Whether you are looking for a quick and easy way to get the nutrition of your daily vegetables on the go or simply looking to make the perfect Bloody Mary, tomato juice will be at the top of your search. From spicy and savory to lightly sweet, there is juice out there for every taste. Yet, finding the right one for a flavor-packed and refreshing snack to the base of a rich tomato sauce can be overwhelming if you are unsure about the features to look for in a tasty tomato juice.
Which sauce or juice will give your Bloody Mary the most robust flavor, and which tomato juices are best enjoyed as a nutritious and tasty drink in their own right? We have compiled a list to aid your search.
View The Best Tomato Juices Below
1. Campbell’s Tomato Juice
When it comes to good juice, nothing is more straightforward than 100% juice, with only sodium and vitamin C added for improved freshness. Campbell’s tomato juice is made this way and comes packaged in individual serving cans for portion control and portability. Each can is only 70 calories and packs your full daily dose of vitamin C, 15% of the potassium you need for the day, and even three grams of protein!
The juice has no added thickeners, so it is naturally gluten-free. It is a good source of iron and vitamin A. Campbell’s juice contains no added sugars, so it will not spike your blood glucose levels.
The cans are recyclable, making them low waste as well.
Pros:
+ 100% tomato juice
+ Naturally gluten-free
+ Convenient, individual serving cans
Why We Like It – Campbell’s convenient cans make getting your daily veggies on the go as simple as a grab and go.
2. Lakewood Pure Tomato
If you want the pure nutrition of tomatoes in juice form without having to make it yourself, Lakewood Pure Tomato is the tomato juice for you. It is made from USDA certified organic and GMO-free tomatoes, cold-pressed, and never from concentrate. Lakewood adds no salt or sugar to their juice. In fact, the only thing added is 1% organic lemon juice for freshness in place of artificial preservatives.
Each eight-ounce serving is only 70 calories and provides 10% of your daily intake of vitamin A, potassium, and several B vitamins. Also, with just 20 milligrams of sodium per serving, this tomato juice fits perfectly into a low sodium diet.
Pros:
+ Organic and GMO-free
+ Not from concentrate
+ No salt added
Why We Like It – Organic, GMO-free, and with no added salt or sugars, this tomato juice is as close as you can get to homemade without growing and juicing tomatoes yourself.
3. Bionaturae Organic Strained Tomatoes
Considering Bionaturae’s strained tomatoes contains only one ingredient, organic tomatoes, you cannot get closer to fresh, homemade tomato juice than this variety. No sodium is added to the tomatoes. They do not even contain added citric acid or vitamin C to help preserve the color. It is literally just organic tomatoes that were cooked, pureed, and strained in an allergy friend facility before being sealed into 24-ounce glass jars.
This means this juice was produced in a facility dedicated to the product that has never seen peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, shellfish, or soy, so it is guaranteed to be free of gluten and these common allergens.
Pros:
+ Produced from organic tomatoes
+ No added sodium
+ Allergy-friendly
+ Glass bottle for a pure taste
Why We Like It – You cannot get closer to homemade than Bionaturae strained tomatoes, produced solely with organic tomatoes, and packaged in glass for unadulterated taste.
4. Knudsen Juice, Tomato
R. W. Knudsen has been dedicated to bottling the best wholesome juices for well over fifty years, so as you might expect, the quality of their tomato juice is among the best available. Each large 32-ounce jar is produced using tomato and lemon concentrates, produced from organically grown, non-GMO tomatoes and lemons, filtered water, and sea salt. It has absolutely no sugars, or artificial sweeteners added, and its sodium count is lower than many other brands.
Additionally, the juice is packaged in glass bottles. This means there is no chance of BPA leaching into the juice or the altered flavor that canned juices may have.
Pros:
+ Certified Organic
+ No added sugar
+ Non-GMO
+ Glass bottle for a pure taste
Why We Like It – This tomato juice is produced using organically grown, non-GMO tomatoes and lemons, and it is bottled in glass for a refined taste.
5. Clamato Original Tomato Cocktail
Clamato Original Tomato Cocktail is the tomato juice for those who find other tomato juices too bland. It combines tomato juice with a blend of spices and clams broth to create a flavorful base to use in multiple cocktails, recipes, and sauce that pairs well with seafood.
It comes in a case of twenty-four 11.5 ounce cans, making it suitable to have on hand to use whenever you want flavor-packed seafood dishes or a cocktail or two. If you enjoy a good Bloody Caesar every now and again, Clamato is the main ingredient outside of vodka and the main difference between the cocktail and a Bloody Mary.
Pros:
+ Large 24 can packs
+ Excellent for cooking
+ Makes a tremendous Bloody Caesar
Why We Like It – This large case of 24 individual serving cans is perfect for keeping on hand to use for your favorite dishes and cocktails.
6. Mott’s 100% Tomato Juice
Simple and as few ingredients is ideal when you are looking for juices, and that is as true for a vegetable juice as it is for fruits. Mott’s keeps it simple with its 100% tomato juice cans. Every 11.5 ounces can hold nothing but tomato juice from concentrate, a pinch of salt, and a little extra vitamin C to protect the juice’s color. At only sixty calories per serving, it is one of the lower-calorie options on the list as well while also packing 60% of your daily vitamin C, 20% of your daily vitamin A, and 2 grams of protein.
Each large case comes with twenty-four cans to last for weeks.
Pros:
+ Large 24 can case
+ Low calorie
+ Few ingredients
Why We Like It – Mott’s 100% Tomato Juice keeps it simple. Each 11.5 ounce can contains tomato juice from concentrate with a pinch of salt and added vitamin C.
7. Red Gold Tomato Juice
If you want a pure tomato juice while still having a full, lightly sweet flavor without added sugars, Red Gold is a solid choice. Each large can contains six full servings. The can’s lining is BPA free, so there is no concern about the chemical leaching into your juice. It is made from vine-ripened tomatoes, meaning it has a fuller, more robust flavor than many others created from tomatoes picked while green.
Red Gold adds as little as possible to their juice, making it vegan, low sodium, and MSG-free. The only additives are citric acid and vitamin C for freshness and to preserve the juice’s natural color.
Pros:
+ Vegan and Allergy Friendly
+ Low calorie
+ No MSG
Why We Like It – Red Gold tomato juice is made from vine-ripened tomatoes for a natural, lightly sweet flavor. Also, it is low sodium, vegan, and allergy-friendly.
8. Sacramento Tomato Juice
If you like a full-bodied tomato juice with bold flavor, to drink plain or as the base for a good Bloody Mary, Sacramento Tomato Juice may be the choice for you. It is made with tomato concentrate created from non-GMO, tomatoes produced sustainably, a pinch of salt, and vitamin C. Sacramento does not add artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors to their tomato juice. It is certified kosher, allergy-friendly, gluten-free, and vegan.
It comes in a hefty package of two 46 ounce cans, and the cans are free of BPA and BPS. Also, the cans are 100% recyclable, further adding to the sustainability of Sacramento tomato juice.
Pros:
+ Non-GMO
+ Certified kosher
+ No MSG
+ Vegan
+ BPA free, recyclable cans
Why We Like It – This is the tomato juice for those who like more of a full-bodied juice with bold flavor that is kosher, sustainable, and GMO-free.
Tomato Juices Buyer’s Guide
What is the best tomato juice to drink?
As with almost any foodstuff, the absolute best tomato juice, whether to drink alone or to use for a Bloody Mary, is one you make yourself from fresh ingredients. If those ingredients happen to be homegrown and vine-ripened, so much the better. After all, tomato juice made at home is sure to be fresh, flavor-packed, and free of additives and preservatives.
If you have a high-quality juicer at home, you can use it to make fresh tomato juice and the base for an amazing, flavorful tomato sauce at the same time. A good fruit and vegetable juicer gathers the pulp as the juice is expressed, making it easy to enjoy your fresh tomato juice while using the remaining pulp for the base of a rich sauce packed with nutrition and flavor and made right in your kitchen.
A Bloody Mary incorporates additional ingredients to add to its flavor profile, so while a particular tomato juice may be ideal for your favorite Bloody Mary recipe, it might not make for a tasty drink all on its own. Some varieties have a thinner consistency than others, and some are comparatively bland. This is why many brands add sodium or sugars to make their tomato juice more savory or sweet. Depending on your individual pallet, this may be preferable, or it could be disgusting.
From a health standpoint, the best tomato juices are ones with little or no added salt or sugar, just pure vegetables, and maybe a bit of added water.
Is it healthy to drink tomato juice every day?
As tends to be true with many questions regarding whether or not it is healthful to consume any particular food on a daily basis, the answer is yes and no.
There was a great deal of suspicion surrounding tomatoes among Europeans and those of European descent for more than a century after they were first brought back from the Americas due to their obvious inclusion in the nightshade family. After all, none of the nightshades native to Europe produced edible fruits like these “new” varieties from the Americas and India. Yet for all of its relation to such feared plants, tomatoes are remarkably nutritious and healthful.
Tomatoes contain high levels of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, and a host of B vitamins, as well as also being a high source of lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Additionally, they are a rich source of both alpha and beta carotenoids. Carotenoids behave as antioxidants in addition to being converted into vitamin A by the body.
What exactly are carotenoids? They are pigmented molecules produced by plants. They produce vibrant colors within the plant, sometimes assisting with light collection as well as to attract pollinators or animals used to spread plant seeds. These same molecules are useful to us and some other animals as antioxidants and precursors to vitamins and hormones.
If oxygen is vital to us, why do we need antioxidants? That sounds backward.
Oxygen ions are highly reactive. This makes them useful for assisting with breaking down foods on the molecular level, fighting infection, and several other purposes within the body. However, our bodies must be able to keep the concentration of oxygen ions within our systems in check to prevent them from causing damage to the body as well.
This is where antioxidants come in. In simplest terms, an antioxidant is a molecule that readily binds to excess oxygen ions within the body and therefore prevents potential cellular damage from being caused by the excess. The body’s natural response to damage is inflammation, so in preventing this potential damage, antioxidants also have anti-inflammatory properties.
Tomato juice proves healthy because of these reasons, so why wouldn’t drinking tomato juice every day be a healthy thing to do?
The answer to that is how these juices are processed. As with the majority of processed foods available on store shelves, today added sodium and sugar could begin to negate the benefit of even the best juices. High sodium and sugar content can contribute to some of the same issues the nutrients within tomatoes strive to fix. So, if you want to drink a glass or two of tomato juice for your health daily, search for one without added salt or sugars.
Which is healthier, V8, or tomato juice?
All things considered, V8 and tomato juice are on par with one another. Both are lower in calories and higher in fiber content than most other juices. Both are good sources of several vitamins and minerals; however, both tend to be high in sodium. No matter whether you choose V8 or tomato juice, search for a good, low sodium variety.
What brand of juice is the healthiest?
The healthiest tomato juice does not have a brand. That would be one created by juicing your own fresh, homegrown tomatoes. Juice taken from the store shelves, no matter how well formulated, will contain added sodium or other preservatives, one or more sweeteners for improved taste without a sweet flavor, and fewer nutrients than juices made fresh.
If you must get your vegetable juices from the store, even if it is just to make a Bloody Mary or a rich sauce, look for a brand without added sodium or sugars. For the highest nutritional punch, search for one also made from organically grown, non-GMO vegetables.
When looking for a good tomato juice to drink on its own or as the base for your favorite Bloody Mary recipe or to create a rich vegetable sauce with tons of flavor, you need a high-quality juice made from the best vegetable stock. Avoid sodium packed varieties or those with an overly sweet flavor.
Many sauces and Bloody Mary recipes should have a solid bold, and spicy flavor, not a sweet one. Therefore, you will be best served by choosing one with a good vegetable flavor to use, which is also better for your overall health anyway.
