I love making this 5 ingredient quick homemade ketchup because it’s delicious and so much tastier and healthier than the store-bought version.
Can you believe that one can make Ketchup, at home, in under 30 minutes, with 5 ingredients, and have it taste delicious?!?
I certainly was in disbelief!
The first time I made this recipe, it was because we had a great tomato crop in our garden. Oh, and also, it was because we were all out of ketchup and we can’t have that!
Since, I love making lots and lots of dishes that include tomatoes (check this post out –> 10 ways to use fresh tomatoes), thought hey, why not make some ketchup?!
What ingredients do you need for homemade ketchup?
- Tomatoes – the better the tomatoes, the better the ketchup!
- Light brown sugar – adding a touch of sweetness
- Apple cider vinegar – gives it a nice zip/tangy flavor
- Paprika – this helps add an extra touch of flavor to the tasty tomatoes
- Worcestershiresauce – the secret ingredient that makes this ketchup the best (in my opinion)
I was so excited by how it turned out, I kept telling everyone ‘I made ketchup, it was SOOOOO good’ and they just kind of looked at me. But let me share my excitement with you!
All you do is put the ingredients in a pot, boil, stir a few times.
Then, blend it up and voila; you have yourself quick homemade ketchup! It’s so easy to make and so much healthier than store-bought.
And just like that, you’ll have quick and easy homemade ketchup and all you need is 5 ingredients that you just may already have in your kitchen.
This recipe has gotten such great feedback, my publisher asked that I include it in the ‘extras’ section of my cookbook Fast and Easy Five Ingredient Recipes: A Cookbook for Busy People.
5 Ingredient Quick Homemade Ketchup
Ingredients
- 1 cup tomatoes I used two big tomatoes and half a cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Core and cut big tomatoes into 4s. Put all ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil stirring occasionally.
- When mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let boil for 10 minutes. Then remove from heat allow to cool for 5 minutes, then either put in a blender or food processor (I used a food processor) and process until it is smooth in consistency (about 1 minute.)
- Then put in a container and serve. Refrigerate for storage. Lasts 4 weeks in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
- This recipe makes 1 cup of Ketchup.
- I only lightly cored the tomatoes, so there were a few seeds still remaining. If you want a more seed-free ketchup cut tomatoes and remove seeds before cooking.
- Also, I don't like sweet ketchups so I add a little extra salt, if you like a milder ketchup I would recommend cutting the salt in half or a quarter.
Nutrition
Diana says
Can I freeze the ketchup? And if so, how long will it last?
Thank you
Sweetphi says
I have never tried freezing ketchup, you could definitely give it a try. It would last for 3 months frozen. I’d love to know how it freezes/thaws for you if you give it a try.
Diana Winfield says
Great recipe had no cider vinegar so used red wine vinegar and just put through a sieve to remove skin and seeds after cooking . Also put shake of garlic powder in . Can’t believe how easy and delicious this is , far superior to bought ketchup.
Di
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Sheajhanna says
Can I use a can of diced tomatoes?
Sweetphi says
I’ve never tried that…I think they would be too watery. If you try, please let me know!
Sarah says
Well I only do this with canned diced fire roasted tomatoes and it is delicious!
I also never use Worcestershire sauce as I never have some.
Instead I do the recipe as is, without Worcestershire and I add Piment d’Espelette:) it is delicious.
Sweetphi says
Oh wow, I love the changes you make, sounds amazing, and thank you for the feedback!!
Donna says
What about the peals you didn’t say whether you peeled them or not?
Sweetphi says
Hi Donna. I leave the skins on 🙂
Lydia Brindley says
they get liquidised when you put it in the blender
Rhys gamache says
Hi I made this recipe and followed every single step but mine came out very runny, not sure how I made a mistaken, any idea to thicken it up a bit?
Sweetphi says
Did your tomatoes have a lot of liquid in them? That’s the only thing I can think of as to why it was liquidy…but to thicken it up a bit you could add some tomato paste or cook it down a bit
Temitope Peters says
Thanks huge for this recipe. It’s simple.
Sweetphi says
So glad you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Ole says
Yes, the most basic Ketchups are the best 🙂
Sweetphi says
🙂
Colin says
This is the best tomato ketchup in the world thank you so much for sharing
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for sharing your feedback, so glad you like it!
Krystyna Wnuk says
Hi there,
Thank you for sharing your wonderful receipe.
I have additional question, how long I can store the ketchup in the fridge? Thank you
Sweetphi says
You’re so welcome, glad you came across my recipe! I’d say this stores in the fridge for at least 2 weeks to a month 🙂
Farah says
Please direct us and tell us the quantity of water used. Thanks!
Sweetphi says
There is no water in this recipe
Jennifer young says
Just found this online and tried it, taste is great but it came out very watery and not thick like I would expect for ketchup. Any thoughts?
Sweetphi says
Hi Jennifer, that is the first I’m hearing it come out watery, so sorry that it turned out like that. I would think that this could be explained by the type of tomato you used. Did you happen to use a big tomato that was really juicy? That could explain it, because if I’m using big tomatoes I usually core them and don’t put in the centers. Hope that helps 🙂
JmAc says
DO you add any water to this
Sweetphi says
Nope, just the ingredients as listed – the tomatoes are watery enough 🙂
Sebastian welle says
Where I live there is.no Worcestershire sauce, any replacements ?
Sweetphi says
Thanks for the comment, I read somewhere that “2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice,1/4 teaspoon sugar and a dash of hot sauce for every tablespoon Worcestershire the recipe calls for” hope that helps!
Malin Andersson says
Oh I love this. I have never made homemade tomato ketchup. The Tomato homemade recipe looks very tasty and delicious. Amazing tomato ketchup recipe that, you have shared with us. I am going to try this at home in the coming weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Anders Svensson says
Homemade ketchup recipe is a great way to use up tomatoes cherry. I have never seen this recipe. I want to try this recipe at home. Thanks for sharing great recipe.
Sarah says
What a great recipe. I didn’t have apple cider vinegar. So I just used white vinegar and it was great. Next time I would definitely make more :). Having this tonight with some meat and vegetable pastries.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how much you enjoyed it! I’ve also made it with regular vinegar when I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar and it’s still great, isn’t it? Thanks again for commenting and for the feedback!
mwilkes says
I have always thought that home made ketchup was a waste of time and never believed all the cookery books and cookery writers that smugly proclaimed how much their kids love it. It’s got to be Heinz right? Except today I didn’t have any and its raining so I’m not going out and the kids are hungry right now. So I made this . And they love it. As much as Heinz they say. And I’m feeling a bit smug. Thank you for the recipe it’s easy and really tasty. ( I did substitute a pinch of cinnamon for the paprika)
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, thank you SO MUCH for coming back and letting me know how much you enjoyed it! I do have to say, your comment totally made my day! Isn’t it great to make this easy ketchup? The substitution sounds interesting, I’ll have to try that next time I make it 🙂 Thank you again for your feedback!
Kristy says
Can i substitute an oil for the vinegar due to food allergies
Sweetphi says
Hmmm, that’s a good question. The vinegar is used for the acidic flavors, and I don’t think oil would give it the same zippy flavor. Can you have apple juice? I would suggest subbing the apple cider vinegar for equal parts apple cider, or red wine would work nicely in place of the vinegar.
I’d love to hear how it turns out for you! Best of luck 🙂
Kristy says
I just finished making it and with a corn free apple cider vinegar. I also have a red pepper allergy and substituted the paprika with pepper and left the worc. sauce out but subbed it with onion powder. It turned out fantastic. Thank you so much.
Sweetphi says
That is such great news! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out and I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
I Wilkerson says
Great idea! I thought you’d need to boil homemade ketchup for hours. Alas my tomatoes are doing terribly–I have lots but they are all still green 🙁
Sweetphi says
I was surprised at how easy it was too! And sorry to hear your tomatoes aren’t doing that great…but hey, maybe if they’re still green now they’ll get ripe in a few days?
Helen says
Do you know if this recipe can be canned?
Sweetphi says
Thanks for commenting Helen, I actually did not make this recipe to be canned so I do not know if it could be canned or not.
Ashley says
Ooooo I love this! I’ve never done homemade ketchup!
haha and yeah – I get those looks all the time when I am so excited about some food or whatnot 🙂 Have a great weekend!!
Sweetphi says
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one that gets those look lol! Thanks so much for commenting girl, you should definitely try homemade ketchup, it’s awesome!!!
andrea rentea says
I like that there are no chemicals in this ketchup! Great and looks delicious.
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for commenting 🙂 It is definitely one of my favorite things I’ve ‘homemade’ so far!
Karis says
Love this idea. I’ve never tried homemade ketchup.
Sweetphi says
Thanks Karis! I was surprised at how easy and delicious it was, I would definitely suggest giving it a try!
Amanda says
This is brilliant!
Sweetphi says
Thanks Amanda! I was so surprised at how easy it was, it’s like boom, 30 minutes later and you have yourself homemade ketchup that doesn’t come with any of the crazy preservatives from the store lol! Thanks for commenting 🙂
cheri says
Hi Phi, I’m looking for ways to use up tomatoes as well, love this idea, I bet it is delicious!!!
Sweetphi says
Homemade ketchup is a great way to use up tomatoes Cheri! I’ve also been making pasta sauce and freezing it 🙂