I know. You're probably wondering why I would suggest your making homemade ketchup rather than just buying a bottle of the well-known condiment at the store. While there are some good ketchup brands out there that focus a bit more on making it healthful, much of the ketchup on the market doesn't come close to being healthful. They are full of additives, preservatives, and often high-fructose corn syrup.
Reasons to make homemade ketchup
- You can control how much sugar, if any, is in it.
- It's easy.
- It's delicious.
- It's fresh.
- You can pronounce the names of all the ingredients.
Knowing how to make homemade ketchup ensures that you'll never run out! You can make it easily in less than 30 minutes with ingredients that you probably already have on hand ... and can pronounce the names of! Homemade ketchup keeps a long time in the fridge, and the taste is amazingly better than store-bought brands.
Let's get started!
As many delicious things, homemade ketchup starts with onions and garlic. Saute them till they are just tender, then add the spices.
The spices I use are cloves, allspice, chili powder, and paprika, along with a little brown sugar, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard. Feel free to play around with other spices, such as cinnamon or cayenne, too. This is just what I've found that we really like.
I like to stir that all around to mix it really well before adding the tomatoes.
What kind of tomatoes should I use?
You can use diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes. It doesn't really matter because in the end, everything ends up in the blender anyway.
Cook the mixture on low heat for about 20 minutes or until it thickens. Transfer it to the jar of a blender and blend till smooth.
I love to use pretty bottles, but you can also just put it in canning jars or any other container you have.
Homemade ketchup will keep for a long time in the fridge, but with a condiment this tasty, it probably won't last long!
Recipe
Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
- oil for sauteeing
- ¾ cup yellow onion This is about 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic chopped small
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes You can use whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes, too, because they all end up in the blender!
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion till it is soft, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring till the brown sugar is fully dissolved. Add the salt and spices.
- Cook over medium-low to medium heat until thickened, 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth.
- Store in jars or bottles in the refrigerator.
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