Tomato Tomatoe

healthy homemade ketchup

Ketchup from the grocery store can be extremely high in sugars, corn syrup and they often contain natural flavours. I typically buy organic ketchup but this can get pricey. I’ve always been curious to try making ketchup at home but for some reason I thought it would be difficult. Turns out it’s one of the easiest things you can make and in my opinion it tastes much better than store bought.

You will immediately notice a difference with homemade ketchup in terms of the tomato flavour. The tomatoes shine in the homemade version because the flavour isn’t masked by loads of sugar and preservatives. I find it has a bit more of a tang and overall freshness. I also notice when eating store bought ketchup that it tastes like you’re eating spoonful’s of sugar. You will be really surprised by the difference in taste with this homemade version.

This recipe makes about 1 litre of ketchup. It will last about 3-4 weeks in the fridge. I don’t typically use a lot of ketchup in my every day eating. I mainly use it for hamburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches or oven baked “French fries”. As I don’t go through homemade ketchup quick enough, I like to freeze the ketchup into smaller containers. That way none of it will go to waste. This ketchup is so easy to make and uses only four ingredients. You’ll be so impressed with the results and I know that you will love the taste! You’ll also feel so much better eating it as it’s a much healthier alternative compared to store bought. The sugar content is much lower in the homemade version and it contains zero refined sugars. This version is also very economical to make!

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healthy homemade ketchup

Ingredients

• 2 6oz cans of organic tomato paste
• 3/4 cup of distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp filtered water
• 1/2 tsp of each: onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, cloves, paprika and salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 8 tbsp pure maple syrup

Directions

1. Add tomato paste, spices, vinegar, water and maple syrup to a saucepan. Heat on low and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
2. Let the ketchup cool completely and add to an air tight container.

Notes

1. This will last in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. The ketchup freezes well and will last in the freezer for 2-3 months.