Do you love growing big tomatoes? Or maybe the bragging rights that go along with them?
This is the list for you!
We’ve picked 12 of the biggest and best of the large tomato varieties. Tomatoes so big, in fact, they’re usually classed as “giant”!
Jump to:
- For Big Tomatoes, Go Beefsteak
- 12 Top Giant Tomato Varieties
- 1. Mortgage Lifter
- 2. Burpee’s Supersteak
- 3. Giant Belgium
- 4. Beefmaster
- 5. Big Zac
- 6. Amana Orange
- 7. Big Rainbow
- 8. Gigantesque
- 9. Delicious
- 10. Homer Fikes Yellow Oxheart
- 11. Marianna’s Peace
- 12. Park’s Whopper Improved
- Variables Impacting How ‘Giant” Your Tomatoes May Be
For Big Tomatoes, Go Beefsteak
When it comes to growing the biggest tomato varieties, the list is pretty much all beefsteak-type tomatoes. No real surprise there. They’re big, they’re beefy, and they’re just the category that grows the biggest and weighs the most.
This means that, for the most part, these tomato varieties are thought of as slicing tomatoes or tomatoes to cut and use in things like salads. They’re not usually the first tomatoes that you would find on a list for, say, sauce or paste because they have more juice and seeds.
That said, they do have plenty of meat, due to their sheer volume. So, there’s no reason not to use them for other things if you have them – bruschetta, salsa, and saucing are all options. You might just have to adjust how you prep them for those uses.
Across the board these tomatoes should be good candidates for making tomato juice, though. With size typically comes a lot of juice.
12 Top Giant Tomato Varieties
There are quite a lot of extra-large and giant tomato varieties out there. These were chosen for their availability, popularity, and proven performance. Oh – and size!
1. Mortgage Lifter
| Flavor: | Very good: sweet, meaty, juicy |
| Type: | Giant beefsteak |
| Color: | Pink-red |
| Size: | Giant, average fruit 2 ½ pounds, up to 4 pounds |
| Uses: | Slicing, salads, sandwiches, toppings |
| Climate Notes: | Heirloom suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Good: Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 to 85 |
| Yield: | Excellent, heavy |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Mortgage Lifter Tomato Seeds:
Mortgage lifter was bred to be an impressively large tomato. A man crossed and selected tomato varieties for six years until he came up with this beauty, which he then sold and eventually used to pay off his mortgage!
A “small” Mortgage Lifter tomato weighs in at two pounds, and they grow as large as four!
One thing that was not lost in its development was flavor, something else Mortgage Lifter is known for. Due to its productivity and large fruits, Mortgage Lifter is also one of the highest yielding tomato varieties.
2. Burpee’s Supersteak
| Flavor: | Very good, classic beefsteak, slightly acidic |
| Type: | Giant beefsteak, slicer |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 2 pounds per fruit |
| Uses: | Slicing, sandwiches, salads, fresh eating, bruschetta, salsa |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, Root-knot nematodes |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Burpee’s Supersteak Tomato Seeds:
Burpee Seeds bred this hybrid for size, flavor, and disease resistance. These huge tomatoes average two pounds in size, but Burpee took care to preserve (and improve) the flavor, too. Slightly acidic in taste, Burpee’s Supersteak is also an early producer with good disease resistance.
3. Giant Belgium
| Flavor: | Excellent, classic, intense beefsteak |
| Type: | Giant beefsteak |
| Color: | Pink with green shoulders (other color varieties available) |
| Size: | 1 to 5 pounds per fruit |
| Uses: | Slicing, salads, saucing, canning, juicing |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates, developed in Ohio in the U.S. |
| Disease Resistance: | Good, not much noted |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 86 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Giant Belgium Tomato Seeds:
Giant Belgium is a large “pink” tomato with green shoulders. Fruits weigh from one to five pounds each! The pink flush will go to the top, but it is recommended that you harvest before the fruit flushes fully pink/red. This is an heirloom beefsteak with excellent, intense flavor. It is a low-acid variety ideal for all uses, from slicing to juicing and canning. There are other color varieties of the Giant Belgium, including yellow.
4. Beefmaster
| Flavor: | Excellent: sweet, meaty, juicy, flavorful |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | Very large: 1 to 2 pounds per tomato |
| Uses: | Slicing, salads, sandwiches, toppings |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Gray leaf spot, Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Anthracnose, Root-knot nematodes, Tomato spotted wilt virus, Crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Beefmaster Tomato Seeds:
Beefmaster is a highly popular giant tomato that is the first off many people’s lips when you ask about top giant tomato varieties. It makes the list for its size, obviously (about two pounds per fruit), but also because it is a highly successful and disease resistant tomato. It is also a prolific producer and has excellent beefsteak tomato flavor.
5. Big Zac
| Flavor: | Excellent; classic, tangy, one of the best giant beefsteak flavors |
| Type: | Beefsteak, slicer |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | Giant, 4 to 6 pounds |
| Uses: | Slicing, sandwiches, juicing, canning, fresh eating, salsa |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Big Zac Tomato Seeds:
Big Zac got its name from its developer, Minnie Zaccaria. She created this giant hybrid by crossing two huge beefsteak tomatoes – a red and a pink. What she came up with is a meaty tomato known for its true, tangy, classic tomato flavor, but with size to spare. It’s a repeated award-winner for size and quality. And it’s got great disease resistance, too!
6. Amana Orange
| Flavor: | Very good; sweet, tropical |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Orange |
| Size: | 1 to 2 pounds each |
| Uses: | Slicing, fresh eating, sandwiches |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates, developed in Iowa in the U.S. |
| Disease Resistance: | Fair, not well-documented |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages); plants reach 5 to 7 feet tall |
| Days to Harvest: | 90 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Amana Orange Tomato Seeds:
If you’re interested in a flavorful colored (other than red) giant tomato, Amana Orange will not disappoint. It is on the “smaller” side for giant tomatoes, weighing in at one to two pounds per fruit, but it has a lovely, sweet, tropical flavor in a pretty orange package. It’s an heirloom, too, so you can save its seeds.
7. Big Rainbow
| Flavor: | Excellent; classic heirloom tomato flavor |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Yellow gold with red striping |
| Size: | 2 pounds each |
| Uses: | Slicing, sandwiches, sauces |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates and does exceptionally well in humid areas and crowded gardens or with overhead watering |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent; resistant to blights, foliar diseases, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Septoria Leafspot, Botrytis, Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 90 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Big Rainbow Tomato Seeds:
This variety was sought out to offer a colorful, pretty heirloom tomato to add to the giant list, but as it turns out, this giant tomato is the whole package – large size, superior flavor, disease resistant vines, and beautiful coloring inside and out. The tomato is a pretty yellow-gold with red striping. It bears heavy tomatoes without having to prune out blossoms and keeps going straight through and up until fall frost.
8. Gigantesque
| Flavor: | Very good |
| Type: | Giant beefsteak |
| Color: | Red-orange |
| Size: | 2 pounds, 5 inches diameter |
| Uses: | Slicing, saucing, fresh eating, salsa, diced |
| Climate Notes: | Noted for success in cool climates, also does well in warm areas |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 77 |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Gigantesque Tomato Seeds:
Gigantesque is a rare heirloom tomato seed that comes originally from the Ukraine. It’s hard to find, but if you can find it, the seeds are heirlooms so you can save them and start your own seed stash. It yields heavy, five-inch, two-pound tomatoes that are meaty with few seeds. The plants are said to do well in cool growing areas, but also perform in warm climates, too. The variety is also a bit earlier than many of the giant beefsteak tomatoes.
9. Delicious
| Flavor: | Excellent, classic tomato |
| Type: | Beefsteak |
| Color: | Scarlet red with orange |
| Size: | 1 to 3 pounds |
| Uses: | Slicing, fresh eating, salsa, juicing, canning |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates; developed in the U.S. on the Eastern seaboard |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; crack resistant |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 77 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Delicious Tomato Seeds:
Delicious is a crack-resistant giant tomato known for its excellent classic tomato flavor. It held the world record for the largest tomato for almost three decades. The record holder was over seven pounds, but the average is one to two and sometimes three pounds per tomato. The fruits are a nice scarlet red with some orange coloring, and they are meaty with few seeds. Slightly earlier variety than many giants.
10. Homer Fikes Yellow Oxheart
| Flavor: | Excellent; fruity and sweet |
| Type: | Oxheart |
| Color: | Yellow-orange |
| Size: | 1 to 3 pounds |
| Uses: | Sauces, fresh eating, juicing, canning, salsa |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; not well noted |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 89 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Homer Fikes Yellow Oxheart Tomato Seeds:
This is another “off-the-beaten-path" tomato that was raised by an old West Virginian (U.S.) tomato grower, and then passed down through generations. The seeds are hard to find but are heirlooms that can be saved. The tomato is a large, up to three-pound oxheart type that is almost all meat with few seeds, and lovely fruity flavor.
11. Marianna’s Peace
| Flavor: | Excellent; rich tomato flavor |
| Type: | Beefsteak, slicer |
| Color: | Pinkish-red |
| Size: | 1 to 2 pounds |
| Uses: | Slicing, fresh eating, salads |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates; developed in Czechoslovakia |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; not well noted |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 80 to 85 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Marianna’s Peace Tomato Seeds:
Marianna’s Peace is a 100+ year old heirloom variety from Czechoslovakia. It’s said that this tomato has a tale to tell, having come from a girl who escaped capture in World War II. This is known to be one of the best tasting tomatoes, creamy, nicely acidic, and rich in flavor. Said to do well in hydroponic systems and home gardens.
12. Park’s Whopper Improved
| Flavor: | Excellent |
| Type: | Beefsteak, slicer |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 4 to 5 inches |
| Uses: | Slicing, fresh eating, juicing, canning |
| Climate Notes: | Does well in all climates, including cloudy, rainy conditions |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent; Crack resistant, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematode resistant, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Verticillium Wilt |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, good support is recommended to support giant fruit (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 65 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Park’s Whopper Improved Tomato Seeds:
Park’s Whopper Improved is an improved variety from the original giant favorite, Park’s Whopper. It is one of the earliest giant tomatoes, ready to harvest in just 65 days. It is a consistent taste-test winner that grows tomatoes four to five or more inches across. Best of all, it boasts superior disease resistance. Moist, cloudy weather does not stop its production, either.
Variables Impacting How ‘Giant” Your Tomatoes May Be
While most gardeners agree that you’ll get the biggest tomatoes off the varieties listed as large or giant, how big they get may be determined by a variety of factors.
The following advice for growing the absolute biggest tomatoes comes from reviewers and commenters, and some good garden sense, too. Some things are within your control, while others are not, but they may be worth a try – especially if you really want a whopping big, award-winning giant tomato!
Factors that impact tomato size include:
- Length of season and heat set (the sooner your area reaches the 90’s (Fahrenheit), the smaller they’ll be)
- Pruning suckers can send more energy into fruit instead of plants
- Pruning off some small tomatoes or clipping blossoms so there are not as many tomatoes on a plant will make the remaining tomatoes larger
- Disease impacts and Disease prevention and treatment measures
- Insect and pest problems (control for the healthiest plants, unblemished fruits, and least plant damage)
- Overall garden conditions and fertilizer balance
No matter how much effort you put into it, any of the varieties on this list are sure to give you an impressively large – giant! -- tomatoes; tomatoes that can impress in yield and taste, too!
