Seriously Good Homemade Ketchup
- PREP 10min
- COOK 30min
- TOTAL 40min
Homemade ketchup is simple and much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. I use 4 tablespoons of sugar, but adjust the sugar to your taste.
You Will Need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves, chopped, about 1 tablespoon
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional for spicy ketchup
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice
2 to 5 tablespoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you like your ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are softened, sweet, and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and allspice and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring around the pan, until it turns red to burnt orange, about 2 minutes.
Add the can of tomatoes with juice, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, cider vinegar, a generous pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir, and then taste to see if you need to add more sugar (we usually add 3 to 4 tablespoons).
Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat slightly and cook at a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and shiny, about 20 minutes. Taste then adjust with more sugar, salt or pepper.
Blend until smooth, let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to one month.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Use fresh tomatoes: Use 3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes.
- A note about blending: You can use an immersion blender or regular blender. If you use a regular blender, it is best to blend in batches and not fill the blender as much as you usually would since the ketchup is so hot. We like to remove the center insert of the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel while blending — this helps some of the steam release and prevents the lid from popping off (which can be a big, hot mess).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 1/4 cup of the brown sugar.