Why are tomatoes red?

Tomatoes turn red because they get ripe. Green fades away. Red fills the skin. Then they look ready to eat.

Tomatoes turn red when they are ready to eat. While they grow, they make a red color inside called lycopene. The green color fades, and the red color shows more and more. It is like a green banana turning yellow when it gets sweet. The red color can help animals notice the tomato and eat it.

Tomatoes are red because, as they ripen, they make a natural red color called lycopene. A color like this is called a pigment. At first, many tomatoes are green because of chlorophyll, the pigment plants use to catch sunlight. When the tomato gets ripe, the green chlorophyll breaks down, and lycopene builds up. That makes the tomato look red. Fun fact: lycopene is also in watermelon, which is why its inside can be bright red too.