Cherry tomatoes are a small round tomato that is the rough size of a cherry. The cherry tomato is found in salads and even cooked dishes like quiches. They are available in stores almost year-round.
Because of the size of cherry tomatoes, the flavor is highly concentrated and sweet, making them the ideal substitute for campari tomatoes. The juiciness and the bright, snappy peels make the cherry tomato a favorite in kitchens around the world.
Cherry tomatoes range in color and size, with some a deep red while others are yellow, orange, and even black. Their size can differ from smaller than a cherry to double the size. While most cherry tomatoes are spherical, some are notably more oblong-shaped, known as grape tomatoes.
These are all reasons why it can be a recipe for disaster when you’re out of cherry tomatoes.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the best alternatives to the vibrant cherry tomato.
Grape Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes share some common characteristics that make the grape tomato an excellent substitute.
Both varieties are small tomatoes and share a similar sweetness and flavor. This fact means that grape tomatoes are an ideal alternative in all the same dishes in which you would use a cherry tomato.
However, unlike cherry tomatoes, the grape tomato does have less water content, making them far less juicy, which is why cherry tomatoes will always be better for salads in particular. The skin of the grape tomato is also thicker, which means that they can be slightly more work to chew, affecting the texture of the dish.
Grape tomatoes are often more widely available in stores than cherry tomatoes and are easier to notice due to their elliptical shapes and are commonly red or yellow.
Campari Tomatoes
When you want to substitute something for campari tomatoes, you will pick a type of cherry tomato. Well, the same is true the other way around.
Campari tomatoes are a fantastic option to replace cherry tomatoes because they’re sweet and bursting with juiciness.
The two kinds of tomatoes have a similar versatility, which solidifies why they are great substitutes for one another. You can replace cherry tomatoes with the campari variety in quiches, pizzas, salads, and more.
As campari tomatoes are medium-sized tomatoes, the main difference is the size and, therefore, the texture. You can account for the size difference by cutting your campari tomatoes into halves or quarters; this only affects the texture more. So keep it in mind.
Plum Tomatoes
If you are looking for another tomato, perhaps one that works better for cooking sauces or combining into larger dishes, then plum tomatoes are your tomato, trust me.
The delicious plum tomato varieties such as the Roma and the San Marzano are world-famous for their incredible cooking versatility, sweetness, and depth of flavor. These two, in particular, make for spectacular cherry tomato replacements in dishes like bolognese and similar.
Plum tomatoes are known to be a little dry and are therefore not an ideal replacement when you’re preparing cold dishes or recipes that call for the burst-in-your-mouth juiciness of the cherry tomato.
You can buy plum tomatoes whole and fresh or canned in store.
Conclusion
These three alternative options all make great replacements for cherry tomatoes in different scenarios. You have the grape tomato, which makes a tremendous all-around replacement, the campari tomato, which you can use for salads, and finally, plum tomatoes that make a perfect sub for cooked dishes.
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