I decided to try this as I was running out of Aylmer’s Ketchup, my favourite, and I couldn’t find it any longer. I was not disappointed. Just a little bit of zip!

I am grateful to Toni Dash, whose original recipe I have adapted here.

Print Recipe

Homemade Ketchup

A simple yet tasty recipe made from wholesome ingredients.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: North American
Servings: 16 oz
Calories: 51kcal
Cost: $2

Equipment

  • Saucepan or hot pot (optional)
  • Cheese cloth and twine (optional)
  • Electric skillet
  • Fine mesh strainer (optional)
  • Food processor or immersion blender
  • Mason jar(s) (optional)

Ingredients

Main

  • 900 g tomatoes (2 lbs) Roma/paste/Italian recommended, chopped
  • 125 g onion peeled and chopped

Spice bag

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cloves
  • 6 g cinnamon stick
  • ¼ tsp allspice whole (if ground, add with other ingredients)

Herbs and spices

  • 2 Thai peppers
  • 10 g garlic scapes or 1 garlic clove, or to taste
  • ¼ tsp celery seeds
  • ¼ tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste
  • 4 oz apple cider vinegar
  • 45 g demerara style brown sugar (15 tsp) or light brown sugar

Instructions

Optional preparation

  • At your option, remove tomato skins using one of the following procedures.
  • A. Heat sufficient water in the sauce pan or hot pot to immerse a few tomatoes at a time. Dip each tomato in the boiling water using a fork, tongs, slotted spoon, or other suitable tool just long enough for the skin to scald and begin to peel off. It may help to score the skins with a knife prior to immersing the tomatoes.
  • B. Frozen tomatoes are easily peeled by running the tap over them just enough to thaw the skins but not the tomatoes themselves. Use a knife to score each tomato once the skin has thawed and use this as a starting point for peeling.

Main instructions

  • Prepare a small cloth bag using the cheese cloth and twine into which spice bag ingredients can be placed for later easy retrieval. (The alternative is to fish these things out manually.)
  • Place ingredients and spice bag (or individual ingredients, as the case may be) into the skillet, heat carefully until liquid is generated, at which point bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, until onions are cooked, ca. 30 minutes.
  • Remove the spice bag spices and run the mixture through the strainer to remove the seeds, at your option. Cook another 30 minutes or until the desired consistency has been obtained.
  • Blend to a purée and bottle in a mason jar or the like.
(1 oz serving)