If your garden is overflowing with cherry tomatoes or you spotted a great deal at the farmers market, this Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce is the recipe to make. Slow roasting concentrates the tomatoes' natural sweetness while garlic and olive oil create an incredibly rich, silky sauce that's delicious over pasta, spread on pizza, or served with warm, crusty bread.
I first made this recipe when I had an abundance of cherry tomatoes from the garden and wanted to make something quick, simple, and really delicious. I wasn't in the mood for spending hours over the stove making tomato sauce, and this ended up being one of those recipes that was so much better than I expected. Roasting the tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness and gives this homemade roasted cherry tomato sauce such a rich, fresh flavor with very little effort.
One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it lets the tomatoes do the talking. I keep it simple with just cherry tomatoes, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, and a little seasoning, but you can absolutely add fresh basil, thyme, oregano, or parsley if you'd like. It's delicious tossed with pasta, spread on homemade pizza, spooned onto sandwiches, or served as a dip with warm, crusty bread. If you're looking for an easy way to use up fresh cherry tomatoes, I think you're going to love this one.
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Why you will love this recipe.
Incredible flavor - Roasting concentrates the natural sweetness of cherry tomatoes and adds rich, caramelized depth.
Simple ingredients, big impact - Just tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and herbs create a sauce that tastes gourmet.
Versatile and delicious - Use it on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, grain bowls, or as a dipping sauce.
Easy to make - Minimal prep and the oven does most of the work.
Freezer-friendly - Make a big batch and freeze extras for quick, flavor-packed meals later.
More sauces and condiments you will love.
Equipment
- Baking sheet or casserole dish
- Blender, or you can also use a handheld immersion blender.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cherry tomatoes: Garden-fresh cherry tomatoes are my favorite, especially during the summer when they're at their sweetest, but store-bought work just as well. You can also substitute grape tomatoes or larger tomatoes chopped into chunks. If using larger tomatoes, you may need to roast them for a little longer until they're soft and caramelized.
- Olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Red wine vinegar can be substituted if that's what you have on hand, although the flavor will be slightly tangier.
- Sugar: A small amount of sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar. Depending on how sweet your tomatoes are, you can reduce or even omit it if you prefer.
- Salt & Black pepper
- Red bell pepper: Adds natural sweetness and a little extra body to the sauce. Yellow or orange bell peppers are great substitutes, while a green bell pepper will give the sauce a slightly more savory, less sweet flavor.
- Onion: I typically use a yellow onion, but a sweet onion or white onion will also work well. Red onion can be used in a pinch, though it has a slightly stronger flavor.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic is definitely worth using here, as roasting mellows the flavor and makes it sweet, buttery, and delicious. If you're a garlic lover, don't be afraid to add an extra clove or two.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce FAQs
Yes! Grape tomatoes work just as well in this recipe. They have a similar sweetness and size, making them a perfect substitute.
Nope! Roasting softens the skins so well that there's no need to peel. Once blended, the sauce is smooth and full of flavor.
Stored in an airtight container, this sauce will last up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! Freeze in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove.
Yes, the sauce itself is naturally gluten-free. Just be sure to pair it with gluten-free pasta or dishes if needed.
This sauce also works great blended up with a little fresh basil, parsley or thyme. You can even add a splash of cream or lemon juice if you prefer. For a spicier sauce add in some red pepper flakes before roasting.
More summer tomato recipes for you to enjoy.
Homemade Salsa (canning safe recipe)
Baked Feta Dip with cherry tomatoes
Chorizo and Tomato Steamed Mussels
Made this Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Blender
Ingredients
- 6 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into segment
- 4-6 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine cherry tomatoes with sugar, balsamic vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and then pour onto a baking sheet or casserole dish. Nestle in the piece of bell pepper and onion. And place the garlic cloves (with the skins on) in the middle. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 F for about 45 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the garlic from the pan. Then transfer the remaining contents to a blender. Squeeze the garlic pulp from the skins into the blender. Then blend until smooth.
- Transfer into jars with lids and store in the fridge until ready to use. The sauce will stay fresh up to five days in the fridge or you can freeze it for up to 6 months. Enjoy!
Mary
This recipe is so delicious AND so easy! I’ve made a few batches already and still have more cherry tomatoes coming.
Do you know if I can hot bath can this sauce?
jamjarkitchen
I’m so glad you like it! I wouldn’t recommend water bath canning this recipe due to low acidity in onions/garlic/peppers and varying levels of acidity in homegrown tomatoes. However, it can definitely be pressure canned and it also freezes wonderfully!
Nicole
How long would you pressure can this recipe? Thanks
jamjarkitchen
About 25 minutes should do the trick!
Paula B
Have you pressure canned this recipe? I’m curious what the pressure should be and how long the processing time should be
jamjarkitchen
Yes, this recipe can be pressure canned. For an altitude between 1 and 1,000 feet process at 10 lbs of pressure for 25 minutes and that should do the trick. Hope you enjoy!
Nathalie Gregoire
Can you give me the recipe in grams by weight)?
jamjarkitchen
Hi there- I'm so sorry I haven't measured it by grams yet, but next time I make this recipe I'll measure out all the ingredients by weight and then update it. Stay tuned!
Victoria
Can I use a food processor instead of a blender?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Victoria- Yes, you will get a slightly different texture but it will still be delicious!
Susan
So easy and delicious!
Michelle M.
I’ve made scratch spaghetti sauce for decades, and this by far is the best sauce I’ve ever made! No more blanching Roma tomatoes, peeling skin and cooking them down for hours! I will make this sauce from now on! I added my garden basil and rosemary during the blending stage and it took perfection to even a higher level. I even mixed in some of my Roma tomatoes (cut them into chunks) to the cherries for roasting and it came out great. This is my go-to recipe from now on, and will use this for my base when making vodka pasta sauce. THANK YOU!
Jackie
Just a little too sweet for me but overall yummy. I’ll just use a little less sugar next time. It’s a keeper.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Jackie - The sweetness of this recipe definitely varies depending on the sweetness of the tomatoes you use! While it calls for about a tbsp of sugar to bring out the natural flavor and sweetness of the tomatoes, sometimes only a pinch does the trick or feel free to leave out altogether.
As a tip - if you find the sauce a bit too sweet for your liking you can counter that by adding some additional acid such as a squeeze of lemon or a dash of vinegar. An extra pinch of salt can also help balance it. 🙂
Kari
The best recipe! Next year I will plant more cherry tomatoes just so I can make and freeze this sauce! It's a spoon full of summer (~*{> Thank you!
Jill
I’m always confused about recipes like this - what about the seeds? I have a vitamix blender and any sauce or soup comes out extremely seedy……
Do your seeds just get blended up somehow? Let me know 🙂
jamjarkitchen
Hi there! This recipe calls for cherry tomatoes which tend to have softer seeds. Once they are roasted and fully blended the sauce will be smooth and you shouldn’t be seedy at all. Hope you enjoy!
Audrey
If you haven't made your own tomato sauce this recipe is your sign to do it!! It is so much better than the jarred stuff from the grocerystore.
Linda Perkins
I made this last year and it was fantastic. Now I'm getting ready to make it again. Question: for pressure canning, can I refrigerate the sauce and then heat it back up for canning? Does it have to come to a boil first before putting it in the jars for canning? Sorry, I'm new to canning. I saw your response to someone else about the amount if pressure and time it needs, so you don't need to comment on that. I would just love to make some to use fresh one night and then can the rest the next day.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you enjoyed it! Yes, you can absolutely make the sauce one day, refrigerate it, and then can it the next day. Just be sure to reheat it thoroughly before filling your jars. I like to bring it back up to a good simmer so it’s nice and hot all the way through, which helps prevent jar breakage and ensures your processing time is accurate. Then you'll just ladle it into your hot jars and proceed with pressure canning. 🙂
Jeri
This is my favorite tomato sauce recipe when my cherry tomatoes are ripe. I usually combine yellow and red cherry tomatoes, and it tastes so much better than store-bought!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Heather- Unfortunately no, water bath canning is not safe for this sauce. However you can pressure can it safely. Hope this helps!
Carolyn
Hiw is water bath canning this any different than water bath canning salsa, spaghetti sauce, chili sauce, etc. I water bath all of those.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Carolyn - I would not recommend water bath canning this recipe as written. It has oil and vegetables with too low of an acid level for safe water bath canning. You can pressure can this recipe, which would take the temperature up to 240 (the safe temperature for killing botulism). Or, you could omit the oil and add citric acid before canning to ensure safety. In general, I do not recommend water bath canning for salsa (unless it has a significant amount of lime juice/vinegar and you use a trusted, tested recipe), or spaghetti sauce (again, unless it's a trusted recipe with enough acid added). I hope this helps!
Carissa Fisher
I do can tomatoe sauces in water bath and put acidic acid in. I follow the recommended amount of acidic acid and works great and easy! I’m going to do it for this recipe today and just follow the recipe and add acidic acid. Good luck
Lynn Bolton
I made this and froze it with my summer cherry tomatoes from my garden. Easy and so yummy!!!!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Lynn- So glad you liked it!
Adele S
With many garden cherry tomato’s I searched for “what to do with excess cherry tomatoes” and, found this delicious recipe. I added garden basil, red peppers, garlic and onion and WOW! The best! Thank you for sharing, I made 4 batches. Looking forward to next season ??
jamjarkitchen
Hi Adele - So glad you enjoyed it!
Melissa
Love this recipe! Easy to do, and makes a great base sauce. I followed the recipe, as written, figuring I can add seasonings when I use it. I’m already thinking of creamy tomato basil soup in sourdough bread bowls !
Thank you for such a great recipe.
jamjarkitchen
Hi Melissa - So glad you enjoyed it!
Mike
Very good sauce. Easy to make. I cooked two sheet pans at the same time and they made very different flavors. Both good but second batch in blender had much more garlic and had more juices. Six large cloves on that batch. That’s the key to the better sauce. Didn’t need any spices. I’ll make this again!!!
jamjarkitchen
Hi Mike- Glad you enjoyed it!
L Brown
My favorite tomato sauce!! So easy to make and so yummy!! My husband's favorite ?
jamjarkitchen
So glad y'all liked it!