Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe with Fresh Tomatoes

This gluten free, easy homemade ketchup recipe with fresh tomatoes has no cane sugar or corn syrup. It is sweetened using agave nectar, a low glycemic and diabetic friendly sweetener.

If you prefer not to use agave, you can substitute another liquid sweetener such as coconut nectar, honey or real maple syrup.

Confession: I actually misplaced the ketchup recipe I have used in the past… but with the help of my friend Ruth, I came up with an even better one!

This is a great way to use all those fresh tomatoes this time of year! We grow our own, but if you don’t have a garden fresh organic tomatoes can usually be purchased by the case at your nearest farmers market.

 

This recipe is:

• Gluten Free
• Corn Syrup Free
• Cane Sugar Free
• 100% natural, healthy ingredients!

 

Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe

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Recipe makes approximately 12 cups of ketchup

Ingredients:

• 16 cups pureed fresh tomatoes (about 8lbs of fresh tomatoes)
• 2 medium onions
• 1 large bulb garlic
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2-1 cup agave nectar or honey
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

 

Directions: Puree tomatoes (see note about tomatoes below), onion and spices in a high powered blender or food processor. My Vitamix 5200 is my favorite tool for this job!

Pour into a crock pot with the agave nectar and vinegar. Cook on high until thickened – in my Cuisinart it takes 12-16 hours using a mix of sauce and slicing tomatoes. The ketchup will need more time to thicken if you are using slicing tomatoes with a high water content than if you just use sauce tomatoes (such as Roma, San Marzano, Amish Paste).

For freezing, continue cooking until the ketchup is the exact thickness you prefer. If you will be canning, your ketchup will thicken a little more in the canner.

Taste and add more spices, agave or vinegar if desired. Puree a second time, strain out seeds if desired, and pour into bottles or jars.

 

 

Since this homemade ketchup recipe does not have sugar, it won’t last as long in the fridge. For maximum freshness, I suggest freezing or canning in amounts you can use within two to three weeks.

The high vinegar content makes this recipe safe for canning. I use regular tomato times for water bath canning (be sure to look up the correct canning time for your elevation!).

Note: As mentioned above, sauce tomatoes such as Roma, Amish Paste or San Marzano will yield a thicker ketchup. I like to use 65% sauce tomatoes with 35% heirloom slicing tomatoes to add flavor and make the perfect blend!

If you will be making a lot of ketchup, I’d recommend buying the spices in bulk. I get mine from Azure Standard.

Note: We also have a roasted tomato ketchup recipe that you can find here. It has the same basic ingredients as this easy homemade ketchup recipe, but uses a different process. The tomatoes are roasted and the extra liquid drained off, which gives a thicker ketchup than this recipe while omitting the crock pot. My husband now prefers the roasted tomato recipe, so that’s mainly what I make now.

 

The Tools I Use:

A high powered blender is really helpful for this recipe. If you don’t have one, the tomato skins can instead be strained out with a colander or mesh strainer, or removed from the tomatoes prior to cooking. The blender saves a step, which I appreciate in our busy household!

 

 

 

Enjoy your fresh, homemade ketchup!

-Kait