Sun-loving tomato plants are known to grow bushy and dense foliage, so it’s no surprise that gardeners have more leaves than they know what to do with.
Luckily, tomato plant leaves are versatile – not only can you eat them; they can also be used for medicinal and even garden-related purposes.
Read on to learn how you can bring new life to your tomato plant leaves.
Culinary Use
For gardeners that love to make use of their harvests in the kitchen, you’re in luck! Tomato leaves have quite a bitter taste that many enjoy in the form of pesto or soup, among others.
Though it’s worth keeping in mind that tomato leaves aren’t meant to be eaten in large quantities because they contain alkaloids. Nevertheless, having them in moderation is just fine.
Check out our list of how you can experiment with tomato leaves in your kitchen!
1. Infused Olive Oil
| Difficulty | Moderate | ●●●○○ |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves High-quality extra virgin olive oil Strainer or cheesecloth Glass container |
For a fancy twist, creating tomato leaf infused olive oil can add a unique taste of any dish. Don’t be intimidated, though, as it’s pretty easy to make yourself.
Check out our easy-to-follow guide on how to make this delicious flavor-enhancer at home!
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Prepare a sterilized glass container with a snug lid.
Ensure that the size of your container is enough for how much oil you want to infuse.
5. Layer the leaves at the bottom of your container.
6. Pour your extra virgin olive oil slowly into the container.
Gently pour your olive oil into the container, making sure that the leaves are fully submerged at the bottom.
7. Tightly seal the container.
8. Store in a cool, dark place for 1 to 2 weeks to allow the oil to infuse.
9. Every few days, shake the container gently to help distribute the flavor.
10. After 2 weeks, strain the oil through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Make sure that there aren’t any sediments that get through so that your oil is smooth.
11. Now, your tomato leaf infused olive oil is ready for use.
When storing, keep your oil in a cool, dark area away from direct sunlight or heat.
2. Pesto
| Difficulty | Moderate | ●●●○○ |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves1 to 2 cups of fresh basil leaves Garlic cloves Nuts such as pine, walnuts, almonds (whichever you prefer) Grated parmesan cheese (optional) Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Food processor or blender |
If you’re a fan of pesto made from basil leaves, we definitely think it’s worth a shot trying out pesto made from tomato leaves.
What’s great about this is that you don’t have to limit its use to pasta. You can add it on baked salmon or even roasted chicken.
At the end of the day, the sky’s your limit! But let us give you the base recipe first.
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Wash 1 to 2 cups of basil leaves.
5. Mix all of your ingredients into a food processor or blender.
6. Every now and then, stop to taste.
From this point, you can add a pinch of salt or pepper along with other seasonings to adjust your pesto according to your desired taste and consistency.
7. Transfer into an airtight container to store.
Once you’ve nailed the perfect taste, you can transfer your pesto into an airtight container to be stored in the refrigerator.
3. Garnish
| Difficulty | Very Easy | ●○○○○ |
| Speed | Fast |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves Knife or scissors |
Another great way to add some flavor-enhancers to any dish is to simply cut up some tomato leaves and garnish it over a ready-to-eat meal.
Not only does it improve the taste, the splash of greenery on top will help make it all the more appetizing.
So what are you waiting for? Here’s how you can add tomato leaves as a garnish on your food!
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Layer your tomato leaves onto one another.
Place one tomato leaf on top of the other. Continue until you’ve layered all of your leaves.
5. Gently roll it up tightly lengthwise with one hand.
By rolling all of the leaves together, you’re creating a compact bundle that lets you chop them all up in one go.
To help you hold onto the leaves, gently apply pressure to keep them in place.
6. Start chopping through the rolled herbs from one end to another.
The thickness of your chop will depend on how fine you want your leaves to be.
To cut easier, gently rock the knife back and forth.
7. Collect the freshly chopped herbs and garnish it over your cooked meal.
Evenly sprinkle the chopped herbs.
4. Soup
| Difficulty | Moderate | ●●●○○ |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves1 to 2 cups of fresh tomatoes Chopped onions Minced garlic cloves Vegetable or chicken stock Olive oil Salt and pepper to taste |
If you’re looking for a more hearty way to make use of your tomato leaves, then creating a homey soup is the key.
Since tomato leaves contain alkaloids, you can only use a small amount. Nevertheless, you can make your soup even more flavorful with fresh tomatoes and vegetable or chicken stock.
Here’s how you can make it!
What To Do:
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Saute your chopped onions and minced garlic into a pot.
In the pot, add a tablespoon of your oil of choice and saute these ingredients over medium heat. Continue cooking until they’ve turned translucent and emit a fragrant scent.
5. Add in your roughly chopped tomatoes to the pot.
Cook your tomatoes until they’ve begun to soften.
6. Pour in enough vegetable or chicken broth to completely cover your tomatoes.
However much broth you will need will depend on how much soup you want to make.
If you prefer your soup on the thicker side, you can reduce the amount of broth. If you like your soup on the watery side, then you can add more broth.
7. Allow your soup to cook for around 15 to 20 minutes.
Let your soup simmer on low to medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes until your tomatoes have turned into soup.
8. Garnish some tomato leaves to infuse the soup.
9. Next, blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth.
10. Serve the soup hot.
While completely optional, you can garnish your soup with freshly chopped basil or parsley. You can also add some crunchy croutons or freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Medicinal Use
1. Tea
| Difficulty | Moderate | ●●●○○ |
| Speed | Moderate |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves Water Strainer |
In many countries such as Ecuador, tomato leaf tea is believed to help speed up the healing process.They’re also known to have high antioxidants which can help boost your immune system.
Tomato leaves, both fresh and dried, can be turned into an earthy tea. However, it’s important to consume tomato leaf tea in moderation.
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Boil water.
The amount of water that you will need will depend on how much tea you want to make.
5. Once the water has come to a boil, add in your tomato leaves.
It’s important to add whole tomato leaves, not chopped.
6. Allow your tea to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Strain the tea leaves from the water.
8. Add the tea into a teapot and serve.
For added sweetness, you can mix in a spoonful of honey.
2. Paste for Skin Infections and Wounds
| Difficulty | Easy | ●●○○○ |
| Speed | Easy |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves Tomatoes |
In some cultures, tomato leaves have been a staple for traditionally helping to heal skin infections and wounds because of their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Even then, it’s still highly advised to use tomato leaves with caution because of their alkaloid content which can be toxic in high amounts.
We also recommend consulting with a certified dermatologist, too, especially if you have sensitive skin to prevent aggravating the problem area.
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Clean the wound with warm water and soap.
Ensure that the wound is free from any dirt or debris.
5. Crush the tomato and its leaves into a paste.
6. Do a patch test on a small area of your skin.
Monitor any changes on the skin over a 24-hour period.
7. If there aren’t any adverse reactions after 24 hours, you can topically apply the tomato leaf paste onto your wound or rash.
3. Paste for Sun Burns
| Difficulty | Easy | ●●○○○ |
| Speed | Easy |
| Things You Need | A handful of fresh tomato leaves Tomatoes |
Tomatoes are known to help with sunburns because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, you can turn it into a paste to help reduce redness.
However, you can only use tomato leaves in moderation. Nevertheless, its fruit juices work wonders.
Here’s how you can make your DIY sunburn treatment!
What To Do
1. Harvest a handful of fresh and healthy tomato leaves.
Choose the leaves that are a bright green color with little to no damage. Be sure to only collect a few because of their alkaloid content.
2. Prepare the leaves by washing them in clean water.
As a safety measure, be sure to wear gloves to avoid handling the tomato leaves directly. While you’re at it, remove any stems and tough parts.
3. Set the freshly washed tomato leaves on a paper towel and pat dry.
4. Clean the wound with warm water and soap.
Ensure that the wound is free from any dirt or debris.
5. Crush the tomato and its leaves into a paste.
6. Do a patch test on a small area of your skin.
Monitor any changes on the skin over a 24-hour period.
7. If there aren’t any adverse reactions after 24 hours, you can topically apply the tomato leaf paste onto your sunburn.
Garden Use
1. Leaf Mold
| Difficulty | Easy | ●●○○○ |
| Speed | Slow |
| Things You Need | Tomato leaves |
If you haven’t heard of leaf mold before, you’re missing out! Just as it’s called, it’s literally just decomposed leaves, but that’s what makes it so rich – it’s a concentrated pile of organic matter.
Hence, it’s a great slow-release agent that will aid in long-term soil fertility, structural improvement, water-holding capacity, and pH regulation, among others.
So if you’re looking for an ROI on your tomato plant, turning its leaves into leaf mold is your best bet!
What To Do
1. Collect all of your tomato plant leaves.
2. Gather your leaves onto a pile on the ground.
3. Allow the leaves to decompose naturally.
To accelerate the decomposition process, you can chop the leaves into smaller pieces.
After a couple of months, your leaves will have turned into a crumbly, dark substance.
4. Mix your leaf mold into the soil of your plants.
2. Mulch
| Difficulty | Easy | ●●○○○ |
| Speed | Slow |
| Things You Need | Tomato leaves Mulch Rake |
Instead of throwing away your tomato leaves, you can add them into your mulch. All you need to do is to chop them up into smaller pieces so that they can decompose faster.
Then, mix it a couple of inches into your mulch pile. Be careful not to add mulch too close to the base of your plant as this could cause the area to become too moist, encouraging disease and bacteria growth.
What To Do
1. Gather your tomato plant leaves into a pile.
2. Chop them up into smaller pieces.
3. Add your tomato leaves into your layer of mulch.
4. Using a rake, gently mix your tomato leaves into the mulch and soil.
3. Compost
| Difficulty | Easy | ●●○○○ |
| Speed | Slow |
| Things You Need | Tomato leaves Compost |
All seasoned gardeners have a compost bin laying around somewhere, so if you have one in your garden, then you’re in luck because you can chuck in all your tomato leaves right in there!
To help them decompose faster, you can chop them up into smaller pieces. Nevertheless, they’re already quite small as they are so feel free to simply toss them in the bin.
After a couple of months, all of the organic matter in your bin should be well-rotted and ready to be incorporated into the soil.
What To Do
1. Collect all of your tomato leaves.
2. Toss them into your compost bin.
3. Give your compost bin a good stirring every now and then to help aerate it and speed up the decomposition process.
4. Once your compost is ready, you may add it into the soil.
FAQs
Tomato leaves don’t taste like their fruit counterparts. Instead, they have a flavorful, earthy taste that’s slightly bitter.
Yes, tomato leaves are great additions to compost, manure, and mulch because they’re green organic matter that can help boost the nutrient content.
Tomato leaves contain alkaloids which can be toxic to humans when consumed in large amounts. While widely considered safe to use in small amounts, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
It’s widely believed that tomato leaves contain plant-based micronutrients, though not a lot. Hence, they aren’t primarily consumed as a food source.
