🍅 Homemade Healthy Catsup (Ketchup)
By Chef Charles Knight
Skip the corn syrup, artificial flavors, and excess sodium. With just a few pantry ingredients, you can make your own ketchup that’s fresher, healthier, and you can perfectly tailor it to your taste.
🍅 Discovering Homemade Ketchup
The idea of preparing my own ketchup came from our dear friend Joy Harris. LeAnn and I have shared Saturday evening dinners with Jack and Joy Harris for decades, and those evenings are always filled with lively conversation, laughter, and good food. Joy Harris Books on Amazon
Joy, a best-selling author in her own right, often shares fascinating recipes, food history, and culinary tidbits uncovered during her research for books. Over dinner last week, she surprised us with a stack of vintage pamphlets. Among them was a 1938 booklet from Madonna Brand Tomatoes, packed with recipes and old-fashioned kitchen wisdom.
One recipe in particular caught my eye: ketchup made from tomato paste.
Interestingly enough, I had never considered making my own ketchup. It had simply never crossed my mind. But Joy’s discovery piqued my curiosity. After all, why not do something as everyday as ketchup at home? It makes perfect sense:
- You can lower or change the sugar content to your taste.
- You can reduce sodium to suit your health needs.
- You can eliminate preservatives, artificial colors, and flavorings that are standard in commercial brands.
So, inspired by Joy and that 1938 Madonna pamphlet, we decided it was time to give homemade ketchup a try. What follows is the original recipe—and a modernized version for today’s kitchen.
🍅 Madonna Tomato Paste Catsup (c.1938)
Original Recipe (as printed)
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp ginger
- 1 Tbsp dry mustard
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 Tbsp salt
Mix thoroughly. Cook until thickened, stirring often. Bottle hot in sterilized containers.
Modernized Instructions (same formula, clearer method)
- In a saucepan, combine tomato paste, water, vinegar, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Add ginger, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne (if using), and salt. Mix well.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until mixture thickens to ketchup-like consistency.
- While hot, pour into sterilized glass jars or bottles. Seal and refrigerate.
Notes & Historical Flavor
- This 1930s catsup is spicier and less sweet than modern bottled ketchup. The ginger, mustard, and cloves give it a warm, almost chutney-like flavor.
- Sugar levels are lower than today’s Heinz-style ketchup, so it’s tangy, aromatic, and sharp.
- Excellent as a condiment with meats, stews, or baked beans, in line with Depression-era home cooking.
My Version 1: Naturally Sweetened Catsup
Ingredients
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste (organic preferred)
- ½ cup filtered or purified water
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
- 2–3 Tbsp raw honey, pure maple syrup, or date syrup (to taste)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground allspice (optional)
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- ½ tsp Kosher or sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Directions
- Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Add water gradually to reach the desired thickness.
- Taste and adjust sweetness, tang, or spice level.
- Transfer to a jar or squeeze bottle. Cover tightly.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
My Version 2: Sugar-Free Catsup
Ingredients
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste (unsalted, organic if possible)
- ½ cup filtered or purified water
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar for sharper tang)
- 2–3 pitted Medjool dates OR ¼–½ tsp liquid stevia/monk fruit drops
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- ½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- Pinch of ground cloves or allspice (optional)
Directions
- Date version: Soak dates in warm water for 10 minutes. Blend with tomato paste, vinegar, and water until smooth.
- Stevia/monk fruit version: Whisk all ingredients together, adjusting sweetness to taste.
- Adjust consistency with water if needed.
- Refrigerate 2–3 hours before using.
Nutritional Notes
- Lycopene boost: Tomato paste is rich in antioxidants that may help protect heart health.
- Lower sodium: Homemade versions allow you to control the salt.
- Healthier sweeteners: Honey and maple provide trace minerals, while dates add fiber and potassium. Stevia/monk fruit offers zero-calorie sweetness.
Serving Ideas
- Classic dipping sauce for fries, onion rings, or chicken tenders.
- Spread on burgers, sandwiches, or wraps.
- Stir into baked beans, BBQ sauces, or meatloaf glaze.
- Mix with Greek yogurt or mustard for a tangy dipping sauce.
Storage & Shelf Life
- Refrigerator: Keeps up to 3 weeks in a sealed container.
- Freezer: Freeze in small portions (ice cube trays) for up to 3 months.
- Tip: Always use a clean spoon to avoid contamination.
✨ Chef’s Note: Once you try homemade catsup, you’ll never go back to the bottle. Adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste, and experiment with spices like chili powder or curry for fun variations.
🍅 The Origin & History of Ketchup
Ancient Beginnings: Fermented Sauces
- The word “ketchup” (also spelled catsup, ketsup, ke-tsiap) originates from the Hokkien Chinese word “kôe-tsiáp”, meaning a brine of pickled fish or shellfish.
- This was a fermented fish sauce, used in Fujian, China, and spread through Southeast Asia in the 17th century.
- European traders encountered the sauce in ports like Malaysia and Singapore, adapting the name as kecap in Malay/Indonesian (a general word for sauce, from which “soy sauce” = kecap manis).
17th–18th Century: The British “Catsup”
- By the 1600s, English sailors brought the concept back home.
- Without access to the original Asian ingredients, the British recreated “catsup” using local pantry items: mushrooms, walnuts, anchovies, oysters, shallots, vinegar, and spices.
- These were thin, dark, savory condiments—closer to Worcestershire sauce than today’s ketchup.
- Manuscripts and cookbooks from the 18th century list many catsup variations, especially mushroom catsup, which became a staple in English cooking.
19th Century America: The Tomato Revolution
- Tomatoes were slow to gain acceptance in Europe and North America, once thought to be poisonous. By the early 1800s, Americans began experimenting with tomato catsup.
- Recipes for tomato-based catsup appeared in American cookbooks by the 1810s–1820s.
- Early tomato ketchups were often homemade, spiced, and preserved with vinegar and sometimes high alcohol content.
Industrialization & Heinz
- By the mid-1800s, ketchup became increasingly popular, but food safety was a concern—preservatives like coal tar and sodium benzoate were often added.
- In 1876, Henry John Heinz launched his famous tomato ketchup in glass bottles, promoting purity, consistency, and flavor.
- Heinz ketchup became the gold standard—sweetened heavily with sugar, thickened, and marketed nationwide.
- By the early 20th century, Heinz and competitors eliminated benzoates, relying instead on higher vinegar and sugar content for preservation.
20th Century Onward: Standardization & Global Spread
- By the 1920s–30s, ketchup had transformed into the sweet, tangy, thick red sauce we know today.
- Regional and homemade variations (like the 1938 Madonna Tomato Paste Catsup) were common in Depression-era kitchens, where thrifty homemakers preserved their own condiments.
- Ketchup became an iconic American table staple, tied to hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, meatloaf, and backyard BBQ.
- By the mid-20th century, ketchup spread worldwide, adapted with local twists (banana ketchup in the Philippines, curry ketchup in Germany, spicy variations in Latin America).
Modern Trends
- Today’s ketchup debates revolve around health and customization:
- Lowering sugar and sodium.
- Using alternative sweeteners (honey, maple, dates, stevia).
- Organic and preservative-free options.
- Gourmet spins with smoked peppers, curry, or fruit infusions.
🌟 Chef’s Reflection
The story of ketchup is a story of cultural exchange, adaptation, and innovation—from fermented fish sauce in Asia, to mushroom catsup in England, to tomato ketchup in America, and finally, to healthier, homemade versions we can craft today in our own kitchens.