How to make ketchup? This ketchup recipe is really easy to make and I use fresh tomatoes to make it. Use it on burgers and as a fry dip.

I don’t know why I felt like making a homemade ketchup recipe, but, here it is.

Ketchup is easy to find in stores and it isn’t expensive either.

Yet, I felt the need to make it at home

A mason jar with homemade ketchup recipe and a ketchup bottle in the background

“Look, Ma! I made ketchup”.  I have always wanted to say that and now I can.

Ketchup is so simple to make and has only a few ingredients.  I tend to add more ingredients just to keep it interesting.

In this recipe, I added Apple Cider Vinegar, fresh tomatoes, roasted red bell pepper and red onions.

The true hero of this recipe has to be the fresh roasted bell pepper.  What a difference it makes!  It gave my ketchup a smoky and sweet flavor which is exactly what Ketchup needs.

Overhead view of a roasted red bell pepper - ketchup recipe

Can ketchup go bad?

The store bought ketchup has a long shelf life.  You can put it in the refrigerator and it will be good for at least a whole year.  That sounds good, doesn’t it?

On the other hand, my ketchup recipe is homemade and free of preservatives.  This means that it has a short shelf life.  It tastes so good, so, I normally just eat it up within days.

I have found that if I refrigerate this ketchup, it will be good for about 3 weeks.

Fries on a baking tray topped with the homemade ketchup recipe

Can you add mayo to make it?

I wouldn’t recommend adding mayo to this ketchup.  First, mayo is not vegan, so, its not  useful in this recipe.  If you use a vegan mayo in this recipe, I still don’t recommend it.

Mayo reduces the shelf life of this ketchup.  Also, the consistency is going to be on the creamier side.  I like the slightly runny texture of my ketchup recipe.

When I set out to make this homemade ketchup recipe, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I had to experiment with various ingredients until I finally got the right ones mixed together.  The key here is to use red onions and not yellow onions.

Also, I used canned tomato sauce to give it a little thicker consistency.

This is not to say that store-bought ketchup is bad or wrong.  Once in a while, I would like to try my own version of this condiment.

Try this ketchup with my eggplant chips recipe! Or my sweet potato wedges!

So, what do you think of “how to make ketchup at home”?  Will try making it at home?

Ingredients needed

  • 6 plum tomatoes (Use campari tomatoes if you can)
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/2 lime
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce or 3 tsp of tomato paste
  • 2 tsp olive oil for roasting the bell pepper
  • 1 tsp olive oil for roasting the onions
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 Thai chili (Optional)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or agave

How to make ketchup?

1) Preheat the mini oven to 300 degrees

2) Baste the outside of the bell pepper with the oil

3)Put the bell pepper on aluminum foil and place it in the mini oven

4) While the bell pepper is roasting, chop the onions finely

5) Heat a medium saucepan and add the olive oil

6) Add the onions and saute them until they are translucent. Set aside

7) Remove the bell pepper after about 20 minutes or until the outside begins to look charred

8) Wait for the bell pepper to cool down a little and then remove the outside skin

9) Put the bell pepper in a food processor

10) Remove the stem of the Thai chili

11) For plum tomatoes, cut each tomato into half and squeeze the juice + seeds out.

12) Add these tomatoes to the food processor

13) Add the sauted onions and all the other ingredients into the processor

14) Using the Pulse setting, make sure that the mixture is pureed completely

15) Once the mixture is all blended together and has a thick consistency, remove from the processor

A mason jar with homemade ketchup recipe and a ketchup bottle in the background

How to make ketchup

Rini
A super easy homemade ketchup recipe
Go Ahead, Rate it now!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 2 cups
Calories 151 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 plum tomatoes Use campari tomatoes if you can
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/2 lime
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce or 3 tsp of tomato paste
  • 2 tsp olive oil for roasting the bell pepper
  • 1 tsp olive oil for roasting the onions
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 thai chili (Optional)
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or agave

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the mini oven to 300 degrees
  • Baste the outside of the bell pepper with the oil
  • Put the bell pepper on aluminum foil and place it in the mini oven
  • While the bell pepper is roasting, chop the onions finely
  • Heat a medium saucepan and add the olive oil
  • Add the onions and saute them until they are translucent. Set aside
  • Remove the bell pepper after about 20 minutes or until the outside begins to look charred
  • Wait for the bell pepper to cool down before peeling the outside skin
  • Put the bell pepper in a food processor
  • Remove the stem of the Thai chili
  • For plum tomatoes, cut each tomato into half and squeeze out the juice + seeds out.
  • Add these tomatoes to the food processor
  • Add the sauteed onions and all the other ingredients into the processor
  • Using the Pulse setting, make sure that the mixture is pureed completely
  • Once the mixture is all blended together and has a thick consistency, remove from the processor

Notes

2 Weeks shelf life in the Fridge

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 480mgPotassium: 789mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 3680IUVitamin C: 115.3mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1.5mg
Keyword Can ketchup be made at home, easy ketchup recipe, is ketchup vegan
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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21 Comments

  1. I’ve made my own ketchup for a few years now. Once you taste how fresh it is homemade, you can’t go back. I even did a ketchup tasting party once last year. I can’t wait to try your recipe. It looks great! Thanks for sharing it.

  2. There must be something in the air (or we all just have way too many tomatoes harvested)– Kerry just posted a ketchup recipe on our blog today too! I like that yours has roasted red pepper in it- I bet that makes it taste very delicious!

    1. Thank you, Jamie. I have to tell you that the roasted pepper was the best thing in this recipe. Without it, the Ketchup would not even have been half as good.

  3. I’m not a big fan of ketchup, but this looks worth trying! I also recently saw a plum ketchup in a recipe book that caught my eye. But the condiment that’s on my to-make list? Sriracha! 🙂 Stick it to those Neanderthals! 😉