We use a lot of ketchup at our house and several years ago, I began thinking about all the high fructose corn syrup contained in commercial ketchup. That’s when I decided to start making my own, which is super easy. Stevia replaces the high fructose corn syrup found in store-bought brands. The key; however, is to tweak the ingredients to match your favorite store brand since all of them taste differently.
The following is a basic recipe but you may want to add more stevia, vinegar, or salt to replicate your favorite brand and taste. Once you get it to your liking, keep track, write it down, and you are all set for future batches. Some may think that making your own ketchup is going to extremes; however, the way I look at it is knowing what I’m feeding my family is important. In addition, the time and money invested in a healthy diet equal less time and money spent on hospital bills as a result of poor eating. I hope you enjoy making your homemade ketchup. Here’s the basic recipe:
In a food processor, combine 1- 29 oz. can of tomato sauce, 2- 6 oz. cans of plain tomato paste, 2 cups of white vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons of stevia, a dash of onion powder, and a dash of Chipotle pepper or Cheyenne pepper. Blend well to combine. You could also use just one large can of tomato paste and add 1 cup of vinegar and season to taste and thin with water or more vinegar. Now, take your favorite ketchup and taste side by side and tweak your homemade ketchup to match the store brand, i.e., add more stevia, or salt, or vinegar. Once you have it the way you like it, write it down and you will always have the exact measurements to fit your taste.
Once you have perfected the taste, using a funnel or measuring cup, pour the ketchup into an empty 64 oz. ketchup container that has been rinsed out and cleaned. The best way is to purchase a 64 oz. bottle of your favorite ketchup and save the bottle.
Once you have filled the bottle with your homemade ketchup, seal tightly and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for weeks just like regular ketchup.
I always keep plain tomato sauce, tomato paste, vinegar, and stevia on hand in the pantry so that I can quickly mix up a new batch when needed.
Now we can use ketchup on our favorite foods without the worry of consuming too much high fructose corn syrup. In addition, ketchup is actually a healthy condiment when you make it yourself. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 15 min.
Requires no cooking
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: Makes almost a full 64 oz. bottle of ketchup
Ingredients:
1 29 0z. can of plain tomato sauce
2 6 oz. cans of plain tomato paste
2 cups of white vinegar
2 tablespoons stevia (more if you want a sweeter ketchup)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash of onion powder
dash of Chipotle pepper or Cheyenne pepper
Note* You will need to adjust the stevia, salt, and vinegar to match your favorite brand and taste.