If you’d like to make your own homemade ketchup but it sounds like too much work, you are going to love this recipe. This Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe tastes great and takes only five minutes to whip up.
Ditch the HCFS, loads of sugar, and suspicious “natural flavors” of the store bought ketchup brands without spending a load of time!
Yes, today I’m sharing a Homemade Ketchup Recipe with you, and it’s so simple, you aren’t going to believe your eyes.
Making Favorite Foods Healthier
Since we’ve been on a candida diet, I’ve worked hard and remade some of our favorite foods into sugar-free alternatives.
We’ve ended up with some great recipes like my Homemade Chocolate Chips, Dairy-Free Ice Cream, Homemade Jello, Gummy Candy, and Homemade Marshmallows, plus Homemade Unrefined Powdered Sugar and more.
This Homemade Ketchup Recipe, however, has been one of the better additions to our repertoire of processed food re-dos.
Partially because we love ketchup so much, but also because it is just so simple.
My family LOVES ketchup.
Ketchup, typically being loaded with high fructose corn syrup, is one of those foods that needed a redo.
Well, truth is, my boys and I love ketchup, while my hubby is more of a mustard and hot sauce fan. Over the years I’ve tried to make homemade ketchup a number of times, but I’ve always fallen short.
Either the recipe was “off” or it just took way too much time to replicate and keep on hand.
One of the recipes I tried was so loaded with oil that it has a thick solid layer on it after I stored it in the fridge. That one sure didn’t go over too well with any of us.
Ick.
Why You Need this Recipe
Anyhow, If you’ve ever perused homemade ketchup recipes on the internet, then you know what I mean by them taking “too much time.”
The majority of ketchup recipes have you blending tomatoes or tomato paste with a bunch of spices and then simmering for a looooong time, and sometimes you have to put the spices in a little spice bag and simmer that way. If I can avoid things like “little spice bags” tied up with string and still get a good product, then I am all for it.
That’s just the life of a busy whole foodie mama, you know? I love good food but a “loads-of-time-on-my-hands-gourmand” I am not.
Since I don’t often have a looooong time to wait when I am throwing dinner together, or worse yet, I remember at the last minute that we’re going to a potluck and my kids are going to be eating hotdogs (our own natural ones, of course), I need simple recipes like this.
I mean, my kids are really fine eating the hotdogs plain because they are already a treat, but if they can have ketchup and mustard on them they they are thrilled!
Why Make Homemade Ketchup
The main reason to make your own Homemade Ketchup is to have control over the ingredients. And the cost of the organic, healthier, or low-carb varieties can be pretty astronomical.
I am not thrilled with the ingredients in store-bought ketchup. Even the organic varieties like this one, have loads of sugar in them and since we are all on a low-to-no-sugar diet, that doesn’t work for us.
Plus, store-bought ketchup often has “natural flavors” added. That can be a catch-all for very benign food items like parsley extract, but it can also be code for “MSG-type” substances. It’s kind of a pain to always be calling companies to ask what their flavors are so I prefer to make my own :).
With this super simple ketchup recipe you can literally toss all the ingredients together within a minute or two and have homemade sugar-free ketchup ready–almost as quick as you can say “ketchup” or “catsup” or–whatever.
Did you know that both words are derived from the Chinese word “ke-tsiap” which is a “fish sauce? Look at that–a recipe and a linguistic lesson in one post :).
On with the easy homemade ketchup recipe…
The inspiration for this recipe came from this one at Deep Roots at Home.
I was on my perpetual hunt for a good easy homemade ketchup recipe when I finally found one that worked pretty well.
I changed it up a bit and now we can have ketchup any time we want!
Voila!
There you have it — Easy Homemade Ketchup in a flash, but you don’t need to wait forever for it.
My kids are sooo happy that we have ketchup around much more frequently now, and my youngest seriously dips EVERYTHING in it. For awhile he was taking to dipping his carrot sticks in it and today he was dipping crackers in it too!
Who am I kidding? I was dipping right along with him :).
We have a cookout later this week so you can bet we’ll be toting this ketchup with us.
My son thinks these Easy Baked Chicken Nuggets should be on the menu this week so we can dip the nuggets in ketchup :).
Other Processed Food Alternatives:
Following are some other fabulous processed food alternative that I think you will find helpful for healthifying your home.
Powdered Sugar Substitute
Homemade Chocolate Chips
Homemade Marshmallows
Our Favorite Salad Dressing – Five Ways
Recipe Notes
- Sweetener: Any healthy sweetener can be substituted for the xylitol and/or stevia. Read How to Substitute Sweeteners. Although xylitol works for low carb, vegetable glycerine does as well. If you would prefer to use only one sweetener, that is fine, just double the amount, of course.
For a low-glycemic option, use organic yacon syrup or a dash of stevia extract.
Use 1/2 – 3/4 the amount of honey or maple syrup for paleo. - THM: This recipe is a “fuel pull” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
Easy Homemade Ketchup - sugar free and low-carb options
Ingredients
- 7 oz tomato paste (approx. 3/4 cup)
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp xylitol (or to taste - use 1/2 T honey for paleo)
- 1 drop stevia (1/64 tsp - 1/2 scoop; or to taste; see stevia usage info here)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp granulated garlic (if using powder, use 3/8 tsp)
- 3/4 tsp granulated onion (if using powder, use 3/8 tsp)
- 3/16 tsp allspice
- 1/2 Tbsp molasses (optional. I used blackstrap)
- 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2/3 cup water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a bowl.
- Stir to blend completely.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Drop a comment below and let me know what you think about this ketchup!
Without all the ingredients, it turned okay. I’ll shop for the Stevie products you recommend – I have the small pckgs. of powdered. I’ve been off sugar for 3 mos. and recently made meatloaf – it needed catsup! What I put together will
do till I get to the store.
Thanks, Judy–what did you not have? I hope it works for you!
Can this recipe be made and put in the freezer for later use? If so how is the best way to store it there?
Hi there–I’m not a food storage expert but you should be able to freeze it just like any other homemade ketchup recipe. I’m reading that you can store it typically 3 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer and that some people freeze it in ice cube trays and then break up the cubes and freeze. So I think it’s up to you. I haven’t tested any of these methods with this recipe.
I’m so excited to make this.
Thank you,
Mary
Hope you like it!
This recipe sounds wonderful but we can’t have the molasses 🙁 I realize it provides a richness that would be missed. But have you heard from anyone else who made it without the molasses? Thanks!
It’s still good….are you allergic to it?
No. We’re on the “Know The Cause” diet which is anti fungal (no sugar in any form, no wheat, dairy, legumes). So at least for the next month or so we’re following it very closely. Thanks!
Got it! I would just try it without. Hopefully you will like it!
I have substituted Swerve brown sugar when without mollasses and recipes turn out okay. I would eliminate the Syevia sweetener and add if you felt more is needed.
Hi! I was wondering how long can you store this in the fridge for?
I’m reading 2-3 months but it will depend on how much salt and other ingredients you use. I am reading about 2-3 months, but I think that is on the long side. I would guess more like one but would be careful about that as well. We use ours up so fast I never notice!
Soooo easy to make and it tastes AMAZING! Thank you!!
So glad you liked it – thank you! 🙂
Thank you looking for great recipes for candida diet to substitute for other store bought things that are not good for the body. During the cleanse. And after stages 123 and 4 thank you
You are so welcome. There are many more here and I am working w/ a company that is coming out w/ a candida protocol soon. Feel free to stop back and inquire about it. I’m hopeful but it sure is a complicated thing!
Could I use erythritol? Thank you for the recipe and your time.
Yes, for sure! Just it’s about 30% less sweet compared to sugar / xylitol. Enjoy!
how long will this keep in the refrigerator?
Hi there. I can’t really make shelf life claims but I think it should last a few weeks. Just keep an eye on it and don’t eat it if it smells or looks “off”. Enjoy!
Great, I am going to make this since I really like ketchup on a lot of my food. But I don’t like the high fructose corn syrup.
Hope you like it as much as we do!
This is delicious even without any sweetners. Thanks!
So great!!
I finally made a batch of this ketchup! I was out of allspice, so I used same amount of gram masala. Oh my goodness, this is the best tasting ketchup EVER! So quick and easy…DELISH !!!
So happy – yay! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share!
can honey be substitued for molasses?
Yes, but molasses adds a depth of flavor that I think you will like!
The linked vegetable glycerine does not look like it is labeled or sold as a USP/food grade item. I’d be unsure of using that particular product in this recipe.
Hi Becky – I contacted NOW Brand and they assured me that their glycerine is all the same and if I remember correctly they discontinued their one labeled for food. I just updated the Recipe Notes above the recipe to give some other options for those who would rather purchase another type. Hope that helps :).
How can you say this is “no sugar added” when it clearly calls for sweetener. Usually when someone is looking for a no sugar added recipe, they are not talking about just cane sugar or corn syrup, imo. I’m looking for a truly sweetener-less (including artificial sweeteners) recipe, something that uses an ingredient that is naturally sweet.
Hi there. We make it with stevia which isn’t an artificial sweetener nor is it sugar. Hope that helps! Sorry for the delay in responding–I didn’t have the ability to respond to comments for a long time and just got it back so trying to catch up. 🙂
Thank you so much. I have candidia and have been trying different recipies for several years. This one fits the bill. Now all I need is a burger roll lol.
So glad you liked it! I can see what I can do about the roll! We use large lettuce leaves often :). This flax bread could work: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/focaccia-flax-bread/ . Not a roll, but…..
Wonderfullymadeanddearlyloved dot com has an air fryer classic sandwich bun recipe that looks good. Keto and diabetic friendly too.
I look forward to trying this. Do you have a no sugar BBQ sauce recipe??
It’s in the works actually! I have this recipe that has one but the photo is horrid and the recipe is pretty good, but I have an amazing one coming soon – you might wish to subscribe here to get it when it’s ready: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I will be updating my EO research soon too hopefully :).
Here’s the BBQ recipe: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/oven-barbecued-chicken/
Sorry for the delay–I got behind on comments and then we had a glitch on the blog where I lost a bunch but we got them back finally :).