Learn how to make tomato juice from tomato paste or tomato sauce quickly. It's an incredibly easy recipe that comes together in less than 5 minutes with 2 simple ingredients. Add a splash of healthy fats like MCT oil or olive oil for better nutrient absorption. This nourishing tomato juice recipe will satisfy your salt cravings and become your go-to refreshingly healthy drink.
There are so many different methods to making homemade tomato juice but this is probably the most quickest, easiest, and convenient! Sure, if you have a bounty of fresh tomatoes, you can peel them, blend them, and boil them down to make tomato juice but when I'm craving a nourishing, salty, and cold drink with a hint of spice - I go to this substitute for tomato juice.
Looking for more healthy drinks? Check out honey citrus mint tea, herbal coffee, and honey lemonade.
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Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 5 minutes to prep
- Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: GAPS, Low-Carb-ish, Paleo, Ancestral diet
- Tools Needed: quart-size jar with lid for storage
- Skill Level: Super easy
What is an ancestral diet? Read my post on what nourishing foods are based on the traditional dietary principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Reasons to Love this Recipe for Tomato Juice
- Super easy recipe: There is no need to juice fresh tomatoes, and you're using pantry staples that you likely already have on hand.
- Optimize nutrient absorption: The splash of a healthy oil makes the carotenoids in the tomato juice more bio-available and easily absorbable.
- Avoid food waste: This is a great recipe when you're wondering what to do with leftover tomato paste after you use a few tablespoons for an Instant Pot lamb curry or Shepherd's pie.
- Make ahead friendly: Make a big batch and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Nourishing drink: Salty drinks like this tomato juice recipe is nourishing for the adrenals and is rich in minerals. Cooked tomatoes, found in tomato sauce and paste are also generally easier on the gut than in raw form.
Ingredients for Tomato Juice
Learn how to make tomato juice from tomato paste with 2 simple ingredients. See the recipe card for exact quantities.
- Tomato paste: Any brand of tomato paste will work, but I prefer jarred tomato paste. This Bionaturae tomato paste is my favorite brand - it's in small jars and has no added salt or sugar. But you can also find jarred tomato paste in local European and Middle Eastern stores. Just be sure to check the ingredients to make sure they don't have added salt or sugar.
- Unrefined salt: Any unrefined sea salt with a high mineral content will work.
- Cayenne pepper: For an optional touch of heat.
- Healthy oil: A splash of extra virgin olive oil or MCT oil will help with nutrient absorption. This is optional.
Canned or Jarred Tomato Paste
One of the most important things that I am slowly transitioning to is purchasing tomato products in jars rather than cans. It's not easy because the frugal part of me tries to convince me that I'm grossly overpaying but the crunchy side of me insists that we're swimming in BPA particles.
In short, do what you feel is best for your family with this in mind. The reality is that buying paste in cans is not ideal because of the potential for BPA to leach into those foods, especially if those foods are acidic, as tomatoes are.
Even though many companies have started to remove BPA from their products, they are often replaced with equally harmful substance.
If budget allows, go for tomato products and other acidic foods in glass jars. And no matter what you use, read the ingredients to avoid preservatives and added salt.
💭Tips to Make it Nutrient-Dense Do this: Add a healthy fat like extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or a splash of MCT oil to tomato juice to further improve absorption of nutrients and keep the blood sugar stable. Why it works: According to NIH, studies show that consuming fat and carotenoids together improve absorption of lycopene and other compounds. Healthy fats such as pastured butter, tallow, and extra virgin olive oil offer excellent nourishment. So when tomatoes are eaten with those healthier fats, the body's absorption of the carotenoid can more than double. I always do my best to consume foods high in carotenoids with some fat. Adding avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil to your tomato juice will ensure the best absorption of these phytochemicals.
How to Make Tomato Juice from Tomato Paste
The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.
Step 1. Dissolve
Dissolve tomato paste in ¼ cup of warm water. Add salt, cayenne pepper, and oil and stir or whisk vigorously to break up the fats in the oil and dissolve the salt.
Step 2. Dilute
Add remaining water and adjust salt if necessary. Enjoy over ice or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Stir well before drinking as tomato paste will settle.
Helpful Tips for Homemade Tomato Juice
- Use warm water to dissolve tomato paste - You'll need just a quarter cup of warm water but it'll make incorporating the paste into the liquid much quicker and smoother.
- Break up the oil - If using an oil, whisk vigorously to emulsify the oil and break it up. If you desire, you can even use an immersion blender to really get it worked up well. Alternatively, you can also screw the lid on the jar and shake vigorously. Add remaining water and proceed with the recipe.
- Strain for a smoother texture - If you prefer a smoother texture, strain the tomato juice through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove any pulp. I don't find it pulpy at all but that's an easy to way to make it smoother with a thinner texture.
Troubleshooting
- Too weak? Dissolve a tablespoon or two of additional tomato paste with a little bit of warm water in a separate cup and add to the tomato juice until you get the desired consistency.
- Too salty? If the tomato juice is too salty or too rich in tomato flavor, add more water to dilute to taste preferences.
- Fat particles won't break up? Throw it in a blender or use an immersion blender to emulsify the oil into the juice. But it's also important to have realistic expectations. If you're drinking it for the health benefits, try to overlook the little fat that pools to the top. Otherwise, omit it and just enjoy a refreshingly salty drink.
💭Meal Prep Suggestion: This tomato juice recipe is excellent when you need a just a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and need to use up the rest. It's easy to scale up or down, depending on how much tomato paste you have on hand.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
How long does tomato juice last in the refrigerator?
To store: Store tomato juice in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Storage containers: These wide-mouth mason jars for leftovers or Weck juice jars with lids are excellent for storing tomato juice.
To freeze: To freeze, pour the juice into freezer-safe containers, leaving some headspace at the top to allow room for expansion. You can also use souper cubes to freeze individual portions. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomato juice has an impressive amount of vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as folate, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. Tomatoes also contain a robust amount of lycopene, a naturally occurring pigment that may help curb chronic diseases, according to NIH study. This pigment belongs to a family of antioxidants called carotenoids and their properties are associated with protecting cells and regulating cell growth.
You would use a similar method as with tomato paste. Just use considerably more tomato sauce than paste and season to taste and add oil. Shake or stir vigorously.
Research has found that the absorption of lycopene can be significantly increased by heating the molecule. According to this NIH study on lycopene, the raw form tends to crystallize which lowers the absorption potential. On the other hand, when lycopene is heated, the bent forms are able to easily find their way during digestion increasing the antioxidant absorption potential. This is important to know because tomato paste is essentially cooked down tomatoes and is rich in lycopene action.
Looking for more easy healthy basics? Here are some ideas:
Did you make this Tomato Juice Recipe? Please leave a ⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016 and has since been republished with new photos and a slight modification. I increased the tomato paste quantity to create a richer taste. The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Printable Recipe
How To Make Tomato Juice
Ingredients
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 quart filtered water
- 1 teaspoons sea salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, MCT oil
Instructions
- Dissolve tomato paste in ¼ cup of warm water. Add salt, cayenne pepper, and oil and stir or whisk vigorously to break up the fats in the oil and dissolve the salt.
- Add remaining water and adjust salt if necessary.
- Enjoy over ice or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Stir well before drinking as tomato paste will settle.
Video
Notes
- Use warm water to dissolve tomato paste - You'll need just a quarter cup of warm water but it'll make incorporating the paste into the liquid much quicker and smoother.
- Break up the oil - If using an oil, whisk vigorously to emulsify the oil and break it up. If you desire, you can even use an immersion blender to really get it worked up well. Alternatively, you can also screw the lid on the jar and shake vigorously. Add remaining water and proceed with the recipe.
- Strain for a smoother texture - If you prefer a smoother texture, strain the tomato juice through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove any pulp. I don't find it pulpy at all but that's an easy to way to make it smoother with a thinner texture.
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
This is such a great idea! I never would have known how to make this. My mom loved tomato juice, you know the kind I'm talking about, and I used to enjoy drinking it with her too (as a kid). I love your healthier version and that salt and avocado oil in there too!
Anya says
Thanks Emily. The commercial tomato juice is junk. And homemade is so easy to make anyways.
Lynn Tremblay says
How many cups is 1 quart -2T filtered water? Thank you.
Anya says
Hi Lynn,
It would be 0.875 cups. 😉 Just remove enough water to make it easy to stir in a jar. It doesn't have to be precise.
Keith says
That's a huge sodium load! Especially bad for those with kidney disease. How about not adding the extra salt?
Anya says
Hi Keith,
Feel free to use as much or as little salt as desired. You're also welcome to completely omit it but it will taste more bland.
mart says
Hi, thanks for the great recipe. Im from South Africa and we use litres and millilitres. Am I correct in understanding that the ratio is 2 Tablespoon paste to a 1 quart as in 946 ml (4 cups) or 1 quart as in 1 cup which = 236 ml to 2 T paste ? sorry i made the recipe: 2 T to 900 ml and its definitely too weak.
Anya says
Hi Mart,
If it's too weak for your liking, feel free to add more tomato paste and adjust salt if necessary. Hope that helps.
Clarissa Ann Schmoldt says
How much oil do you use? It does not give an amount? Thanks much.
Anya says
Clarissa,
It's optional but 1-2 teaspoons per glass is plenty. Enjoy!
Brenda says
Is that really the correct sodium content? That seems awfully high... I guess if I add much less salt, that would do the trick.
Anya says
Hi Brenda,
Yes you could reduce the added salt. Sea salt has other important minerals so I don't worry about the high sodium content in tomato juice, especially since this is more of an occasional drink and not a regular thing.
Jim says
Thanks for this recipe, I might have given 5 stars but you never provided any apportionment for the avocado oil. Is a pint too much, if you see my point? I would assume not a lot so I would hate to ruin the drink right off if even a Tablespoon might be too much. So, even some starting point would be helpful. You gave amounts for everything else...
Anya says
Hi Jim,
Good point - I fixed the recipe card to reflect that. One teaspoon should be sufficient - or just a quick drizzle. Enjoy. 🙂
Howard says
Excellent, well done, I add splash of lea and perrins.
Anya says
Yummm!!
Brad Alsobrook says
If I used 12 oz of tomato paste, how much water would I add to make tomato juice? Sorry for the question. My brain doesn't work very well with numbers. 😁 😊
Anya says
A lot. LOL - For one ounce of tomato paste (or 2 tablespoons), you would use one quart of water. So, for 12 ounces of tomato paste, you would need 12 quarts or 3 gallons. That's a LOT of tomato juice. You can also decrease the water a bit to make the tomato juice a little thicker, if desired. Enjoy!!