Wondering what to do with beefsteak tomatoes? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 33 recipes to put them to work.

What are beefsteak tomatoes?

Beefsteak tomatoes are the big, meaty slicers, the ones that can run wider than your palm and weigh a pound apiece. One thick slice covers a whole sandwich or a burger, which is exactly what they are for.

Cut one open and you see why cooks love them: thick walls, a dense and juicy interior, and small seed pockets. The flesh is mild and sweet, and the texture is solid enough to hold a clean slice without falling apart.

This is a tomato at its best raw and fully ripe. Cook it down and you waste what you paid for.

Ways to Use Beefsteak Tomatoes

Slicing is the whole job. A single ripe round, salted and peppered, makes a Tomato, Cucumber & Lettuce Sandwich or sits under the patty in an Australian Hamburger. That meaty wall is what keeps the slice from sliding out the back.

Raw salads are the other home. Thick wedges with cucumber and a sharp dressing carry a Cucumber Tomato Salad with Soy-Sesame Dressing, and a fanned-out slice with fresh mozzarella and basil is the classic caprese.

They are forgiving on the cutting board because the firm flesh does not collapse. Use a serrated knife and they slice cleanly, even when fully ripe.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Beefsteaks are mild, so they lean on bold company. Salt is the first move; it wakes up the flavor and pulls a little juice to the surface. From there, basil, fresh mozzarella, good olive oil, flaky sea salt, and black pepper are the friends that never fail.

The biggest mistake is buying them out of season. A pale winter beefsteak is watery and bland, and no amount of salt fixes a tomato that was picked green and gassed to color. Save them for summer.

The second mistake is refrigerating a ripe one. Cold below about 55°F (13°C) turns that juicy flesh mealy and mutes the aroma. Keep ripe beefsteaks on the counter and eat them within a couple of days.

What to Use Instead

Any large slicing tomato fills in. Heirloom varieties like Brandywine or Cherokee Purple are beefsteak-style and often more flavorful, if pricier and uglier.

A regular round globe tomato works for a sandwich, though it is smaller and more watery, so you may need two slices.

Roma or plum tomatoes are too dry and seedy for slicing; save them for sauce. In a real pinch, thick slices of a firm campari give you sweetness if not the size.

Buying and Storing

Pick a beefsteak by weight and smell, not by color alone. A good one feels heavy for its size and smells faintly sweet at the stem; that heft means dense, juicy flesh. It should yield slightly to a gentle squeeze but not feel soft or wrinkled.

Ripen any firm ones at room temperature, out of direct sun, until they give a little. A paper bag speeds it up by trapping the ethylene gas the tomato gives off.

Once ripe, use them fast. Beefsteaks are mostly water and do not keep well, so plan to eat a ripe one within two or three days. Never store cut tomatoes face-down on a bare counter; wrap the cut side and refrigerate only if you must, accepting some loss of texture.

Quick facts

Where to find beefsteak tomatoes: Beefsteak tomatoes are usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

牛排西红柿

British (UK) term

Beefsteak tomatoes

en français

tomates coeur de boeuf

en español

tomates beefsteak

Recipes using beefsteak tomatoes

There are 33 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 33 recipes