Did you know you can easily make tomato juice out of tomato paste? This easy homemade tomato juice recipe calls for sea salt and healthy fats for better nutrient absorption. It's naturally Paleo, Whole30, and GAPS compliant.
Homemade Tomato Juice Recipe
Living in California, we seem to enjoy our tomatoes every which way. But one overlooked method of consuming tomatoes was drinking it. For some unknown reason, that was always the choice of drink when flying in an airplane but it wasn't until just recently that I started making my own tomato juice...when not flying.
This drink is easily made from tomato paste, in conjunction with a friendly fat and unrefined sea salt. I always add a pinch of cayenne for a kick. But what I love the most about this simple drink are the health benefits.
Is Tomato Juice Healthy?
The many health benefits of tomatoes can be attributed to their wealth of vitamins and nutrients.
They boast an impressive amount of vitamins A, C, E, K as well as folate, potassium, manganese, and magnesium.
But in particular, tomatoes contain a robust amount of lycopene, a naturally occurring pigment linked to the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. (source) This pigment belongs to a family of antioxidants called carotenoids and their properties are associated with protecting cells and regulating cell growth.
Why Cooked Tomatoes are Healthier than Raw!
Research has found that absorption of lycopene can be significantly increased by heating the molecule.
Lycopene in it's raw form, tends to crystallize which lowers its absorption potential. On the contrary, when lycopene is heated, the bent forms are able to easily find their way during digestion increasing the antioxidant absorption potential. (source)
This is important to know because tomato paste is essentially cooked down tomatoes. So even though, we are not cooking any tomatoes per se, the idea is that the paste has already been cooked and therefore rich in lycopene action!
Tomato Juice with Optimal Nutrient Absorption
Additionally, consuming fat and carotenoids together improved absorption of lycopene and other compounds even further.
I've not been one to shy from healthy fats such as pastured butter, lard and avocado oil as those are all important for excellent nourishment.
So when tomatoes are eaten with those healthier fats, the body's absorption of the carotenoid can more than double. (source)
I always do my best to consume foods high in carotenoids with some fat. Adding avocado oil or best-sourced olive oil to your tomato juice will ensure the best absorption of phytochemicals.
What is the Best Tomato Paste for Juice?
Tomato paste is readily available at most grocery stores but I would caution against buying paste in cans because of the potential for BPA to leach into those foods, especially if those foods are acidic.
Even though many companies have started to remove BPA from their products, they are often replaced with equally harmful substance.
Instead, go for tomato products and other acidic foods in glass jars.
Bionaturae is a great company and you can purchase a few jars on Amazon or at your local natural food store. Amazon also has a 12-pack that is more cost-efficient if you use tomato paste often.
But the best option is to source tomato paste from European markets. I love Tukas, a Turkish brand of tomato paste that only contains tomatoes and no added salt. I can find a jar of this for under $4 at my local European market, much cheaper than Amazon's price. And as always, read the ingredients to avoid preservatives and added salt.
Note on tomato paste: I often find non-organic foods from European countries are much better in quality than American. As upsetting as that is, the reality is so many of US crops are heavily sprayed and more and more foods are GM produced. I can't always purchase everything organic, therefore, I am often left to source foods from countries that have banned GMO crops. You can find the origin of your food on any label and then check out this map to see if that country has banned GMOs.
How to Dissolve Tomato Paste?
Drop tomato paste in a jar and pour water over it. Use a long spoon to stir until tomato paste evenly dissolves and thoroughly combined. Alternatively, you can also close the lid to a jar and shake it vigorously. It also helps to use lukewarm water or even warm water to fully dissolve the paste.
How to Make Tomato Juice from Tomato Paste
How To Make Tomato Juice From Tomato Paste
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 quart filtered water minus 2 tablespoons
- 1 ½ teaspoons unrefined salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon healthy oil: avocado oil, MCT oil, olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together and stir or whisk vigorously to break up the fats in the oil.
- Enjoy on ice.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Stir well before drinking as tomato paste will settle.
Video
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally published November 9, 2016 and has been updated.
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. 🙂