How to Make Fresh Homemade Ketchup
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Making your own fresh homemade ketchup is easier than you think! With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful alternative to store-bought versions. We love making our own homemade sauces to avoid chemicals in most store-bought products.
Perfect for dipping, spreading, or adding to your favorite recipes, this homemade ketchup will elevate any meal with its rich, tangy taste. Obviously ketchup is king with toddlers and having my own home daycare for decades has given me plenty of time to learn about all things ketchup. It’s versatile, tangy, and sweet, and a favorite among kids.
We like to avoid high fructose corn syrup in our food and the best way to do that is to make your own sauces like this easy ketchup recipe. This is a great recipe to use your ripe tomatoes or some pantry stables to make tangy sweet ketchup with more natural sweeteners and none of the chemicals.
Homemade ketchup using fresh tomatoes
You can easily make your ketchup using fresh tomatoes. We start this recipe with tomato paste, but you can make this roasted tomato sauce with your garden tomatoes and then cook the ketchup down a little longer to get that thicker consistency when starting from paste.
We typically use our own sauce, but I wanted to make this accessible if you didn’t already have some. And starting with tomato paste cuts out some of the time it takes to cook down tomatoes. There is a whole other depth of flavor when the tomatoes are garden fresh.
Making ketchup from tomato sauce
Just like with the fresh tomatoes, if you only have tomato sauce on hand, it’s just a matter of cooking out more water so your ketchup is thick enough. So go ahead and use the sauce you have and cook it down until it’s thick enough.
For more homemade sauce ideas, check these out:
- Garlic Chimichurri Sauce with Fresh Herbs
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe
- Fresh Pesto Sauce Recipe (without nuts!)
- Homemade Barbecue Sauce Recipe (and Barbecue Rub)
How to make homemade ketchup
You can substitute apple cider vinegar for the tangy flavor in this recipe as well as use all maple syrup and leave out the brown sugar or substitute all of the sugars with honey. There are many ways to make it and they are all amazing.
Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned Tomato Paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup white Vinegar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the water, maple syrup and brown sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the tomato paste and stir until mixed.
- Mix in the onion, garlic, and salt.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
How to Store Homemade Ketchup
Homemade ketchup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks if kept in an airtight container. If you want to store it for longer, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
For even longer storage, you can also consider canning the ketchup using proper canning methods, which can extend its shelf life for up to 1 year if done correctly and stored in a cool, dark place.
