Yellow tomato varieties
Yellow tomatoes are the hardest colour to pick at the right moment, and that is the most useful thing to know before choosing one. A ripening red tomato broadcasts its progress; a yellow one shifts from green through pale to gold in steps that are easy to misjudge, and the difference between underripe and perfect is a matter of days you have to learn by feel. The seven varieties here are otherwise the widest-spread colour group on the site relative to its size: 55 to 90 days from transplant, and 10 g to 570 g, from Aztek as a micro dwarf on a windowsill to Yellow Brandywine as a 90-day beefsteak. There is no such thing as a typical yellow tomato in this list.
- Varieties
- 8
- Days to harvest (from transplant)
- 55–90
- Fruit weight
- 0–20 oz (10–570 g)
- Growth habit
-
6 Indeterminate
1 Micro dwarf
1 Determinate
All 8 yellow tomato varieties
How to choose
-
The 35-day spread is the widest of any colour group here, so season length does most of the filtering. Aztek at 55 days and Yellow Brandywine at 90 are at opposite ends of what a growing season can support. If your frost window is tight, the top of the sorted table is the only part of this page that matters.
-
Size splits the group cleanly into three. Yellow Pear and Blush are small-fruited at an ounce or less; Azoychka and Lemon Boy are mid-sized at 5 to 10 oz; Dr Wyche's Yellow and Yellow Brandywine are full beefsteaks at 12 to 20 oz. Aztek sits below all of them as a micro dwarf. Pick the size and you have usually picked the variety.
-
Learn the ripeness cue before you plant, not after. Most yellow varieties are ready when the green has fully gone from the blossom end and the fruit yields slightly to pressure. Colour alone is unreliable, because a fully coloured yellow tomato can still be a few days short. This is the one practical reason a yellow variety is a harder first tomato than a red one.
-
Only one of the seven is compact. Aztek is the micro dwarf; the remaining six are indeterminate and will need staking for the full season. If you want yellow fruit on a small plant, that is the whole list.
Compare side by side
| Color | Uses | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azoychka | 75 (estimated) | 5–8 oz (140–230 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) | Fresh & salads, Slicing | |
| Aztek | 55 (estimated) | 0–1 oz (10–18 g) (estimated) | Micro dwarf | 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) | Snacking | |
| Blush | 70 (estimated) | ~1 oz (20–35 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 5 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) | Fresh & salads, Snacking, Roasting | |
| Dr Wyche's Yellow | 80 (estimated) | 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) | Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing | |
| Gold Nugget | 58 | ~1 oz (15–30 g) | Determinate | 4 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) | Fresh & salads, Snacking | |
| Lemon Boy | 72 | 7–10 oz (200–280 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 3 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 3 (estimated) | Slicing, Fresh & salads | |
| Yellow Brandywine | 90 (estimated) | 12–20 oz (340–570 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 4 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 4 (estimated) | Fresh & salads, Slicing, Juicing | |
| Yellow Pear | 78 (estimated) | ~1 oz (15–25 g) (estimated) | Indeterminate | 3 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) / 2 (estimated) | Snacking, Fresh & salads |
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell when a yellow tomato is ripe?
By touch and by the blossom end rather than by overall colour. Green should be gone from the bottom of the fruit and the tomato should give slightly under light pressure. A yellow tomato that looks fully coloured can still be several days from ready, which is why this colour catches people out.
Are yellow tomatoes less acidic than red ones?
This is widely repeated and it is not reliably true. Perceived acidity depends on the balance of sugar and acid, not on colour, and some yellow varieties measure as acidic as reds while tasting milder because they are sweeter. The acidity and sweetness figures are recorded per variety in the table, which is a better guide than the rule of thumb.
What is the difference between yellow and orange tomatoes?
A gradient rather than a boundary, and catalogues draw the line in different places. We classify by the recorded colour of the ripe fruit, and the orange page holds the deeper-toned varieties. If you are choosing on appearance it is worth reading both lists, since several varieties sit close to the edge.
Which yellow tomato is the largest?
Dr Wyche's Yellow and Yellow Brandywine, both at 12 to 20 oz (340 to 570 g). Yellow Brandywine is also the latest here at 90 days, so it needs a long season to deliver that size.
Can yellow tomatoes be grown in a container?
Aztek is the only micro dwarf in this group and the one straightforward answer. The other six are indeterminate. The container-friendly page filters the whole catalogue on documented suitability rather than on habit alone.