Strained tomatoes and tomato puree are very similar but not identical. Both are smooth, pourable tomato products made from cooked tomatoes, but they differ in concentration, ingredients, and how they’re processed. In most recipes, you can swap one for the other without major adjustments, but knowing the differences helps you get better results.
How Each Product Is Made
Strained tomatoes, often sold under the Italian name “passata,” are made from ripe tomatoes that have been peeled, deseeded, and pureed into a smooth, pourable consistency. The process is relatively minimal: cook the tomatoes, strain out the seeds and skins, and bottle the result. Traditional passata contains only tomatoes and sea salt, with no citric acid, sugar, or preservatives.
Tomato puree goes through a similar starting process but is cooked down further to concentrate the flavor and thicken the texture. In the United States, the FDA defines tomato puree as a tomato concentrate containing between 8 and 24 percent tomato soluble solids. Commercial tomato puree also commonly includes citric acid for preservation and sometimes salt, which gives it a slightly different flavor profile than plain strained tomatoes.
Texture and Flavor Differences
Strained tomatoes tend to be thinner and more pourable, closer to the consistency of a thick juice. They taste noticeably fresh, almost like cooked whole tomatoes in liquid form. Because they’re less processed, you get a brighter, lighter tomato flavor that works well as a sauce base where you want the tomato to taste like a tomato rather than a cooked-down concentrate.
Tomato puree is thicker and more concentrated. It has a deeper, more cooked flavor that adds body to dishes. Think of strained tomatoes as sitting between canned whole tomatoes and tomato puree on the thickness spectrum, while puree sits between strained tomatoes and tomato paste. The added citric acid in many commercial purees also gives them a slightly sharper acidity compared to the rounder taste of passata.
A Naming Problem Across Countries
One major source of confusion is that “tomato puree” means different things depending on where you live. In the United States and Canada, tomato puree is the medium-thick product described above. In the United Kingdom and much of Europe, “tomato purée” actually refers to what Americans call tomato paste: a very thick, highly concentrated product that comes in small tubes or cans. So if you’re following a British recipe that calls for tomato purée, reaching for an American can of tomato puree will give you something far too thin. You’d want tomato paste instead.
This regional naming difference trips people up constantly, especially with online recipes. Always check whether a recipe’s author is American or British before deciding which product to use.
Substituting One for the Other
For most cooking purposes, strained tomatoes and American-style tomato puree are interchangeable. If your recipe calls for tomato puree and you only have strained tomatoes (passata), pour them into a saucepan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to cook off some liquid and thicken the consistency. Going the other direction, if you need strained tomatoes and only have puree, thin it with a small splash of water until it reaches a pourable consistency.
A standard 28-ounce can of tomato puree yields about 4 cups. If you’re substituting from even more distant products, here are some useful ratios:
- Tomato sauce for puree: Use equal amounts, but simmer the sauce to thicken it slightly.
- Tomato paste for puree: Mix 1/3 cup paste with 2/3 cup water to replace 1 cup of puree.
- Fresh tomatoes for puree: Roughly chop about 1.5 pounds of ripe tomatoes per 2 cups of puree needed. Boil, then simmer 10 to 15 minutes until broken down. Run through a food mill or sieve to remove seeds and skins, then blend smooth. If the result is too thin, cook it down further.
Which One to Use When
Choose strained tomatoes when you want a fresh, clean tomato flavor and the dish will provide its own cooking time to develop depth. They’re ideal for long-simmered pasta sauces, shakshuka, or soup bases where you’ll be building flavor with other ingredients. Because passata typically has no additives beyond salt, it’s also a good pick when you want to control exactly what goes into your food.
Choose tomato puree when you need something thicker from the start and don’t want to spend time reducing. It works well in shorter-cooking dishes like braised meats, enchilada sauce, or any recipe where you need body without adding tomato paste’s intense concentration. Puree also holds up better as a pizza sauce base since it won’t make the dough soggy the way thinner strained tomatoes might.
If a recipe simply says “pureed tomatoes” rather than naming a specific product, either one will work. The final dish won’t taste dramatically different. The main thing you’re adjusting for is thickness, and a few extra minutes of simmering bridges that gap easily.