The best cherry tomatoes to grow depend on your climate, taste preferences, and whether you’re growing in a garden bed, pot, or greenhouse. However, some varieties are consistently praised for their flavor, productivity, and reliability. Here are some of the top choices:
Top Cherry Tomato Varieties
1. Sun Gold
- Flavor: Exceptionally sweet, tropical taste
- Color: Golden orange
- Growth: Indeterminate, prolific
- Best For: Snacking, salads, kids love them
- Notes: Needs staking; very productive
2. Black Cherry
- Flavor: Rich, complex, slightly smoky
- Color: Deep reddish-purple
- Growth: Indeterminate
- Best For: Gourmet dishes, fresh eating
- Notes: Beautiful and unusual appearance
3. Sweet 100 / Super Sweet 100
- Flavor: Very sweet, classic cherry tomato flavor
- Color: Bright red
- Growth: Indeterminate, large clusters
- Best For: High yield, fresh eating
- Notes: Needs strong support, very vigorous
4. Tommy Toe
- Flavor: Old-fashioned, well-balanced sweet-tart
- Color: Bright red
- Growth: Indeterminate, heirloom
- Best For: Salsas, sauces, eating raw
- Notes: Great disease resistance
5. Napa chardonnay blush
- Flavor: Sweet and firm
- Color: yellow with tan spots
- Growth: Indeterminate, heavy-yielding
- Best For: Salads, drying, roasting
- Notes: prone to cracking after heavy rain-resistant
6. Yellow Pear
- Flavor: Mild and sweet
- Color: Yellow, pear-shaped
- Growth: Indeterminate, heirloom
- Best For: Pickling, salads, ornamental appeal
- Notes: Good for long harvest
7. Candyland Red
- Flavor: Intensely sweet, fruity
- Color: Bright red, small currant-size
- Growth: Indeterminate, compact habit
- Best For: Snacking, ornamental gardens
- Notes: 2016 AAS winner; grows in tight clusters
8. Matt’s Wild Cherry
- Flavor: Wild, intense tomato flavor
- Color: Deep red
- Growth: Indeterminate, sprawling habit
- Best For: Naturalized gardens, snacking
- Notes: Open-pollinated, from a wild Mexican strain; great disease resistance
9. Isis Candy
- Flavor: Fruity, sweet with a hint of tang
- Color: Yellow-orange with red marbling
- Growth: Indeterminate
- Best For: Unique appearance, gourmet dishes
- Notes: Crack-prone if overwatered, but very flavorful
10. Barry’s Crazy Cherry
- Flavor: Sweet and mild
- Color: Pale yellow, oblong shape
- Growth: Indeterminate, very high-yielding
- Best For: Fun appearance, fresh eating
- Notes: Up to 40–60 fruits per truss!
11. Blush
- Flavor: Tropical, tangy-sweet
- Color: Yellow with pink streaks
- Growth: Indeterminate
- Best For: Snacking, gourmet appeal
- Notes: Beautiful and crack-resistant
12. Cherry Roma
- Flavor: Meaty, low water content
- Color: Deep red
- Growth: Indeterminate
- Best For: Roasting, drying
- Notes: Small Roma shape, not as juicy — great for cooking
13. Rosella
- Flavor: Rich, fruity, raspberry-like undertones
- Color: Deep rosy red
- Growth: Indeterminate
- Best For: Gourmet snacking
- Notes: From the “Dwarf Tomato Project”; compact indeterminate
14. Green Grape
- Flavor: Tangy, zesty
- Color: Bright green when ripe
- Growth: Determinate or semi-determinate
- Best For: Color contrast in salads
- Notes: Small, tart-sweet and refreshing
15. Tiny Tim (great for containers)
- Flavor: Mild and sweet
- Color: Red
- Growth: Dwarf determinate, 12–18 inches tall
- Best For: Small containers, balconies
- Notes: Very compact, indoor-friendly
My Favorite
My personal favorite is a little from the norm. My very best cherry tomato that a grow every year has to be the Napa chardonnay blush. These plant grow like crazy so you really need to keep up on the pruning and stake them. I also would not make the error I do every year with growing several of these. The Napa chardonnay is an extremely heavy producer. One or two plants is really all you need for a small family. I love these so much I always grow around 6 of these to make sure I have plenty if a couple of them would die for various reason. These are very healthy plants and not really prone to disease so I lose very few of these, so my family, neighbors, and our chickens usually have more than enough of these every season. The flavor is really something special, very deep tomato flavor, firm, and juicy. They are really pretty too with the brown blush on the top when fully ripe. The only issue with these are they are prone to splitting when approaching ripeness after a rain, so you definitely want to pick any that are close to getting ripe prior to any heavy rains. Even with this draw back the flavor, vigor, and ease of growing still make this my number one cherry tomato.
Choosing Based on Purpose
| Use | Top Varieties |
|---|---|
| Best for flavor | Sun Gold, Black Cherry, Matt’s Wild Cherry |
| Best for containers | Tiny Tim, Rosella, Patio Princess |
| Best for yield | Super Sweet 100, Barry’s Crazy Cherry |
| Best for cooking | Cherry Roma, Juliet |
| Unique colors | Isis Candy, Green Grape, Blush |
Tips for Growing Cherry Tomatoes
- Indeterminate types need support and continuous harvesting.
- Full sun (6–8+ hours) is essential for flavor and productivity.
- Well-drained soil, regular watering, and mulch help avoid cracking.
- Pruning helps control growth and improves airflow.
- Consider container-friendly varieties like ‘Tiny Tim’ or ‘Patio Princess’ for small spaces.
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