38 Different Types of Tomatoes

With a delicious range of flavor profiles and several varieties, tomatoes are arguably one of the best additions to dozens of dishes. It doesn’t matter if you want to grow tomatoes indoors or outdoors, they’re an extremely versatile addition that is great for sauteing, roasting, and grilling. You can even eat them plain as a healthy snack. No matter if it’s the snappy and small cherry tomato or the meaty Beefsteak, adding this antioxidant-rich fruit to your meal can enhance flavors.

With so many different types of tomatoes on the market, you may wonder what the difference is. After all, don’t they all taste the same? The short answer is no, and this is why we’ve put together this guide to 38 different types of tomatoes for you. The goal is to help you find the perfect tomato for your dish.

Different tomatoes have various taste profiles and uses, and it’s important to match your tomatoes to your needs to make the most out of them. Tomato by AL.Eyad / CC BY-SA 2.0

1. Big Beef Tomatoes

This different type of tomato is a very early bloomer in the growing season, and it can easily get up to six inches around. Also, they grow virtually anywhere, and they have a firmer texture with a strong flavor. This is also one of the smartest tomato types to grow when you live in a cooler area. This is usually the tomato that you see in the grocery store and can’t believe how large they are. However, they have a higher moisture content that makes them not store well. So, you want to save them for use in a recipe that utilizes the entire tomato to ensure nothing goes bad.

2. Big Mama Tomatoes

This is one different type of tomato that gets up to five inches in diameter, and this is where the name comes from. They have a slightly oval shape to them like a plum. This tomato is heavy enough to help you make the perfect tomato sauce, and they taste even better if you cut them in half and fire-roast them before you cook with them. They are known for being very popular for use as a tomato paste ingredient, but you can easily use them in any way that you’d use a tomato. You could even try biting it and eating it like you would an apple.

3. Black Cherry Tomatoes

The black cherry tomato is a type of heirloom tomato, and this different type of tomato is disease-resistant. It produces a nice reddish-purple fruit that grows in one-inch clusters. However, it’s not a tomato type that is known for the true tomato taste instead of the sweetness factor. A lot of smaller tomatoes tend to come with a low sweeter taste, but this isn’t the case with this one.

4. Black Krim Tomatoes

This different type of tomato doesn’t always look like a tomato because it has a purplish-red color and is very large. However, it’s very flavorful and sweet, and it’s a stunning fruit when you cut it up and serve it in wedges. It’s a fan favorite amongst people who like to eat tomatoes, but you rarely find it available in grocery stores. So, if you do happen to see one, try to grab it to try it.

Even though this different type of tomato tends to ripen slightly later in the season, it offers a salty flavor with a unique sweetness that is well worth the longer growing time. Also, the great size allows you to use it in many applications. This tomato will be delicious no matter if you eat it fresh, canned, or create a sauce out of it.

5. Black Zebra Tomatoes

Black Zebra tomatoes are an intermediate heirloom variety that have a blackish-purple flesh with light green streaks, and they taste great. As a different type of tomato, it’s also resistant to disease. This tomato can be on the rare side, so you want to buy it if you stumble upon it. They make a very extravagant garnish for your salads.

These tomatoes are filled with seeds and tend to be more juicy, so you should keep this in mind if you plan on adding it to your salads. The amount of seeds each tomato has means that you can easily replenish your stock for next year, and it gives you a much higher chance of getting viable seeds.

6. Brandywine Pink Tomatoes

This is a classic type of beefsteak tomato. It won’t produce nearly as much fruit as you’d get with different types of tomatoes in this category, but you’ll get a great flavor profile that any tomato lover can appreciate. The lighter pink coloring on this tomato can be a bit unusual when it sees it for the first time because it looks like the tomato hasn’t been ripened properly. This isn’t the case though as you tell how ripe a tomato is by touch and not by color.

A lot of people make the mistake of using color to judge how ripe tomatoes are, but you should really go by touch to ensure that your tomatoes are 100% ready to go when you pick them. Pink Brandywine Tomatoes by Br3nda / CC BY 2.0

7. Carmello Tomatoes

This mid-size different type of tomato gets between three and four inches around. They’ll give you a large crop each growing season, and you’ll get an excellent combination of sweetness and acidity. Carmello tomatoes are so productive that they’ll keep giving your tomatoes long after other varieties are done for the season. This green tomato variety is great for a few solid reasons. They’re very easy for beginners to grow, they taste great, they have an attractive and large appearance, and they resist diseases.

8. Caspian Pink Tomatoes

This is an indeterminate tomato that is very sweet, juicy, and they have a very strong tomato flavor. This different type of tomato is a classic beefsteak tomato that is essential to helping you create a great sandwich. They come with a little more moisture content, and this is why they get so much larger. So, you want to use them in an application where you can eat them right away.

This is an heirloom tomato variety that has been rumored to originate in Russia. This tomato type has won a large amount of awards, and it has a very high reputation for being one of the best tasting tomatoes that you can buy on the current market.

9. Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

Unlike what the name suggests, this different type of tomato comes with a very deep red coloring with a purplish shoulder that you can grow if you have a lot of space or more limited space. You’ll get a very sweet and smoky taste with this indeterminate tomato, and these tomatoes are very interesting because they come with a picture-perfect look and a very unique taste. This is an heirloom indeterminate vine tomato type that has a history that dates back hundreds of years.

10. Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are a different type of tomato that are a fan-favorite for cherry lovers everywhere. They’re some of the most versatile tomatoes on the market, and they come in yellow, orange, red, and purple varieties. These tomatoes are a very popular cooking ingredient, and they add a welcome flavor burst to any meal. Tangy and sweet, these tomatoes can get grilled, cooked, dried, and sauced, and if you can’t get enough, you can eat them raw as an antioxidant-packed snack.

11. Cocktail Tomatoes

The traditional tomato flavor on this type of tomato has a fruity and sweet aftertaste, and this makes them a very versatile choice that is great for any occasion or meal. With a meaty texture and soft walls, cocktail tomatoes do very well with heat. This makes them one of the best picks for helping you create a delicate sauce, going on the barbecue, or stuffing it with your favorite veggies or meats in the smoker.

12. Costoluto Genovese Tomatoes

This is a unique tomato type because it comes with so many ridges that it looks like they’re misshapen. They have orange shoulders with a very red color, and this is an extremely tasty and juicy tomato that is a heavy favorite with people who love to eat tomatoes. There is an unusual growth habit that the heirloom tomato grower society celebrates. It’s also much less common to see this tomato shape in grocery stores, but you get a very flavorful tomato when you do manage to find it.

13. Dwarf Saucy Mary Tomatoes

You’ll get an elongated fruit with a green coloring and stripes in light and dark green. When the tomatoes get ripe, the flesh is also green, and they’re very tasty and juicy. Usually, this different type of tomato won’t weigh more than six ounces. A lot of people think that a green tomato means that it’s unripe, but this may not always be the case. Tomatoes can come in a range of different colors, including combinations of more than one color. This type of tomato is a fantastic option for making fried green tomatoes, and this is a classic southern dish.

14. Early Girl Tomatoes

You typically harvest these tomatoes early in the season, and this is where they get their name. They mature very early in the season and they do very well in cooler planting zones or areas that have shorter summers. This is a very deep red fruit that is a great blend of just the correct amount of sweetness with a true tomato taste. If you live in a region that has more mild summer conditions, you want to make sure that you remember this different type of tomato. This is the perfect tomato to thrive in this environment.

These are very popular types of tomatoes that get larger and they are one of the earliest-producing tomatoes available. Dry-farmed early girls by le meme / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

15. Enchantment Tomatoes

This different type of tomato has a bright red color with an oval shape. It grows on a vine, and you’ll get larger clusters. It also has a very rich taste. This is one type of tomato that you can use in sauces, in sandwiches and salads, and for oven-dried tomatoes. So, it’s versatile. This fruit will get around three inches in diameter at full maturity, and this is why it falls into the salad tomato category.

16. Evergreen Tomatoes

This is a different type of tomato that weighs roughly eight ounces, and it has a green skin with slight hints of yellow. When they get fully ripe, the color will turn to a bright green. They fall into the indeterminate tomato category. This is a beefsteak tomato that has a very strong flavor and a lime green coloring, and this is where the name comes from.

17. Grape Tomatoes

Crunchy and crisp, this different type of tomato comes in a range of colors and has a taste profile that is everything from tangy to sweet. They have a thicker skin, and this allows them to keep their meaty texture when you cook them. In turn, they’re a great addition to a main dish at dinner, whether you’re tossing them in a pasta, roasting them in the oven, or adding a colorful side to your lunch.

No matter if you want the tangy kick that a yellow grape tomato offers or the more candy-like sweet notes that you get with the red, these tomatoes are a great way to snack raw. They’re perfect if you’re someone who just can’t get enough.

18. Green Zebra Tomatoes

This tomato will get roughly four inches in diameter, and they are a green color with much darker green stripes running through it. This different type of tomato is an heirloom tomato, and it will usually take on a yellow tinge when they’re ripe. They have a very quick growing season. You tend to get a very mild flavor with this fruit, and it is much more on the salt and tart side than on the sweet side. This is also an exceptionally rare type of tomato, so you should save the seeds if you manage to get a few.

This is a rare tomato, so you want to save the seeds and try to grow your own if at all possible. Green Zebra by Emily / CC BY-NC 2.0

19. Hillbilly Tomatoes

This is another type of heirloom tomato that has reddish streaks with an orangish color running all over it. This different type of tomato looks like a peach, and it’s an excellent addition to salads or on sandwiches. These tomato types are very large, and they’re one of the biggest beefsteak tomatoes available. This tomato is a little different than other beefsteak types of tomatoes because they have a lot more flesh per fruit and a lower moisture content. This makes them easier to store, and you can expect every tomato to weigh roughly two pounds.

20. Isis Candy Tomatoes

This is an indeterminate, high-yield tomato that comes with a very unique look because they have red streaks with a yellow coloring. They are very sweet and tasty, and they’re a very popular different type of tomato because they are very resistant to diseases and grow prolifically.

21. King Humbert Tomatoes

You’ll get a different type of tomato that is very red with the coloring and is plum shaped. They’re indeterminate tomatoes that are very juicy and meaty, and they’re great if you want to eat dried tomatoes or use them in sauces. Additionally, it’s possible to eat them fresh if you want, and they offer a very sweet and mild flavor.

22. Long Keeper Tomatoes

You’ll get an orange-red flesh with an orange skin on this different type of tomato. It’s a very solid indeterminate tomato that usually weighs in at around six ounces, and this is why you can keep them for a decent amount of time before you cook them. Orange tomatoes tend to have a much sweeter flavor profile, and this rings true with the long keeper tomatoes.

This is a great tomato to use in a dish where you plan on combining other types of fruits. For example, they would work well in a salad with peaches, burrata, and orange tomatoes topped with fresh basil leaves and a balsamic glaze.

23. Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes

The characteristic that defines this different type of tomato is the size. It can weigh up to two pounds at full maturity, and it’s a very heavy and large fruit. This is another heirloom tomato that has very strong vines and produces a large amount of fruit.

Many people describe this tomato type as not having a lot of moisture but still being very meaty. It has a reputation for being the perfect blend of salty and sweet, and it has the signature beefsteak flavor. You do have to remember that these tomatoes require more maintenance because you’ll have to stake them to prevent the plants from bending over under the fruit’s weight.

24. Orange Banana Tomatoes

The thing that makes this tomato very unique is the color as it’s a very deep orange. This is rare for paste tomatoes. This different type of tomato has a nice fruity flavor, and it works very well as the main ingredient in sauces, salsa, dried, and canned. Even though the sun dried tomato trend came and went in the early 2000s, this is still a popular choice.

25. Pantano Romanesco Tomatoes

This nice heirloom tomato is perfect for slicing thin and putting on your sandwiches for a nutrient boost. They have a nice blend of sweetness and tartness to them, and this different type of tomato is very similar to a citrus fruit in terms of taste. They belong to the indeterminate class, and it’s one of the most common types of tomatoes you’ll find for sale in your local store. You could even have one or two on your counter right now.

26. Roma Tomatoes

This is the quintessential Italian plum tomato, and it has a garden-fresh, tangy tomato taste with a very full flavor. The tomato is great for helping you create sauces, stews, or tomato paste. If you want to get an even more intense flavor profile, you can try roasting it in the oven and using it to create a bruschetta topping or a tomato pesto that has a small kick to it. Since there are so many ways to use it and it has a delicious flavor, it’s the perfect tomato to experiment with.

Roma tomatoes are very common, and you’ll see them all year-round in your local grocery stores. Roma tomato by Amanda Slater / CC BY-SA 2.0

27. San Marzano Tomatoes

This different type of tomato has an oblong shape to it and it produces a lot of fruit per plant. They are larger tomatoes that get up to five inches long, and this is a vigorously growing indeterminate tomato. This is one of the most common types of tomatoes that you use for canned tomato recipes. They usually get grown throughout Italy and exported throughout the world. These are the types of tomatoes you want in your pantry if you want to make a pasta sauce.

28. Sausage Tomatoes

As the name suggests, this different type of tomato has an elongated shape that can get up to six inches long. They’re great for pastes and sauces, and it’s a very flavorful indeterminate tomato. A lot of people use the term “meaty” to describe this tomato, and it fits this category better than a lot of other options. They have a salty taste with a textured bite that reminds many people of how meat is.

29. Speckled Roman Paste Tomatoes

These tomatoes come with a pointed tip and an elongated shape. They’re very tasty with orange streaks and a gorgeous shade of red to them. You may also hear people call them the Spotted Roman tomato, and they can easily weigh up to six ounces. The ease of preparation associated with these tomatoes make it a fan favorite.

This tomato also tends to be much more firm than it is juicy, and this makes them very easy to slice neatly. Because they lack a lot of moisture, they tend to give you a very robust and sweet tasting tomato paste.

30. Stupice Tomatoes

This different type of tomato gets roughly two inches around, and they have an oblong shape with a very deep red coloring when they mature. One of the best things about growing these tomatoes is that they will produce for an impressively long time, even if you’re in an area that has short or cool summers. This allows you to enjoy them for a long time. This tomato is very versatile, and it can be delicious in any way. You can eat them fresh or use them as a soup base or in a sauce.

31. Sungold Tomatoes

As the name suggests, this is a different type of tomato that has an orange coloring with a sweet flavor, and they get roughly one inch in diameter. This is an indeterminate type of tomato that will produce throughout the growing season until the first frost comes along, so you’ll get a lot of fruit. Also, this is one of the sweetest tomatoes you can currently buy, and they’re as sweet as any fruit would be. This makes this tomato very similar to candy. They’re also very juicy, and they make a fantastic snack when you eat them raw.

32. Sunrise Bumble Bee Tomatoes

This is a type of cherry tomato that has an orange coloring with reddish streaks running through it. If you make this attractive, tasty summer salad, don’t forget to add these tomatoes. This tomato has a vining growing habit, and they tend to grow very close to the ground. You’ll get decently productive harvest yields from every plant, and they’re a great one for beginning gardeners to grow. They also last well into the growing season to help increase your yield.

33. Sweet 100 Tomatoes

This different type of tomato only gets bite-sized, and they grow on very long trusses. You’ll get a large crop of tomatoes on every plant, so you don’t necessarily need a lot of them for your tomato supply. As indicated by the name, this different type of tomato has a very sweet taste to it, and there are several seeds inside the fruit. These tomatoes are also great because they grow throughout the summer season all of the way until the first frost hits.

Smaller tomatoes like the Sweet 100 are fantastic for picking up and eating raw as a quick snack on the go. Teeny Tiny Tomatoes! By Sarah R / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

34. Sweet Clusters Tomatoes

If you see big clusters of tomatoes in a greenhouse in the middle of the winter months, you’re most likely looking at this type of tomato. The fruits are very great tasting, and they offer a combination of sweetness and tartness to create the perfect tomato flavor. They’re a great tomato for snacking on raw.

35. Tomatoes On The Vine

Just as the name suggests, this different type of tomato gets left on the vine to soak up the plant’s nutrients until they reach full ripeness. The juicy and sweet freshness of this tomato type makes it a popular choice for many kitchens. You can use these tomatoes for virtually anything from jams and sauces to salads. Dice them, slice them, roast them, or eat them raw, the possibilities are endless.

36. Valencia Tomatoes

You get a perfect flavor with a bright orange coloring on these different types of tomatoes. They’re juicy, with very few seeds, and they taste very similar to a sweet mango or citrus fruit. They come with the coveted ridged growth habit that is very eye-catching. You can eat them fresh or cook them without a problem, and they do very well when you roast them on the grill.

37. White Wonder Tomatoes

This tomato weighs in at roughly eight ounces, and it’s an indeterminate tomato variety. The skin and flesh on these different types of tomatoes are both a creamy white to yellowish coloring. This is another beefsteak tomato type that you can grow quite large. The flavor is slightly more mild, but it’ll perk up when you add a dash of salt to it.

38. Yellow Stuffer Tomatoes

The final different type of tomato is an indeterminate, lobed tomato that will weigh in around four ounces. They have a pepper shape to them with a lemon-yellow color. These tomatoes are semi-hollow, and they have a more firm flesh on the outside that make them perfect for stuffing and cooking.

Bottom Line

We’ve outlined 38 different types of tomatoes for you to try either on their own or in your favorite dishes. You can mix and match and see about growing your own or scouring your local farmer’s markets and grocery stores to find the more rare types to try too.