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This homemade ketchup recipe tastes gourmet with little effort! Here’s how to make ketchup at home…with the best savory, tangy flavor.

Did you know you can mix up an incredible gourmet ketchup recipe…in the comfort of your own home? Introducing…the most delicious Homemade Ketchup! This glistening bright red sauce is bright, tangy, and a little smoky, inspired by a gourmet ketchup we dipped crispy fries into at fancy brunch. With a homemade ketchup, you know exactly what goes into it: no high fructose corn syrup or preservatives. You can also use a natural sugar like honey or maple syrup if you like (or good old brown sugar). Let’s do this!

What’s in a homemade ketchup recipe?

Ketchup, aka catsup or catchup, is a sauce made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and spices. Ketchup can be made with other ingredients, but tomato ketchup is by far the most popular (but did you know mushroom ketchup is a thing in the UK?). Tomato ketchup was invented in the early 1800’s, and the Heinz company started selling nationally back in 1876. So this tangy condiment has a long history prior to the 1950’s, when manufacturing made the mass produced version available in every grocery store.

There are two ways to make a homemade ketchup recipe: using fresh tomatoes, or using canned tomato sauces or pastes. This recipe uses canned tomatoes for ease of use. Here’s what you need to make your own ketchup:

Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Apple cider vinegar
White vinegar
Brown sugar, honey or maple syrup
Spices: Chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, allspice, smoked paprika
Cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Salt

How to make ketchup

The key to homemade ketchup is this: the glossy texture comes from straining it. You’ll need a fine mesh strainer to strain out the fibrous bits of the tomatoes. That’s really the only trick to this ketchup recipe! Otherwise, it just involves a bit of simmering. Here’s how to make ketchup at home:

Simmer all ingredients for 15 minutes, except the cornstarch and smoked paprika.
Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. This takes a few minutes, and you’ll need a spatula to force it through. You’ll be left with a thick, chunky paste, which you can discard.
Return to the pot and simmer with cornstarch. This thickens the mixture and helps it to become even more glossy.
Optionally, strain it one more time. To make it perfectly glossy, sieve it one more time: this time will be much quicker. Or, you can skip this step if you’re not picky when it comes to texture.

The key to this ketchup recipe: smoked paprika!

What adds that touch of flair to this homemade ketchup recipe? Smoked paprika. It adds a subtle smoky nuance to the finish of each bite. If you don’t already have this spice in your pantry, now’s the time to add it! It’s one of our top recommendations and we use it all the time (see our top 20 Smoked Paprika Recipes). Here’s a little more about this very special spice:

Smoked paprika is similar to the more common Hungarian sweet paprika, but it’s Spanish in origin. It’s made up of dried pimiento peppers that that are smoked over a fire, then ground.
It’s available at most grocery stores and may be labeled as any of the following: pimentón, Spanish smoked paprika or sweet smoked paprika.

Natural sweeteners for this recipe

Mass produced ketchup is known for having high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). So the best way to make ketchup without it? Make your own! This ketchup recipe is not overly sweet: it tastes just sweet enough. Pick from one of these various sweeteners when you make it:

Brown sugar adds a subtle molasses-like undertone
Coconut sugar works if that’s your sugar of choice
Honey is a great natural sweetener option (use local if you can)
Maple syrup is another great natural sweetner
Agave syrup also works if that is your preference

Let us know in the comments below what you used for making this recipe!

How long it lasts

How long does this homemade ketchup recipe last? Store homemade ketchup refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. The flavor even develops a bit over time! This recipe makes 1 ½ cups of ketchup, so if you’d like more for leftovers, make a double batch.

What to serve with homemade ketchup

What we love about this homemade ketchup is that it’s gourmet in flavor! It’s tangy, not too sweet, and a little smoky on the finish: perfect for dipping fries of all kinds! There’s nothing better than homemade ketchup and homemade fries. Here are some of our favorites for dipping:

Try our Ultimate Baked French Fries or Perfect Seasoned Fries
Go ultra classic with Homemade French Fries
Try these World’s Best Sweet Potato Fries (though we prefer these with a more savory dip)
Opt for unique Carrot Fries or Greek Fries
Go gourmet with Parmesan Truffle Fries

Of course, you can slather it on burgers too. Might we recommend Salmon Burgers, Mushroom Burgers or Chickpea Burgers?

This homemade ketchup recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.