Making your own sugar free ketchup is super-easy. This recipe is delicious, healthy and tastes surprisingly sweet. Move over, Heinz – keto ketchup is taking your place!
Darling, would you like a spoonful of sugar with your chips?
Yes, seriously.
Shop-bought ketchup. Friends, most varieties contain a full teaspoon of sugar per serving!
And do you ever eat your burger, hot dog or french fries with just one serving of ketchup? On goes another dollop half way through, then one more on the plate for the chips. Once you’re at it…
Of course, you can buy sugar free ketchup in the shops. However, many brands use artificial sweeteners, so be sure to check the labels. And even amongst the stevia sweetened varieties I have not yet found a single brand where I truly enjoyed the taste. There’s always that strange aftertaste.
The solution is simple: Make your own homemade ketchup!
My keto ketchup recipe is so easy and tastes much better than your old Heinz. As tomatoes already have lots of natural sugar in them, home-made ketchup tastes sweet even without adding anything other than spices.
All truly great restaurants make their own ketchup, by the way. They don’t just fill it into a pretty jar. You know that moment when you take the first bite and think, wow, that tastes kind of different, special, amazing, actually? The tell-tale sign of home-made ketchup.
Does sugar free ketchup have carbs?
Tomatoes contain between 1.6 and 2.7 grams of net carbs per 100 grams, depending on the variety. Nearly all of these carbs come from the natural sugar in the tomatoes. Therefore, there is no such thing as ketchup without carbs.
However, my homemade ketchup recipe is very low in carbs. 1 tablespoon contains only 0.7g net carbs. In comparison, 1 tablespoon of Heinz comes in at 3.5g net carbs.
In the picture below you can see all my ingredients!
How to make sugar free ketchup – step by step:
1.) Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Put the lid on and cook on a low heat for 30 minutes, stirring regularly.
2.) Puree with an immersion blender for a smooth consistency.
That’s it!
The Tomatoes
I recommend that you use good quality tinned chopped tomatoes or passata (blended tomatoes). My favourite is an Italian brand called “Mutti” and I get it from Ocado. The budget brands often have a sour taste and you’ll definitely have to add additional sweetener to balance this.
It’s possible to use tinned whole tomatoes. Simply blend them before using.
You can even use fresh tomatoes for this recipe if you wish. It adds a little extra work, but would taste great if you use a sweet variety of tomatoes. The ones one the vine are normally quite good.
Make sure you blanch them first by pouring boiling water over them. Then remove the skins plus the hard green bit at the top. Cube them and proceed with the recipe as above.
Turnip Fries
Not a vital part of this recipe, but I’m sure you’d like to know. The fries in the picture are NOT potato, but turnip.
Simply peel and chop the turnip into thick potato fry shapes. Toss in a few tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and paprika (and a little cayenne pepper if you like). Turnip is paler in colour than potato, so the paprika gives it just the right hue.
Roast in the oven at 200 C / 400F for around 20 minutes or until browned. The oven time will depend on how many fries you’re roasting and how thick you’ve cut them.
Recipe Variations
See this recipe as a starting point for your own flavour experiments.
First of all, you must decide how SWEET you like your sugar free ketchup. I think it’s great without sweetener. But if you prefer a sweeter finish, do add 1 – 2 tablespoons of golden erythritol. It’s most similar to brown sugar, which works really well here.
Instead of the apple cider vinegar, you can also use white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar.
Here are some other spices and ingredients that you can use in this sugar free ketchup recipe:
– ginger
– coriander / cilantro
– chili powder
– celery salt
– fresh onions (in place of the onion powder)
– garlic powder (in place of the fresh garlic)
– Worcestershire sauce
– Sriracha
– roasted red pepper
– smoked paprika
How to store sugar free ketchup
The vinegar in the ketchup helps preserve it. Mine stayed fresh in a closed jar in the fridge for two weeks (then it was gone). My guess is that it would probably last even longer.
Should your keto ketchup separate during storage, simply give it a stir so the water on top gets incorporated again.
Just a thought – if you wanted to make a big batch you could freeze it in ice cube trays and store for 3 months or longer.
Fun ketchup facts
– The first recorded ke-tchup recipe was from China in 544 A.D. It called for the bladder, stomach and intestines of a yellow fish, shark and mullet to be mixed in a jar with plenty of salt and put out into the sun for 20 days.
– By the time British settlers in Fuji discovered ketchup, the recipe had been simplified into a pungent liquid made out of salted and fermented anchovies. Basically, it was fish sauce. A far cry from this keto ketchup recipe!!!!
– Early versions of western ketchup were made out of shallots, oysters, walnuts (Jane Austen’s favourite) or even mushrooms, famously found in Beeton’s Book of Household Management that first reached the open public in 1861. The recipe requires mushrooms, salt, pepper, allspice and brandy.
– The first known written recipe for ketchup involving tomatoes was created by the horticulturist James Mease of Philadelphia in 1812. He called tomatoes “love apples”.
– Because of its acidity, ketchup can be used to actually polish metal or silverware.
Take a look at my other sugar free sauces!
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Sugar Free Ketchup
Ingredients
- 14 oz / 400g tin good quality chopped tomatoes or passata just tomatoes!
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 garlic clove mashed
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 pinch ground allspice
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp golden erythritol optional ***see notes
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.
- Stir frequently until sauce thickens.
- Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for circa 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
Pramod jangid says
This information was very helpful so i learn something always new from this page.
Reneé says
Just made this ketchup and it’s delish!
Katrin Nürnberger says
so glad you like it!!
Colleen McGrath says
Hi Katrin,
Awesome recipes, they are simple ,straightforward and very tasty. Love this ketchup, Thank you.
Kayla says
This is such an amazing recipe!! it was the best ketchup recipe ive had, and its so EASY and CHEAP to make!! Love it!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Thanks for your comment! I guess the type of tomato used can have an impact on taste and some are sweeter than others. This will then impact the amount of acidicy needed. Glad you made the recipe work for you!
Pamela Shorland says
Hello Katrin,
i am absolutely loving so many of your recipes as they make following a Keto lifestyle so much easier and possible to stay on track.
I particularly appreciate the recipes for the staples like this tomato ketchup, sweet chilli sauce, blueberry jam etc and some of your sensational bread recipes. I haven’t found a Keto mayonnaise recipe yet – if you are inspired to experiment.
I am also so looking forward to making some of your desserts!
My question for you today is that in your notes for this ketchup recipe you mention you made yours with red wine vinegar. The label on mine (a quality one with no added sugar) says it is 3 g carbohydrates per 1 tablespoon, yet under your nutritional facts the carbs are stated as 1.3 g per tablespoon. Have you taken the difference between using red wine vinegar and normal or apple cider vinegar into account in the nutritional advice? I would love to use red wine vinegar for the added flavour though am concerned about the ‘sneaky little carbs’ that one often forgets about in the total count – especially over the day if one is trying to stay in ketosis. Your perspective would be appreciated.
Katrin says
Hello Pamela, thank you so much for your, and and I’m really glad you like my website on the recipes. The nutrition I calculated for this catch up is for 1 tablespoon of ketchup, which will only contain a small amount of vinegar. Therefore, I don’t think it will make much of a difference which type of vinegar you use. I would just to make sure that it is a quality one and that you check the label to see if it contains any hidden sugars- but you are doing that already anyway!
marilyn says
BALL COMPANY HAS A Frechtech Harvest pro sauce maker.it saves a lot of time.when making tomato sauce or ketchup.also can put rasberries thru it to remove the seeds.
Cara says
I make this ketchup regularly. So simple and delicious!
Vicki Wick says
How many cups of chopped fresh tomatoes would be in this recipe?
Katrin says
400 grams of tinned tomatoes are around 2 cups. I’d think that if you used fresh chopped tomatoes, you need to use about 4 cups to make 2 cups of passata. Then you’ll end up with about 1 cup of ketchup.
Beth says
What is the serving size for your nutritional values?
Katrin says
It’s one generous tablespoon per serving:)
Alyssa Balch says
Best way to store this and how long does this keep in the fridge?
Katrin says
I use a glass jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge. As it does not contain preservatives, I’d say you can keep it for a week, provided you use a clean spoon to scoop it out. I’m sure you could freeze it too if you wanted to make a larger amount.
Lianne says
Great recipe – thank you. I have been looking for a UK recipe without sugar (and also without any artificial sweeteners) and stumbled on your blog. Made it yesterday for my boys who are all ketchup addicts and they loved it!
Katrin says
That’s great! It’s one of those staples I love. It’s easy to adapt it as well and keep it interesting by adding different spices
Tabitha says
So I don’t have Dijon mustard at the moment and unfortunately can’t get it at the moment. Do you perhaps have any tips for making this without the Dijon?
Katrin says
If you have powdered mustard, you could use that instead. Otherwise, just make it without mustard. I’m sure it will still be nice.
Dan Allen says
I’ve made a very similar recipe but instead of mustard used chilli powder and paprika.
1/2 tsp of chilli and 1tbsp smoked paprika will add piquancy to these numbers.
Dan Allen says
Also, push it through a sieve and it will come out looking like (and having the ‘mouth feel’ of ) shop bought ketchups if you want that.
Katrin says
What a great tip! Thanks for sharing this here. I’ll definitely do this next time I make it.
Ella says
How long will this keep and where should it be stored?
Katrin says
I store mine in an airtight container in the fridge. 1 week is fine – mine has never lasted longer
Claire says
I am trying to get my children off eh sweet supermarket ketchup and this recipe looked great. I added half a grated Apple to up the sweetness to a little more like what they are used to and its delicious!! Trying with in them with chips tomorrow
Katrin says
That sounds like great idea! Thank you for sharing
Seren says
I wanted to make fermented ketchup with whey as its healthier and lasts longer. All the recipes I found online had loads of sugar in or honey (which is sugar). Do you think I could add whey to this recipe? I might try it anyway! If anyone knows if you can, please let me know – I’m new to fermentation 🙂
Katrin says
Hi Seren, the only fermented food I’ve ever made is sauerkraut, so I cannot be of much help. I’d say just give it a try with the whey and see how you get on!
Nina says
On another note how would one make fermented turnips if you have any experience
Katrin Nürnberger says
Same as you would make sauerkraut – you cover them in salted water and let them ferment over a few days. It’s really easy, you just need a bit of patience!
Linda says
I’m new at this, so need a little more direction, if you’d be so kind. Do you prep the tomatoes at all? Cut into pieces or just put in the pot whole? Wouldn’t there be tomato skins in the mixture once they cook down? Could you cook the tomatoes first, strain them (to remove the skins), then put in the pot with the other ingredients to simmer/cook down?
I’m anxious to try this, and appreciate any help.
Katrin says
If you want to use fresh tomatoes, I would blanch them (pour boiling water over them) and remove the skins and the little green bit at the top, then cube them, add the spices and cook down until the mixture thickens. You might have to blend the sauce at the end to get a smooth consistency. Using fresh tomatoes would be great, just make sure you use a variety that is tasty and sweet. The ones on the vine usually work well. The cheap salad tomatoes sometimes taste of nothing!
I actually used tinned chopped tomatoes. They just kind of cooked themselves into a sauce.
Thank you for your comment though, I will go back into the recipe instructions and make them more specific.
Megha says
Ketchup is my favorite condiment, but I haven’t been able to use it lately – this is the best find of the day! Thank you Katrin!
Katrin says
We love it, and it’s easy to make. Great you like it!
//Katz says
Just made it and it tastes awesome!