The Best Way to Eat Tomatoes for Maximum Lycopene Absorption

This cozy classic checks all the boxes for maximizing lycopene absorption.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jane Leverich, M.S., RDN

Key Points

• Tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene that may offer health benefits.
• Dietitians agree that tomato soup is the best way to eat tomatoes for maximum lycopene absorption.
• Factors like heat, added fat and processing all play a role in lycopene absorption.

If called on to name one standout nutrient in tomatoes, you just might pipe up with “lycopene”! This antioxidant has gone from a science-y-sounding ugly duckling to the golden goose of tomato marketing. Nowadays, lycopene is well-known enough that you’ll find it featured prominently on ketchup bottles, tomato sauce labels and more.

It’s true that the lycopene in tomatoes (and other pink and red foods like watermelon, guava and pink grapefruit) may offer several health benefits. In fact, research suggests it may help lower the risk of metabolic conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, and it has also been linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer.,

That said, not all ways of eating tomatoes are equally effective for absorbing lycopene. For maximum absorption, factors like heat, added fat and processing all play a role. One delicious dish that combines all these elements? Tomato soup. Here’s why this good old-fashioned dish may be the best way to maximize lycopene absorption.

Why Tomato Soup Supports Lycopene Absorption

Heat Helps Unlock Lycopene

Unless you’re making a gazpacho—a chilled tomato soup—you’ll probably be using heat during the cooking process. When it comes to lycopene absorption, that’s a good thing!

For starters, heat helps break down the tomato itself, says Jennifer Pallian, B.S., RD. “In a raw tomato, lycopene is locked inside crystalline structures within the plant’s cells. Those crystals are hard for your body to extract,” she explains. “Cooking breaks down the cell walls and releases the lycopene into a form you can actually absorb.”

Heat also changes the shape of the lycopene molecule, making it easier for the body to absorb. “Raw tomatoes contain lycopene mostly in a straight ‘all-trans’ form,” Pallian says. “Cooking bends some of it into curved ‘cis’ forms, which slip into your bloodstream more easily.” Research suggests tomato products with a higher proportion of cis-lycopene may result in greater absorption than those containing mostly all-trans lycopene, even though the trans version had more total lycopene.

Lycopene Is Better Absorbed with Fat

You may have heard that certain vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they need a source of fat to be absorbed by the body. The same concept applies to lycopene. It relies on fat to act as a “carrier” for absorption—in other words, fat helps carry lycopene through the digestive process and into the bloodstream. “Without [fat]a good portion of that lycopene isn’t absorbed and your body doesn’t use it,” says Leah Sarris, M.B.A., RD. “That’s why a drizzle of olive oil, some cheese or another good fat source alongside your tomatoes isn’t just for flavor, it also helps make the nutrient available to your body.”

Homemade tomato soup fits the bill for fat. Typically, this dish begins with a pat of butter or a tablespoon of olive oil to sauté a mirepoix (a combination of diced onion, celery and carrots) or the tomatoes themselves, providing the fat needed to help support lycopene absorption.

Canned Tomatoes Pack More Available Lycopene

Canned products sometimes get a bad rap for their sodium content. But in terms of tomatoes in soup, there’s good reason to use canned over fresh. “Canned tomatoes are actually higher in lycopene than fresh because the heating process involved in canning breaks down the cell walls in the tomato, making the lycopene more bioavailable, or readily absorbed by the body,” says Jamie Mok, MS, RD, RYT.

While you can make tomato soup with fresh tomatoes, consider the canned variety for higher lycopene content. If you’re watching your sodium intake, look for low-sodium or no-salt-added options.

Other Ways to Boost Lycopene Absorption

When you bite into a tomato, take your time with chewing. Not only will you savor its flavor, but you’ll also unlock more lycopene. “Blending, crushing or chewing thoroughly starts the mechanical release,” says Pallian.

For that reason, blending tomato sauces (and soups!) is also a smart move. “A smooth tomato sauce or well-blended soup delivers more usable lycopene than chunks of tomato in a salad,” explains Pallian.

Ways to Enjoy Tomatoes

Tomatoes are widely consumed in the U.S. Clearly, many of us are already fans, and chances are, they’re already a staple in your kitchen. Looking for a few more ways to enjoy them? Try any of the following:

• Pasta with tomato sauce. “Pasta with tomato sauce and olive oil is arguably the single most efficient real-world lycopene delivery in the Western diet,” says Pallian.
• Roasted tomatoes with olive oil. For a goes-with-anything flavor boost, try roasting tomatoes with a little olive oil. “I keep a batch on hand and freeze extra for tossing into pasta, pureeing into sauces, dipping with crusty bread or whisking into a dressing,” says Sarris.
• Shakshuka. Mok suggests using canned tomatoes in shakshuka, a North African tomato and poached egg dish. You’ll get a double dose of antioxidants from the lycopene in canned tomatoes and the lutein and zeaxanthin in egg yolks.
• Chili with canned tomatoes. Pallian suggests making chili with canned tomatoes and tomato paste, cooked low and slow with ground beef or beans, plus olive oil for extra fats that boost absorption.

Our Expert Take

There’s no wrong way to eat tomatoes—but if you’d like to boost lycopene absorption, give homemade tomato soup a go. Its canned tomato base, added fat and heated preparation create an ideal trifecta for making lycopene more available to the body. Plus, it’s simply a nutritious choice! “A tomato soup built the traditional way is a good example of food synergy—every ingredient is contributing something,” says Sarris. From the micronutrients and fiber in a veggie mirepoix to the anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fat of olive oil, she says, “It adds up to more than any single ingredient could deliver on its own.”