My Homemade Ketchup is a healthy pantry staple that’s much healthier than store-bought. You can use it in so many ways! We enjoy it in salad dressings, barbeque sauce, and as a dip. I created this recipe when I had no access to healthy ketchup. Necessity truly is the mother of invention!
There are so many healthy options on the market, but they can be expensive. It’s always nice to have an easy, do-it-yourself version!
Table of Contents:
Benefits of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a must-have in any kitchen. They’re versatile, and you can use them in all kinds of dishes. One of the main ingredients in this recipe is tomato paste or concentrated tomatoes.
Tomatoes aren’t just delicious, though. They’re full of many fantastic health benefits. The list could go on and on, but here are a few of my favorite things tomatoes bring to the table.
Tomatoes Can Improve Your Heart Health
Red tomatoes can improve your cardiovascular health. That one should be easy to remember! It turns out that lycopene, the compound responsible for a tomato’s hue, can promote better heart health. Studies show that skimping on your lycopene consumption can increase heart disease risk. (1)
Lycopene can also help reduce oxidative stress, which also contributes to heart problems and is brought on by several factors, including an overabundance of free radicals. (2)
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death across the board, and we have to use the natural gifts God gave us to fight back! (3)
Tomatoes Can Boost Your Eye Health
Our society is technologically advanced, and while this provides us with many benefits, it also puts a lot of strain on the eyes. If you’re one of many people who spend hours in front of blue-light screens every day, you may want to listen up.
Tomatoes are full of vitamin A, which your retinas need to stay strong. (4) Lycopene, which we already know promotes heart health, can also reduce your risk of eye cataracts and support good vision health. (5)
Tomatoes Can Improve Your Skin
One little-known fact about tomatoes is that they can help you look your best. One study showed that ingesting tomato paste with olive oil helped boost collagen and prevent UV damage. (6)
The antioxidants in lycopene attack free radicals that can prematurely age delicate tissue and cause stress to skin cells. (7) No matter how clean your environment is, you can’t totally eliminate free radicals. Including bioactive foods, however, can help reduce their effects and keep you looking (and feeling!) your best.
You should note that these wonderful benefits are experienced when you consume tomatoes in their purest form, not doused in sugar like many store-bought kinds of ketchup are.
Healthy Condiment Ingredients 101
This recipe uses basic pantry ingredients to create a healthy condiment. You probably have most of these things in your kitchen already! Feel free to add and subtract ingredients to fit your family’s preferences.
For example, some of our Natural Living Family members love adding a little ground mustard, while others substitute fresh onions for onion powder. Get creative!
Organic Tomato Paste: This simple ingredient creates thick ketchup that rivals any store-bought version. Tomato paste is just cooked-down tomatoes, so you get all of the fantastic benefits this fruit offers.
Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar: A splash of vinegar gives our homemade ketchup just the right amount of tang. When purchasing ACV, get the kind with the “mother.” This kind of vinegar often has a cloudy substance on the bottom of the bottle.
The “mother” contains natural probiotics that can help improve your gut health. A healthy gut is linked to great skin, an improved immune system, and so much more! (8)
Sweetener: One of my best cooking hacks is to use multiple kinds of sweeteners. This gives recipes a full-bodied flavor! In this recipe, our primary sweetener is organic stevia. Stevia is a great natural sweetener that’s free of calories and blood sugar friendly.
We also use another type of sweetener. You can choose from organic raw local honey, Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, or organic coconut sugar. We’ve had great success with all of the above!
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: Traditional table salt undergoes a rigorous harvesting process that strips it of trace minerals. These minerals help your body to thrive! We recommend using Colima sea salt because it’s hand-harvested. This process keeps the good stuff intact!
If you don’t have sea salt on hand, you can always use pink Himalayan salt.
Organic Spices: A great blend of spices gives this ketchup a traditional flavor. We use garlic powder, onion powder, and allspice. You may not associate allspice with ketchup, but the earthy flavor pairs well with tomatoes.
If you like a little spice in your life, you can add a little cayenne pepper.
Purified or Distilled Water: Tap water often contains toxins that lead to congenital disabilities, diabetes, dental issues, and more. We recommend filtering your water to avoid all the junk! Many excellent in-home filtration systems make purifying water a breeze.
Make Homemade Ketchup
This recipe comes together in just minutes. It’s as simple as blending a few ingredients. The best part? You can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks! I love doubling this recipe since my kids use a lot of it.
Healthy Homemade Ketchup (Vegan)
Supplies
Ingredients
- 1 6-8-ounce can organic tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons organic unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Grade A Dark Amber maple syrup, organic OR Christmas Cookie Blend OR 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic granules OR 4 cloves organic garlic, pressed
- 1 teaspoon organic onion powder
- 1 serving (⅟16 teaspoon) organic powdered stevia OR 1 dropperful plain liquid stevia
- ¼ teaspoon organic allspice
- ⅔ cup purified OR distilled water
- ⅛ teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Place the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, stevia, allspice, purified water, and cayenne pepper (if using) in a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks in a tightly covered container
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Step One: Blend Ingredients
Place the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, sea salt, garlic granules, onion powder, stevia, allspice, purified water, and cayenne pepper (if using) in a blender. Blend until the mixture reaches the desired consistency.
This recipe creates a pantry staple that can be used in my Homemade French Dressing, as a dip for sweet potato fries, or in my Sweet and Sour Chicken.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22158914/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16569044/
- https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3546623/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12921892/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20854436/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6475749/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC3337124/
