Homemade Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe

This homemade sugar-free ketchup recipe is sure to please. Whether you have gone “sugar-free” to lose weight, control your blood sugar, or to eat healthier in general, you will love this recipe! It contains only fresh tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and spices. You can optionally add fresh onions too, even though this recipe uses onion powder.

When made with fresh tomatoes straight from the garden, this recipe is better tasting than the commercial varieties available, and you will be feeding yourself and your family real ingredients: no sugar or high fructose corn syrup. You can add a bit of non-sugar sweetener if you wish, but I have found that using various tomato types straight from the garden is plenty sweet without added sweetener.

So How Do You Make Sugar-Free Ketchup From Scratch?

Start by harvesting fresh tomatoes. They should be ripe or nearly ripe with solid red flesh and no soft or bad spots. Wash and set aside for now. This is not a quick recipe, but it is easy and so worth the effort.

Decide if you want to freeze or can your ketchup. Wash and organize your equipment for whichever method you plan on using. I have both frozen and canned this recipe in 4 – 8 ounce jars. After opening, it will keep for about 10 – 14 days in the refrigerator. Plan the size of your containers based on how quickly you expect to finish off a container.

Many recipes you will find will start with tomato paste, or if they use fresh tomatoes, they will blanch the tomatoes to remove the peels. I don’t do either.

After washing, remove the stems. Cut the tomatoes in quarters. Remove most of the seeds and liquid from inside the tomatoes. If there are a few seeds left behind, don’t worry about it. You will blend the ketchup after cooking, and this will take care of any strays.

Cooking Your Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe

Put the tomatoes in a large soups kettle or stockpot. Mix in all of the other ingredients.

Place on the stove over medium to medium/high heat. Heat until it just starts to bubble. Lower heat to maintain a simmer. Continue cooking at a simmer, frequently stirring, until the mixture has cooked down and is the thickness of commercial ketchup. Your ketchup will thicken a bit as it cools.

Finishing and Storing Your Homemade Ketchup

After the mixture is at the consistency you desire, use an immersion blender to break down the peels and any stray seeds that remained.

If you are planning on water bath canning your Sugar-Free Tomato Ketchup, it is a good practice to check the acidity level of the tomatoes. This is done simply by using PH strips dipped in the final mixture.

Follow recommendations for acceptable PH level for water bath canning method.

Transfer your sugar-free ketchup into either freezer containers. If you prefer, your ketchup can be canned by the water bath method, following instructions for tomato sauce. And of course, keep any leftovers out to use fresh!

Enjoy!