GUYS. I am so beyond excited to share this recipe with you! Once you make homemade ketchup you will NEVER. GO. BACK. TO. STORE. BOUGHT. AGAIN. EVER…. EVER.
Okay truth be told, I have never liked store bought ketchup. It is sickeningly sweet to me and even though I would try it from time to time it was nothing I could ever get behind. And honestly this isn’t a bad thing, because ketchup is full of high fructose corn syrup and pretty much has no nutritional value. Yup, America’s favorite condiment is on the long laundry list of things responsible for our poor health… until today!
About three years ago I tried homemade ketchup and it changed the way I look at the world. No joke. Similar to my distaste for store bought mayonnaise, I just didn’t know what I was missing, what we are all missing out on until I made it myself. Homemade ketchup is tangy and complex. The cinnamon, allspice and clove transport it to another world and the pineapple juice and molasses give it a satisfying sweetness without being overpowering. Put it on fries, put it in homemade 1000 island dressing, put it on hot dogs, hamburgers and meatloaf. You know how to use ketchup already- in copious amounts.
Pineapple juice is not necessary for making homemade ketchup, but in this recipe it’s the secret weapon. Who would have thought pineapple juice in ketchup? Well let me tell you, I was in the garage retrieving some tomato paste and I saw a can of pineapples next to it. Yup, nothing fancy. It all just clicked for me. The sweet almost stickiness of pineapple juice would reduce down so nicely with the vinegar and tomato paste. And yes, I’ll admit to using canned pineapple juice. It won’t be my first choice next time, but it was worth using for the experiment. Next time I’ll be sure to buy a sustainably grown pineapple or buy a can of organic pineapple instead though!
Where to source homemade ketchup ingredients:
- Because homemade ketchup does not call for fresh tomatoes it can be made year round. I used store bought tomato paste, but to reduce how far my food has to travel to me I plan on growing my own tomatoes this year and canning my own paste!
- I can get onions pretty much year round where I live, but if you can’t find onions locally double the onion powder in the recipe. Similar to the tomato paste it is really easy to dehydrate onions and grind them into powder, just follow my dehydrating instructions.
- Get your molasses from a fair trade certified brand; growers of sugar cane are often not paid fairly for their labor costs and live in deep poverty. Many plantations have huge ecological damage as well.
- Make sure those spices come from a fair trade source as well! Frontier spices is a great brand to look into that can be found at a lot of super markets! Most spices are grown in third world countries, where developed countries take advantage of poverty and low labor costs.
- Pineapple juice is not available year round, but canned ones work fine too. Try and find an organic variety or just leave it out.
- Use raw apple cider vinegar if you have the chance. I really like Braggs brand! It still has the “mother” in it (the bacteria and yeast culture) that makes up the vinegar so you can continue to make your own vinegar with the mother and apples.
Yields 16
Homemade ketchup is worlds away from high fructose corn syrup laden store bought stuff. It's complex, vegan, spicy and sustainably made. You'll never go back!
3 minPrep Time
10 minCook Time
13 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 6 0z can of tomato paste
- 1/8 large onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4-1/3 apple cider or red wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon, clove and allspice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Pinch cayenne or pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Finely dice onion and mince garlic
- Using a heavy bottom pot saute the onion and garlic with vinegar for about 1 minute on medium heat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir continuously until ketchup starts to simmer.
- Turn down to low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
- Let cool and store in a glass container or consume warm!
