Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
With a bright, tart flavor, and overtones of herbs and garlic, Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes are perfect for salads or charcuterie boards!
This year I had a fun problem. With the warm fall and late frost, my garden seemed to grow on forever!
And this meant loads of cherry tomatoes. But what would I do with them all!
Happily, the bounty allowed me to complete something that’s been on my “to do” list for over a decade (shhh). And that is making Refrigerator Pickle Cherry Tomatoes!
You see, way back when CSAs still had member potlucks, someone brought pickled cherry tomatoes. And I still remember my delight at the tart freshness and robust flavor from the garlic and herbs.
Once I’d made my first batch (of many), I loved the flavor along with the east of preparation. So why did I wait so long to try my own?
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. Pickled in a tart brine flavored with garlic and herbs, the already yummy tomatoes get a delicious flavor boost!
Easy. These come together in minutes. And when your tomatoes produce more, you’ll be happy to do it again!
Fun. I don’t know why cherry tomatoes are more fun pickled, but they are. Take my word for it!
Flexible. I double this recipe when I have a lot of cherry tomatoes. And if I have only a half-pint, I’ll even make half of the recipe (it’s so easy)! If I’m out of fresh thyme, I’ll swap different herbs in and out depending on what I have. All yum!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Water. Along with the vinegar and salt, this forms the brine.
- Vinegar. This is the acidic part of the brine and is responsible for keeping the tomatoes preserved. I used standard distilled vinegar, but you can use another vinegar, like white wine vinegar, as long as it is 5% vinegar—check the label to be sure. (Homemade and occasionally a commercial brand may vary from this).
- Salt. This enhances flavor. Canning salt is ideal since it’s pure, but other salt (e.g. kosher, sea, table) can be used.
- Garlic, Black Peppercorns. These add flavor. Or go spicy with some red pepper flakes!
- Fresh thyme. Adds flavor. You may substitute a sprig of rosemary or a few leaves of basil.
- Cherry tomatoes. Of course! Grape tomatoes are fine too.
Special Tools
- You’ll need a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. I give instructions using a pint jar, but you could use two 1 cup jars instead (you can also scale the recipe up or down) A canning jar is ideal, but you can reuse a commercial glass jar instead since you’re not water bath canning this. (And if you’re a canner, this interesting discussion of reusing jars might be fun to read.)
Step by Step Overview
Wash a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Mix brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve salt and remove from heat.
Place garlic, herbs, peppercorns and tomatoes into the pint jar.
Top with the hot brine, seal the jar, and refrigerate.
Allow at least two days for flavors to blend.
Tips & FAQs
Can I water bath can these, so they are shelf stable? Sadly the delicate cherry tomatoes are too fragile for the heat processing required to make them shelf stable.
Some recipes recommend pricking the tomatoes with a toothpick to help them absorb the flavors and/or keep them from bursting. In my experience, the tomato skins burst anyway (I suspect from the heat of the pickling liquid), so I skip this.
I tested this recipe with basil, rosemary and thyme. They were all good, but the one with thyme was outstanding, so that is what I recommend if you can get it.
When your tomatoes are gone, there will be a lot of leftover brine, which is actually quite flavorful. So lately I’ve been whisking a tablespoon of brine with a tablespoon of olive oil and drizzling it on my salads! Yum!
Pleasant Pickle Recipes
- Best Refrigerator Dill Pickles from Jen Around the World
- Easy Dill Pickle Dip from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- German Style Rouladen from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Hot Mix Pickles from That Recipe
- Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes from Art of Natural Living
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Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
Brine:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup 5% vinegar I used standard distilled, but another 5% vinegar may be used
- 1 teaspoon canning salt (ideally or another salt like sea or kosher if needed)
Tomatoes:
- 1 clove garlic halved
- 5-6 black peppercorns
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme – may substitute a sprig of rosemary or a few leaves of basil
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes washed and stems removed
Instructions
- Wash a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Mix brine ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve salt and remove from heat.
- Place garlic, herbs, peppercorns and tomatoes into the pint jar.
- Top with the hot brine, seal the jar, and refrigerate.
- Allow at least 2 days for flavors to blend.
What a fun recipe. It reminds me that I have an alcohol-based version for use in martinis!
Oooo, an alcohol based version sounds really fun David!
What a creative way to use up an abundant cherry tomato harvest! These Quick Pickled Cherry Tomatoes sound like a delightful blend of tart, garlicky goodness with a herbal kick.
Thanks Rayamund! It’s been so nice to enjoy these now that the growing season is over!
I’ve never made a pickle with tomatoes! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Do it! I waited far too long!