Homemade Ketchup
on Sep 11, 2024, Updated Jun 09, 2025
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When it comes to condiments, ketchup is the undisputed main squeeze 🍅. Whether you love it, avoid it, or simply don’t vibe with the taste or texture, you can’t deny that ketchup is one of the most universally consumed foods across the globe 🌎.
Unfortunately, the evolution of ketchup has also come with the evolution of additives and preservatives to extend its shelf life. That’s why my Homemade Ketchup recipe is the ultimate guilt-free way to enjoy this classic condiment. You won’t believe how incredibly simple it is to make something you’ve never considered making at home. So, ketchup with the times and try this homemade version 😉!
Why You’ll Love Homemade Ketchup
Think of this Homemade Ketchup as store-bought ketchup’s elegant and sophisticated cousin. Rich, thick and smooth, this homemade ketchup recipe is not only foolproof and low-effort (my fav combo 😏) but also fully customizable. You can tweak it with your favorite spices, add a bit of heat, adjust the acidity and control the thickness. I mean, anytime I can add my own personal touch to something, I feel like I’m winning. Trust me, once you give this Homemade Ketchup recipe a try, you’ll kiss the supermarket version bye-bye ✌️.
How to Prepare
🍅 In a saucepan on the stove, combine tomato paste, water, vinegar, honey, onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined, and then bring the mixture to a simmer over low/medium heat.
🥫 When the mixture starts simmering, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes.
❄️ Once the ketchup has thickened, remove it from the stove and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a container and refrigerate for at least a few hours before using it.
🫙 Store the homemade ketchup in the fridge in an airtight container for at least 4 weeks.
Nonna’s Tip 🥫
You can use any sweetener you prefer, such as brown sugar, regular sugar, honey, or even maple syrup. The level of sweetness or tartness in your ketchup will be entirely up to you.
Homemade Ketchup Variations and Substitutions
- Feel free to use any sweetener you prefer, such as brown sugar, regular sugar, honey 🍯, or even maple syrup. The level of sweetness or tartness in your ketchup will be entirely up to you.
- Add your favorite spices and herbs to this Homemade Ketchup recipe to really make it your own. Cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, mustard powder, basil, oregano or thyme are just a few possible options.
- Mix this Homemade Ketchup with some Sriracha for a spicy 🌶️ ketchup situation.
- This homemade ketchup recipe can be made with tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. However, the taste, texture, and cooking time will differ as the tomato sauce is much more watery and will need more time to thicken.
- Add Worcestershire Sauce for some added flavor and depth.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- Let’s get the obvious first choice out of the way – FRIES. SERVE THIS WITH FRIES!
- On a juicy, delicious burger 🍔 or a good old hot dog 🌭. For a complete homemade meal, check out my Homemade Burger recipe or Turkey Burger recipe.
- Alongside some Crispy Chicken Fingers.
- If you’re a real ketchup fanatic, you’ll know that ketchup and eggs go together real bad. Serve this Homemade Ketchup with your favorite breakfast egg variation, like my Cheesy Eggs or Feta and Potato Omelet.
Common Questions
Homemade ketchup typically lasts about 3 to 4 weeks in the refrigerator. If you want to extend its shelf life, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
The rule of thumb is that the better the quality of the ingredients, the better the outcome. If possible, use high-quality Italian tomato paste for this recipe.
Absolutely. You can customize the sweetness by adding more or less honey or other sweeteners according to your taste.
If your ketchup is too thick, simply thin it out with some water or vinegar until you reach your desired consistency.
You can use any sweetener you prefer, such as brown sugar, regular sugar, honey, or even maple syrup. The level of sweetness or tartness in your ketchup will be entirely up to you.
Homemade Ketchup
Video
Ingredients
- 6 oz tomato paste , Italian
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup vinegar, apple cider is fine too
- 4 tablespoons honey, to taste
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan on the stove, mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Bring mixture to a simmer over low/medium heat.
- Once simmering, reduce the heat to low, semi-cover it and continue to cook for 20 minutes.
- Once thick, take it off the stove and cool for 10 minutes before pouring into a container of choice. Now, place it in the fridge to chill for at least a few hours before using.
- Store ketchup in the fridge in an airtight container for at least 4 weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was absolutely delicious, will definitely make it again.
Could I use brown sugar or molasses instead of honey?
Brown sugar will work 😊
Looking forward to trying home made ketchup
Please report back Connie. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Just want to clarify if you mean pasatta sauce or tomato paste? Thanks 🙂
Tomato paste 🙂
Where is the tomato paste from, processed? I don’t understand? Was there a pre recipe for the tomato paste made from scratch?
It’s not processed it’s pure. I use the Mutti brand.
My family loved this! Love an EASY + healthy condiment option!
I made this with apple cider vinegar and it turned out great! 🙌
Let me tell you. I was a big big fan of ketchup from a bottle. Then I was like, DUDE… how hard can it be to make your own.
Found this recipe and changed my life. My hot dogs never tasted so good!
Very vinegary. It didn’t taste balanced to me at all.
Sorry to hear! If you’re up for trying this again, you can customize your ketchup by adding more sweetener and reducing the amount of vinegar to balance out the tartness. ❤️
I couldn’t get enough of this Ketchup!