How To Puree Tomatoes Without A Blender (6 Helpful Options)

This article may contain affiliate links and if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

For pureeing tomatoes, blenders are usually seen as the most essential equipment to use. In cases where your blender has stopped working correctly or where you don’t have a blender at all, do not fret.

Knowing how to puree tomatoes without a blender, you should know other methods to puree tomatoes without a blender. The blender’s job is basically to crush the tomatoes so that they will have a smooth texture.

This task of smoothening the tomatoes can be done by other devices. You can puree your tomatoes with the sieve and wire mesh, food mill, vegetable peeler.

Read on to find out more!

What Are Pureed Tomatoes?

Puree tomatoes are a type of tomatoes that have gone through a specific kind of processing. Generally, the process used in making pureed tomatoes involves lightly cooking, blending, and straining them.

The end result is a mild and subtle flavor and a smooth and not too pasty or thickened tomato texture. Pureed tomatoes can be made at home even though they are usually bought at the grocery store.

The thing about pureed tomatoes is that they are used for specific meals that involve thin layering. It is different from tomato sauce, stewed tomato, or tomato sauce.

How To Puree Tomatoes Without A Blender

How To Puree Tomatoes Without A Blender

Blenders are usually the go-to equipment or appliance for pureeing tomatoes. However, some other options that can do the same job as a blender or even better. You’ll have to decide that for yourself.

Here’s how to puree tomatoes without a blender:

1. Food Processor

You can use a food processor instead of a blender for puree tomatoes. The food processor is kitchen equipment used by moms to soften and smoothen their baby’s food.

The texture of your tomatoes will be the same as when you use a blender. The downside to using the food processor is that it does not separate skin or seed. But if you prefer you.

2. Food Mill

Food mills are also known as purée sieve, moulinette, passatutto, etc. They are kitchen or food processing equipment used in mashing or crushing, and sieving soft foods.

Food mills may seem or sound complex, but they are not. Food mills do not require electricity to perform, and instead of just mushing your tomatoes, they puree them at the same time.

The food mill has three parts: the bowl, the plate at the bottom with holes, set up with a type of bent metal that mushes the tomatoes and pushes them down into a container.

The absolute upside to using a food mill is that it is low maintenance, and it does just the same job as a blender.

3. Chinois Strainer

Chinois strainer is a type of sieve with a fine metal mesh used to sieve your food. They are cone-shaped and usually have a plastic or a metal handle and an overhang for support at both ends.

Primarily, chinois strainers are used for straining and sieving things intended to have a smooth texture.

Chinois strainers are used to puree tomatoes by pushing your cooked and softened tomatoes through the holes and grinding them with a pestle.

The process takes a while, but at you’re done, you’ll appreciate the delicate texture of your pureed tomatoes.

4. Steam Basket

There are metal and wooden types of steam, baskets. You can puree your tomatoes using a steam basket.

Primarily, steam baskets are used to prepare or soften fruits and vegetables using hot moisture without necessarily boiling them.

The upside to using a steam basket is that your tomatoes with a steam basket get to retain more nutrients than when you cook them.

You just have to put the tomatoes in the basket and place them over boiling water until it is fork soft or as soft as you wish it to be.

After that, the holes in the basket will be used as a sieve, as you mush the cooked and softened tomatoes with a pestle.

5. Vegetable Peeler

Vegetable peelers are an available and affordable option for making pureed tomatoes without a blender.

Most households have vegetable peelers, as they use to peel off the skin of vegetables and fruits for easy digestion.

6. Fine Mesh Strainer Or Sieve

With the tiny holds and the availability, mesh strainers or sieves can be used as a substitute for blenders. As the name implies, they are already used to sieve foods to achieve a smoother texture.

You can also push your cooked and softened tomatoes through a mesh strainer or sieve to achieve the same results as when you use a blender. Mesh strainers or sieves require no form of electricity to be able to function.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Puree Tomatoes Using A Food Mill?

Food mills are versatile kitchen utensils; they can be used for smoothing the texture of food.

Steps on how to use a food mill to puree tomatoes:

  1. Boil your tomatoes
  2. Allow it to cool down and transfer into the food mill
  3. Place the food mill over a large container
  4. Begin to churn the food mill until you’re done.

Note: Some food mills come with different sizes of hole options. So, you should pick the size that will suit your tomatoes better.

Can You Puree Tomatoes With Skin On?

Pureed tomatoes with skin and seeds or not are all about preference. If you prefer pureed tomatoes without skin and seed, you can use methods to ensure that skin and seeds are separated from the tomatoes.

Using a food mill or a sieve is a way to remove the seeds and skin from your pureed tomatoes.

Can You Puree Tomatoes By Hand?

Yes, you can puree tomatoes using your hand. You need to boil the tomatoes until it is softened, after which you’ll smoothen it using a spoon or a potato masher until it gets a consistent texture.

How Do You Puree Without Electricity?

There are methods for pureeing tomatoes without electricity. You can use a food processor, Mesh Strainer or Sieve, vegetable steamer, food basket, or a chinois strainer to puree your tomatoes without electricity.

If you have any of these utensils, then you are good to go. However, if you are in a hurry, the chinois strainer and the food mill are faster puree options.

Can You Use A Food Processor In Place Of A Blender?

Yes, you can use a food processor instead of a blender. You can start by placing your cooked tomatoes into the food mill and churning until the smoothened tomatoes are forced down into a bowl.

Conclusion

To know how to puree tomatoes without a blender, you need to first think of the purpose of the blender. Blenders are primarily used to break down food and achieve a smoother texture.

Next, look around your home for similar appliances or utensils that can break down and smoothen your food, and you are good to go.

Some other household types of equipment for pureeing food include; food processor, Mesh Strainer or Sieve, vegetable steamer, food basket, or a chinois strainer.

Essentially, these pieces of equipment do the same job as the blender, so you need not worry. Just pick any of them, and use them to puree your tomatoes.