The best tomato paste substitutes depend on what you're cooking

If you don't have tomato paste on hand, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, ketchup, sun-dried tomatoes, and even canned whole tomatoes can stand in for it. The right choice depends on what dish you're making and what texture and flavor intensity you need. Tomato paste is concentrated — one tablespoon has the tomato flavor of about three tablespoons of tomato sauce — so most substitutes require you to use more volume or adjust other ingredients.

The substitutes fall into two groups: those that are already cooked and ready to use, and those that need cooking down to reach the right consistency. Some work better in soups and stews, others in sauces and braises. Knowing which substitute matches your recipe saves you from watery dishes or ones that taste too thin.

Key Takeaways

  • Tomato sauce is the closest substitute — use three tablespoons of sauce for every one tablespoon of paste, and reduce other liquids in the recipe slightly.
  • Crushed tomatoes work well in long-cooking dishes like chili and ragù because they break down and concentrate as they simmer.
  • Sun-dried tomatoes deliver intense flavor in small amounts and work best when rehydrated or blended into a paste-like consistency.
  • Ketchup contains added sugar and vinegar, so use it only in dishes where those flavors fit, and reduce salt elsewhere in the recipe.
  • Canned whole tomatoes can replace paste if you drain them, crush them by hand, and cook them down for 15 to 20 minutes to remove excess water.

Tomato sauce: the closest match for most recipes

Tomato sauce is the easiest swap because it's already cooked and seasoned. The main difference is water content — tomato sauce is thinner than paste. For every tablespoon of tomato paste your recipe calls for, use three tablespoons of tomato sauce instead. This accounts for the difference in concentration.

Because you're adding more liquid, reduce the other liquids in your recipe slightly — cut the water, broth, or wine by about two to three tablespoons per tablespoon of paste you're replacing. This keeps your dish from becoming too thin. Tomato sauce works well in soups, stews, braises, and pasta sauces where a looser consistency is already expected.

If your tomato sauce is unseasoned, taste as you cook and add salt, garlic, or herbs to match what the recipe would have gotten from the paste. Jarred sauce often has garlic and onion already mixed in, so check the label before seasoning.

Crushed tomatoes for dishes that simmer for an hour or more

Crushed tomatoes are whole tomatoes that have been broken down but not fully cooked into a sauce. They're thicker than tomato sauce but less concentrated than paste. Use about two tablespoons of crushed tomatoes for every one tablespoon of paste. Because they still contain seeds and skin, they add texture that works especially well in chili, ragù, and long-simmered meat sauces.

The advantage of crushed tomatoes is that they continue to break down and reduce as your dish cooks. If you're making something that will simmer for 45 minutes or longer, the tomatoes will naturally thicken and concentrate, getting closer to paste consistency on their own. This makes them ideal for dishes where you want deep tomato flavor without having to add paste.

Crushed tomatoes don't work as well in quick-cooking dishes or recipes that need the paste to dissolve completely into a smooth sauce. For those, tomato sauce is a better choice.

Sun-dried tomatoes for intense flavor in small amounts

Sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have been dried to remove most of their water, concentrating the flavor dramatically. One tablespoon of sun-dried tomatoes can replace one tablespoon of tomato paste in terms of flavor intensity, but the texture is completely different — they're chewy and fibrous rather than smooth.

To use them as a paste substitute, rehydrate them first by soaking in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, then drain and blend them into a paste-like consistency. Alternatively, chop them finely and add them directly to soups or stews where texture variation won't matter. Sun-dried tomatoes work especially well in Mediterranean dishes, grain bowls, and vegetable-forward recipes where their concentrated, slightly sweet flavor is an asset rather than a distraction.

Be aware that sun-dried tomatoes are often packed in oil, which adds fat to your dish. If you're using oil-packed versions, drain them well and account for that oil in your cooking fat. Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes have no added oil and are easier to control.

Ketchup: use it only when the added sugar and vinegar fit

Ketchup contains tomato, but it also contains added sugar, vinegar, and spices. Use one tablespoon of ketchup for every one tablespoon of tomato paste, but only in dishes where sweetness and acidity are already part of the flavor profile — barbecue sauces, glazes, and some chili recipes. In delicate tomato sauces or dishes where you want pure tomato flavor, ketchup will throw off the balance.

Because ketchup is already sweetened, reduce any sugar your recipe calls for by about half a teaspoon per tablespoon of ketchup you use. The vinegar in ketchup is also more pronounced than the acidity in tomato paste, so taste as you go and adjust salt and other seasonings accordingly. Ketchup works best as a last-resort substitute when you have nothing else on hand and the dish can tolerate a slightly sweeter, more acidic tomato flavor.

Canned whole tomatoes: drain, crush, and cook them down

A can of whole tomatoes can become a paste substitute, but it requires work. Drain the tomatoes well — discard most of the liquid — then crush them by hand or with a fork. Add them to your pot and let them cook uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they break down and the excess moisture evaporates. The result won't be as thick as commercial paste, but it will be close enough for most recipes.

This method works best in dishes that are already cooking for a while, like soups, stews, and sauces. It doesn't work well if you need the paste to dissolve quickly or if you're making something that cooks for only 10 to 15 minutes. Use about three tablespoons of drained, cooked-down whole tomatoes for every one tablespoon of paste the recipe calls for.

Tomato juice: only for soups and very wet dishes

Tomato juice is thin and watery, so it's not a good paste substitute for most recipes. However, if you're making soup or a very liquid braise where you need tomato flavor but not thickness, you can use it. You'll need about six to eight tablespoons of tomato juice for every one tablespoon of paste, and you should reduce other liquids in the recipe significantly to keep the dish from becoming too thin.

Tomato juice works best as a last resort in soups where the thinness doesn't matter. It adds tomato flavor without any of the body or concentration that paste provides, so the final dish will taste lighter and less intense than intended. If you have any of the other substitutes available, they will give you better results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of tomato paste?

Fresh tomatoes are mostly water and have very little of the concentrated flavor paste provides. You would need about 10 to 12 fresh tomatoes to equal one tablespoon of paste, and you'd have to cook them down for 30 to 45 minutes to remove the water. It's usually not practical unless you're already making a long-simmered sauce.

What if my substitute makes the dish too watery?

Cook the dish uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes longer than the recipe says, stirring occasionally. This lets excess moisture evaporate. If that doesn't work, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water, stir it into the dish, and simmer for two more minutes to thicken it.

Do I need to adjust seasoning when I use a substitute?

Yes. Most substitutes are less concentrated than paste, so they carry less tomato flavor. Taste your dish as it cooks and add more salt, garlic, or herbs as needed. Ketchup and sun-dried tomatoes are exceptions — they're so flavorful that you may need to use less seasoning overall.

Which substitute works best in pizza sauce?

Tomato sauce is your best choice because it's already the right consistency and won't make the pizza watery. If you only have crushed tomatoes, cook them down for 10 minutes first to remove some water, then mix with a little olive oil and seasonings.