We LOVE ketchup in my house. French fries, chicken, grilled cheese, eggs, sausages, burgers and leftover roast beef sandwiches – we pretty much put ketchup on most savoury foods in general.
But, the amount of sugar and salt in store bought ketchup is pretty alarming. I starting adding up a year’s worth of ketchup consumption in our house and realized there’s no way we should be eating that much added white sugar, corn syrup and salt in a condiment alone.
So, I decided to make homemade ketchup with real ingredients like garlic and onions instead of their powders and honey instead of white sugar or corn syrup. The result is a winning recipe that is thick and smooth in texture and powerfully flavourful that even my son thinks tastes better than the store-bought kind. He honestly does. And it just has to be healthier for you.
Homemade Ketchup (honey-sweetened)
Adapted from Jo Lusted’s Dish Do-Over Cookbook
- 1 (720 mL) jar of tomato passata
- 1/2 of a medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of honey (tip: wipe a bit of veg. oil with a paper towel on the inside of your measuring cup before measuring honey and it will slide right off)
- 1/4 cup of balsamic or red wine vinegar (*see note)
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp. pink Himalayan salt or sea salt
- rounded 1/4 tsp. allspice
- 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on spice preference)
- pinch of each cinnamon & ground cloves
- 1 (156 mL) can of tomato paste
In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients, except the tomato paste and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and stir in the tomato paste.
Return to heat, bring to a boil and simmer for another 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Store in a jar with a good seal on it for up to 2 months in the fridge (if it lasts that long in your house!).
*Note: Balsamic vinegar will give you a bolder, richer taste in your homemade ketchup where as red wine vinegar will give you a lighter, more traditional ketchup taste. Choose whichever you prefer.
In my opinion, fried egg sandwiches just aren’t the same without a good dose of this homemade ketchup.
