Vegan Ketchup | Sugar-Free
Making your own Vegan Homemade Ketchup is SO easy to do with only a few ingredients in about 10 minutes. With this refined sugar-free ketchup, you get to control exactly what goes into it.
Making your own ketchup is healthier because it allows you to control the ingredients, avoiding added sugars and preservatives found in store-bought versions. It’s perfect for dipping and drizzling, offering a fresher, more flavorful alternative that enhances any meal.
You are going to love this ketchup to use with other recipes like our oil-free french fries and healthy black bean burgers.
Sugar in regular ketchup
Did you know that regular ketchup is loaded with sugar?
A tablespoon of store-bought ketchup averages around 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon which is more than a typical chocolate chip cookie. Yikes!
Thankfully, there is a way to make delicious refined sugar-free ketchup in your own kitchen with only a handful of readily available ingredients.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Naturally Sweetened: This vegan ketchup is sweetened with pure maple syrup, offering a delicious alternative to refined sugars for a healthier, more wholesome condiment.
- Perfectly Balanced Flavor: The maple syrup adds a subtle, natural sweetness that enhances the rich, tangy taste of the tomatoes, creating a perfectly balanced ketchup.
- Refined Sugar-Free: Enjoy the taste of classic ketchup without any refined sugars, making it a better option for those seeking a cleaner, plant-based lifestyle.
Ingredients you will need
- Tomato paste- Provide a rich, concentrated tomato flavor and a smooth, thick consistency. It serves as a flavorful base, allowing the ketchup to have a deep, savory taste while reducing the need for lengthy cooking times compared to fresh tomatoes.
- Maple syrup- Used as a natural sweetener that adds a unique depth of flavor, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes. It provides a healthier alternative to refined sugars, making the ketchup not only delicious but also a more wholesome condiment for your meals.
- Vegan Worcester sauce- Adds a complex, savory flavor to dishes, enhancing the umami profile without the use of animal products. It typically contains a blend of ingredients like vinegar, tamari, and spices, making it a versatile condiment for marinades, dressings, and sauces, and perfect for those following a plant-based diet.
- Apple cider vinegar- Brings a tangy acidity that brightens the overall flavor and balances the sweetness of the other ingredients.
- Spices- Onion powder, garlic powder, ground yellow mustard, and allspice help create the robust flavor profile of this homemade ketchup.
Tips & Substitutions
- Sweetener- Date paste can be substituted for maple syrup at a 1:1 ratio.
- Cooking- When making this ketchup, make sure to cook it for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavor from the raw spices to develop a rich bold flavor.
- Careful- Once the ingredients begin to boil in the saucepan, turn it down a bit to keep it from bubbling out onto the stove or your hands.
- Cool it- Allow the freshly cooked ketchup to cool, and chill it in the refrigerator for a few hours before using it.
How to make naturally sweetened ketchup
STEP #1: Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan on medium-high heat, and whisk together well.
Allow the ingredients to come to a low boil. Once boiling has begun, you can reduce the temperature if needed. You’ll likely need to do this to keep it from boiling out onto your stove or skin.
Continue to whisk for a few minutes as the spices begin to marry up.
STEP #2: Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool.
Pour the ketchup into an airtight jar or container and refrigerate for at least a few hours before using it. This is the awesome glass ketchup bottle pictured. I love that the lid locks down airtight to prevent spills in the refrigerator. And, it looks pretty cool for serving too.
Your Questions Answered:
Yes. All of the ingredients used in this recipe are free of animal products which makes it vegan. Regular Worcestershire sauce is not vegan because it contains anchovies, but I recommend vegan Worcestershire for this recipe.
This recipe calls for maple syrup instead of table sugar. Compared to regular ketchup which has 4 grams of sugar per Tbsp, this ketchup has only 1 gram of sugar per tablespoon.
Absolutely! Simply replace the maple syrup with 1-2 dates that have been pureed in a blender. One tablespoon of date paste has approximately 6 grams of sugar.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days.
Recipes To Use Vegan Ketchup
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Vegan Ketchup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup or to taste OR 1.5 Tbsp date paste
- 1/2 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon of dry yellow mustard
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan on medium-high heat.
- If using date paste in place of the maple syrup, the ratio is 1:1, so 1.5 tablespoons.
- Whisk together well. Take a peek at the cooking demo below of me showing how to make this recipe.
- Allow the ingredients to come to a boil.
- Once boiling has begun, you can reduce the temperature if needed to keep it from boiling out onto your stove or skin.
- Continue to whisk for a few minutes as the spices begin to marry-up.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour into an airtight jar or container and refrigerate for at least a few hours before using. This is the awesome glass ketchup bottle pictured in this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Terri, I’m in the process of making this again for Easter dinner tomorrow. Just wondering how it makes 2 cups (or 4 – I’m doubling the recipe) if there isn’t 2 or 4 cups of liquid ingredients (counting tomato paste) in the recipe. And you lose some to steam in the 5 minutes you’re cooking it! Perhaps at my advanced age I’m cyphering incorrectly!
Betty- That was a typo and is fixed now. This recipe makes about a cup (16 tablespoons). Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Can I make this recipe with fresh tomatoes from my garden & can it.
Hi Teri- Yes, using fresh tomatoes from your garden sounds delicious.
Hi terri,can this be put into a cleaned out ketchup bottle it II delish!!don’t want to waste any feel like it would work great in a squeeze bottle
Hi Sue- It sure can!
Hey! Any ideas how I could make this a hot and spicy ketchup? Thank you for your help😊
Hi Linda- To make it spicy, you might add cayenne pepper to the mix. That should give it a punch.
Can you substitute lemon juice for the vinegar at a 1 to 1 ratio in this ketchup recipe?
Hi Collene- Yes, I think lemon juice would be a good substitute.
Great recipe, any idea how long it will last in the fridge?
Hi Marie- This should last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to up to 10 days.
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t tried freezing it but think it should do just fine.
Please explain how this recipe is sugar free? Based on your quote ” A tablespoon of store-bought ketchup averages around 4 grams of sugar” if that’s true then store bought has less sugar.
Per Wikipedia a tablespoon Maple Syrup has 14 grams of sugar.
Hi Bob- A Tbsp of store-bought ketchup has about 4 grams of sugar. This recipe calls for 1.5 Tbsp of maple syrup and produces 2 cups which would be 32 Tbsps. So 21 grams of sugar (in 1.5 Tbsp of maple syrup) ÷ 32 servings of ketchup = .66 grams of sugar per tablespoon for this ketchup recipe vs regular ketchup’s 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon.