There is nothing better than having baked potatoes dipped in ketchup to snack on. And it makes it even better when you’re dipping your potatoes in homemade ketchup. It tastes so divine almost like store-bought ketchup and this one is even so easy to make! It takes little to almost no effort at all. I will tell you everything about this ketchup and guide you how you can make it at home too.
Why make your own ketchup?
First of all, homemade foods are always so much better than store-bought ones. The work you put into the process will give it much more appreciation. Second, I’m trying to make as many products as possible from scratch at home to avoid as much as possible all the chemicals and preservatives we eat from the products we shop for.
If we consider everything we consume store-bought, there are so many ingredients that I don’t even recognise. I’m trying to find the least processed products and create homemade versions of them whenever it is possible. And I’m actually enjoying every bit of making my own homemade food.
What type of tomatoes to use for homemade tomato sauce
I don’t worry too much about the varieties of tomatoes to use. I usually mix different types of tomatoes that are easily available. As long as the tomatoes are ripe and red they are good to go for me. Mixing a different kinds of tomatoes will deepen the taste and burst in flavour.
I will be growing my own tomatoes even this year, so I’ll be sowing two different types of tomatoes so I can make more of this divine homemade ketchup to last over next winter.
How to prepare homemade ketchup
This recipe is so easy to follow and it takes about 45 minutes to one hour the cooking time and then added preparation time is 10 minutes.
First, we need to prepare and wash the tomatoes and then juice them in a blender or with an immersion blender. I used juices to juice the tomatoes the first time, it took such a long time to juice all the tomatoes, so blending is the fastest way to do it. And remember to strain the tomato pulp out of the tomato juice.
Turn on the hob and let the tomato juice boil on low heat, mix once in a while to make sure it is not burning. Approximately after 45 minutes you will see the tomato juice thicken, mix in well all the seasoning. Let the ketchup still boil for another 10-15 minutes until the thickness of the ketchup is desired.
This homemade ketchup will have a more grainy texture than store-bought one, if you’re like me and prefer smooth tomato sauce. Blend the sauce in a blender, if using Vitamix or another blender you can use hot liquids. You can blend the ketchup immediately on a high setting for a minute. Otherwise, wait until the tomato sauce has completely cooled down and then you can blend it.
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe you can find here my recent Easy Granola recipe!
Homemade Ketchup
Equipment
- Blender or Immersion blender
- Strainer
- Pot
Ingredients
- 2 kg Variety of Tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Garlic granules
- 1 tsp Onion granules
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cloves ground
- 2-3 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes well with brush and water. And then juice the tomatoes in a blender or with an immersion blender and strain the pulp out.
- Turn on the hob on low heat and slowly boil the tomato juice for about 45 minutes until it starts to thicken and resemble tomato sauce. Mixing occasionally to make sure the tomato juice does not burn.
- Add all the spices and apple cider vinegar and mix well. Let the ketchup boil for another 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough for your taste.
- If you want smooth ketchup, after removing the ketchup from heat, blend it in Vitamix for a minute on high speed. If using other blender that you can't blend hot liquids, wait until the ketchup has cooled down completely and then blend.
- Enjoy this best homemade ketchup with baked potatoes and other veggies!
