9 Best Sun-Dried Tomato Substitutes

How to find the most suitable sun-dried tomato substitutes? Is this challenging for you when your favorite recipes need this kind of dried tomatoes, but you don’t have them available?

From time immemorial, tomatoes have always been a vegetable that appears with high frequency in the kitchens of both restaurants and homes. Over time, people create methods to make these veggies last longer, such as drying them with solar energy.

However, in some cases, you need to substitute sun-dried tomatoes. The detailed information in the article gives you all the choices you need.

How To Define Sun-Dried Tomatoes?

This type of food is made from fresh tomatoes exposed for a long period to the sun. Before going through the sun drying process, people use salt or sulfur dioxide to treat fresh tomatoes.

Then, using heat from the sun, tomatoes lose most of their water after about 4 to 10 days, depending on the size and heating level. Larger ones require more time and will have a greater decrease in weight.

Due to the high water content, tomatoes can lose from 88% to 93 % of their original weight. So, you need about 8-14 kg of fresh tomatoes to get 1 kg of this type of dried tomatoes. ⁽¹⁾

Tomatoes are exposed to the sun but still retain their nutrients, such as vitamin C, lycopene, and antioxidants. People often add them to the daily menu. However, certain diets can contain a significant amount of salt.

You can create many recipes that include sun-dried tomatoes, such as salads, sauces, soups, or stews. They are quite versatile ingredients.

You may make high-quality sun-dried tomatoes with this step-by-step instruction.

Reasons For Replacing Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes have a delicious taste that can upgrade many recipes, while their nutritional value rivals that of fresh tomatoes. However, for some reason, many people want to replace them with something else in their meals.

• Personal taste: not everyone loves the taste of sun-dried tomatoes, which tend to have a strong sweet-sour taste and a chewy texture. As a result, they can overwhelm the taste of other ingredients.

Therefore, many people find it uncomfortable to eat a dish flavored by tomatoes made with solar drying and will choose lighter and easier options.

• Convenience: Your refrigerator does not always have sun-dried tomatoes available. Also, store-bought sun-dried tomatoes aren’t cheap, and not everyone can make their own at home.
• Storage problem: Tomatoes made with solar drying are fairly picky to store properly. Sun-dried tomatoes need to be placed in a jar or preserved in oil (usually olive oil) to keep for a long time. Even so, they will eventually become moldy and inedible.
• Allergies: Tomato allergy is not an uncommon condition. Some people are allergic to the histamine compound in tomatoes.

They may experience symptoms when using them, such as an itchy throat, redness, skin rash, and sneezing. Some of the more serious reactions are dermatitis and difficulty breathing. ⁽²⁾

Therefore, an alternative without tomato extract or with less histamine will be great for certain people.

• Production process: The sun drying process usually takes place for a couple of days, during which tomatoes can get contaminated with dust and even bacteria if not covered properly.

Significant Factors When Substituting Sun-Dried Tomatoes

To find an alternative to sun-dried tomatoes, you have to know the effects you want to achieve in the dish. That means carefully considering the taste and texture of the condiment you want to use instead of solar-dried tomatoes.

• The flavor: Sun-dried tomatoes are mainly sweet and slightly pungent. They almost don’t have the sour taste of fresh tomatoes because of the dehydration process.

They have a distinctive flavor and are much stronger than fresh tomatoes. Therefore, if your substitute doesn’t have an equally powerful flavor, you need to use a larger quantity.

• The texture: Obviously, like most dried varieties, sun-dried tomatoes are quite tough and supple. In most salads, they must be soaked in water before you can use them. Therefore, you may want to choose something of a softer, more fluid consistency.

After referring to the two main factors above, this is the time when you can choose for yourself the most optimal sun-dried tomato substitute.

Top 9 Substitutes For Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Below are common types of tomatoes that can be substituted for dried tomatoes made with solar energy in most cases. You can refer to the options for yourself.

1. Semi-Dried Tomatoes (With An Oven)

If sun-dried tomatoes are not available, you can use fresh tomatoes and quickly roast them in the oven. Semi-dried tomatoes are the most appropriate suggestion, although they are not dry and chewy enough like those made with solar energy.

This replacement is still the perfect choice because they are sweeter, less intense, and easier to enjoy. You simply place the tomatoes on a tray and bake them for 20 minutes. There is no need to expose the veggies to the elements or wait for days.

It is possible to make semi-dried tomatoes at home with just an oven. Let this guide show you how.

2. Tomato Puree

Tomato puree is a mixture made from a mixture of filtered and cooked tomato flesh. It has a certain consistency compared to other forms, so it creates a more reasonable consistency for the dish.

Plum or Roma tomatoes are the best to make tomato puree. You can make it at home by boiling chopped tomatoes without water. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes to soften the tomatoes before transferring them to a blender or food processor.

You should use it in a recipe that needs tomatoey liquid as soup, stock, or sauce. Compared to tomatoes dried with the heat of the sun, the puree is clearly not rich and has a much higher fluidity.

In addition, many people think that the flavor it gives is stronger than tomato sauce. All you need is to replace 3 – 4 tomatoes preserved with solar drying to 1 tablespoon of tomato puree.

3. Fresh Tomatoes

It’s probably too obvious that you can replace sun-dried tomatoes with fresh tomatoes. Of course, expect the raw deliciousness of this type of tomato. At the same time, they are easy to find at markets, supermarkets, or fruit and vegetable stores.

However, when using it, you must consider the amount of water in the recipe. Using 4-6 fresh plum tomatoes is perfect for 1/2 cup of tomatoes made with solar drying.

Simply, the fresh variety still contains its juice and consequently affects the consistency of the dish if the recipe is calculated according to sun-preserved tomatoes.

4. Tamarind Paste

If you love or are familiar with Asian food, tamarind sauce is a perfect choice. Tamarind sauce has a sweet taste, but its tartness is more pronounced. This typical tamarind flavor has a fruity freshness similar to that of sun-dried tomatoes.

Tamarind juice has a nice light brown color and a moderate consistency. It is filtered from the flesh of ripe tamarind. In some Asian countries such as Thailand, India, and Mexico, this condiment is very popular.

Still, this kind of paste has a pretty intense flavor. Therefore, you should only use about 1 teaspoon to replace ½ cup of sun-dried tomatoes at a time, then taste and adjust accordingly.

5. Tomato Powder

Tomato powder is also an option worth your attention, which people create by grinding dried tomatoes into fine powder. This is often used as a seasoning to give the most authentic tomato flavor to dishes.

Tomato powder is basically no different from sun-dried tomatoes other than that it is a finely ground and much drier condiment. Of course, the pulpy, watery inside with the seeds can’t be used to make it.

You can make tomato powder at home by drying them in an oven or food dryer, then processing it with a blender or grinder. The suggested replacement amount is 1:1.

The tomato powder is essentially waterless, so you can use it to thicken many recipes. Alternatively, you can use it as a substitute for tomatoes made with solar drying in both soups and sauces (except for salads).

6. Roasted Bell Peppers Or Red Peppers

You can give bell peppers or red peppers a texture similar to sun-dried tomatoes by roasting them. In addition, their slightly sweet and charred flavor is perfect as a substitute.

You can either bake them directly on the stovetop or in the oven. They offer a sweet and charred flavor and slightly chewy texture. The heat gives roasted bell peppers a smoky flavor that can elevate many dishes.

You can buy roasted bell peppers or red peppers at the store or make them at home. Not only suitable for salads, but these products also go well with pizza, bruschetta, and pasta sauces.

Discover the simplest method to roast bell peppers on the stove.

7. Pecans

It may sound strange, but pecans can also become a substitute for sun-dried tomatoes. In addition to giving you a pleasant flavor, pecans also add a special texture to the dish.

They are high in healthy fats and provide several essential vitamins. They are perfect for combating nutritional deficiencies and improving your endurance. So, this is a healthy alternative.

You may bake the nuts for a few minutes for a burnt and smoky flavor that closely resembles the taste of sun-dried tomatoes. The perfect volume to use when replacing sun-dried tomatoes with pecans is 1:1.

8. Canned Tomatoes

The most popular are probably canned tomatoes. They are sold year-round and are easy to find. So, this is a convenient alternative to sun-dried tomatoes in many cases. You can replace 1/2 cup of dried tomatoes with 1 ½ cups of drained canned tomatoes.

Canned tomatoes are pre-cooked and have a mild flavor that makes them perfect for sauces. In addition, they don’t have any seeds or peels.

At the same time, their shelf life is quite long, while they retain the same freshness and quality as fresh tomatoes. You can use canned tomatoes in soups, stews, pizza sauces, and pasta dishes.

9. Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is a type of tomato that cooks continuously for several hours. It makes the texture a bit dense because its water content is significantly reduced. You are most likely familiar with tomato paste in dishes in Italian cuisine like pasta.

This condiment usually has a much thicker texture than tomato puree, requiring a smaller amount in dishes. You need 1 tablespoon of tomato paste to substitute 2 – 3 tomatoes dried with the heat of the sun.

Moreover, it is also used to color and add tomato flavor to stews and soups. As an alternative to sun-dried tomatoes, you should consider it because its tomato flavor is also quite strong and sour.

Let this thorough guide show you that making tomato paste is easier than you think.

FAQs

There are still many things about sun-dried tomatoes that you should know. Please refer to the information below to learn more about them.

All About The Substitutes Of Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tomatoes become chewier, sweeter, and more enjoyable after sun drying. You can use them in a variety of recipes or simply eat them raw. However, sometimes you don’t always have them on hand or love this overpowering taste.

So to keep the recipe perfect, you can completely replace sun-dried tomatoes with numerous other ingredients. From the substitutes which are closely related to tomatoes to completely different ones, this article has listed all of them in detail.

I hope you find my post informative and use it to create your own dishes. Please kindly share this post and also comment on what you think can replace this type of dried tomato.

References

1. Sun-dried tomato (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
2. Kerr, M. (2018) Tomato allergies: Symptoms, treatments, and recipes, Healthline. Healthline Media.