Easy Marinated Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

Marinated cherry tomatoes turn a kilo of ripe tomatoes into a punchy fridge staple with almost no effort. The tomatoes sit in olive oil, vinegar, garlic and parsley for a few hours until they soak up all that sharp, savoury flavour. There's no cooking involved, and the marinade does everything while you get on with your day. Give them three hours minimum, though overnight is where they really come into their own.

Cherry tomatoes hold their shape beautifully in a marinade, which is why they work so much better here than big slicing tomatoes that go soft and watery. A quick poke with a toothpick or a small cross-cut on the base lets the marinade soak right into the middle of each one, so you get flavour all the way through rather than just on the skin. The garlic sharpens as it sits, the parsley keeps everything fresh, and the vinegar gives that pickle-like tang without any of the faff of actual pickling. Serve them alongside grilled meat, spoon them over toast, or eat them straight from the jar.

Ingredients for Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

• Cherry tomatoes – 1 kg, red or multicolour. Pick firm, ripe ones that still have a bit of give; overly soft tomatoes collapse in the marinade.
• Garlic – 5–6 cloves, roughly chopped or minced. It mellows and spreads through the oil as the tomatoes sit.
• Fresh parsley – ½ bunch, flat-leaf or curly. Both work; flat-leaf has a slightly stronger flavour.
• Olive oil – 2–3 tablespoons. Coats the tomatoes and carries the garlic flavour.
• Vinegar – 2–3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (5%, 8% or 10% acidity all work fine). This gives the marinade its tang.
• Salt – 1 tablespoon. Draws out a little juice from the tomatoes and seasons the whole batch.

How to Make Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

Serving and Storing Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

These marinated cherry tomatoes are at their best served cold or at room temperature, spooned out with a little of their marinade. They go with almost anything: alongside grilled chicken or pork, piled onto toasted sourdough, tossed through a green salad, or stirred into cooked pasta with a bit of the oil. The leftover marinade is worth keeping too, as it makes a ready-made dressing.

Stored in an airtight jar in the fridge, they keep for up to 5 days and only get more flavourful over the first day or two. Keep them fully submerged in the marinade where you can, and always use a clean spoon to serve so the batch stays fresh. They don't freeze well, as the tomatoes turn mushy once thawed, so make them fresh and enjoy within the week.

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What Marinated Cherry Tomatoes Cost Around the World

Marinated cherry tomatoes are a cheap dish to put together, since a kilo of tomatoes serves about six and the garlic, parsley, oil, vinegar and salt add almost nothing on top.

• In the UK, a kilo of cherry tomatoes runs about £3.50–£6 at Tesco, Aldi or Lidl, and with the store-cupboard extras the whole batch lands near £4.50–£7, or roughly 80p–£1.15 per serving. Pick up the tomatoes, garlic and parsley in any supermarket.
• In Ireland, cherry tomatoes cost a little more at around €4.50–€6 a kilo in Tesco, Dunnes or SuperValu, so the finished dish comes to about €5.50–€7, or €0.90–€1.20 per serving.
• In the USA, a kilo's worth of cherry tomatoes sits around $4.50–$6.50 at Walmart, Kroger or Trader Joe's, putting the batch near $5.50–$7.50, or roughly $1 per serving.
• In Australia, tomatoes are dearer at about AU$8–$11 a kilo at Woolworths or Coles, so the dish comes to around AU$9–$12, or AU$1.50–$2 per serving.
• And in Spain, where tomatoes are an everyday staple and often cheaper at €2.50–€4 a kilo in Mercadona or Carrefour, the whole dish can cost as little as €3.50–€5, around €0.60–€0.85 per serving.

Wherever you shop, these marinated cherry tomatoes turn a modest shop into a jar that easily lasts most of the week.

Tips for the Best Marinated Cherry Tomatoes

• Pick tomatoes that are ripe but still firm to the touch. Soft, overripe tomatoes might taste sweet, but they'll break down in the marinade and turn the whole jar to mush. A little give when you squeeze is fine, but you want them to hold their round shape right through the marinating time.
• Don't skip the toothpick or cross-cut step. It might feel fiddly with a whole kilo, but this is what lets the marinade get inside each tomato instead of just coating the skin. Tomatoes marinated this way taste seasoned all the way through, while whole unpierced ones stay bland in the middle no matter how long they sit.
• Use a container or jar with a lid that seals properly. Shaking is the easiest way to coat every tomato evenly, and you can't do that in an open bowl. A large jar or a lidded plastic tub both work well, and being able to turn the whole batch over a few times during marinating makes a real difference.
• Give the batch a shake once or twice while it sits in the fridge. The marinade settles at the bottom over time, so a gentle turn redistributes the oil, vinegar and garlic and keeps every tomato in contact with the flavour. Do this whenever you happen to open the fridge and you'll get a more even result.
• Adjust the vinegar to your taste and to the acidity you're using. If you've got 5% vinegar, 3 tablespoons gives a pleasant tang; with stronger 8% or 10% vinegar, start with 2 tablespoons and taste before adding more. The tomatoes should be sharp and bright, not mouth-puckering.
• Multicolour cherry tomatoes make a stunning jar if you're serving these to guests. Yellow, orange and red tomatoes all marinate the same way and taste much alike, but the mix looks far more inviting on a table or board. It's an easy way to make a simple dish feel a bit special.
• Let them sit overnight if you have the time. Three hours gives you a good result, but the difference between three hours and a full night is noticeable, as the garlic softens, the flavours meld, and the tomatoes take on much more of the marinade. Make them the evening before you need them where you can.
• Keep the parsley chunky rather than finely chopped. Roughly chopped parsley holds up better over several days in the fridge and gives little fresh bursts of flavour, whereas finely minced parsley tends to go limp and darken. A coarse chop looks better in the finished jar too.
• Save the leftover marinade once the tomatoes are gone. It's essentially a garlicky, tomato-infused dressing at that point, and it's brilliant drizzled over salad leaves, cooked grains or roasted vegetables. There's no reason to pour all that flavour down the sink.

Marinated Cherry Tomatoes FAQ

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Marinated Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

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Juicy cherry tomatoes marinated with garlic, parsley, olive oil and vinegar for a quick, no-cook side dish that's ready in a few hours and gets better overnight.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 kg cherry tomatoes (red or multicolour)
• 5–6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or minced
• ½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 2–3 tablespoon olive oil
• 2–3 tablespoon distilled white vinegar (5%, 8% or 10% acidity)
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions

Step 1: Wash the cherry tomatoes and pat dry. Poke each one a few times with a toothpick, or make a small cross-shaped cut at the base without cutting all the way through, so the marinade can soak inside.

Step 2: Roughly chop or mince the garlic and chop the parsley, then add both to the tomatoes in a container or jar with a tight lid.

Step 3: Pour in the olive oil, vinegar and salt. Cover and shake well until everything is evenly coated.

Step 4: Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight for a deeper flavour, shaking the container once or twice while it marinates. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

1. Piercing the tomatoes with a toothpick or making a small cross-cut at the base is the key step — it lets the marinade soak inside rather than just coating the skin, so they taste seasoned all the way through.
2. Use a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid so you can shake the batch to coat everything evenly, and give it a turn once or twice during marinating.
3. Adjust the vinegar to the acidity you're using: 3 tablespoons for 5%, or start with 2 tablespoons for stronger 8–10% vinegar and taste before adding more.
4. They keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days and only get more flavourful over the first day or two. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavour.
5. Don't freeze — the tomatoes turn mushy once thawed. Save any leftover marinade as a ready-made salad dressing.