We are big ketchup eaters at work. And by we, I really mean me and the kids from my personal chef job. We love ketchup. We put it on our grilled cheese, eat it with mashed potatoes, drizzle it on potato gratin – you name it and I’m pretty sure we’ve tried it! Last week the unthinkable happened. We ran out of ketchup. Talk about the world coming to an end. Rather than running to the store to pick up another jumbo bottle – we made our own. TOTALLY SIMPLE. Oh my goodness – it totally rocked my world and I’m never going to have to buy the stuff from the store again. Plus this way, I get to control how much salt is actually going into the sauce – because the stuff from the store has an outrageous amount of sodium.
We whipped up this slightly spicy homemade ketchup in no time and then roasted some potatoes to eat with it. I mean we didn’t want to just eat the ketchup with a spoon. (Although I’ve totally done that before!) Everyone was completely impressed. Not only does it have the same consistency as store bought ketchup but it tastes ah-mazing. It’s fresh and tangy with a little kick of spice.
And here is the best part – my boyfriend, who is a self proclaimed ketchup hater and won’t even touch something if it has been on the same plate as something else with ketchup… well, he even liked it! It was a small miracle 
| Homemade Spicy Ketchup |
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 28-oz can tomato purée
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute the onion until for 5 to 8 minutes until translucent. Add in the garlic and stir together. Add the tomato purée, brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, mustard, cloves, allspice, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 to 60 minutes until it is thick like ketchup.
- Using an immersion blender, food processor or blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
- Adjust seasonings if needed and pour ketchup into a container and seal. Can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.
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Omg I love ketchup. I could have a little food with my vat of ketchup. This looks amazing!!!
I really should make this….soon!
And I am all signed up and set for the San Diego bake sale….yay for local bakers and bloggers!
i never thought to make my own ketchup…but just realized that i’ll probably have to make this recipe this week! weird thought for a gal who used to hate it (i know, i know…i’ve seen the error of my ways
)
I heart ketchup. Can’t wait to try it!
I’ve added this to my list of things to make when tomatoes are in season here! I’m wondering if between the vinegar and the tomatoes if there’s enough acid to try canning it?
My husband will love you for this. He puts ketchup on everything. He even dipped lobster mac and cheese in ketchup on Friday. I almost cried.
Yum! I would love to try this.
What a creative recipe, Gaby! I had no idea it was so simple, too. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me with something new!
That looks really good. Last week we were having hot dogs and we spiced them up by making them Indian hot dogs. We mixed curry powder with ketchup (Heinz, not homemade) to make a mock currywurst sauce. Then we made an Indian slaw by mixing cabbage, mustard seeds cooked in olive oil, diced jalapenos, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Slaw and “currywurst” sauce went on the dog with extra slaw on the side.
I’ve made BBQ sauce plenty of times, this ketchup looks like an easy transition for me. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Can’t wait to try it. We are big ketchup fans at home, especially the hubby and the lil one. They could eat ketchup just by itself. I’ll probably have to cut back on the red pepper flakes and ceyenne pepper for my 2 year old, right?
Maribel – for a two year old I would def cut back on the red pepper flakes and cayenne! Maybe just a pinch of both
Homemade ketchup rocks! This looks delicious, Gaby.
This is a fantastic idea! I love ketchup!
There is something so wonderful about making your own condiments. It elevates an ordinary thing into something extraordinary. The ketchup recipe sounds wonderful, and I’m sure my heat-loving 4-year old would love the kick from the cayenne and red pepper flakes.
I am a huge fan of ketchup and this looks amazing. I cannot wait to try this
Thanks for posting this… I have been looking for a great recipe! Will be trying yours!
My sweet mother in law used to make homemade ketchup.
I’ll give this a whirl when the tomatoes are on hot and heavy this August!
Bottle and send stat. Will email address
I love ketchup, I am definitely going to have to try this it look delicious!
In college I worked at a place that made their own ketchup and I loved it. I’ve always wanted to make my own! I especially love the added punch of heat.
I’m going to have to give it a try! Never made my own ketchup before but I love it in restaurants.
Way fun girl!! With those potatoes who could pass this up?? xo
Thank you so much for this recipe! I don’t like buying even organic ketchup in a plastic thing…this is perfect! I use mason jars for my homemade condiments – pretty and no plastic!
When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to make her own homemade ketchup. When I tell people I remember waking up early at her house and smell the wonderful smell of ketchup cooking, they look at me like I’m nuts. I guess most people never even think of making the stuff. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks so much for posting this recipe!
This just rocked my world, Gaby!
That is a lot of ingredients for ketchup….who knew? I though it was all tomato, water and SUGAR…I’m interested in cutting out the sugar.
I need to try making this. I love ketchup on almost anything!
Yum, homemade ketchup sounds fantastic. And it goes well with so many different foods!
Thanks so much for this! I am so excited to start making all of my own condiments and sauces.
Hey Gaby, I looked up ketchup recipes online and was so excited to see one come up on my Google search from you website! I think that means you have arrived. The reason I need to make my own ketchup is because of my daughter’s special dietary needs. She can’t have any polysaccarides. OK, no sugar. But we can use honey in place of the brown sugar. So I am going to give it a try. You don’t happen to have a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce, do you? Thanks! PS. Say hi to your mom for me.
I’m making my own ketchup this month because I’m participating in October #Unprocessed. Going to give your recipe a try. By the way, I always dip my grilled cheese sandwiches in ketchup. LOVE it!
I followed Nicole over here to try out your recipe. I made it tonight. I made it without any cayenne and red pepper flakes, so my two little ones would eat it, and after I was done blending it, I put half in a mason jar for the kids, and the other half I added cayenne and red pepper flakes to for my husband and I. Blended it for a few seconds, and then put it in the other jar. The recipe was great. Thanks so much.
oooh this looks great! I had been looking for something like this, so glad I stumbled on this recipe. I was just going to mix some puree with a little spices and hope for the best. But this sounds more yummy! thanks!
This looks very similar to a recipe from Serious Eats that I’ve been wanting to try.
I LOVE ketchup, and the homemade kind sounds better than ever. On my “to make soon” list! Thanks for the inspiration.
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