloom · 75 days · MidDescribed as rich and complex, a smooth dark tomato that slices cleanly for salads or cooks into sauce. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Goldman's Italian Americanopen-pollinated · 80 days · MidDescribed as rich and full for a paste type, meaty enough for sauce yet good sliced. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Cuostraleeheirloom · 85 days · LateDescribed as intense, deep, and old-fashioned, a rich flavor in a very large fruit. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.