🧄 A Real Food Staple That Changed Everything
I didn’t plan for my viral video to start with tomatoes — but it did. What began as a small batch of underripe beefsteak tomatoes, layered with dill and celery, turned into one of the most flavorful, versatile, and talked-about ferments in my kitchen. These fermented tomatoes are not just a tangy twist on a classic ingredient — they’re a gateway into real food fermentation.
This is the recipe that helped me explain how fermentation works, why brine matters, and how gut health and flavor don’t have to compete. It’s also become a core part of my personal fasting protocol — more on that below.
Whether you’re new to fermenting or looking to expand beyond cucumbers and kraut, this is your entry point to something addictive, functional, and deeply nourishing.
🍅 Why Ferment Tomatoes?
Unlike pickling with vinegar (which kills off bacteria), fermentation uses saltwater brine to allow lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to flourish. These beneficial microbes break down natural sugars and develop acids that preserve the food while enhancing digestibility, micronutrients, and flavor.
Tomatoes are:
- Naturally high in lycopene (an antioxidant that survives fermentation)
- Rich in vitamin C and potassium
- Full of natural umami that gets amplified through fermentation
But here’s the real magic:
When tomatoes ferment, they release their own juice into the brine — creating a slightly fizzy, tangy tomato elixir that becomes the base for sauces, dressings, and even brothy sips.
🧪 Health Benefits of Fermented Tomato Brine
The leftover brine is a powerhouse:
- Contains live probiotic strains (primarily Lactobacillus)
- Supports digestion, bile flow, and gut lining repair
- Rich in electrolytes, especially potassium and sodium
- Helps restore mineral balance when fasting or after workouts
- Acts as a natural appetite suppressant and flavor booster
I personally sip tomato brine during extended fasts (86 hours and beyond) — a few tablespoons give me:
- A mineral hit
- Tangy satisfaction
- The feeling of eating without breaking the fast
No sugar. No calories. Just fermented electricity.
🔥 How I Use Fermented Tomatoes
- On avocado toast (spooned or smashed)
- In sandwiches (especially grilled cheese or steak)
- Blended into dressings or pasta sauce
- Topped on hummus or labneh
- Served cold with olive oil and flaky salt as a mezze
- The brine in soups, stews, beans, and even cocktails
Fermented Pickled Tomatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 6-8 large underripe beefsteak tomatoes (firm, not soft)
- 3 liters filtered water (room temperature)
- 3 tbsp sugar (1 tbsp per liter)
- 6 tbsp sea salt, heaping (2 tbsp per 1 liter)
- 1 head head of garlic, peeled and sliced in half
- 1 e A few stalks of celery
- 1 bunch 1 bunch of fresh dill
- 1 Optional: horseradish root or horseradish leaves (if available)
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp dill seed
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seed
- 1 tbsp coriander seed
- Optional: 1–2 bay leaves
- 1 Cheesecloth (cut to fit jar opening)
- 1 tsp dry mustard powder (sprinkled on top of cheesecloth)
Method
- Clean the Tomatoes:Wash your tomatoes thoroughly with a baking soda and vinegar solution. Rinse well with clean water.
- Prepare the Jar:Use a clean, gallon-sized jar or fermentation container. Layer celery, dill, and garlic at the bottom.
- Pack the Tomatoes:Add your beefsteak tomatoes in layers with more dill, garlic, and celery between them.
- Add the Spices:Sprinkle in the mustard seed, black peppercorns, coriander, dill seed, and bay leaf if using.
- Make the Brine:Dissolve the sugar and salt into the 3 liters of room-temp filtered water. Stir until fully dissolved.
- Pour the Brine:Fill the jar completely, making sure all tomatoes are fully submerged.
- Top with Mold Barrier:Cover the surface with a piece of cheesecloth and sprinkle 1 tsp of mustard powder over it.
- Cover and Store:Cover with a loose lid, fermentation lid, or breather. Store in a dark place (cabinet or pantry) covered with a towel for 4–6 days.
- Cloudy Brine? Perfect.Once the brine turns cloudy, move the jar to the fridge.
- Refrigerate & Ferment:Chill for at least 1 week. Flavor continues to develop for months. These can last 1 year+ in the fridge.
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!🧠 Fermentation Safety Notes
- Always use non-chlorinated water and non-iodized salt
- If you see white film (kham yeast), it’s harmless — skim it
- If you see fuzzy mold, discard the batch
- Store in fridge once desired flavor is reached
- Best flavor develops after 1 week in the fridge
🌿 Final Thoughts: Real Food, Real Power
Fermented tomatoes are what I call a functional luxury — they taste incredible, cost pennies to make, and support your gut, your energy, and your immune system. Whether you’re creating recipes, fasting, or just craving something sour and alive, this is a go-to you can keep reinventing.
Save the brine. Drink it. Cook with it. Respect it.
If you make these, tag me: @dish.by.david on IG or drop a comment on my YouTube. This is the kind of recipe that feeds generations — and your content.
Want more ferments like this? Grab my full fermentation guide with step-by-step pickling systems, brine ratios, flavor templates, and bonus videos — available now on Gumroad.
15 Responses
The recipe is delicious. Thanks David!
Just watching you eat these is poetry. Makes me want to run out and buy tomatoes. I will definitely try this.
I’m new at pickling but I can see that it’s becoming my new passion.
Thank you so much!!!
I will try this recipe! Why leave the lid or muslin loose. I thought it might introduce mould!
You don’t need to leave it lose but you do need to release air daily, this is called burping.
Made it. Love it. Shared it. !!!
“No sugar. No calories. Just fermented electricity.”
“Ingredients: 3 tbsp sugar (1 tbsp per liter)”
Im still going to try this, but all the marketing fluff and contradictions like “no sugar” make it very difficult to consider trusting any nutritional or health benefits you reference. Overall, I recognize there are health benefits and I’m hopeful it combines that with good taste.
When I say “no sugar,” I’m referring to the finished ferment — not the starting mixture. The small amount of sugar you add at the beginning is simply food for the microbes. During fermentation, they consume that sugar and convert it into organic acids, enzymes, and natural carbonation — leaving the final drink virtually sugar-free.
So yes, there’s sugar in the process, but none left in the product. That’s the beauty of fermentation — the sugar transforms.
Watching both of you is glorious ! Reminds me of my family (survivors) who made it to America from Poland and Ukraine after WWII. Growing up there were always jars of kefir and things fermenting on the counter, in the cupboard and fridge . Now I am passing on the tradition . Shanah Tovah !
Ephram — this made my day.
What a powerful lineage to carry forward — those postwar kitchen traditions are the roots of everything I teach. Kefir, jars on the counter, that quiet bubbling… it’s all living memory.
Thank you for sharing that, and Shanah Tovah to you and your family — may your jars always stay lively.
– David
Founder, Dish by David | dishbydavid.com
Thank you I am trying g this now !
I’m absolutely hooked. Can’t get enough. Now on my 5th jar. I’m in love 🙂
So glad to hear that!
So I want to use my tomatoes for salsa. Can I sub in cilantro instead of dill and different spices and as long as the sugar/saltwater ratio stays the same, am I good to go?
Yes you absolutely can! I have done that before and it tasted great!