Last updated on January 21st, 2018
In other news…yesterday I filmed my recipe for old-fashioned ketchup. If you only know the tomato-flavored corn syrup that comes from the supermarket (Heinz, and etc.), get ready for a big surprise! The homemade stuff tastes like a delicious stroll in the veggie garden.
Click the “play” arrow to watch the video, and then scroll down to get the printable recipe:
Wanna make this tomato ketchup uniquely yours? Amend the listed ingredients to suit your taste buds. Just make sure your spices (ground cloves, cinnamon, and etc.) are fresh and fragrant!
Storage notes: Homemade ketchup will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze it. I don’t know if the condiment is suitable for hot-water-bath canning, but if you do, please speak up in the comments field below!
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xKevin
Here’s the printable:
While commercial ketchup is little more than tomato-flavored corn syrup, the homemade version tastes like a walk in the garden. It's heavy on veggies, and low on sugar. Serve it with hamburgers, hotdogs, French fries and more. It makes a terrific pizza sauce, too!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting vegetable oil, such as safflower
- 1 large, red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large, white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 generous tablespoon tomato paste (plus more as needed)
- 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes and their juice (or, use the equivalent of fresh plum or “paste” tomatoes)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt and pepper – a pinch of each, or to taste
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and stir to coat with the oil. Then cover the pot, and let the veggies sweat until soft – 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté for just 1 minute. Then add the tomato paste and the tomatoes and their juice. Roughly cut the tomatoes with a knife, or mash them with a potato masher. Stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt and pepper. Bring the works to a simmer over medium heat. Then lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and cook quietly until the sauce is quite thick – 55 minutes to 1 hour. Cool, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
- Ladle the sauce into the jar of a blender, and puree at high speed until perfectly smooth – about 30 seconds. Then test the ketchup. Is it too thin for your liking? Add more tomato paste (1 or 2 tablespoons, or possibly more) and blend again, until you achieve the viscosity of your dreams. Taste for seasonings – you might like to add more salt.
- To insure the ketchup achieves its full flavor potential, chill it for at least 4 hours. Serve this superior condiment with hamburgers, hotdogs, French fries, and more. Or, use it for pizza sauce. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Keila says
Hi Kevin, I loved watching this video! This got me to thinking about some tomato jam I bought at the local farmers market a few years ago, but unfortunately the man that sold it no longer sets up at the market. Do you have a recipe for tomato jam? If so, I’d love to see a video of you making it. Thank you!
Helga G says
I used to hot-water-bath-can my own ketchup from scratch ( everything out of the garden) umpteen years ago. It always turned out delicious. The only drawback, the color wasn’t to appealing. It was like a reddish-brown.
Joanne C Toft says
Love this idea but I am looking to pull sugar out of my diet in as many places as possible. Have you tried this with out the brown sugar? or do you have thoughts on a fruit I could put in that would give the bit of sweet we are always looking for without adding sugar directly?
Sheryl says
Joanne, try shredded carrots if you really feel you need the sweetness. How many you use really depends on your taste preference. I replaced sugar in my spaghetti sauce years ago–and never looked back!
Rosemarie in rural Kansas City says
This looks heavenly!
I am a catsup addict – in other words, I like catsup ON my catsup – lol!
Made processed catsup years ago – it was good but very time consuming and it never thickened
enough – it was always way too runny but also good
And then of course it had to put in a hot water bath
Kevin, this looks so much easier and so much better
You can be sure I’ll be trying it very soon and am sure to become addicted
Love ya!
Sharon says
Kevin. So glad for this recipe. My Dad used to make homemade ketchup & it was awesome. Never got the recipe. Also applesauce from the Cortland &Macs. It was so much better than store bought. Love your blog.
Karen says
I try to avoid using vegetable oils…is there a substitute non-vegetable oil you would suggest? This recipe looks wonderful…anxious to try it!
Meghan Girroir says
Kevin,
I would love to see you make some of your soup recipes. Watching you make the recipe is vastly more helpful than reading and attempting myself.
Thank you
Ann says
This is very similar to a recipe we have used for years with fresh tomatoes from the garden or farmer’s market. We have hot water canned it, and yes it is slightly browner, and everyone we have given it to is still alive! We have used less sugar each year very successfully as well.
Annie says
Though I’m 100% satisfied that Kevin’s ketchup is terrific (all his recipes are terrific!) But I thought, since Kevin and many of his subscribers are gardeners, that I ought to share my incredibly delicious (and sugar-free to boot) solution for using up an abundance of fresh tomatoes.
Just puree the heck out of a bunch of tomatoes in your food processor. Put the mess in a heavy-bottomed pot and simmer it gently until it is reduced to about half its original volume (or as thick as you like). This will concentrate both flavor and sweetness so there’s no need to add sugar. You can also run the pureed tomatoes through a loose sieve if you want it smoother but I never do that. I usually put a garlic clove and some basil into the processor with the tomatoes but this isn’t necessary; just adds a bit of spunk. Adding all the things that Kevin suggests are great additions—cloves and cinnamon are two of my favorites if I am planning on just making ketchup. Otherwise I keep it simple and add things later when I need them for something like pasta sauce or as an addition to something like a beef stew. Anyway, you can then freeze or can this tomato puree or use it right away.
Kevin’s ketchup recipe reminds me of what is commercially bottled and called “Chili Sauce” which I like to use in making meat loaf. I think Kevin’s recipe would be arms and legs better than the commercial variety, definitely! I am going to try it.
Joanne in Zone 6b says
Will I ever make homemade ketchup? Maybe….
But what I’ll do the next time I seed a pepper (and then every time I do it for the rest of my life…) is cut it the way you do, Kevin. So much quicker than the way my momma taught me! Thank you!!
Janet Metzger says
Thank you! I have been looking for a recipe! I have one for tomato paste (which is excellent!) but not for ketchup! Again, thank you!
Bridget says
Great video Kevin! Thanks. I will try this ketchup.
DeeAnna says
I make a chunky, tangy “chili sauce” using my grandmother’s recipe, but it’s not really the same as ketchup. Thank you for introducing me to the beauties of real ketchup, Kevin.