The Lunch Lady
Homemade ketchup
Smooth, tangy ketchup made with tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and a little honey. A small saucepan batch for fries, burgers or homemade barbecue sauce.
Published
- Servings
- About 1 1/3 cups
- Total time
- About 15 minutes, plus chilling
Ketchup with a side of fries
If your kid eats ketchup with a side of fries, this one's for you. We made a two-gallon batch in the school kitchen. At home, one small can of tomato paste gets you about a cup and a third.
Whisk everything together cold, bring it to a gentle simmer and give it five minutes. Then check the thickness. A little water loosens it. A little more time on the stove thickens it.
Let it chill before you make the final call on the flavor. A little honey if it's too sharp, a splash of vinegar if it's too sweet. You can also use a cup of it in the barbecue sauce for chicken tenders, or mix some into Epic burger sauce.
In the kitchen
Recipe video
Home recipe
Homemade ketchup
The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer
- Servings
- About 1 1/3 cups
- Prep time
- About 5 minutes
- Cook time
- About 10 minutes, including bringing it to a simmer
- Total time
- About 15 minutes, plus chilling
Equipment: Small heavy saucepan, whisk, measuring jug and an immersion blender if needed
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go.
Instructions
Whisk and simmer
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a small heavy saucepan while cold. Break up the tomato paste until the mixture is smooth.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, then lower the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom so it does not catch.
- If it needs smoothing, use an immersion blender with the blade fully submerged. Tilt the saucepan carefully if needed to give the blade enough depth.
- Check the finished amount in a heatproof measuring jug. Aim for about 1 1/3 cups. If there is more and it tastes thin, return it to the pan to reduce a little. If it is too thick or the yield is short, whisk in water a teaspoon at a time.
- Let it cool, then refrigerate until chilled. For the most settled flavor, leave it overnight before making final adjustments. Taste and add a little honey if too acidic, vinegar if too sweet or water if too thick.
Recipe notes
- The spices are tiny in this batch. Keep the cloves and cinnamon to very small pinches so they stay in the background.
- The five-minute simmer follows this week's school batch. Thickness is the better guide than extra time on the stove.