Homemade Ketchup Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated Aug. 09, 2018
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Heinz has totally spoiled me. When Erin asked if I'd be interested in starting up this new "Sauced" column, I started racking my brain about what condiment to tackle first. I could think of nothing more fitting, more ubiquitous, than ketchup. You hardly ever stop to think about what goes into making ketchup. Usually, a bottle of Heinz is just hanging out in the fridge and, well, it tastes exactly the way it should.

So I started this recipe from the ground up, reading ingredient labels on common ketchups, tasting them, and researching the process of making it. The fruits of this labor was something simple to make and tasted great.

While nothing will replace a flavor so ingrained in our psyches as Heinz, this ketchup had its own appeal. It was brighter and fresher than bottled ketchup, with a natural tomato flavor that had just enough spice to clearly define itself as ketchup over any other tomato sauce. The wife and I enjoyed a plate of fries with this ketchup, alongside another dish with Heinz. We happily went back and forth between the two, appreciating each for its own uniqueness.

Recipe Facts

4.3

(3)

Cook: 75 mins
Active: 60 mins
Total: 75 mins
Serves: 32 servings

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped medium

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée

  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato purée, brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, mustard, cloves, allspice, and cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of ketchup, 45 to 60 minutes.

  2. Place ketchup in the jar of a blender and purée until completely smooth.

  3. Wash and dry saucepan, then place a fine mesh strainer over top. Pour ketchup in the strainer and, using a spatula, force through all of the ketchup.

  4. Taste ketchup and adjust seasonings if necessary. Pour ketchup into a jar, seal, and store in the refrigerator for 3 weeks up to a month.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
31 Calories
1g Fat
6g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories 31
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 1%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 28mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 6g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 129mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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