If you’re looking for a little pop of color in your garden, purple tomatoes are a great option. They taste great, look incredible, and will definitely stand out from a typical red tomato.
Purple tomato varieties come in a variety of sizes from small grape-sized tomatoes to the larger beefsteak variety of tomatoes that can weigh as much as two pounds!
Purple tomatoes get their color from anthocyanins, which is a flavonoid that gives tomatoes their color.
Purple Tomato Varieties to Try Your Hand at Growing
Some purple tomato varieties include Black Beauty, Black Krim, Black Sea Man, Blue Berries, Cherokee Purple, Dwarf Purple Heart, Owen’s Purple, Paul Robeson, Pride of Flanders, Purple Russian, Rosella Purple, Southern Night, Tim’s Black Ruffles, Wine Jug, and plenty more listed below.
Here are some of the more common purple tomato varieties.
Black Beauty
This heirloom variety is mostly black or deep purple and it sure is a BEAUTY!
Black Beauty produces fruits 10-14 oz is size, sometimes even up to a pound! This indeterminate variety can reach 8+ feet at full maturity.
Fruits reach maturity around 80 days, and it sure is worth the wait. A lot of tomato professionals love this variety.
Black from Tula
Black From Tula is an indeterminate, heirloom variety that produces large fruits (3-4 inches in size) that are black and purple with green shoulders.
The inside of the fruit is a meaty, deep red to purple color.
Black Krim
Also known as Black Crimson, this Russian beauty produces black to purple fruits. Black Krim can be grown in containers or in a patio garden, making them perfect for those with limited growing space.
While initially it looks red and green, once it’s ripe they are a beautiful deep reddish purple color.
Black Sea Man
This Russian heirloom tomato produces black to purple fruits that can get up to a pound in weight.
Potato-leaved, this plant is a determinate variety that makes creamy tomatoes, perfect for those fan-favorite tomato sandwiches.
Blue Berries
Also known as Indigo Blue Berries, this cherry variety produces green and black fruit that eventually turns red on the shaded side of the tomato.
The purple and black color appears where the fruit got the most sunlight. These cherry tomatoes look quite interesting and are very different from your typical cherry.
Cherokee Purple
One of the most popular purple tomatoes, the Cherokee Purple was a popular variety among the Cherokee Native American tribe.
This heirloom variety can produce 20+ fruits from one plant, often winning awards for its incredible taste. With its sweet, rich taste and meaty fruit, it’s a great slicer tomato for sandwiches and salads.
Dwarf Purple Heart
This determinate variety produces heart-shaped tomatoes ranging from 6 to 16 oz in weight. Considered an oxheart tomato for its beautiful shape, the Dwarf Purple Heart tomato has a balanced flavor, great for eating right off the vine.
Dwarf Purple Reign
A mid-season tomato plant that produces 8-12 ounce fruits. While they are listed as indeterminate, they only get to be about 3-4 feet tall and are probably better off categorized as “semi-determinate“.
This beefsteak variety is not as meaty as others but has beautiful purple shoulders with purple-red flesh otherwise.
Evan’s Purple Pear
Evan’s Purple Pear was created by Wild Boar Farms and is a beautiful pear/cherry variety that is dark pink/red and purple.
The 2-3 oz fruits have a sweet, balanced flavor perfect for a mid-season indeterminate.
Helsing Junction Blues
Helsing Junction Blues are a purple cherry tomato that start out as red/purple and turn more blue/black as they ripen.
This variety has a natural curl to its leaves, so don’t overwater the plant trying to “fix” that as you would with other tomato plants.
Ready in just 60-65 days, this cherry is a heavy producer and will make you smile when you get a taste of this sweet indeterminate variety.
Indigo Apple
Indigo Apple produces purple to black tomatoes that starts out as red, and changes to its deep indigo color as it matures.
The 3-4 ounce fruits are sweet, yet tart, and have a longer shelf life, making it a great tomato for selling at Farmer’s Markets.
Indigo Rose
Indigo Rose is an indeterminate heirloom that produces purple to black fruit. The inside meat of these tomatoes is a deep red color with a sweet tang flavor.
Marizol Purple
While mostly red, the Marizol Purple tomato has a purple tinge to it. Producing 1/2 to lb fruits, this heirloom from Germany is considered vigorous and brings high yields.
Midnight Roma
The purple color of this beautiful paste tomato increases as its exposed to more sunlight. The Midnight Roma will offer up a unique-looking tomato or sauce for canning.
The purple skin provides antioxidants, so keep the skin on if you’re looking for additional nutrients in your tomatoes.
Midnight Select
The Midnight Select is an indeterminate heirloom with purple skin and deep red flesh. While this tomato plant is indeterminate, it’s a short one, only reaching heights of 4-5 feet tall.
Fruits come out in 5-6 fruits at a time similar to cherry tomatoes.
Owen’s Purple
This cross between a Paul Robeson and a Mortgage Lifter produces large purple tomatoes. Fruits are 10-16 oz in weight and cluster in 3-5 fruits at a time.
These are a mid-season variety, taking around 75 days to come to maturity. It’s well worth the wait! Being crossed between two such iconic varieties just increases the excitement of this tomato.
Paul Robeson
This reddish-purple variety is a fan-favorite of new gardeners and experienced ones alike. Paul Robeson is an heirloom of Russian origin, coming out of Moscow.
Sweet, yet acidic flavor that stands out with its dark-red 4-inch fruits.
Pride of Flanders
The Pride of Flanders variety is a determinate plant that only grows around 3 1/2 feet tall.
This cherry tomato variety has a uniquely tart flavor that will leave you excitedly waiting for more fruits to ripen.
Purple Bumble Bee
Purple flesh with vertical green stripes makes this a super fun tomato to watch grow.
The Purple Bumble Bee is a crack-resistant and disease-resistant variety that will offer up big yields of cherry tomatoes throughout the growing season.
Purple Calabash
This is definitely on my “to grow” list! It has ruffled purple skin, with green shoulders. The Purple Calabash has a flavor like that of wine, how can you beat that!?
The Purple Calabash is a type of determinate tomato, meaning it grows to a certain height and then stops growing outwards. The Purple Calabash can be great for containers or smaller gardens.
Its fruits get to be 9-12 ounces which are great for slicing or adding to sauces.
Plus, it’s drought-tolerant and crack-resistant so you won’t have to run out every super hot morning to make sure it’s okay.
Purple Russian
Also called the Ukrainian Purple because of its creators origin.
The Purple Russian tomatoes have a sweet flavor and smooth-skinned fruits.
This plum variety produces 3-4 inch long purple to red fruits. Holds up well so it’s great for markets, and enjoying in salads or salsa.
Rosella Purple
An Australian-created cross that has bold flavors like the Cherokee Purple tomato.
This indeterminate variety only grows to about 3-4 feet in height as it is a dwarf plant, but produces big yields of 6-12 ounce fruits. The skin of this tomato is purple with a burgundy interior.
Schwarze Sarah
If you’re looking for gorgeous 3 inch pink/purple tomatoes, then the Schwarze Sarah is the next variety to grow.
These indeterminate plants produce fruits with dark green shoulders and purple streaks throughout. This variety does well in cooler climates.
Southern Night
Another Russian heirloom to add to the list. Southern Night tomatoes grow on a potato-leaved plant and fruits get to be around 12-16 ounces in weight. Rich, complex flavors that are great slicers for tomato sandwiches.
Sunshine Blue
Probably the most colorful purple tomato on this list, the Sunshine Blue is a beautiful heirloom that produces high yields.
These large cherry tomatoes can weigh up to 2.5 oz and have a dark red inside flesh.
Tim’s Black Ruffles
Tim’s Black Ruffles is an open-pollinated variety that creates 8-10 oz fruits with purple to black color. These are sweet but balanced in flavor and very meaty, making them great slicers.
Tim’s Black Ruffles is a rare variety you can only get here.
Wine Jug
If you’ve ever seen a wine jug, you’ll understand the naming of this tomato.
Tall plants that produce high numbers of plum-shaped fruits with a sweet, yet earthy flavor. Wine Jugs are meaty tomatoes that are great when eaten fresh, but they can also be added to sauce for a rich flavor addition.
Frequently Asked Questions About Purple Tomatoes
What does a purple tomato taste like?
Each purple tomato variety has a different taste, but generally it can be described as a great tomato flavor. Some have a smokier taste (Cherokee Purple), while others taste like wine (Purple Calabash).
Similar to red tomatoes, they all have their own unique flavors.
Are purple tomatoes safe to eat?
Purple tomatoes are safe to eat and are often considered “healthier” than regular tomatoes because they contain antioxidants.
Are purple tomatoes genetically modified?
Yes, but not in a necessarily bad way.
“Purple tomatoes have been developed by inserting two genes from snapdragon, a flower, in tomatoes to grow purple tomatoes that have health-protecting anthocyanins.”
Cathie Martin
How do you know when purple tomatoes are ripe?
Similar to testing if other tomatoes are ready to pick, you’ll want to feel the flesh. If it’s still very hard when you give it a slight squeeze, maybe wait another day or let it ripen on the counter.
If there is a little give and you have a more soft tomato, go ahead and pick that bad boy!
Can you grow Cherokee Purple tomatoes in containers?
Yes! Heirlooms can definitely be grown in containers. Just keep in mind that the plant will grow as much as the container allows, so I’d try to get something around 65 liters or bigger if you want a typical 4-5 foot plant.
Grow bags can work well as they generally allow for more soil.
How long does it take Cherokee Purple tomatoes to grow?
Cherokee Purple tomatoes take around 75-80 days to grow to maturity. While it may seem like a long time, these are beefsteak tomatoes that can grow to almost a pound in weight, so that is a pretty short timeframe for a larger tomato to mature.
Do you prune Cherokee Purple tomatoes?
Cherokee Purple tomatoes are robust, aggressive growers. As an indeterminate, it’s wise to prune the bottoms to allow them to grow tall and avoid disease pressure from dirt splashing up onto the leaves.
Pruning them back to 1-2 main stems will allow them to get tall and produce larger fruits as they concentrate their energy on a smaller number of stems.
Can you can Cherokee Purple tomatoes?
While they are most frequently grown for adding to salads or sandwiches, you can go ahead and can whatever tomatoes you like. Adding them to a variety of tomatoes might be your best bet since they aren’t as acidic.
Purple tomatoes come in all kinds of varieties, including cherry tomatoes, paste tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and heirloom varieties.
