This easy homemade tomato ketchup recipe is bursting with flavors and way better than anything on a shelf. Made with fresh tomatoes, it's the perfect homemade condiment. Try it!
Here's my homemade tomato ketchup recipe, that's gluten-free, vegan, delicious, thick, and full of tomatoey flavors. This was a long-awaited recipe on the blog and I tried this recipe 4 times before I was satisfied.
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Also Imagine a juicy chicken burger dripping with this homemade goodness, and crispy chicken pakora dunked in this! Divine! Once you taste this, there's no turning back. You can also try my tomato jam which is way more easier to make than this.
Why try this recipe?
Tastes just like store-bought ketchup.
It is made with fresh tomatoes so it has super fresh flavors.
It's a one pot, easy recipe, with simple ingredients.
You can simply keep homemade ketchup in the fridge, freeze, or even use this recipe for canning.
Ingredients
To make good quality tomato ketchup you just need fresh tomatoes, sugar, spice, and vinegar.
- Tomatoes: Fresh seasonal red, ripe tomatoes make the best ketchup. You can use Roma tomatoes and San Marzano tomatoes too.
- Onion: Adding onion gives the ketchup a texture and flavor to the ketchup.
- Garlic: I like fresh garlic best, paste or powder can work too.
- White Vinegar: Vinegar's acidity acts as a natural preservative. I used just enough to balance the sweetness, if you like tangier add more. You can substitute with apple cider vinegar too.
- Mustard: I have used mustard paste you can add mustard powder too.
- Seasonings: Basic seasonings like chili flakes, pepper, cinnamon, and salt are added to enhance the flavor.
- Brown Sugar: I like to use a healthier version of the sugar however use jaggery if you like it.
- Sugar: You can skip white sugar if ketchup is sweet enough for your taste.
How to make this recipe?
Place 2-3 small plates in the freezer for cold plate test in advance.
- Wash tomatoes thoroughly and chop off the eye or stem part of tomatoes. Then cut tomatoes roughly into four pieces. Similarly, chop the onions into large chunks. Add onions, tomatoes, and garlic in a wide pot.
- Cover the pot and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. (You may add a few tablespoons of water if needed in the beginning. The veggies will release a lot of water as they cook.)
- Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy. Blend it into a smooth puree with help of an immersion blender.
- Strain the puree through a coarse sieve to remove seed and skins.
- Put the strained puree back into the pot. Mix in vinegar, brown sugar, red chili flakes, pepper, cinnamon, mustard sauce, and salt in the pot.
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced. The sauce will splutter as it comes close to the finish.
- Do a cold plate test to check the thickness of the sauce. Place a couple of small plates in the freezer. Place a drop of sauce on the cold plate if the sauce spreads like water, cook it further. If it retains its shape, it is ready.
- Transfer hot ketchup to the sterilized mason jar. Wipe the rim with a damp cloth and screw with sterilized lids.
STORAGE
- Homemade ketchup stays good in the fridge for 2 weeks. Make sure to keep your finger away from the rim of the bottle.
- You can also add ¼ teaspoon sodium benzoate dissolved in hot water in the ketchup as a preservative, but this is not recommended.
- If you freeze ketchup, it’ll last up to 6 months.
TIPS
- Use the best ripe and red tomatoes, and avoid mushy or over-ripened tomatoes as it can reduce shelf life.
- Because it's homemade and you are the chef. Adjust as per your taste.
- Keeping tomato ketchup in the sauce bottle will ensure you do not add impurities to the sauce making it last longer. A sauce bottle also helps easy-drizzle of ketchup over snacks.
FAQ
Commercial ketchup has preservatives so you can store them without a fridge for a month or more after opening. Homemade ketchup, on the other hand, relies on natural preservatives like sugar and vinegar. So it will stay good without the fridge for 2-3 days only.
You can add up to ¾ cups of vinegar in 1 kg of tomatoes. I'm using ½ cup vinegar in this recipe for moderately sour ketchup. If you wish to add less you can add just ⅓ cup vinegar.
Looking for ways to use fresh tomatoes?
If you try this recipe, I'd LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Tomato Ketchup From Fresh Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 kg fresh tomatoes, cut in chunks
- 1 onion, cut in chunk
- 3 fat cloves of garlic
Assembling
- ½ cup brown sugar or jaggery
- ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar, optional, as after tasting.
- ½-1 teaspoon red chilli flakes, adjust as needed, see notes
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoons cinnamon powder, more to taste
- 1 teaspoon mustard sauce
- 1 teaspoon
salt
Instructions
- Take onions, tomatoes, and garlic in a wide pot.
- Cover the pot and cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. (You may add a few tablespoons of water if needed in the beginning.)
- Once the tomatoes are soft and mushy blended into a smooth paste with an immersion blender.
- Pass the puree through a coarse sieve to remove seed and skins.
- Put the strained puree back into the pot. Mix in vinegar, brown sugar, red chili flakes, pepper, cinnamon, mustard sauce, and salt in a pot.
- Bring it to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced. The sauce will splutter as it comes close to the finish.
Cold Plate Test
- Place a drop of sauce on the cold plate if the sauce spreads like water, cook it further. If it retains its shape, it is ready.
- Transfer hot ketchup to the sterilized jar or bottles. Wipe the rim with a damp cloth and screw with sterilized lids.
Notes
- Storage: Homemade ketchup stays good in the fridge for 2 weeks. Make sure to keep your finger away from the rim of the bottle.If you freeze ketchup, it’ll last up to 6 months.
- Use the best ripe and red tomatoes, and avoid mushy or over-ripened tomatoes as it can reduce shelf life.
- Garlic: I like fresh garlic best, paste or powder can work too.
- White Vinegar: You can substitute with apple cider vinegar too.
- Mustard: I have used mustard paste you can add mustard powder too.
- Red chili: Skip if you can’t handle at all. 1 teaspoon make slightly spicy ketchup. Use just ½ teaspoon of chili to give a lovely flavor depth without being spicy.
- Sugar: You can skip white sugar if ketchup is sweet enough with brown sugar,
Gskmr2 says
I've just sat down from making this, had to add a little food coloring and left the chilies out but it's great.
Mariam Sodawater says
Hello, thank you so much for the feedback. Try to use fully ripened red tomatoes, than you won't need food coloring.