The 13 Best Tasting Tomatoes in 2024

If you’ve ever compared a tomato purchased from the grocery store in the winter with a tomato picked off the vine in the summer, you likely know there’s a wide variation in tomato flavors. And that’s why it helps to learn about the best tasting tomatoes!

Tomato variety plays a big role in what a tomato tastes like. So that means you should put some time and effort into choosing great-tasting varieties!

We’re going to introduce you to some of the best tasting tomatoes that you can grow at home.

What Makes a Good Tasting Tomato?

While it would be nice if I could say one type of tomato was definitively better than others, I can’t. That’s because different people prefer various tomato flavors.

Some people like a tomato that’s super sweet, while others prefer one that’s more tart. And while many people like a super juicy tomato, meaty tomatoes are more appealing to others.

With that said, you need to find a tomato that fits your preferences!

Along with choosing a tomato variety that tastes well, you should also pay attention to how the tomato was grown. Healthy plants typically yield better-tasting tomatoes.

But don’t pay too much attention to whether the tomatoes were allowed to ripen on or off the vine. Studies show that there is no difference in flavor between tomatoes that were picked at peak ripeness and tomatoes that were harvested at the first sign of color change and allowed to ripen off the vine.

Of course, variety plays a big role in tomato flavor. And that’s why we’re going to introduce you to some of the best tasting tomato varieties!

Best Tasting Tomatoes

When it comes time to pick a tomato or two to grow, you have lots of options to choose from. If you browse through various seed catalogs, you’ll see there are hundreds of different tomato varieties to choose from.

Different tomatoes are bred for different characteristics. Some focus on disease resistance, some aim to deliver large harvests, and others put flavor front and center.

If you are looking for the best tasting tomatoes, start with these thirteen varieties.

1. Sungold

sungold tomato

Size: cherry

Color: orange

Hybrid or heirloom: hybrid

Days to maturity: 57 days

The Sungold is often heralded as the best-tasting cherry tomato, and I have to agree. It has a supreme sweetness that leads to a candy-like flavor when these tomatoes are eaten fresh off the vine.

While these little orange cherry tomatoes have a bit of acidity, they are definitely on the sweeter side. Along with being delicious as-is, you can also cook these tomatoes down into a wonderful confit that you can spread over toast, pasta, or meat.

Although Sungold tomatoes are surely delicious, they do have some downsides. The delicate fruits are prone to cracking, which means they don’t hold up great during storage or shipping.

That means that they’re best enjoyed fresh, which is just another reason to plant these little gems in your garden.

You can purchase Sungold seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Osborne Quality Seeds.

Read here for a full guide to growing Sungold tomatoes.

2. Black Cherry

Black Cherry

Size: large cherry

Color: dark maroon

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 64 days

Compared to the famous Sungold, the Black Cherry is less sweet, more tart, and a bit more savory and robust. But that’s not to say these cherry tomatoes aren’t sweet and delicious!

Although these tomatoes are small, their flavor is reminiscent of large purple beefsteak tomatoes like Cherokee Purple and Carbon. And that’s hard to beat!

The balanced flavor of the Black Cherry makes it a versatile ingredient in the kitchen. It works well added to salads, chopped up for salsa, and skewered for the grill.

This cherry tomato is also larger than many other types of cherry tomatoes which makes for a quicker harvest.

Look for Black Cherry seeds at Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Adaptive Seeds.

3. Cherokee Purple

Cherokee Purple

Size: large, 8–12 ounces

Color: deep maroon

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 72 days

If I had to pick one tomato to eat for the rest of my life, it would probably be the Cherokee Purple. This variety has a rich and complex flavor that fits well with the fruit’s dark reddish-purple skin.

The Cherokee Purple tomato isn’t super sweet, but it does have a nice balanced flavor with notes of smoke and spice. This means it’s hard to beat for tomato-centric dishes like tomato sandwiches.

Most people familiar with this tomato say it was developed and grown by the Cherokee people. The seeds eventually made their way to John Green of Sevierville, Tennessee, to tomato fanatic and Seed Savers Exchange member Craig Lehoullier, and then to various seed companies.

You can find Cherokee Tomato seeds at Seed Savers Exchange, Osborne Quality Seeds, and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Read this article if you would like to grow Cherokee Tomatoes at home.

4. Black Krim

Black Krim

Size: medium, 8 ounces

Color: deep red

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 80 days

Black Krim fits the flavor profile of other dark red tomatoes, sometimes known as black tomatoes. These tomatoes are robust, a bit smokey, and have a balance of sweet and tart. Plus, they’re supremely juicy!

Their small size makes them easy to slice up for sandwiches, salsa, bruschetta, or whatever else you desire.

Since Black Krim is an indeterminate variety, you can expect the plants to produce fruit for multiple months throughout the summer and early fall. Just make sure to use some type of trellising system to support the plants!

Look for Black Krim seeds at Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange.

5. Brandywine

Brandywine

Size: large, 14–18 ounces

Color: bright red or deep pink

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 78 days

If you ask a hundred people what their favorite slicing tomato is, more than a handful will probably say Brandywine. This heirloom has been around for quite a while, and has gained a strong following during this time.

Brandywine tomatoes are large beefsteak tomatoes, so one tomato slice can cover an entire slice of bread. That means they’re perfect for BLTs and tomatoes and mayonnaise sandwiches.

As for the flavor, Brandywines are rich with a strong tomato flavor. They’re sweet with touches of acidity and spice, leading to a well-rounded flavor.

While the traditional Brandywine is deep pink in color, you can also find Yellow Brandywine. This variety is sweeter than the traditional pink type.

Both varieties of Brandywine are indeterminate, so healthy plants will continue to produce fruits for multiple months during the summer. However, they are susceptible to diseases including late blight, early blight, and Fusarium wilt.

You can find Brandywine tomato seeds at Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and High Mowing Organic Seeds.

Read our article for growing Brandywine tomatoes.

6. Carbon

Carbon

Size: medium, 8–12 ounces

Color: deep red with hints of purple

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 76 days

Another type of black tomato, Carbon has performed well in a variety of tomato taste tests held in recent years. These medium-sized tomatoes have a rich and robust flavor with notes of smokiness and spice.

The flavor is similar to other types of black tomatoes, including Cherokee Purple and Black Krim.

When you slice into a Carbon tomato, you’ll see it’s both meaty and juicy with few seeds. And that makes for a delightful eating experience!

Although it’s an heirloom variety, it’s quite prolific and produces large amounts of tomatoes. And its indeterminate nature means it continues to produce ripe fruit over the course of multiple months.

You can purchase Carbon seeds at Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Totally Tomato.

7. Costoluto Genovese

Costoluto Genovese

Size: 6–10 ounces

Color: red

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 80 days

While Costoluto Genovese tomatoes may look a bit funny with their ribbed edges, don’t let their unique shape lead you to pass over them. These Italian heirlooms have a meaty yet juicy texture and rich tomato flavor.

Their texture means they work well for sauce, as many Italian cooks can attest to. However, their sweet flavor also means they work well in tomato salads, salsa, and other dishes that utilize chopped and diced tomatoes.

And try slicing the tomatoes crosswise for a stunning presentation!

Since the fruits are ribbed, it’s sometimes difficult to remove the stems from the fruits. While it’s fine to leave the stems attached, watch out for sharp stems stabbing other ripe fruits.

Since Cosotoluto Genovese have an indeterminate growth form, they will continue to produce tomatoes for multiple months.

You can find these tomato seeds at Kitchen Garden Seeds and Tomato Fest.

8. Speckled Roman

Speckled Roman

Size: medium, plum-shaped, 6–8 ounces

Color: red with yellow specks

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 85 days

Plum-shaped tomatoes are sometimes known for their lackluster flavor. But Speckled Roman proves these elongated fruits can be robust and delicious.

Speckled Roman’s flavor is as interesting as its beautiful yellow-flecked skin. The meaty flesh has a nice balance of sweetness and tartness with a hint of smokiness in the background.

The texture makes this variety an obvious choice for cooking down into sauce or chopping up into salsa, but the flavor means it’s also good for fresh eating.

If you want to make a big batch of sauce from Speckled Roman tomatoes, take note that these tomatoes are indeterminate. That means they’ll produce small amounts of fruits over multiple months rather than a bunch of tomatoes at once.

Planting a few of these plants will allow you to pick enough tomatoes to make a big batch of sauce, if that’s what you’re aiming for.

You can purchase Speckled Roman seeds from Seed Savers Exchange and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

9. Jaune Flamme

Jaune Flamme

Size:  small, 3–4 ounces

Color: bright orange

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 75 days

While tomatoes are technically fruits, not every tomato has a flavor that brings up peaches, oranges, and plums. But when you bite into a Jaune Flamme tomato, there’s no mistaking that this tomato is a fruit.

These small orange tomatoes have an intensely fruity flavor that’s a nice blend of sweet and tart. While their flavor is distinct, people sometimes liken it to that of a Sungold.

Jaune Flamme’s flavor means that these tomatoes taste great raw, but they really shine when their flavor is concentrated. Drying or roasting these fruits results in an almost candy-like flavor!

If you want to try your hand at growing these fruity gems, you can purchase Jaune Flamme seeds from Seed Savers Exchange and High Mowing Organic Seeds.

10. Berkeley Tie Dye

Berkeley Tie Dye

Size: medium, 8–12 ounces

Color: red with metallic green stripes

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 70 days

If you ask me, it’s hard not to fall in love with the Berkeley Tie Dye tomato as soon as you look at it. The bright red fruits are speckled with green lines that almost seem to sparkle in the light.

And when you slice the fruits, you can continue to enjoy the mix of green and red flesh.

Plus, these tomatoes taste delicious. The flavor is a balanced blend of tart and sweet that is best described as tomato-forward.

Berkeley Tie Dye was first developed by tomato breeder Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. Gates has also developed other great-tasting tomatoes including the Dark Galaxy and Black Beauty. It is now available through other seeder companies and is quite easy to find.

Since the Berkeley Tie Dye is an indeterminate tomato, it produces fruit over the course of multiple months, as long as the plants remain healthy. Providing the plants with a trellis will help keep the vines manageable and also make harvest easier.

You can purchase Berkeley Tie Dye seeds from Wild Boar Farms and Totally Tomato.

You can read my article if you’d like to grow Berkeley Tie Dye this year.

11. Aunt Ruby’s German Green

Aunt Ruby’s German Green

Size: 14–18 ounces

Color: light green

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 85 days

If you like tomatoes that are on the acidic side, check out Aunt Ruby’s German Green. This unique heirloom tomato remains green when ripe and has a tart flavor with sweet and spicy undertones.

People say this tomato first came from Ruby Arnold of Tennessee and was then introduced to the rest of the world. And its unique flavor and color made it a quick hit!

Since this tomato is not the most common variety, growing it at home is the best way to ensure you have access to it. As long as you’re patient with its relatively slow time to maturity, you’ll be able to enjoy months of fruits throughout the summer.

Learning when to harvest these tomatoes can take some practice, but becomes easy over time. Before you look at the actual tomatoes, remember that tomatoes near the bottom of the plant are the first to ripen, followed by tomatoes further up the plant.

Next, take a close look at the color of the fruits. Although Aunt Ruby’s German Green remains mostly green when ripe, the tomatoes develop a slight yellow tinge when they’re ready to pick. You can also gently squeeze the tomatoes—they will be soft when ripe.

You can purchase Aunt Ruby’s German Green seeds from Seed Savers Exchange and Kitchen Garden Seeds.

12. Striped German

Striped German

Size: large, 12–18 ounces

Color: yellow with red blotches

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 78 days

Do you like a tomato that’s nice and sweet with just a little hint of tartness? Then your best bet is to look for a yellow tomato like the Striped German.

This large beefsteak has bright yellow skin with red splotches on the bottom of the fruit. And when you slice into the tomatoes, you’ll be met with yellow flesh dotted with red.

Along with a great taste, the Striped German is known for its supremely smooth texture. It’s great sliced onto sandwiches, placed on a plate with mozzarella and balsamic, or simply enjoyed with salt and pepper.

These tomatoes can get huge and are also prone to cracking. To help prevent cracked tomatoes, aim to keep soil moisture consistent and pick fruits as soon as they begin to turn color.

It’s also better to get these tomatoes in the ground as soon as the first frost has passed—especially if you live in an area with cold winters. That’s because they take a bit longer to ripen since the fruits are so large.

You can purchase Striped German seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Tomato Fest.

13. German Johnson

German Johnson

Size: 8–16 ounces

Color: bright pink

Hybrid or heirloom: heirloom

Days to maturity: 75 days

The German Johnson is a tomato that brings back memories of a childhood spent eating tomato sandwiches on the porch, with juice dripping down your chin. Even if you never experienced a moment like this, it’s easy to see just how special the German Johnson tomato is.

When you slice into these tomatoes, you’ll be met with creamy pink flesh that’s nice and juicy. And when you take a bite, you’ll taste a bold tomato that’s both acidic and sweet.

The German Johnson tastes similar to a Brandywine tomato, but it produces a larger number of smaller fruits.

If you’d like to try growing the German Johnson tomato at home, you can buy seeds from Johnny’s Selected Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

Photo of author

Briana Yablonski

Briana holds a B.S. in Plant Sciences from Penn State University and has been working with plants, soil, and ecology for over ten years. She spent five years working on vegetable farms throughout the East Coast before starting her own farm in 2020. She has been writing about plants, food, and science since 2019.

5 thoughts on “The 13 Best Tasting Tomatoes in 2024”

  1. Nice article!I wait all year long for my fresh garden tomatoes and I love many variations and you have pegged some of the best and others I must try!
    Thank you

    Reply
  2. Tastes are so personal. Over many years I’ve grown many different tomatoes.
    I heartily recommend Stupiche a medium-sized red tomato. I’ve given it many times always to rave reviews. Red Brandywine is up there too. Sungold for the sweet tooth. Matt’s Wild Cherry for its wild growth, its vigor, and its sexy name.

    Reply

Leave a Comment