Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce (Air Fryer or Oven)
, Published Sep 11, 2025
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Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce with garlic, shallots and herbs – the easiest way to turn fresh tomatoes into a rich sauce that is absolutely bursting with flavor. Freezer friendly and perfect for spaghetti night or as a base for other dishes.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make tomato sauce from cherry tomatoes, this recipe is your answer — and it’s almost too simple to believe. Roasting cherry tomatoes with garlic, shallots, olive oi and fresh herbs transforms them into a deeply flavorful sauce that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.
Toss it with spaghetti, spread it on pizza, use it as a dip, can or freeze for future meals. This roasted cherry tomato sauce is one of those back-pocket recipes you’ll find yourself making again and again.
Why I love this fresh cherry tomato sauce
- Just five key ingredients
- No fuss – simply roast in the air fryer or oven
- Deep, jammy, caramelized tomato flavor
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free
- Versatile – perfect for pasta, pizza, or as a base for other recipes
- Freezer-friendly
Tomato Sauce is the beating heart of Italian cooking and using cherry tomatoes to make fresh tomato sauce is a no-brainer – their natural sweetness and concentrated flavor make them ideal. You can toss then in pan to do this, but a quick roast in the oven or air fryer releases their juices and caramelizes their sugars, creating a sauce that tastes like it simmered all day, even though it only takes 30 minutes.
Here’s What You’ll Need
If you have a bumper crops of cherry tomatoes, this easy tomato sauce will preserve their sun-soaked sweetness. This recipe makes enough for a couple of meals, but you can always make a big batch and freeze or can for later use.
- Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. I used a mix of red and yellow such as sungolds which are incredibly sweet.
Shallots – Milder and sweeter than onions, they add depth without overpowering. - Garlic Cloves – Roast whole, peel-on, so that they don’t burn. Their mellow, caramelized flavor blends seamlessly into the sauce.
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for best flavor.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – Essential seasoning to bring everything together.
- Fresh thyme and basil – Thyme for earthy notes, basil for freshness – add more at the end for a bright finish. If you have a herb garden they experiment with other herbs like fresh oregano and rosemary.
- Bay Leaves – Add subtle herbal complexity while roasting (but you can skip).
- A little butter or vegan butter – optional.
Get to Know Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes is an umbrella term — there are dozens of varieties, each with their own flavor and texture. Here are some of the most common:
- Red Cherry Tomatoes – Small, round, juicy, and sweet with a thin skin. Perfect for roasting, salads, or snacking.
- Grape – A bit more oblong (grape-shaped, hence the name), with thicker skins and firmer flesh.
- Yellow or golden – Milder, exceptionally sweet and a less acidic than red varieties. They bring a sunny, sweet flavor and gorgeous color contrast.
- Black or purple (like Black Cherry or Chocolate Cherry) – save these to eat fresh in salads.
- Heirloom – These can come in a rainbow mix of colors and shapes. They’re often more delicate but add layers of flavor that range from tangy to super-sweet.
👉 Cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes are often used interchangeably in recipes. Grape tomatoes will make a slightly thicker, chunkier sauce, while cherry tomatoes make it sweeter and juicier. Either works beautifully here.
How to Make Cherry Tomato Sauce
Oven Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200°C). Drizzle a rimmed sheet pan with some of the olive oil, add the tomatoes, shallots and garlic cloves. Stir to coat in the oil.
- Drizzle with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaves and herbs and roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) if needed and roast for another 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly blistered, shriveled and have released some of their juices.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400℉ (200°C). Drizzle the air fryer basket with a little oil, add the tomatoes, shallots and garlic and toss to combine. Season, add remaining oil, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through or until the tomatoes look a little charred and have started to burst open. Reduce the temperature to 320°F (160°C) and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes.
Blend the sauce
- For a chunky sauce: Discard the herbs and bay leaves (you can leave the basil in if you like) Remove the garlic cloves, squeeze out their flesh and add back in. Blitz the sauce using an immersion blender. If you are using the butter, stir it now until it melts.
- For a velvety smooth cherry tomato sauce: transfer to a blender and process at high speed until completely smooth and creamy.
Storing and Reheating
Store cooled sauce in an airtight container for up to a week. For convenience, freeze in silicone freezer trays then pop the sauce cubes into a bag or suitable container once solid – they will keep for up to 3 months. You can add to soups and other dishes straight from frozen.
You can also freeze the sauce in bags and store flat – leave a little space to allow the sauce to expand. Thaw in the fridge before using or defrost in the microwave in short bursts on a low setting, stirring in between.
To reheat, add to a pot and simmer gently on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of pasta water or water if needed.
Serving Suggestions
- Cherry tomato pasta sauce: Toss with cooked pasta for an easy dinner, adding a little reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and make it silky. Serve with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese as a quick dish, or top with grilled chicken shrimp or crab meat.
- Use as pizza sauce with a little dried oregano stirred in, as a dip for focaccia, as a sauce for Italian meatballs, or as a base for Indian masala sauce.
- Turn it into tomato basil soup by adding vegetable stock and simmering for about 25 minutes. You can also add it to minestrone or other soups to enhance their flavor.
- Serve with with grilled chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables for a simple Mediterranean meal.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Reserve some of the roasted cherry tomatoes to add as a topping for pasta to a textural contrast. You can also use them as a topping for dips like my whipped cottage cheese.
- If you would like to remove the seeds, pulse the sauce with an immersion blender to separate the flesh from the seeds then strain through a fine sieve, discarding the seeds afterwards. If you use a powerful blender (like a Vitamix), you don’t need to remove the seeds, they will be blended completely into the sauce.
- You can adapt the recipe to make a big batch of the sauce if you like. Since it is so quick and easy I usually make it fresh and keep a jar in the fridge to use throughout the week.
How to Can Cherry Tomato Sauce
If you’d like to preserve your cherry tomato sauce for longer storage, canning is a great option. Here’s a simplified guide (always use USDA-approved guidelines for home canning).
- Sterilize jars and lids: Wash your canning jars, lids, and bands in hot soapy water. Run through a dishwasher cycle to sterilize.
- Prepare the sauce: Make sure the sauce is completely smooth and stir in a tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per pint (2 tbsp per quart) or or ¼ teaspoon citric acid per pint (½ tsp per quart).
- Fill the jars: Ladle piping hot sauce into hot jars using a funnel, leaving about ½ inch headspace at the top. Wipe the rims clean and secure with lids and bands (finger tight).
- Process in a water bath: Place the jars in a large pot or water bath canner with enough boiling water to cover them by at least an inch. Process pint jars for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude if necessary.
- Cool and check seal: Remove jars from the pot using a jar lifter and let them cool for 12–24 hours. Check that the lids do not flex up and down when pressed.
- Store: Place the jars in a cool dark place and use within 12 months.
You will need a canning supplies bundle if you are a beginner!
I hope you like this easy Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce recipe. If you make it, please leave a comment and rating below and don’t forget to tag me on @Instagram or TikTok so I can see your creations.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (900g) cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, stems removed, rinsed
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil , or as needed
- 2 large shallots , quartered or 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , whole and unpeeled
- ½ tbsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt (do not use table salt)
- 2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- handful fresh basil leaves , plus more to garnish
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp butter or vegan butter (optional)
- pinch red pepper flakes , optional
- salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
Oven Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200°C). Drizzle a rimmed sheet pan with some of the olive oil, add the tomatoes, shallots, garlic cloves and stir to coat in the oil.2 lbs (900g) cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 large shallots, 4 cloves garlic
- Drizzle with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaves and herbs and roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.½ tbsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt, 2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper, handful fresh basil leaves, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 bay leaves
- Reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and roast for another 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly blistered, shriveled and have released some of their juices.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400℉ (200°C). Drizzle the air fryer basket with a little oil, add the tomatoes, shallots and garlic and toss to combine. Season, add remaining oil, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through or until the tomatoes look a little charred. Reduce the temperature to 320°F (160°C) and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes.
Remove the garlic cloves
- Take the cloves out of the sauce, squeeze out the flesh and add back into the sauce before blending.
Blend the tomato sauce
- Discard the herbs and bay leaves (you can leave the basil in if you like) and blitz the sauce using an immersion blender. For a perfectly smooth cherry tomato sauce, transfer to a blender and process at high speed until smooth.1 tbsp butter or vegan butter
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding a pinch red pepper flakes and extra basil if you like. Store in an airtight container for up to a week unless using straight away.pinch red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
