Learn how to make the most flavorful Homemade Ketchup using your homegrown garden tomatoes! Roasting brings out their sweetness. In a hurry? Check out our quick cheater version below.
My kitchen counter is still covered with all stages of ripening tomatoes, which seems crazy for the beginning of November! I made this homemade ketchup the other day in preparation for a yummy meatloaf recipe (coming), and I can’t wait for you to try it!
The secret to our homemade ketchup is roasting the tomatoes, onion, and garlic, which naturally enhances its flavor and sweetness.
Then we add such a delicious combination of spices, making it really hard to resist spooning it out of the jar. Yup, guilty!
But just in case you don’t have fresh garden tomatoes, I’ve included my cheater 5-minute ketchup recipe below using tomato paste- super fast and easy.
Homemade Ketchup Ingredients
- Tomatoes: This recipe works best with fresh garden tomatoes. If you don’t have any, see the cheater 5-minute ketchup recipe below!
- Red onion and garlic head: Look for a large red onion. Roasting the aromatics infuses the ketchup with sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Red wine vinegar: Or sub apple cider vinegar. For tanginess, and adds acidity to balance the sweetness.
- Real maple syrup: Adds rich sweetness to balance the acidity.
- Molasses: For rich, sweet, and smoky flavor.
- Spices: Paprika, allspice, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and a pinch of cayenne. Cayenne is optional, but adds a lovely subtle heat.
How to make homemade ketchup
Preheat the oven to 400F.
1. Chop tomatoes: Chop into 1-inch chunks and transfer to colander, tossed with a generous pinch of salt. Catch the juices and drink it!
2. Prepare the baking sheet: Line an extra large sheet pan with parchment paper. Chop the onion into 1-inch chunks and transfer to the pan. Slice the top of the garlic head off so the cloves are exposed and wrap in parchment. Place on the pan. Use your hands to press out any excess liquid from the tomatoes, then add them to the pan. Toss everything with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Roast: Cooking time will be about 1 hour. When done, the tomatoes should be caramelized, onion cooked through, and garlic tender.
4. Combine the mixture with the remaining ingredients: Carefully scoop the tomato-onion mixture (and liquid) into a medium saucepan. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their peels and add to the pot. Add vinegar, maple syrup, molasses, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and stir.
5. Blend and cook: Use an immersion blender to blend everything until smooth. Then turn the heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally. Partially cover the pot with a lid to prevent spattering. Cook 20-30 minutes until thickened.
6. Taste and adjust: Taste for salt (I usually add 1/2 teaspoon more), maple syrup, and acid (vinegar). Adjust to your liking.
Serving Suggestions
As one of the most popular condiments, there are so many uses for our homemade ketchup. Fries are one of the more obvious options. 🙂 Serve this jammy-roasted ketchup with our Polenta Fries or Sweet Potato Fries.
We also love this ketchup with a hearty burger, like our Bison Burger or Veggie Burger.
Or perhaps you enjoy ketchup with your Scrambled Eggs, Scalloped Potatoes, or Deviled Eggs. A little funky, but we even love serving our roasted ketchup with Caprese Grilled Cheese!
Once you taste the rich, sweet, and savory flavor, you’ll see that it can truly go with everything!
Storage
Ketchup will last 2 months in an airtight container in the refrigerator or can be frozen for up to 6 months. I have not tested canning this recipe.
Quick Cheater Ketchup
While I love our jammy-roasted ketchup, there are times when I don’t have fresh tomatoes, or I am just in a hurry. This is how you make 5-minute ketchup- in a bowl whisk the following:
- 6-ounce can of tomato paste
- ¼ cup maple syrup, more as needed
- ¼ cup water, more as needed.
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt, more as needed
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Optional: Embellish with sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, or chipotle!
FAQs
There are a variety of ways to prepare ketchup from scratch. We love this recipe because we roast the fresh tomatoes, onion, and garlic, giving this a distinct jammy-roasted flavor! The ketchup is then simmered on the stovetop. Our quick version simply whisks ingredients together in a bowl.
Two months in the fridge if sealed properly.
Tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt, spices, and seasonings. For the sugar, we use maple syrup, but you could also try brown sugar or honey.
It probably means you need to simmer it down further, allowing it to release liquid and thicken.
Store-bought brands like Heinz ketchup are highly processed, high in sweetener, and include ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. With a homemade recipe you get to control the ingredients.
Hope you enjoy our homemade ketchup! It is so much better than store-bought ketchup, promise!
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Description
How to make jammy roasted ketchup from scratch using fresh tomatoes. It requires only 15 minutes of hands-on time! Makes 2 cups. See the recipe post for a fast cheater version! Recipe adapted from Joe Yonan’s Cookbook
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Chop tomatoes into 1-inch chunks and place them in a colander, tossed with a generous pinch of salt. Catch the juices and drink it!
- Line an extra large sheet pan with parchment paper. Chop the onion into 1-inch chunks and place on the sheet pan. Slice the top end of the head of garlic so the cloves are exposed. Wrap the garlic with parchment and place it on the sheet pan. Press any excess water out of the tomatoes using your hand, then add them the sheet pan with the onion, tossing all with the olive oil with salt and pepper.
- Roast in the oven until the tomatoes are caramelized, the onion is cooked through and the garlic is tender, about 1 hour.
- Scoop the tomato-onion mixture and any liquid into a medium saucepan. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their peels and add to the pot. Add the vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, and give a stir.
- Using an immersion blender, blend until relatively smooth. Cook this over med-low heat to thicken, stirring occasionally, with a lid open slightly to prevent spattering, allowing it to cook off liquid and thicken, about 20- 30 minutes.
- Taste, adjust salt (I usually add ½ teaspoon more), maple syrup, and acid (vinegar) to your liking.
Notes
Feel free to play with the spices- I love adding ground ancho chili or chipotle for a smoky kick.
Ketchup will last 2 months in an airtight container in the refrigerator or can be frozen for up to 6 months. I have not tested canning this recipe.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 76
- Sugar: 7.1 g
- Sodium: 152.6 mg
- Fat: 3.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.6 g
- Fiber: 1.6 g
- Protein: 1.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
