I first came across this frozen tomato hack on Instagram and was curious enough to try it myself. One taste and I was completely hooked. I hadn’t realised how effortlessly tomato skin peels away once frozen, and dicing the flesh straight into a dressing makes the easiest, most refreshing topping for cold noodles on a hot day.

This dish barely qualifies as cooking. Freeze the tomatoes overnight, peel, dice, stir together a quick dressing, and toss with cold udon. Ten minutes, one bowl, and dinner is done.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Genuinely 10 minutes: freeze the tomatoes the night before, and the rest comes together almost instantly.
Effortless tomato peeling: freezing makes the skin slip right off, with no blanching or peeling knife required.
Perfect for hot days: cold udon and juicy tomatoes make this feel like a no-cook meal when it’s too warm to stand over a stove.
Barely any technique needed: just freeze, peel, dice, and toss.

Tips for Making This Recipe

Freeze the Tomatoes : Fully Solid The whole hack depends on the tomatoes being completely frozen through, not just chilled. Freeze them the night before so the skin separates cleanly from the flesh once you run them under water.
Don’t Overcook the Udon : Udon cooks in minutes, and it is easy to let it go too soft. Keep an eye on the timing and pull the noodles out while they still have some bite.
Rinse in an Ice Bath : After draining the udon, rinse it in cold water or an ice bath. This stops the cooking and keeps the noodles springy and chewy rather than starchy and soft.
Adjust the Dressing to Taste : The soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and lime juice are all given as a range for a reason. Start on the lower end, taste, and add more of whichever element you want to come through.
Swap the Noodles : Udon isn’t essential here. Spaghetti or Chinese wheat noodles work just as well, since the dressing is really the star of the dish.

Final Thoughts

10-Minute Frozen Tomato Cold Udon feels a little like a kitchen trick. A freezer hack, a handful of pantry ingredients, and cold noodles come together into something genuinely refreshing. It’s the kind of dish worth keeping on hand for those hot days!

10 Minute Frozen Tomato Cold Udon

Wanting

A refreshing cold udon topped with juicy tomatoes and coriander, tossed in a light garlic and balsamic dressing. The freezer trick makes peeling the tomatoes effortless, and the whole dish comes together in under 10 minutes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Ingredients

1 1 pack of udon fresh or frozen
2 tomatoes
1 tsp garlic, finely choppe
½ -1 tbsp soy sauce
½ -1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ lime, juiced a splash
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small handful of coriander, finely chopped

Instructions

Freeze the tomatoes: The night before, place the whole tomatoes in the freezer.
Peel and dice: The next day, run the frozen tomatoes under water and peel. The skin comes away easily once frozen. Dice the tomatoes and set aside.
Make the tomato dressing: In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes with the garlic, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of limejuice, and the coriander. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the udon: Cook according to the packet instructions. Udon cooks very quickly. Drain and rinse under cold water or anice bath for a springier, chewier bite.
Toss and serve: Add the drained udon to the bowl with the tomato dressing and toss until every strand is coated. Serve immediately, with a lime wedge on top if you like.

Notes

Adjust the soy sauce, balsamic and lime to suit your taste.

For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free noodles and gluten-free soy sauce.

Keyword Noodles, Vegetarian