Cherry vs Grape Tomatoes: What’s the Difference?

Whether you’re perusing a bountiful farmstand or brightly lit supermarket display, it’s helpful to know the differences between cherry and grape tomatoes. These smaller varieties, which both grow in clusters, can be used interchangeably in many recipes — but their size, shape, texture, and cooking applications vary. Here’s everything you need to know before snacking on them or using them in recipes like mouth-watering garlic butter spaghetti or roasted tomato crostini. 

What are cherry tomatoes?

Cherry tomatoes are a type of round, sweet tomato that are typically smaller than a golf ball and larger than a marble. Their thin, delicate skins can be red, orange, or yellow. Cherry tomatoes have soft, juicy interiors, so don’t be surprised if you have to wipe your chin with a napkin after popping one into your mouth. 

Cherry tomatoes are delicious eaten straight or on a crudité platter with lemony herbed tofu dip. You can also combine raw cherry tomatoes with green beans and olives to make a Spanish-accented side dish, or toss them into grain salads.

Because of their high moisture content, cherry tomatoes break down quickly during cooking and are ideal for quick sauces. Use them to make stovetop spaghetti sauce with garlic butter, roast them on a sheet pan with salmon and capers, or simmer them into a red wine ragout to spoon on top of creamy polenta.

The size and shape of cherry tomatoes make them prime candidates for stuffing, too. Hollow them out and spoon in cheese, breadcrumbs, and other other savory fillings. Better yet, marinate cherry tomatoes in gin and olive brine, then spear them with toothpicks to make F&W editor-in-chief Hunter Lewis’s Martini Tomatoes. 

What are grape tomatoes?

Oval-shaped grape tomatoes are typically smaller and thicker-skinned than cherry tomatoes. They are less sweet and hardier than cherry tomatoes, and have firmer flesh that’s less apt to squirt juices when you cut or bite into them. Due to their lower moisture content and thicker skins, they tend to have a longer shelf life than cherry tomatoes.

Grape tomatoes are arguably easier to eat out of hand, since they’re less juicy. Try serving them as crudités with a spicy kale-pistachio or tangy fermented soybean dip. You can also toss halved grape tomatoes with grilled asparagus and kalamata olives for a satisfying summer salad, or quick-pickle them and serve as part of an elegant grilled chicken caprese dish. 

Roasting grape tomatoes in garlic and olive oil intensifies their sweetness, and creates a jammy condiment that’s delicious on top of toasted ciabatta or as a sauce for grilled chicken or light, flaky fish. Their firm texture works well in tossed pasta dishes, too, like a spicy garlic shrimp spaghetti that’s on the table in under 30 minutes.