You can make fresh ketchup using tomato paste and fresh tomatoes. This recipe creates a bright and flavorful ketchup, one of my favorite condiments. Because dates or stevia is used (your choice), it’s also free of processed/added sugar.
When choosing your tomato paste, make sure you choose a brand that uses organic tomatoes, does not have any additives (such as sugar!), and is stored in a BPA tin. Of course you could also make and use your own.
Here is our DIY ketchup recipe that produced terrific and flavorful results, while being so easy to make.

Homemade healthy ketchup
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 8 pitted dates soaked
- 4 Tbsp tomato paste organic, no additives
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar raw
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce Check label
- 1 tsp chia powder optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the dates (reserve the water after soaking).
- Roast the tomatoes at 330 degrees for 45 minutes.
- After the tomatoes are roasted, add the sliced onions and cloves of garlic to the tomatoes and roast another 15 minutes and then let cool.
- After the roasted vegetables are cooled, add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, dates and all other remaining ingredients to a high speed blender such as a Vitamix and blend.
- If mixture is too thick for your liking, add a bit of the reserved water from soaking the dates to the mixture (or more apple cider vinegar if you prefer a more tangy ketchup).
Notes
Ground chia seeds
Ground chia seeds can also be used as a thickener, and you can either purchase them ground up or do it yourself in a high speed blender or food processor. Ground chia seeds are often referred to as chia flour or chia powder. Find the instructions about how to make it on this page. You can also substitute flaxseed for this recipe, which is made the same way as the page linked here.
- Pad Thai Protein Salad recipe from The Plant-Based Cookbook + Book Review and Giveaway! - December 9, 2020
- Lemon ginger bowl sauce with miso recipe (Oil free, no added sodium) - November 30, 2020
- New vegan bacon at Whole Foods Market – 300 store roll-out - November 15, 2020
Kayla
Hi there – wondering how long this can be stored and storing details?
Thanks!