Tomato Paste Vs. Sauce – What’s The Difference?

This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, at no cost to you.

When steering your cart in a grocery store, you will often see several red labeled tomato products. They will vary from crushed tomatoes to a can of spaghetti tomatoes sauce. One such product that folks often confuse to be the same is tomato paste and tomato sauce.

However, they are totally different from both being made from tomatoes. So, what is the difference between tomato paste and tomato sauce? Tomato paste has a strong flavor thicker and is widely used to enhance flavors in dishes.

On the other hand, tomato sauce is used in dishes as primarily a base ingredient and provides rich flavor. Tomato sauce has a sharp acidity that adds a pleasant taste to the finished recipe. We have covered all the different properties of tomato paste and sauce in this article, so keep reading.

Table of Contents

Tomato Paste

Tomato paste has been widely used in recipes for a long time. It is primarily concentrated tomato paste that is cooked until all moisture is lost. Tomato paste consists of about 24 percent tomato in solid form. It is comparatively thicker than a tomato sauce.

Tomato paste is cooked until all the moisture is reduced to the minimum. As a result, a thick paste is left behind. It is primarily made with peeled tomatoes, and the seeds of tomatoes are removed. The taste of tomato paste resembles that of dried tomatoes.

It also consists of tartness that you will not find in tomato sauce. The tomato paste taste is very similar to that you get from tomatoes. Due to tomato paste being concentrated, it has a meaty taste. It is added to dishes to enhance the flavor of the overall dish.

It is known to have outstanding flavor potential. In a recipe, if you require adding 1 tablespoon of paste, don’t add more than the given quantity. Even a small amount of the paste greatly enhances the flavor of the dish.

Tomato paste has an acidic flavor. This is because it has added salt in it. The citric acid enhances the acidic flavor of the paste. Moreover, sometimes olive oil is also used in the paste to give consistency. It is used in fairly small amounts as it has an intense flavor. It works as a base ingredient in stews and sauces.

Tomato paste enhances the flavor of the dish and gives it a pleasant richness and color. To use it in the most efficient way, one should know the correct amount to put in every recipe. The best way to use tomato paste is to first fry it in olive oil in order to activate it and then use it in the dish.

After frying the tomato paste, it becomes darker and more intense in flavor. The caramelization of tomato paste starts when the color becomes brick red. The frying will take about 5 minutes but greatly enhance the flavor and color of the paste.

Nutritional Facts

A serving of half a cup of tomato paste contains the following:

Total Calories 13 KCAL
Total Fat 0.1g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 9.4mg
Potassium 162mg
Total Carbohydrates 3g
Dietary Fiber 0.7g
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 0.7g

Health Benefits

Tomato paste is rich in various vitamins, especially vitamin A and C. Vitamin A contains lycopene which works as a great anti-oxidant known to protect your cells from free radical damage. Moreover, vitamin C in tomatoes is great for skin health, and it greatly helps improve skin health.

Studies have shown that processed tomatoes are a better source of lycopene as compared to raw tomatoes. So, tomato sauce is a great way to get vitamin A and C. Both vitamins are known to boost your immune system and brain function.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce has a thicker texture and is used to enhance the dish’s flavor. Tomato sauce works more as a base ingredient and greatly enhances the dish’s overall flavor. Tomato sauce is less concentrated when compared with tomato paste and is widely used to make pasta meatballs and pizza.

Tomato sauce has a very light consistency if poured into a plate. It will quickly spread as it is very watery. Tomato sauce consists of about 24 percent of tomato solids. It tastes much like fresh tomatoes plucked from the garden and has a meaty taste.

You will often find salt, onion and different herbs in the tomato sauce purchased from a grocery store. It is readily available in stores and can be bought canned. The most commonly used ingredients in a tomato sauce are listed below.

Salt
Garlic
Sugar
Onion
Olive oil
Herbs

It is more commonly used to make other sauces like pizza or pasta sauce. Sauces bought from grocery stores are only partially cooked or boiled, so you need to further cook them in order for them to be used in a dish. Tomato sauce has great nutritional value and health benefits.

Nutritional Facts

A serving of 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce contains the following:

Total Calories 13
Total Fat 0.1g
Saturated Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 9.4mg
Potassium 162mg
Total Carbohydrates 3g
Dietary Fiber 0.7g
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 0.7g

Health Benefits

Tomato sauce is rich in various vitamins, especially vitamin A and C. Vitamin A contains lycopene which works as a great anti-oxidant known to protect your cells from free radical damage. Moreover, vitamin C in tomatoes is great for skin health, and it greatly helps improve skin health.

So, What’s The Difference Between Tomato Paste and Tomato Sauce?

Concluding the above-mentioned article into key points:

Tomato paste has a strong flavor thicker and is widely used to enhance flavors in dishes. On the other hand, tomato sauce is used in dishes as primarily a base ingredient and provides rich flavor.
Tomato paste is primarily concentrated tomatoes turned into a paste, while tomato sauce consists of various herbs and seasonings.
Tomato sauce has a lighter consistency as compared to thicker tomato paste.
Tomato paste is richer in nutritional value when compared with tomato sauce.