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This easy homemade ketchup recipe is an awesome way to use up your garden harvest. It’s savory, sweet, and tangy!
Homemade Ketchup Is a Treat
We’ve got nothing against store-bought ketchup in this house. I’m French Canadian, so that stuff is my gravy, baby.
But every year I find myself with an overabundance of grape or cherry tomatoes from my garden, and homemade ketchup is such an easy and awesome way to put them to use.
This recipe is more savory than most store-bought varieties, but it’s still got that sweetness we love. The best part is that the sweetness comes from raw honey—so you don’t have to worry about an undesirable amount of refined sugar.
I also like to simmer this good stuff with a clove—it adds depth and warmth to the flavor. Try it—you’ll see what I mean!
We love dunking the usuals into this good stuff, like air fryer French fries, chicken tenders, etc., and it’s great on burgers or in BBQ sauces.
How Long Does Homemade Ketchup Last?
This homemade ketchup recipe will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks if sealed in an airtight container.
If you want to freeze it, store it in a freezer-friendly container and it will keep for 6 months.
The Impressively Short Ingredient List:
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey or agave nectar
- A full clove
- Sea salt and cracked pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
The Gist on How to Make Homemade Ketchup
- Place all of your ingredients, from the tomatoes through to the clove, into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring it to a simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture has slightly thickened.
- Remove the clove with a slotted spoon and trash it.
- If you have an immersion blender, bring it to the saucepan and blend the mixture until it’s smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the mixture to a stand blender and blend it until it’s smooth.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve. Repeat to ensure a smooth ketchup.
- Finally, stir in the Worcestershire sauce.
- Transfer the ketchup to a glass jar with a lid or some kind of container, and refrigerate it until it’s cooled and thickened up a bit more.
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Immersion blender or stand blender
- Strainer
- Spoon or spatula
- Storage jars
Recipe Tips + Tricks
- You don’t have to limit yourself to grape or cherry tomatoes! I like using them because I always have a large harvest from my garden. But you can use fresh beefsteak, roma, or San Marzano if you have access to them. Just remember, the more flavorful the tomato, the more flavorful the ketchup. Be sure to avoid canned tomatoes—they won’t bring the greatest flavor.
- Feel free to play around with this recipe. You can add heat by dusting a pinch of cayenne into the mix; to add some East Asian flare, drizzle in some Sriracha sauce; for smokiness, a few dribbles of liquid smoke will do the trick.
- The ketchup will thicken up a bit as it cools in the fridge. But if you want a thicker texture, whisk two tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/4 cup of cold water. Once the ketchup has been run through the sieve twice, return the ketchup to the stove and bring to a low simmer. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the ketchup until you have the consistency you want.
You Can Use This Ketchup Recipe in the Following Recipes:
- Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Saucy Korean BBQ Beef Skewers
- Instant Pot Korean Pulled Pork
- Super Tender Ground Turkey Meatloaf
Have You Made This Recipe?
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4.84 from 6 votes
Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe
By: Dana Sandonato
This easy homemade ketchup recipe is an awesome way to use up your garden harvest. It's savory, sweet, and tangy!
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Blending: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
- 20 oz grape or cherry tomatoes (about 3.5 cups), cut in half
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup raw honey or agave nectar
- 1 full clove
- 1 tsp sea salt
- A few cracks of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Add all of the ingredients, from the tomatoes through to the clove, to a medium saucepan. (Save the Worcestershire sauce for the end.)
Bring the contents to a simmer over medium heat and let it cook, stirring occasionally, for approx. 25-30 minutes—until the mixture has thickened up a bit.
With a slotted spoon, remove the clove and discard it.
Using an immersion blender, blend the cooked tomato mixture until it's nice and smooth. If you're using a blender, carefully transfer the mixture to the blender container and blend until smooth. (Be careful when blending hot liquids. Don't overfill the blender container; if you have to blend in batches, do so.)
Push the mixture through a sieve into a heat-safe container. For an even smoother consistency, run through the sieve a second time (recommended).
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, and chill before serving. The mixture will thicken up in the fridge, but if you want a thicker consistency, see the recipe notes.
Notes
Thickening your ketchup: The ketchup will thicken as it cools and sets in the fridge. But if you'd like it to be extra thick, after step five, transfer the ketchup back to its saucepan. Bring it to a low simmer. Mix 2 TBSP of corn starch into 1/4 cup of cold water, and slowly whisk the mixture into the ketchup, whisking until you get the consistency you're after.
Nutrition
Serving: 1TBSP | Calories: 26kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g
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