15 Easy Ways To Use Up Those Green Tomatoes Before Summer Is Over

As the hot, hazy summer months wane, all of the plants in your garden slowly start giving less and less produce. Gone are the days of fresh, ripe strawberries and crunchy cucumbers. The only thing that manages to stick around are those not-so-pesky green tomatoes. 

Green tomatoes are the same species as those juicy, plump red tomatoes. They just haven't reached ripeness yet, which means that they won't have the same texture or flavor as the bright red version of the fruit. When the temperatures start to drop, the tomatoes stop ripening, which means that you can be left with bushels and bushels of these unripe tomatoes. It's something I've personally faced a time or two, and it's a conundrum that always sends me searching for ways to use up the fruits before they take up every inch of my countertop space. 

The tart and slightly acidic profile of these fruits, along with their solid texture, is not something to be glossed-over. Rather than cutting your losses and tossing what you hoped would be ruby-red tomatoes into the compost bin, check out some of these creative ways to put green tomatoes to use in your kitchen. 

Fried green tomatoes are probably the food that your mind immediately goes to when you think of how to use this fruit. Since the green, unripened fruits have a texture similar to that of apples, they can more readily hold up to frying than their watery red counterparts. 

To make a batch of easy fried green tomatoes at home, you'll first want to start by preparing your dredge. Breadcrumbs are a solid option for the outside of your tomatoes because they will give the batch a unique crunch, but you may also consider using panko or another alternative like cornmeal. We'd also recommend adding a splash of buttermilk to your egg mixture to give it that tanginess. Then, coat your fried green tomatoes in flour, then the eggs, then the breadcrumbs before shallow-frying them in hot oil. 

There are tons of different ways to serve fried green tomatoes that aren't just eating them straight off the paper towel. For some simple ideas, you can try to use them as a crunchy component of your eggs Benedict or even wedge them into your burger for a satisfying and slightly juicy mouthfeel. 

Chutney is one of those condiments that doesn't get enough attention. A chutney, by definition, is a sharp and flavorful relish made with spices, vinegar, fruits, and vegetables. You'll often see it pop up in Indian cuisine, where it's served alongside meats and curries. 

A chutney is a great way to use up excess green tomatoes because the fruits have that subtle tartness to them, as well as a firm texture that will make them discernible in the finished chutney. You can either leave your green tomatoes skin-on or peel them; I prefer the latter because I like a smoother chutney. From there, try to select other fruits and vegetables that complement the flavor of the green tomatoes. For one, you can try to use fleshy, plump raisins; their sweetness will balance well with the tart flavor of the green tomatoes. Then, add your spices with a bit of sweetener and vinegar and cook everything down. Chutney is typically puréed or mashed into a salsa-like consistency, but you can use your discretion to find the perfect texture for whatever you plan on pairing it with. 

Depending on the spices you use (cumin seeds and chiles are a must for me), you can serve this chutney with an array of dishes. It's a great accompaniment for dal or roti, but you can even use it for a topping on scrambled eggs. 

Soup is probably one of the last things you want to reach for during the hot summer months. Unless, of course, that soup is gazpacho. Gazpacho, for the uninitiated, is a chilled soup often made with ingredients like cucumbers, melons, or tomatoes. It's hydrating, refreshing, and delicious on a sweltering summer day. The green tomatoes help give your gazpacho a tangy kick. 

The key to working with this ingredient in a gazpacho is to let it macerate in a bowl with salt, so that the peels easily detach from the fruits. It's an essential step if you plan on puréeing your gazpacho. Once the fruit has been macerated in the salt, you can remove the peel and blend it up with other fruits and veggies, like onions, cucumbers, herbs, and seasonings. Adding Greek yogurt will help make it extra thick, but you can also stick to something a little more brothy if you want something less heavy and rich. 

Coleslaw is a popular summertime accompaniment. It can add a little bit of crunch and acidity to everything from fish tacos to the humble hamburger. So, why not add even more flavor to it with the help of green tomatoes? 

You'll want to start off by carefully slicing your vegetables and green tomatoes into matchsticks. You can make the work easier on yourself by using a bagged coleslaw mix and just add your green tomatoes to it. Coat your slaw in your standard ingredients, including salt, acid, and a little bit of sugar, and serve it as you'd like. The acidic bite of the green tomatoes makes this an excellent addition to fried fare, including crab cakes and fish tacos. 

Pickling is one of those lost arts. We take for granted the selection of jarred pickles and produce at our local grocery store, so now is the perfect opportunity to experiment and DIY your own pickles, with a little help from your endless bounty of green tomatoes. 

Start by cutting your tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and warming your brine, which is made with ingredients like vinegar, salt, and sugar. Then, cover your tomatoes in the jars with any seasonings and other ingredients and allow the mixture to cool at room temperature before you move them to your fridge. Once you have mastered the flavor and brine ratios of this basic batch, then you can move on to infusing your pickled green tomatoes with an array of punchy ingredients. Yellow mustard seeds are one that would work well here, and I always love adding a bit of garlic to the batch. 

It's important to know that pickling and canning are not the same thing. So, your "pickles" will not be safe to put on the shelf and leave for months on end. If you're looking for something to last into the winter months and next season, you'll need to pressure-can your green tomatoes. 

I absolutely love making pizza, and consider my Ooni outdoor pizza oven to be one of the best investments I've ever made. That being said, I get a little bored of the same-old-same-old tomato sauce and cheese. But during the summer, when produce is aplenty, I have the opportunity to experiment with unconventional toppings, including green tomatoes.

The key to working with fresh tomatoes on a pizza, regardless of the variety, is to slice them very thinly. The pizza isn't in the oven long enough to soften large pieces of the fruit, and leaving them whole puts you at risk of a soggy crust. You'll also want to pair the tomatoes with other toppings that will give you a complete bite. For example, try layering on pieces of caramelized onion (for sweetness), sliced garlic, and even thinly-sliced leeks. That way, each bite will be filled with the perfect amount of tang, sweetness, and flavor.

Roasting vegetables is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness and to soften them a little bit. So, it's easy to see why green tomatoes are worthy of this treatment, too. 

The process for roasting green tomatoes is about as simple as can be. Toss your sliced fruits in a coating of neutral oil and seasonings before popping them into the oven and baking them. The important thing to know here is that because green tomatoes are so firm, they'll take a while to soften — which can be anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour. So, be sure to plan the rest of your meal wisely. 

There are tons of different ways to serve up your roasted green tomatoes, one of which is as a side dish for grilled meats and starch. You can also add them to a pasta sauce, or even into a salsa verde, since they're already softened and will easily mix with roasted tomatillos and onion. 

Summer isn't just the season for garden-fresh produce; it's also the best time of the year to fire up the grill. Luckily, if your grill is hot and ready to go, you can always throw some green tomatoes on it to give them the char that they deserve. 

You'll want to start by cutting your tomatoes about ¼ of an inch thick  which is why this hack tends to work better for large green tomatoes rather than small, cherry-tomato-sized ones. If you only have small green tomatoes, you can always lock them inside a grill grate and toss them on the flame; this device will prevent them from meeting a fiery demise when you go to turn them. Like all good grilled foods, also be sure to cover them with plenty of oil. This will prevent them from sticking and also ensure that they get a nice color. I recommend only grilling them so that they start to develop grill lines, but not so long that they become mushy. Otherwise, you'll have a heck of a time not only eating them, but also trying to pull them off the grill grates. 

There's a lot to love about the classic American BLT sandwich. It's got a perfect balance of acidity from the tomatoes, smokiness from the bacon, and fresh, crispy bite from the lettuce and the toasted bread. But, if you get bored with your standard BLT, try elevating it by swapping out the standard red tomatoes for green ones. It's important to note here that green tomatoes won't have the same squishy bite, which can be a blessing or a curse for BLT lovers. 

While you can certainly just plop a slice of green tomato on your sandwich, the better solution is to whip up a batch of fried green tomatoes and stuff them in your sandwich instead. That way, you'll get extra crispiness from the breading, plus the tart flavor of the green tomatoes will be a bit more subdued. If you want to take this sandwich up to another level entirely, swap out the classic mayonnaise for a smear of garlic aioli. 

You can never have enough salads during the hot summer months. Rather than just settling for a ho-hum bowl of lettuce and bottled salad dressing, switch things up for a change. You can take several different approaches here. One of them is to make a play on a panzanella salad using green tomatoes instead of red (or in addition to them). I prefer using green tomatoes for this, because the green tomatoes don't have as much moisture, so they won't make the bread as soggy. This is especially important if you're waiting a long time between making your panzanella salad and serving it. 

You can also take a hint from Indo-Chinese cuisine and make a green tomato salad brimming with regional flavors. Add peanuts, chili oil, salt, ginger, garlic, and lime juice to your salad — this will really bring out the subtle sweet notes of the tomatoes. In fact, you may not be able to settle for a boring salad ever again! 

You might be scratching your head at this one, and I can see why. Why would you ever want to tweak a recipe for classic American apple pie and use green tomatoes instead? What kind of April Fool's Day nonsense is this? 

I'm not playing a trick on you. When you think about it, green tomatoes and apples have a similar bite to them — firm, but not too juicy. You'll otherwise be baking the pie as normal, just instead of using Granny Smiths, you'll use a different green fruit instead. You don't even have to peel the tomatoes, just slice them up, toss them with a little lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar, and add them to your homemade (or store-bought) pie crust. Just don't forget about the cold vanilla ice cream topping. 

If you have a ton of green tomatoes and are searching for a way to get rid of them (which you needed done, like ... yesterday), you can always turn to your dehydrator for ideas. When you dry the tomatoes out, you'll remove their moisture, which means they will last much longer than the fresh variety. Plus, then you'll have something you can snack on or use as a topping for soups and salads.

The key is to always go low and slow for dehydrating anything, including tomatoes. You'll want to slowly pull that moisture out, which can take up to six hours. Start by thinly slicing the tomatoes and placing them on a sheet pan for your oven or racks for your dehydrator. You'll want the pieces to still be malleable (like the texture of jerky), rather than so brittle that they crumble in your hands. 

There are so many different condiments, how would you ever decide which one to make at home and eat? Well, tomato jam is one item that should really be up high on your list. It has far more functionality than whole green tomatoes; you can spread it on your sandwich, eat it with eggs, or serve it as a dip on your charcuterie board. 

The jam-making process basically involves cooking down your puréed fruit of choice with sugar and acid. You can either can it (which will further extend its shelf life), or make a batch for eating within a few days. You can also freeze your jam for several months if canning is out of your wheelhouse. Typically, you'll see the jam flavored with sweet ingredients, including cinnamon and cloves, which gives it a similar profile to apple jam. Try pairing it with delectable sharp cheddar and butterfly crackers on a cheese board. 

Salsa seems like a catch-all for the summer produce that may be on hand — and I'm not complaining about it. After all, that store-bought stuff gets old after a while. 

Green tomatoes make a great addition to a simple summery salsa. The condiment also gives you room to pair the neutral tomato with hotter ingredients, including serrano, cayenne, and jalapeño peppers. Just be sure not to neglect the classic salsa ingredients, like lime juice, cilantro, and spices to round out the flavor profile and make it more salsa-esque. Since green tomatoes don't really soften as easily as the fully-ripe version of the fruit, this is one recipe that you're better off puréeing in a high-powered blender or food processor. 

There are just as many ways to eat this salsa as there are ingredient options to put in it. Serve it alongside a bowl of crunchy tortilla chips or slather it onto your homemade burrito bowl. 

If you pay one of the Southern states a visit, chances are that you will have an opportunity to try chow-chow. And if not, you can always make it at home. In short, it's the South's beloved bumper crop relish. 

You can find chow-chow recipes made with cabbage, while others feature tomatoes, but the methodology is pretty much the same wherever you go. The fruits and veggies have to first be salted so that they can release all of their moisture, then it can be brined with ingredients like vinegar and sugar. If you're using green tomatoes in your chow-chow recipe, I'd recommend hitting it heavy with the spices, like dry mustard, to help bring a subtle back-of-mouth heat to the relish. You may also find recipes that use turmeric, allspice, and cloves, but it all depends on what mouthfeel and flavor profile you're going for. 

Chow-chow can be eaten with an array of different foods. Use it as a topping for baked or mashed potatoes, or try bringing a hint of heat and flavor to grilled meats, like pork chops.