Homemade Ketchup From Fresh Tomatoes – With No Refined Sugar

Making homemade ketchup from fresh tomatoes is easy to do and requires very little work.

Not to mention that it is much healthier for you than most store-bought varieties.

Plus this recipe uses no refined white or brown sugars. Therefore, all the sweetness comes from the tomatoes themselves along with a small amount of honey.

Ever since we posted our recipe for Homemade Ketchup in a Slow Cooker, we have received several requests for a ketchup recipe that takes less time to make.

So we decided to share our homemade ketchup from fresh tomatoes recipe that is made on our stove top.

Homemade Ketchup From Fresh Tomatoes

A lot of homemade ketchup recipes that take less than 30 minutes to make require tomato paste as the main ingredient.

I have tried a few different recipes like that and have found that the ketchup didn’t taste like the store-bought varieties at all.

In fact, the ketchup tasted like flavored tomato paste.

So I decided to stick with making ketchup from fresh tomatoes instead.

Yes, it takes a little bit longer, but the taste is well worth the extra time.

The Tomatoes

You can use any variety of tomatoes to make ketchup. However, the best and quickest way to make homemade ketchup from fresh tomatoes is to use paste tomatoes.

That is because paste tomatoes have thicker walls and less water content in them than standard slicing tomatoes.

Therefore, when cooked down, the paste tomatoes produce a much thicker substance than other tomatoes.

However, you can still use other varieties, including cherry tomatoes. It will just take longer for the homemade ketchup to thicken.

The Other Ingredients

No ketchup recipe would be complete without vinegar. That is what gives ketchup that familiar tang taste.

And in order to keep this homemade ketchup healthy, there is no refined sugar added. Instead we use honey as our sweetener.

Add in a little onion, garlic, brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and you have all the ingredients that you need.

The Cooking Process

Now that you have your ingredients, it is time to get cooking!

But first, you must core and chop your tomatoes. We cut our tomatoes into quarter sections.

Then holding each section over the sink, squeeze out most of the seeds and juices. Place the tomatoes in a large stockpot.

Next add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 30-60 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down completely.

Use an immersion blender to puree the ketchup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could transfer the mixture to a high powered blender or food processor.

Just be sure to only fill the blender half full, working in batches if needed.

Continue to simmer the homemade ketchup to the desired consistency. Remember though, the ketchup will also thicken when it cools.

Storing the Homemade Ketchup

Once the ketchup has had time to cool, place in air-tight containers. We store ours in wide mouth ketchup bottles for easy pouring or squeezing.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. You can also freeze the homemade ketchup for up to 6 months.

If you would like to can the ketchup, you must increase the amount of vinegar to 3/4 cup. Then process in pint jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude as necessary.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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