As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Jump to RecipePrint Recipe
Grandma’s Homemade Ketchup can be made with fresh tomatoes and onions or canned tomato juice for a condiment that will remind you of the good old days. With a mixture of cinnamon and ground cloves, this catsup – as Grandma called it – is delicious on everything.
This is our grandma’s favorite condiment. Growing up, we ate it on everything, even homemade dumplings. It has a unique flavor from cinnamon and ground cloves. To this day, every recipe that has ground cloves reminds us of Grandma and this recipe.
Table of Contents
Old-Fashioned Catsup
Barbara decided to try her hand at making Grandma’s catsup (that’s what we grew up calling it) earlier this year. One bite of this took us right back to our childhood.
Grandma made her homemade ketchup from garden fresh tomatoes. She would boil down the tomatoes and onions until she had 2 gallons of fresh tomato juice. You can definitely do this and then just add the rest of the ingredients.
Since tomatoes were out of season when Barbara decided to make Grandma’s Homemade Ketchup, she used canned tomato juice. Grandma’s version was a thinner, runnier texture; while Barbara’s has more of a consistency of the ketchup you buy at the store.
Please note, all Barbara had was whole cloves which she ground herself. You’ll notice the flecks of cloves in our photos.
Ingredient List
Fresh Ripe Tomatoes
Fresh Onion
Salt
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Clove
White Vinegar
How to Make Homemade Ketchup
Step by Step Instructions
Cook tomato and onion in large pot or large saucepan until onions are translucent.
Run juice through a sieve and discard onions.
Add juice back to pot and mix in salt, cinnamon, cloves and vinegar.
Boil until reduced by one-third.
Mix together sugar and cornstarch and then add to the liquid mixture.
Turn down heat and whisk constantly until thickened.
Cool and then refrigerate.
Full recipe for gourmet ketchup is at the bottom of this post.
Recipe FAQs
Isn’t it cool that old fashioned ketchup is really a gourmet ketchup?
The distinct flavors of this homemade catsup are ground cloves and ground cinnamon.
You can use fresh garden tomatoes or take a shortcut by starting with canned tomato juice.
This homemade catsup stores great in the refrigerator.
Try using the leftover homemade catsup in pulled pork like this Crock Pot Sweet Pulled Pork Recipe.
Small Batch Ketchup Recipe
You can also do a smaller quantity if you are only wanting 1 quart of ketchup. Here’s the ingredient measurements for the smaller batch of Grandma’s Homemade Ketchup:
46 oz. tomato juice
1/2 onion, shredded
2 Tablespoons salt
1/2 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 Tablespoon ground cloves
3/4 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Why is my homemade ketchup not thickening?
If your homemade ketchup is not thickening, it could be due to a few reasons.
The first thing to check is your patience. Make sure you have cooked it for a sufficient amount of time. The reduction process takes a long time; let the mixture simmer until it reaches the desired thickness.
Secondly, the ratio of cornstarch to liquid in your recipe may be off. If you added too much liquid or too little cornstarch, it may not thicken properly.
Lastly, be sure you whisk constantly while the ketchup is simmering on low heat. This will help the cornstarch to activate and thicken the mixture.
Grandma's Homemade Ketchup can be made with fresh tomatoes and onions or canned tomato juice for a condiment that will remind you of the good old days. With a mixture of cinnamon and ground cloves, this catsup – as Grandma called it – is delicious on everything.
Smith observes that the first published recipe for ketchup in English—a thin mixture of vinegar, white wine, anchovies, shallots, lemon peel, horseradish, and a passel of spices described in Eliza Smith's The Compleat Housewife from 1727—includes a note that “the clear Liquor that comes from Mushrooms” may be added to ...
American horticulturist James Mease created the first known recipe for tomato ketchup in 1812. His version of sauce included brandy but lacked regular vinegar and sugar. Soon, many tomato-based ketchup recipes appeared in Europe and the USA. Yet, many of them contained previous additions, like oysters or anchovies.
It's actually pretty easy. What are the five main ingredients in Heinz ketchup? According to the label.... Tomatoes (126g per 100g of ketchup), Spirit vinegar, Glugose syrup Sugar, Salt, Spices and herb extracts, Spice, Garlic powder.
In the 1830s, tomato ketchup was sold as a medicine that could cure ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, and jaundice. The idea was initially proposed by Dr. John Cook Bennett, an American physician, in 1834, who later decided to sell the recipe in the form of 'tomato pills'.
Instead, the precursor to our ketchup was a fermented fish sauce from southern China. As far back as 300 B.C., texts began documenting the use of fermented pastes made from fish entrails, meat byproducts and soybeans.
It turns brown because of oxygen. If the bottle is not tightly sealed, oxygen gets in and starts reacting with the acid in the tomatoes. The old-fashioned screw tops do a good job of keeping oxygen out. The newer flap tops work fine, too, if you leave them upside down with the top on the counter.
During the 1800s, the red color of ketchup was achieved by adding natural or artificial red dyes, often taken from sources such as cochineal insects, and later moving to other sources such as tomatoes or modern FDA-approved food colorings.
“Although the number itself technically has no real purpose, and even back then there were more than 57 varieties, the number has stuck around for over 100 years of Heinz branding, making it synonymous with the Heinz brand.
In particular, McDonald's ketchup isn't a commercially-available brand like Heinz or Hunt's, it's their own proprietary blend -- and that makes all the difference. You might think this means they add something unique to the mix, but you'd be wrong.
Why does Heinz Ketchup say 57 varieties? Henry Heinz chose the number 57 even though the company manufactured more than 60 products at the time. Reportedly, it was a simple combination of his favourite number (5) and his wife's favourite number (7) which made up the “57”.
Heinz and many commercial ketchups also contain high fructose corn syrup, though HFCS-free versions have been making their way into the market. If this is something you prefer to avoid, making ketchup yourself is a sure bet for getting what you want. MAKE OR BUY? It's hard to side against a classic like Heinz.
The condiment made its way west via European merchants, taking with it Westernized pronunciations. Early recipes for ketchup (or catsup, if you like) incorporated a wide variety of ingredients like mushrooms, walnuts, and shellfish (hence the distinction tomato ketchup).
Homemade ketchup is simple and much more flavorful than anything you can buy at the store. I use 4 tablespoons of sugar, but adjust the sugar to your taste.
In traditional Chinese medicine, fermented foods were often considered beneficial for digestion and overall health. European doctors like Dr. John Cook Bennett made ketchup tablets that purported to cure scurvy though the industry collapsed in the mid 19th century.
I also learned a little bit about the history of these favorite condiments. Mustard's journey starts long before ketchup. “Modern mustard first emerged in Europe in the sixth century B.C.E.
Address: Suite 237 56046 Walsh Coves, West Enid, VT 46557
Phone: +59115435987187
Job: Education Supervisor
Hobby: Genealogy, Stone skipping, Skydiving, Nordic skating, Couponing, Coloring, Gardening
Introduction: My name is Ms. Lucile Johns, I am a successful, friendly, friendly, homely, adventurous, handsome, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
