How to make tomato juice with and without a juicer with one of three methods: blending, grating, or juicing. The resulting homemade tomato juice takes just minutes to prepare and is fresh, packed with flavor, and perfect for whipping up cocktails or storing for later!

Whether you grow your own tomatoes and have had a particularly successful year or simply want to make some homemade tomato juice sans preservatives and any other ‘nasties’ – learning how to make tomato juice at home is simple and takes just minutes – with or without a juicer.

Below I’ve included three heat-free methods for tomato juicing, as well as the heated method (in the recipe notes). Having already shared how to juice cucumber, turmeric, watermelon, ginger, carrots, and orange, – it was only a matter of time before I added homemade tomato juice to the list.

This year I’ve really found the time to embrace tomatoes in all their glory with dishes like Caprese salad, Pico de Gallo, cucumber and tomato salad, gazpacho, and more. Tomato juicing is just another thing to add to my kitchen repertoire; whether I want to whip up a virgin (or not) bloody Mary, add the juice to other juices and smoothies, sauces, or store for later – learning how to juice a tomato is simple and can be done in multiple ways. The resulting juice is packed with health benefits too!

The Benefits of Tomato Juice

Just like fresh tomatoes are packed with health benefits, the same can be said for tomato juice. Not only is it packed with several vitamins and minerals, but a single cup (240ml) of tomato juice contains nearly all the daily recommended vitamin C and over 20% of the daily Vit A.

More so, tomato juice can improve eye and heart health, and the carotenoids within the juice act as a potent antioxidant, protecting against oxidative damage and reducing inflammation, and providing protection against certain cancers.

There is also some evidence that it may prevent blood clotting and contains vitamins and minerals that are good for bone and skin health while detoxifying our bodies by boosting liver and kidney function.

In fact, there have been several studies undertaken to explore the effects of drinking tomato juice daily on the human body.

Unfortunately, many store-bought tomato juice options are also extremely high in sodium, which can negatively affect our health. That’s where homemade tomato juice comes in! 

How to Make Tomato Juice from Fresh Tomatoes

First, make sure to wash the tomatoes well and pat them dry. Depending on which method you plan to use, you may want to remove the tomato core, too.

Tomato Juicer Recipe

This method is the simplest of them all and requires no manual squeezing.

Chop the tomatoes, so they fit through the chute of your juicer.

Slowly feed them into the juicer – voila! The juicer will automatically remove the skin and seeds from the juice.

Tomato Juice in a Blender

First, chop the tomatoes into rough pieces (I did it whole this time, but it gave the machine more work to do and vibrated all over the place – whoops!).

Then blend until the mixture is juice-like and smooth – this may take a couple of minutes to properly break down.

Place a large nut milk bag or layers of cheesecloth inside a large bowl (alternatively, use a sieve) and pour the tomato mixture from the blender into it. Lift the bag/cheesecloth up and allow it to drain naturally. Then, using your hands, squeeze the leftover pulp to remove as much juice as possible.

Tomato juicer with a grater

This option is machine-free and uses a similar method to the one for making cucumber juice.

Grate or chop the tomato as finely as possible into a large bowl, then transfer than mixture to a nut milk bag (or cheesecloth layers) and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.

BONUS The Heated Method

Chop your tomatoes and add them to a large pan on the stovetop over medium heat with a splash of water. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Continuously stirring to soften the tomatoes.

Then, press the softened tomatoes through a sieve or food mill to extract the juice and leave behind the skin and seeds.

Return the extracted juice to the stovetop and heat over medium heat until just before boiling (around 185-195ºF/85-90ºC- don’t boil it!).

You can then can the juice or allow it to cool slightly before transferring to the refrigerator or freezer.

Why use the heated method? Heating them the first time will help to soften the tomatoes to extract as much juice as possible. The second heating will pasteurize the juice – it can also positively affect the juice’s viscosity/texture and shelf life. More so, the flavor will change and become more concentrated. I recommend trying both methods to find your preferred version. While heating the tomatoes will reduce Vitamin C levels somewhat, the lycopene will become more easily absorbable.

How to Water Bath Can Tomato Juice

I didn’t design this recipe with canning tomato juice in mind, so it’s best to refer to official sources for correctly processing tomato juice – like this tomato preservation PDF.

When canning tomato juice, you’ll need to increase the acidity of the juice. To do this, start by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per 1 quart of tomato juice and mix well (or 1 Tbsp per pint). Then, follow the below steps.

Sterilize the jars: Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinsing well. Then place the jars (no rubber or plastic parts) in a pre-heated oven for ten minutes at 325ºF/160ºC to completely dry them.

Note: some dishwashers have a ‘sanitize’ option, which will wash and sanitize them.

Pour the tomato juice into the jar/s, leaving ½-inch headspace (for expansion). It can be easiest to do this with a funnel to reduce the risk of any spillage.

Add the lids and seal them, wiping any spillages clean from the outside of the jars.

Process the cans: the time needed to process the jars will depend on the altitude where you live – follow these guidelines for the correct time.

Rest for 24hrs: after processing the jars, allow them to cool at room temperature for 24 hours. During this time, the jars should properly seal, and the ‘button’ in the center of the lid should be down, creating a flat cap. If any aren’t properly sealed, you’ll need to reprocess them or move them to the fridge/freezer to store for a shorter time.

Transfer to cupboard/freezer: you can then store away the jars of homemade tomato juice. Keep them labeled in a cool dark location for up to a year or in the freezer for up to 18 months.

Once opened, store the juice in the refrigerator and aim to use it within a week.

How to Use Tomato Juice

Aside from drinking the juice alone or as part of a blend, there are several other recipe options to use your homemade tomato juice, including:

• Bloody Mary: the classic choice, use this tomato juice for a homemade Bloody Mary (virgin or not!)
• Fizzy: add sparkling water or fizzy lemonade to the bloody Mary.
• Spicy tomato juice: if you’re using a juicer, you can add a jalapeno or chili of your choice to the juice, based on how spicy you’d like it to be. Alternatively, you can add a little chili/cayenne pepper to the juice and mix well. When making spicy tomato juice, I like to also add celery and bell pepper to the juice.
• Mixed juice: there are several ways you can enjoy this tomato juice with other ingredients: orange, carrot, pear, melon, beetroot, cucumber, ginger, etc. Sweeten it with a bit of sugar or honey.
• Soup base: you can use it in place of, or as part of, a stock. You can also add some to gazpacho.
• Chili: you can also use leftover tomato juice in a chili instead of, or alongside, canned tomatoes.
• Add to grains: leftover tomato juice is excellent for adding to rice and grains to add more flavor, like Mexican rice. You can do the same for pasta.
• Smoothies/Shakes: blend a little tomato juice (or the ice cubes) into the drink of your choice.
• Add to stock: when making homemade veggie stock, you can add a little of the tomato juice for extra flavor.