Stewed tomatoes substitutes
Stewed tomatoes substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Also called canned stewed tomatoes, original recipe stewed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes with onion, celery and green pepper
Use Canned diced tomatoes
1 can for every 1 can stewed tomatoes
The same tomatoes in smaller, firmer pieces with nothing added but salt. Seasoned and simmered briefly, they stand in for stewed tomatoes in any cooked dish.
Use one 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained, for each 14.5-ounce can of stewed tomatoes, and add ½ teaspoon sugar plus 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper, simmered 10 minutes. Diced tomatoes are plain and firmer, so without the sugar and vegetables the dish tastes sharper and less rounded. In a long-simmered chili or soup that already has onion and pepper in it, the diced tomatoes and the sugar alone are enough.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Per 14.5-ounce can, undrained, add ½ teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons each finely chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper, and simmer 10 minutes; in a dish that cooks 30 minutes or more, add them straight to the pot.
- Best for —
- chili, soups and stews
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
Updated 8 Oct 2026 · no sponsored swaps
But first: what are the stewed tomatoes doing?
Pick your caseWill the tomatoes simmer in a dish for a while, or be served mostly as they are?
Use canned diced tomatoes, undrained, can for can, with ½ teaspoon sugar. The dish almost always has its own onion and pepper, so the extra vegetables are optional.
Notes on canned diced tomatoes, canned whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
1 can per 1 can
Use whole peeled tomatoes cut into chunks, or fresh tomatoes in season, and simmer them 10 minutes with the sugar, onion, celery and green pepper. Diced tomatoes stay too firm here.
Notes on canned whole peeled tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, stewed
1 can per 1 can
For Mexican-style, use diced tomatoes with green chiles. For Italian-style, use diced or whole tomatoes with the sugar plus ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or basil and oregano per can.
Notes on diced tomatoes with green chiles or canned diced tomatoes
Same amount
Tomato sauce keeps the flavor and the liquid in a soup, chili or casserole. Expect a smoother, saucier result.
Notes on tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
Same amount
Stewed tomatoes add four things: tomato in large soft pieces, the canning juice as cooking liquid, a little sweetness from added sugar, and a mild background of onion, celery and green pepper. Because they are cut large and cooked before canning, the pieces are tender and break down further in the pot. A substitute needs the liquid and the tomato first; the sweetness and the vegetables are easy to add back.
Every option, one card
Ranked · per 1 can stewed tomatoes| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 can stewed tomatoes | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canned diced tomatoeschili, soups and stews | 1 canTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Canned whole peeled tomatoesserved as a side dish | 1 canTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Fresh tomatoes, stewedserved as a side dish | 1 lbTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Crushed tomatoeschili | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Diced tomatoes with green chileschili and taco soup | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Tomato saucechili | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Tomato paste | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
| Not a swap | Ketchup | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Canned diced tomatoes
plainer and sharper until seasoned
The same tomatoes in smaller, firmer pieces with nothing added but salt. Seasoned and simmered briefly, they stand in for stewed tomatoes in any cooked dish.
- Best for
- chili, soups and stews, goulash and casseroles, Spanish rice, slow-cooker recipes
- Texture
- smaller, firmer pieces
- Prep
- Per 14.5-ounce can, undrained, add ½ teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons each finely chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper, and simmer 10 minutes; in a dish that cooks 30 minutes or more, add them straight to the pot.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Most canned diced tomatoes contain calcium chloride, which keeps the cubes firm, so they do not break down into the sauce the way soft stewed tomatoes do. Crush them against the side of the pot if you want them softer. A pinch of celery salt and ¼ teaspoon onion powder can replace the fresh vegetables. All the seasoning amounts are starting points.
Canned whole peeled tomatoes
plainer until seasoned
Whole tomatoes are soft and break down as they cook, so cut or crushed into chunks they match the texture of stewed tomatoes better than diced do.
- Best for
- served as a side dish, soups and stews, pasta and rice dishes, braises
- Texture
- very close: soft, irregular chunks
- Prep
- Crush each tomato by hand or cut into 1-inch pieces in the can with kitchen scissors, keep the juice, and season per 14.5-ounce can as for diced tomatoes: ½ teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons each chopped onion, celery and green pepper, simmered 10 minutes.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Whole tomatoes are most often sold in 28-ounce cans; half of one, with half the juice, is close to a 14.5-ounce can. Like diced tomatoes, they are unsweetened and have none of the vegetables.
Fresh tomatoes, stewed
fresher and brighter
Stewed tomatoes made from scratch. About a pound of ripe tomatoes cooks down to roughly what a 14.5-ounce can holds.
- Best for
- served as a side dish, summer soups and stews, when the tomatoes are ripe and in season
- Texture
- similar once simmered
- Prep
- Peel the tomatoes (score, dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds, then into ice water), cut into chunks, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes with 2 tablespoons each chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Only as good as the tomatoes. Pale winter tomatoes make a watery, weak version; canned tomatoes are the better choice then. Fresh tomatoes also give off more liquid, so simmer uncovered until it looks like the canned product.
Crushed tomatoes
similar, less sweet
Tomatoes already broken down into a thick, coarse puree. They carry the tomato flavor and body with no distinct pieces.
- Best for
- chili, soups, pasta sauces and goulash
- Texture
- thick puree, no chunks
- Prep
- Measure by volume (a 14.5-ounce can of stewed tomatoes is about 1 ¾ cups), add ½ teaspoon sugar, and thin with a few tablespoons of water or broth if the dish looks too thick.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
The dish will be thicker and saucier with no chunks of tomato to bite into. Good where the tomatoes are meant to cook down, a poor match where stewed tomatoes are served as a side or should stay in pieces.
Diced tomatoes with green chiles
spicier and tangier
Rotel-style canned tomatoes with chopped green chiles. A workable swap where a little heat is welcome, and close to Mexican-style stewed tomatoes.
- Best for
- chili and taco soup, Spanish rice, Tex-Mex casseroles
- Texture
- smaller, firmer pieces
- Prep
- Use undrained and add ½ teaspoon sugar per can; note that a standard can is 10 ounces, about 1 ¼ cups, so one and a half cans replace a 14.5-ounce can of stewed tomatoes.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Spicier and more acidic, with chile in place of the celery and bell pepper. Choose the mild version for a mixed table. Wrong for stewed tomatoes as a side dish or in anything Italian-leaning.
Tomato sauce
more concentrated, cooked tomato
Smooth, thin, cooked tomato puree. It keeps the tomato in the dish when no canned tomatoes with pieces are on hand.
- Best for
- chili, soups, casseroles and goulash
- Texture
- smooth, no pieces
- Prep
- Measure by volume and add ½ teaspoon sugar per 1 ¾ cups; add a chopped fresh tomato or extra chopped onion and bell pepper if you want some texture back.
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
- Suits
- vegan, gluten-free
Completely smooth, so the dish loses every piece of tomato and turns saucier. Canned tomato sauce is also seasoned and salted; taste before adding salt.
Tomato paste
Often suggested because it is the tomato product most people have.
Straight from the can it is the wrong thing.
- Best for
- nothing on this page
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Tomato paste is a thick concentrate with no liquid and no pieces. Spooned in at the same volume it makes a dish heavy, dark and overly strong, and it leaves the recipe short of the liquid the stewed tomatoes would have added. Thinned with water it becomes tomato sauce, which is the emergency row above.
Ketchup
Sweet and tomato-based, so it comes up.
It is a condiment, not a canned tomato.
- Best for
- nothing on this page
- Pantry
- Likely in your cupboard
Ketchup is far sweeter than stewed tomatoes and sharp with vinegar and spice. A cup or more of it in chili or soup takes over the dish.
Don’t swap it here
2 cases- SafetyA home-canning recipe for stewed tomatoes, with the vegetables or amounts changed.Follow a tested recipe from the USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation exactly, or refrigerate or freeze your own version instead of canning it.
- Stewed tomatoes served on their own as a side dish, made with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes.Use whole peeled tomatoes cut into chunks, or peeled fresh tomatoes, simmered with sugar, onion, celery and green pepper.
Questions
5 questionsCan I substitute diced tomatoes for stewed tomatoes?
Yes, can for can, undrained. Diced tomatoes are unsweetened and unseasoned, so add ½ teaspoon sugar per 14.5-ounce can and, if the dish does not already contain them, 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper. The pieces stay firmer than stewed tomatoes.
What is the difference between stewed tomatoes and diced tomatoes?
Stewed tomatoes are cooked before canning with sugar, onion, celery and green pepper, and come in large, soft pieces. Diced tomatoes are plain tomatoes cut into small cubes, usually with calcium chloride added to keep them firm. Stewed are sweeter and softer; diced are firmer and taste only of tomato.
How do I make stewed tomatoes from fresh tomatoes?
Peel about 1 pound of ripe tomatoes, cut them into chunks, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes with 2 tablespoons each chopped onion, celery and green bell pepper, ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt. That makes about the same amount as one 14.5-ounce can.
Can I use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce instead of stewed tomatoes?
In chili, soup or a casserole, yes, measured cup for cup with a 14.5-ounce can counted as 1 ¾ cups. Both are smooth, so the dish will have no tomato pieces and will be thicker with crushed tomatoes. Add ½ teaspoon sugar.
Can I use stewed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes?
Yes, can for can. Cut the pieces smaller, and expect the dish to be a little sweeter with a faint celery and pepper flavor. Leave out any sugar the recipe calls for.
Tips for substituting stewed tomatoes
5 tips- Do not drain the can. The juice is part of the measure and part of the recipe's liquid, for stewed tomatoes and for any canned substitute.
- A 14.5-ounce can holds about 1 ¾ cups, and a 28-ounce can about 3 ½ cups. Use those figures when moving between can sizes.
- Start with ½ teaspoon sugar per 14.5-ounce can and taste after it has simmered. Add another ¼ teaspoon only if the dish still tastes sharp.
- Cut whole tomatoes in the can with kitchen scissors. It is faster and cleaner than a knife and board and keeps all the juice.
- Going the other way, stewed tomatoes can replace diced tomatoes can for can. Cut the large pieces smaller and leave out any sugar the recipe adds.