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Forget the bottled stuff! This Homemade Ketchup recipe takes just minutes to stir together and is made with only a few simple pantry ingredients. You can tweak the seasonings and sweetness to suit your tastebuds, but you can also make it with no added sugar, so this DIY catsup practically counts as a serving of veggies!
Why You’ll Love This Ketchup Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan
- Skill Level: Easy
Today I am bringing you a recipe for homemade ketchup. No fancy flavors, no unique twists. Just plain old ketchup. When you see how to make ketchup with no added sugar or other funky ingredients, you’ll forget all about the bottled stuff.
Because if your kids are anything like mine, they’ll eat anything when it is dunked in or covered with it. But when I read the labels and saw all the sugar and preservatives and other stuff in there, well, I wasn’t so thrilled that they were practically eating it by the spoonful. So I set out to make my own, but didn’t want the fuss of a recipe that had to be simmered for hours and strained. So this starts with tomato paste, which is essentially a can of simmered and reduced tomatoes, there really is no need to go through all of that extra work. Yet it still has a thick consistency and rich flavor. Here’s why you’ll love it.
- Quick to whip up. No cooking, only basic pantry ingredients, and ready in minutes. Just stir in all of the other ingredients that give it its characteristic tangy, smoky, savory flavor that you can adjust exactly how you like.
- Great to keep on hand. You can eat it right away, but it actually tastes better when you refrigerate it and let the flavors blend together for a bit. Plus you can make a double batch to keep in a bottle for weeks so you always have some ready for dipping.
- Better than a bottle. Without added sugar (unless you want to sweeten it up a bit) or preservatives, it’s a better option than storebought. With just concentrated tomato, vinegar, and some spices, it practically counts as another serving of veggies! Naturally gluten free and vegan too.
What You’ll Need
Here is a quick rundown of the ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade ketchup recipe. The full quantities are detailed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. All you have to do is combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth. Serve it right away or let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let the flavors fully develop.
- Tomato paste. One small can is all you need.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Seasonings. I use a combination of salt, dry mustard powder, dried oregano, cumin, and black pepper.
- Water. If needed, to replace some of the vinegar if you want it a little less tangy and/or to thin out the consistency.
- Sugar, molasses, brown sugar, honey, or a combination. If you want it a little sweeter and don’t want to keep this a no sugar ketchup recipe. See tips below.
Variations of Homemade Ketchup
Once you’ve tried this traditional ketchup recipe, you can swap the liquids, herbs, and spices to make all kinds of gourmet ketchup!
Tips for Success
- Too vinegary? Some people have commented that they find this homemade ketchup recipe too sharp or vinegary. The instructions have always said, but I will mention it again here, that you may want to use half the amount of vinegar the first time, and then add water for the balance of the liquid.
- Too thick? If you want it thinner or more pourable, you can also as more water, about a tablespoon at a time to reach your preferred consistency.
- Too smoky? You can omit or lessen the amount of cumin. Cumin is a typical ingredient in ketchup to give it a bit of smokiness, but some people (typically those who also don’t like cilantro) find it too strong. A few drops of liquid smoke is an alternative for that flavor.
- Not sweet enough? I still prefer making this ketchup recipe with no sugar or other sweetener. If you want it sweeter, you can add a couple of tablespoons of sugar, molasses, brown sugar, honey, or some combination of those to suit your taste. To keep the carbs lower, you can even use Swerve Erythritol Sweetener or Swerve Brown Sugar Replacement.
Does Ketchup Have to Be Refrigerated?
If you are storing the homemade ketchup, it does have to be refrigerated. You can keep it out to use right away, but it is also good to let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors fully blend before you enjoy it. If you put it in a jar, bottle, or another airtight container, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Ways to Use It
From mac and cheese to meatloaf, people love ketchup on so many things. But here are some of the all-time favorites.
- French Fries. The most classic thing for dipping in ketchup. Of course, you can just make some frozen or simple air fryer French fries. But you can also get creative and try Air Fryer Truffle Fries, Italian Oven Baked Fries, or Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
- Tots. Just like the fries, there is nothing wrong with getting a bag out of the freezer and making some baked or air fryer tater tots out of the freezer. But you can also sneak some veggies into the mix with Cauliflower Tots or Zucchini Tots.
- Hot Dogs and Hamburgers. Just toss some burgers and dogs on the grill and put out some ketchup. Or get creative with French Onion Stuffed Burgers, Hot Dog Taquitos, or Air Fryer Hamburgers.
- Finger Foods. Little kids, little food, and some ketchup go hand in hand, so try serving up Cheesy Quinoa Bites, Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Tenders, or Air Fryer Onion Rings.
- Eggs. This is a controversial take, but many people love ketchup on their eggs. Make some breakfast sandwiches or try these Hawaiian Breakfast Eggs, Broccoli Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins, or Bacon Cheeseburger Crustless Quiche.
More Homemade Condiments
Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
- 6 oz. tomato paste 1 small can or 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar see Note 1
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- water see Note 1
- sugar, molasses, honey, brown sugar, or a combination see Note 2
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
Notes
Did you make this?
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we have been using your tomato recipe for several years and love it. thank you x
Note 2*
There are a lot of other options than Sugar, if it must be sweeter, naturals like Stevia, Natvia, just to name a few 🙂
Great recipe! I adjusted the amount of a few things to taste. So much better than store bought ketchup. Thank you for sharing!
Looks like an easy ketchup to make-
and I just happen to have all the ingredients.
Being a 1001 curry chef- the cumin sounds right up my alley.
I’m out of ketchup and am planning on using it in a ham glaze tomorrow.
Oooh, a ham glaze is an interesting idea!
I like this recipe! I was looking for a no cook tomato packed ketchup recipe that did not taste like a tin can or Like tomato salad deessing!! I totally understand some comments not liking it due to the cumin but cumin is personal like cilantro. you like it or you don’t! I love it in curry and appreciate the flavor blend in ketchup but like it more in the background versus the front.
I did an 1/8 teaspoon of cumin, 3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 oregano and kept the other spices the same adding 1tsp. Sugar,and 2 tsp of my homemade Worcestershire sauce, 2 splashes of hickory smoke flavor and 2tsp of mustard powder. Soooo delicious! Thank you for such a great recipe that leaves room for customization!!
Afte Reading the comments, I used 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/4 cup Worcester sauce. It is awesome! I will be buy ketchup again! Thank you for the recipe!
*Never buy ketchup
Making homemade ketchup is the only way to go for our family now, Kerry! 🙂
This does not taste anything like ketchup. I feel like I have a pretty open palate and I am very open to trying new things. I hate to say it but this tastes really bad. I think it is all of the apple cider vinegar and the cumin. I added just a little less of the apple cider vinegar because I like vinegar and thought it wouldn’t be bad. I think it is the cumin that really makes it taste nothing like ketchup though.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it. We’ve been making and eating it for years, but it is definitely a good base to adapt to your taste. Commercial ketchup contains sugar, so you could always cut the cumin and sweeten it up to make it more like the bottled ketchup.