Easy Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

By Amanda Paa – Updated August 2, 2022
5 from 6 votes
Quick pickled cherry tomatoes have a delicious, bright and zingy flavor plus garlic and ginger! A hot brine is used to pickle them, and they're stored in the refrigerator. Eat them in a variety of ways like added to a salad, polenta, pasta, on toast, or a cheese board. They're so easy to make and a great way to preserve an abundance of tomatoes, no canning required.
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pickled cherry tomatoes in a glass jar

Have a lot of cherry tomatoes? Make this recipe!

Cherry tomatoes are one of my favorite things to grow, buy, and eat. In the garden, they’re usually my first tomatoes ready, growing prolifically without quite as much fuss and risk of disease as big slicer tomatoes.

When I’m harvesting a pint or more of cherry tomatoes a day, I like to preserve them with this recipe that I adapted from Marissa McClellan’s Preserving by the Pint.

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Between Slow Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in Olive Oil and this recipe for quick pickling them, you’ll be able to savor them even longer. Both recipes are incredibly easy and no canning is required!

What Do Pickled Cherry Tomatoes Taste Like?

Pickling cherry tomatoes gives them a bright, zingy flavor that I absolutely love. The first thing I do is toast a piece of sourdough, then add a spoonful of ricotta and these… so good.

By boiling the brine, the hot liquid penetrates the skins of the tomatoes and infuses them with wonderful flavor that intensifies the longer they sit. The fresh ginger and garlic are perfect companions for tomatoes, and their texture is softened in the best way. Also, I like to use white wine vinegar rather than distilled as the flavor is a bit softer.

cherry tomatoes on white backround with salt, pepper and ginger slices

How to Make Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes:

  1. Wash a glass pint jar with soapy hot water. Rinse and air dry to sterilize.
  2. Add garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and basil to pint jar. Then pack in tomatoes tightly.
  3. Add water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a boil for one minute, stirring to dissolve. Pour brine over tomatoes.
  4. Let cool completely on counter. Attach lid and store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Ways to Eat Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

pickled cherry tomatoes with garlic and basil in a glass jar
pickled cherry tomatoes with basil in a glass jar

Tips for Quick Pickling Vegetables

  1. Always clean your produce to ensure there are no bugs or dirt in tact.
  2. Clean jars with soapy hot water and let air dry to ensure there is nothing inside that could contaminate the vegetables.
  3. The brine only needs a minute or two of boiling. The vinegar in the brine is important for the pickling process, and if it’s boiled too long, it will evaporate.
  4. Use labels to mark the date that you pickled the vegetables.
  5. Leaving a bit of headspace when pickling is a good idea because the vegetables will release some additional water after pouring the brine over the top.
  6. Use a metal spoon to push the vegetables down to fully submerge.
pickled cherry tomatoes in a glass jar

Easy Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

Quick pickled cherry tomatoes have a delicious, bright and zingy flavor with garlic and ginger! A hot brine is used to quick pickle them, and they're stored in the refrigerator. They're so easy to make and a great way to preserve an abundance of tomatoes, no canning required.
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time :5 minutes
Cook Time :3 minutes
Yield: 1 pint
Author: Amanda Paa

SCALE:

Ingredients

  • 2 cloves garlic cloves, cut in half vertically
  • 3 small, thin slices fresh ginger (like you'd cut into a coin)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 5 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 pint (about 12 ounces) cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Instructions 

  • Wash a glass pint jar with soapy hot water. Rinse and air dry to sterilize.
  • Add garlic, ginger, peppercorns, and basil to bottom of jar. Then pack in tomatoes tightly.
  • Add water, vinegar, salt, and sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve salt/sugar. Pour brine over tomatoes.
  • Let cool completely, uncovered on counter. Attach lid and refrigerate for 2 days before eating. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Notes

*You can double or triple this recipe if you have an abundance of cherry tomatoes.
*Recipe adapted from Preserving by the Pint written by Marisa McClellan.

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August 2, 2022

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16 comments

  1. Linda

    Is the sugar necessary??? Could honey or coconut sugar be substituted?

    • Amanda Paa

      Hi Linda! Honey would be a great substitute. The sweetener balances the flavor.

      • Linda

        Thank you!!!

        • Julie Carlson

          Do you have to puncture the tomatoes?

          • Amanda Paa

            Hi! I don’t puncture the tomatoes because I find it tedious and after sitting two days, the tomatoes absorb the full flavor anyways. You can certainly puncture them if you want to eat within 24 hours.

  2. Cathy

    5 stars
    Used to make something similar, but more time consuming. Curious if you could process in a hot water bath for longer storage. If so, do any of the ingredients need to be adjusted. Thanks for this lovely recipe,

    • Amanda Paa

      Hello Cathy! I haven’t tested water bath canning these, but you could maybe send a note to Ball Canning and check if it would be safe as is and the processing time.

      • Cathy Dellinger

        Thank you!

  3. Dorothy

    5 stars
    Easy recipe to use my excessive cherry tomatoes.
    I didn’t have any ginger ready to harvest in my garden so I used my chillies instead.
    I had to double the brine mix to cover the tomatoes and I uses a 24oz / 3 cup preservation bottle, with a weight to keep everything submerged.
    Yet to taste them, but a 5 star for the ease of making

    • Amanda Paa

      Oh, I bet the chilies will be great in these!

  4. Sam

    5 stars
    Delish!! Bright, slightly sweet, a big hit on toast with cream cheese or goat cheese. I made with Black Strawberry tomatoes. Looking forward to adding these to bloody marys in football season!

    • Amanda Paa

      So glad you liked them! I grew black strawberry tomatoes this year too and they’re just amazing. Will be growing again next year.

  5. DB

    5 stars
    I never knew you could pickle tomatoes until I came upon this recipe. I pickled Mini Heirloom Tomatoes which were larger and takes up more space in the jar than grape tomatoes. I had to double on the brine and aromatics to cover completely. I didn’t have fresh basil on hand so I added 5 dried bay leaves. Since the minis were larger, it took extra 2 days for pickling brine to penetrate through the inside of the tomatoes…but it was worth the wait. SO GOOD! The tomatoes are very juicy, bursting with sweet/tart juice as you bite into each pickled tomato, very refreshing and delicious! I am ready to pickle another pint of minis even though I have not finish my first batch knowing the pickled tomatoes can store up to 2 months.

    • Amanda Paa

      Love that you enjoyed the pickled tomatoes! And yes, they get even tastier as the days pass.

    • Alex

      If you wanted to can then in a water bath could you? Or would you need to up the sugar? Looks amazing,can’t wait to try!

  6. Lori

    Oh wow, this recipe looks amazing!! Can’t wait to make them. I just pickled some green beans so this is the next recipe I will try.😊