Tomato Juice consists of a popular and healthy beverage that possesses a lot of potent antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Many people enjoy combining their organic tomato juice with vegetables like beets, celery, and carrots.
Countries such as China and India are the leading producers of tomatoes.
You could try making some Fresh Tomato Juice or even use it for recreating Bloody Mary and Homemade Tomato Sauce.
What are the best substitutes for tomato juice? It would include tomato soup, tomato sauce, tamarind, fresh tomatoes, and canned tomatoes.
What Is Tomato Juice?
A Tomato Juice refers to the juice that is extracted from tomatoes.
This beverage is heavily used in cocktails like Michelada, Bloody Mary, Caesar, and many more.
In 1917, a guy named Louis Perrin made the first-ever tomato juice at the hotel of French Lick Springs back in Southern Indiana.
He did so because he was out of orange juice and needed a quick alternative.
The mixture of sugar and squeezed tomatoes, including his special tomato sauce, became a success immediately.
Most commercial manufacturers tend to add salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to their tomato juice.
5 Best Substitutes for Tomato Juice
Here are the options available for you in the absence of tomato juice:
1 – Canned Tomatoes
This technique is the easiest one in the book to substitute your tomato juice.
Here, you can use whole or chopped tomatoes from the can and blend them to extract its juice.
Once you start blending, the tomatoes will turn into a pulpy and thick liquid.
You need to strain away from the liquid to get rid of all the excess pulp.
It is important to note that the packaged tomato juice from the store comes with a sweetened taste.
So, you do need to add the required amount of sugar to match the flavor profile of a tomato beverage that’s store-bought.
Substitute Ratio – You can stick with the same ratio. Just make sure to add enough sugar to meet the taste.
2 – Tomato Sauce
You can’t expect the same texture with a tomato sauce because the juice is thinner than a sauce.
However, you can correct it by using water in your sauce.
Combine them and start mixing them to turn them into a juice consistency.
Here, regardless of your tomato sauce being homemade or packaged, you should be wary about its extra seasoning and flavor.
There’s always a difference in the ingredients between tomato juice and sauce.
So, you do have to make adjustments in the process.
Substitute Ratio – If you need a cup of tomato juice, we would advise you to go for a ¾ with the sauce-turned-juice.
3 – Tomato Soup
Using tomato soup as the substitute for your juice is a smart move too.
It is without a question that the taste and texture will be different somehow; however, the primary taste of tomato will always be there.
But you can always add water to obtain that similar liquid texture as your juice.
Apply about three parts of water in a single part of the soup.
Also, the tomato soup has more sweetness in comparison to the juice.
However, it is always possible to decrease the other sweet type of ingredients present in the soup.
Substitute Ratio – You can stick with the same juice ratio that is required in the recipe.
Just make sure to add more water to your soup to balance the sweetness.
4 – Tamarind
We would also suggest you use tamarind as a replacement for tomato juice because of its tanginess.
It also features a rich color, which compliments your recipes very well.
You will experience some small differences here and there between the two, but it adjusts well with recipes that require tomato juice.
To bring it to a more liquid state and match the consistency of your tomato juice, you can add water.
It will also reduce any chance of your juice becoming too sour for the recipe.
You can add more sugar and adjust accordingly.
Substitute Ratio – You can stick with equal amounts of what was required in the recipe.
5 – Fresh Tomatoes
Lastly, the easiest method and substitute would be to use fresh tomatoes from your pantry, fridge, or garden.
You need to wash it, slice it and put it in your blender to create that fresh tomato juice.
Here, you need to adjust your quantity based on the required amount in the recipe.
But before you try to blend it, make sure to remove the seeds.
After you blend it, you need to strain the thick liquid to obtain the perfect liquid consistency.
If the texture still isn’t right, then proceed to add more water.
Ensure that you add sugar and salt to balance the acidity.
Add more sugar to match the sweet profile of your packaged tomato juice.
Substitute Ratio – If the sweetness matches your packaged tomato juice, you can stick with the same ratio as mentioned in the recipe.
Conclusion
Tomato Juice is healthy as it contains lycopene and beta-carotene, which helps battle cancer, heart diseases, build-up of fat in the arteries, high BP, and high cholesterol, and promotes other health benefits.
In your tomato juice, you can find multiple nutrients, such as potassium, Vitamin E, and B, etc.
Most Americans receive 80% of their daily lycopene from tomato juice and fresh tomatoes.
The 5 Best Substitutes for Tomato Juice
Ingredients
- Canned Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Soup
- Tamarind
- Fresh Tomatoes
Instructions
- Choose your preferred substitute from the list of options.
- Organize all of your ingredients.
- Follow the substitution ratio to determine how much is required in your recipe.
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