Tomato Puree vs Paste vs. Sauce, Fully Explained

by Matt Gibson & Erin Marissa Russell

Standing in the tomato sauce aisle of the supermarket, you may suddenly realize that there are lots of variations on simple tomato sauce. What’s the difference between tomato paste and tomato sauce and tomato puree, for example? There are lots of differences between these products, from their makeup to their preparation and nutrition—and especially the ways these ingredients are used in recipes. We’re ready to break all these differences down for you, so just keep reading to learn more.

What Is Tomato Puree? 

Tomato puree is a thick sauce that is made from tomatoes which have been cooked for a brief period of time and then strained in some way. Tomato puree can be made by removing the skin and seeds from fresh tomatoes, then blending the treated tomatoes in a food processor on puree mode.

While the tomatoes are being blended, salt and some form of citric acid, like lemon juice, is added. You can purchase premade tomato puree from the grocery store in cans or tubes. After opening the premade puree, it should be used rather quickly before it goes bad. Canned tomato puree only lasts a few days after opening, but tomato puree from a tube can last for about a month.

Unless you made the tomato puree yourself, you should be careful when adding it to a recipe, as adding too much can easily overpower the taste of your dish with acidity. The difference between tomato puree and tomato paste is the consistency and the strength of flavor.

The stronger the consistency level, the thicker it will be, and the stronger the flavor will be. Tomato paste has the thickest texture and consistency, then tomato puree, then tomato sauce.  

What is Tomato Paste?

Tomato paste is a tomato sauce that has been simmered and cooked for a long time to take its texture past the consistency of a paste to something thicker. After being cooked for a while, the tomato paste is strained to remove the seeds and skins of the tomatoes. Then it is cooked longer to achieve the paste-like consistency, which is sometimes used to thicken sauces and gravies.

Because tomato paste is cooked for so long, the flavor of the tomatoes mellows out and isn’t as bright and acidic as fresh tomatoes are. Instead, it develops a sweet, full-bodied flavor that can add a punch of tomato flavor and richness to your dishes. Because tomato paste packs such a flavor punch, recipes tend to call for only a small amount at a time. Some brands may add flavorings such as olive oil, salt, or even high fructose corn syrup.

What Is Tomato Sauce?

Canned tomato sauce is similar to tomato puree in consistency, but thinner. It’s made with tomato puree, but sometimes water and seasonings will have been added to make it more flavorful. Seasonings added to tomato sauce can include garlic, onion, basil, and oregano.

Tomato sauce isn’t cooked as long as tomato paste is, so its flavor can be heavy on the acidity in comparison. It also won’t taste as sweet as tomato paste. The flavor of tomato sauce will be more similar to tomato puree, but it will have the additional flavors of the seasonings and be a bit weaker due to the water used to thin out the sauce.

How is Tomato Puree Different From Tomato Paste?

Tomato puree and tomato paste are similar ingredients that are often applied to the same recipes, although adjustments will be made with the other ingredients to accommodate their differences.

Despite their similarities, these two ingredients have plenty of differences that set them apart. If you must use tomato paste in a recipe that calls for tomato puree, you’ll need to thin the paste out to the appropriate consistency with some water. However, you can’t do this the other way around. There is no way to swap tomato puree for tomato paste in a recipe.

• Although tomato puree is a cooked product, tomato paste is cooked for longer. After an initial cooking period, tomato paste is strained so the chef can remove the skins and seeds of the tomatoes. Then the tomato paste is cooked again, taking its texture from saucy to a thicker paste. The texture of tomato puree is similar to a thick broth or a gravy, while tomato paste has a firmer texture that does not spread and is not quite as liquid as tomato puree.

• As we’ve mentioned, the skins and seeds are removed from tomato paste. They are often included in tomato puree. This difference accounts for small changes in the taste and texture of the two tomato products.

• The additional cooking time that tomato paste gets changes its flavor, too. The taste of tomato puree is similar to that of fresh tomatoes: mild and sweet. Tomato paste, over the hours it is cooked, develops a deeper taste that resembles that of sun-dried tomatoes.

Substituting Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, and Tomato Puree

As we’ve discussed, the main differences between each of these tomato products comes down to the consistency. Tomato sauce is the thinnest, with tomato puree in the middle, and tomato paste is thickest due to the long cooking time. Tomato sauce may also have added seasonings that the paste and puree don’t have. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to substitute these products if you have one that isn’t quite what your recipe calls for. 

If you need the thick consistency and rich flavor of tomato paste but only have tomato sauce or puree on hand, all you need to do is cook the puree or sauce for a while so it reaches the correct consistency and depth of flavor. Use a pan with a bit of olive oil in the bottom, and simmer your tomato sauce or puree on medium heat, stirring it frequently so it doesn’t scorch or stick. Shoot for reducing the amount of puree or sauce you have by about half before using it to substitute for tomato paste.

On the other hand, if you have tomato paste on hand but your recipe calls for tomato sauce or puree, you’ll need to thin it out. Use water or even broth to double the quantity of tomato paste you’re working with, and stir it well so it’s completely blended. If your water and tomato paste just don’t want to come together into a smooth mixture, you can simmer them in a pan together for a while to help blend them. 

If your recipe calls for tomato puree and you only have tomato sauce, or vice versa, you won’t need to make as substantial of an adjustment. In fact, it won’t be a problem to just go ahead and use what you have if only a small amount is called for.

If your recipe requires a larger amount of tomato sauce or tomato puree and you need to substitute for the other, you can thin tomato puree just a bit to make tomato sauce. Don’t use as much water as you would to thin tomato paste out, however. You’ll only need a few tablespoons of water to get the right consistency. You can cook tomato sauce in a pan with a bit of olive oil over medium heat until it has slightly reduced to achieve the consistency of tomato puree. 

Then you just need to think about the seasoning. If your recipe called for tomato sauce and you are using puree, you may need to add a bit of salt, along with basil or oregano and onion and garlic, to get that tomato sauce flavor. If you’re using tomato sauce in a recipe that calls for tomato puree, just reduce the seasonings used elsewhere in the recipe so the seasonings already present in the sauce don’t make things too overseasoned.

Tomato Puree Versus Tomato Paste Versus Tomato Sauce: Nutrition

The exact nutritional content of tomato sauce will vary a bit depending on the recipe that’s used to make the pasta sauce. However, we can provide a sample of the nutrition content for tomato sauce to give you an idea of what to expect. Tomato puree and tomato paste don’t have that variance since they’re made with simply tomatoes. 

Tomato Puree Nutritional Content

One cup of tomato puree contains the following nutritional components.

• 95 calories
• 4.1 grams of protein
• 22.4 grams of carbohydrates
• 4.8 grams of dietary fiber
• 12.1 grams of sugar
• 0.5 grams of fat
• 10 mg Omega-3 fatty acids
• 205 mg Omega-6 fatty acids
• 26 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A
• 44 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C
• 25 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E
• 11 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin K
• 4 percent of the recommended daily value of thiamin
• 12 percent of the recommended daily value of riboflavin
• 18 percent of the recommended daily value of niacin
• 16 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B6
• 7 percent of the recommended daily value of folate
• 11 percent of the recommended daily value of pantothenic acid
• 44 mg of choline
• 0.5 mg of betaine
• 5 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium
• 25 percent of the recommended daily value of iron
• 14 percent of the recommended daily value of magnesium
• 10 percent of the recommended daily value of phosphorus
• 31 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium
• 42 percent of the recommended daily value of sodium
• 6 percent of the recommended daily value of zinc
• 36 percent of the recommended daily value of copper
• 21 percent of the recommended daily value of manganese
• 3 percent of the recommended daily value of selenium
• 0 mg of cholesterol

Tomato puree is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, and folate, however these benefits are also gained from eating raw tomatoes as well. The problem with pureed tomatoes is that by removing the skin and the seeds, you miss out on the fiber that you would get from raw tomatoes. There is also a loss of vitamin C. You do still get lots of lycopene, which is actually boosted by cooking,as the human body can better absorb the lycopene from tomatoes that have been cooked.

Tomato Sauce Nutritional Content

One cup of tomato sauce contains the following nutritional components.

• 58.8 calories
• 3.2 grams of protein
• 14.1 grams of carbohydrates
• 3.7 grams of dietary fiber
• 10.4 grams of sugar
• 0.4 grams of fat
• 7.4 mg Omega-3 fatty acids
• 169 mg Omega-6 fatty acids
• 21 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A
• 29 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C
• 17 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E
• 9 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin K
• 4 percent of the recommended daily value of thiamin
• 10 percent of the recommended daily value of riboflavin
• 12 percent of the recommended daily value of niacin
• 12 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B6
• 7 percent of the recommended daily value of folate
• 8 percent of the recommended daily value of pantothenic acid
• 24.3 mg choline
• 2 mg betaine
• 3 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium
• 14 percent of the recommended daily value of iron
• 10 percent of the recommended daily value of magnesium
• 6 percent of the recommended daily value of phosphorus
• 23 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium
• 53 percent of the recommended daily value of sodium
• 3 percent of the recommended daily value of zinc
• 14 percent of the recommended daily value of copper
• 13 percent of the recommended daily value of manganese
• 1 percent of the recommended daily value of selenium
• 85.5 mcg fluoride
• 0 grams cholesterol

The health benefits of tomato sauce include improving your heart health, boosting bone health, supplying the body with vitamins and minerals, as well as lycopene, which as mentioned above, is better absorbed by the body when cooked.  Adding tomato sauce to your diet can also help the body fight against cancer. 

Tomato Paste Nutritional Content

One cup of tomato sauce contains the following nutritional components.

• 215 calories
• 11.3 grams of protein
• 49.5 grams of carbohydrates
• 10.7 grams of dietary fiber
• 31.9 grams of sugar
• 1.2 grams of fat
• 18.3 mg Omega-3 fatty acids
• 398 mg Omega-6 fatty acids
• 80 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A
• 96 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C
• 56 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin E
• 37 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin K
• 10 percent of the recommended daily value of thiamin
• 24 percent of the recommended daily value of riboflavin
• 40 percent of the recommended daily value of niacin
• 28 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B6
• 8 percent of the recommended daily value of folate
• 4 percent of the recommended daily value of pantothenic acid
• 101 mg choline
• 1 mg betaine
• 9 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium
• 43 percent of the recommended daily value of iron
• 28 percent of the recommended daily value of magnesium
• 22 percent of the recommended daily value of phosphorus
• 76 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium
• 11 percent of the recommended daily value of sodium
• 11 percent of the recommended daily value of zinc
• 48 percent of the recommended daily value of copper
• 40 percent of the recommended daily value of manganese
• 20 percent of the recommended daily value of selenium
• 0 grams cholesterol

Because tomato paste is so packed with tomato goodness due to the long cooking time, only a tablespoon of canned tomato paste provides your body with plenty of antioxidants as well as between 3 percent and 6 percent of the recommended daily value of B vitamins, iron, and potassium. Like the other tomato products we’ve discussed, tomato paste is also a good source of lycopene and Vitamin C.

Tomato Paste Versus Tomato Puree Versus Tomato Sauce: Uses

Tomato puree and pasta sauce are not quite interchangeable in recipes, although they can be used in many of the same situations with a few adjustments. Because tomato puree consists solely of tomatoes, without any other ingredients added, and pasta sauce is seasoned with herbs and spices, if you want to use tomato puree in a recipe that calls for pasta sauce instead, you will need to thin it out and spice it up a bit. Otherwise, your recipe could come out tasting bland and the texture will be too thick. Here are some of the ways you can use tomato puree and pasta sauce.

• Tomato puree is often an ingredient in various tomato-based dips and sauces, pasta sauce being one example. In addition to pasta sauce, tomato puree is also used in pizza sauce and tomato cream sauce (another sauce that is used to top pasta). A simple sweet and spicy sauce that’s often served alongside french fries is made using tomato puree, vinegar, sugar, and salt. You can also blend tomato puree with garlic and mayonnaise to make a tomato-flavored aïoli to accompany sandwiches, french fries, and all kinds of other dishes.

• In smooth dishes like stew or soup, when a recipe needs tomato flavor without the chunky texture of chopped or crushed tomatoes, tomato puree is often used. These situations include tomato soup, gazpacho, and the base for lots of vegetable- or meat-based soups. Tomato puree is often thinned out with vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth when it is used in this way.

• Tomato puree can be used in curries to form the basis of the sauce, when it is spiced up with the usual seasonings. You can also use a bit of tomato paste for a similar effect.

• Marinades for vegetables or meat that need a dose of the acidic brightness and sweetness of tomatoes as well as their bright red color will often call for tomato puree. In the slow cooker, adding brown sugar and apple cider vinegar to pasta sauce mixed with water makes a serviceable barbeque substitute to cook with cuts of meat.

• In baked dishes such as casseroles that have a sauce or gravy component, tomato puree is often called upon to form the basis of the sauce that coats and flavors all the other ingredients. This occurs in baked beans, for example.

• You’ll find tomato puree called for in all kinds of Mexican dishes. Examples include Spanish rice, red enchilada sauce, and salsa.

• Tomato sauce is an ingredient in olive tapenade, which can be spread on a sandwich as a condiment or served alongside crackers or crostini as an appetizer.

• When you are making stuffed vegetables, such as stuffed bell peppers, stuffed zucchini or stuffed tomatoes, the recipe often calls for some tomato sauce to help flavor the rice mixture inside the veggies.

• It likely doesn’t surprise you that tomato sauce is used as an ingredient in lots of Italian dishes. In addition to topping pasta dishes, you can use tomato sauce in chicken, veal, or eggplant Parmesan, use it to flavor Italian-style mussels, or exchange it for pizza sauce when you make homemade pizza.

• A bit of tomato sauce makes an excellent salad dressing as a tomato vinaigrette. Simply mix your tomato sauce with red wine vinegar, olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper.

• Meatloaf is often flavored with a tomato-based component. You’ll find some recipes that call for tomato puree, while others ask for tomato paste or tomato sauce instead.

• Tomato sauce makes an excellent base for the sauce in ratatouille, a vegetable dish that combines the sauce with zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion, garlic, bell peppers, and olive oil.

• We read about a take on buffalo wings that uses one part hot sauce combined with one part tomato sauce to flavor the chicken. The taste is bound to vary from buffalo wings made the traditional way, but it’s also bound to be delicious.

• Combine tomato sauce and eggs for dishes like shakshuka or eggs in purgatory to put tomato sauce to use on the breakfast table.

• In a pinch, you can craft a makeshift cocktail sauce for shrimp by combining tomato sauce with some horseradish to taste.

• Uses for tomato sauce aren’t limited to food. Add your tomato sauce or a bit of tomato paste to a pitcher of bloody Mary drinks for a fun and out-of-the-ordinary way to use these tomato products.

• A small amount of tomato paste can be added to a tomato sauce you’re preparing to infuse it with deep, rich tomato flavor.

• Adding a spoonful of tomato paste to a simmering pot of beans will deepen the flavor of the broth and add some of the acidic brightness of tomatoes to your recipe.

• Tomato paste can be swirled into a pot of soup to give the broth a richer color and taste.

• With any cut of meat you’re braising, you can add a dollop of tomato sauce to make the flavor of the sauce the meat is simmering in more complex.

• Lots of Cajun or Creole dishes benefit from the addition of tomato paste, such as etouffee, dirty rice, or jambalaya.

• Give hamburgers a flavor boost by mixing some tomato paste into the patties before they are cooked.

• Just a dab of tomato paste can add lots of color and flavor to rice and other grain dishes, such as barley or quinoa.

As you can see, although they have plenty in common, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and tomato puree aren’t quite the same, and they aren’t usually interchangeable in recipes. They can’t be substituted for one another mainly due to the differences in their taste, since the tomato puree is made up solely of tomatoes while tomato sauce has had various seasonings added to it to make its flavor more complex, and tomato paste has been cooked until it’s thick. In a pinch, however, you can add some of those seasonings that are normally used in tomato sauce to tomato puree, perhaps thinning it out a bit with some water or broth, if you must substitute them for one another in a recipe. If you have to use tomato sauce in a recipe that calls for tomato puree, you’ll need to scale back on the seasonings called for in the recipe since some will be coming from the tomato sauce. You can also simmer tomato sauce or tomato puree for a while to get the consistency and depth of flavor of tomato paste. Or, since recipes often call for just a bit of tomato paste, you can freeze the leftover amount in an ice cube tray or a freezer safe zipper bag so it’s available next time you need it.

For More Information About Tomato Sauce Vs. Tomato Puree

How to use up leftover tomato purée

https://www.eatthis.com/leftover-pasta-sauce/

https://food.ndtv.com/ingredient/tomato-puree-701187

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/articles/50-things-to-make-with-pasta-sauce

https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/tomato-puree-vs-tomato-paste

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/soups-sauces-and-gravies/1316/2

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2960/2

https://www.tarladalal.com/glossary-tomato-puree-487i#:~:text=The%20most%20basic%20use%20of,with%20sugar%2C%20salt%20and%20vinegar.