I was three steps into a braise last week, onions softened, wine already reduced, when I reached for the tomato paste and found an empty tube crumpled at the back of the drawer. No time for a grocery run, so I started digging through what I actually had: a can of crushed tomatoes, a bottle of ketchup, half a jar of roasted red peppers. Turns out most of those work, some better than others, and a couple of common suggestions floating around online are not quite as safe or accurate as they sound. Here’s what actually holds up.
What Can You Use Instead of Tomato Paste?
The Short Answer: Tomato sauce or puree, simmered down until thick, is the closest all-purpose substitute for tomato paste. Ketchup works in a pinch for small amounts, though it adds sugar and vinegar. Sun-dried tomatoes blended with a little oil bring a similar concentrated, savory depth. Fresh or canned tomatoes cooked down low and slow can replace it from scratch. For color and mild sweetness without any tomato at all, roasted red peppers work, though they are not nightshade-free. If you need a true nightshade-free option, pumpkin or squash puree with a splash of vinegar handles the thickening job, and a little beet puree can stand in for the color.
Need more pantry swaps? See our what to use instead of heavy cream and what can I use instead of cornstarch guides. If you’re wondering whether the tube or can in your fridge is still good, check out does tomato paste go bad.
Tomato Paste Substitutes: At a Glance
Tomato sauce or puree, reduced
3 tbsp simmered down to 1 tbsp, best all-purpose sub
Canned crushed or diced tomatoes, reduced
3-4 tbsp simmered and blended down to 1 tbsp
Ketchup
1:1 ratio, best fast fix for small amounts
Sun-dried tomatoes, blended
2 halves blended per 1 tbsp, best for deep flavor
Fresh tomatoes, cooked down
1 medium tomato per tbsp, best from-scratch option
Tomato powder or bouillon, reconstituted
Check package ratio, best shelf-stable pantry option
Roasted red peppers, pureed
1:1 ratio, best for color, not nightshade-free
Pumpkin or squash puree with vinegar
1:1 ratio, best nightshade-free thickener
Beet puree
Small amount, best nightshade-free color only
Key Takeaways
The FDA defines tomato paste as containing at least 24 percent tomato soluble solids, while tomato puree and tomato sauce fall in the 8 to 24 percent range. That gap in concentration is why thinner tomato products need to be reduced before they can stand in for paste.
Roasted red peppers are a popular “substitute” for color and sweetness, but peppers are nightshades too, just like tomatoes. They are not a fit for anyone actually avoiding the nightshade family.
Ketchup already contains sugar, vinegar, and salt, so it works best in small amounts where those extra flavors won’t throw off the dish.
Cooking tomato paste (or any tomato substitute) in hot oil for a minute or two before adding liquid deepens its flavor through browning, a step worth kee
