Clean & Simple, Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe
Jill-Ann Ouellette
May – June 2025 • Vol 4, No 16
Clean & Simple, Sugar-Free Ketchup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 to 4 tbsp water
- Very little stevia or monk fruit, to taste (Alternative: 2 tbsp Swerve Brown, a brown sugar replacement)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp allspice (or 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp chili powder (optional)
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and two tablespoons of water (based on the desired thickness, you may want to add more water). Continue to whisk in water until the mixture is the consistency you prefer.
- Add the sweetener (remember, if using stevia or monk fruit, start with a tiny amount), garlic powder, allspice, salt, and chili powder, if using. Whisk in until the sweetener dissolves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Store in refrigerator. Best if used within 10 days.
Long before this well-known condiment was essential in fast-food meals and backyard barbecues, it was used in the medical field. Tomatoes were revered in ancient Aztec society.
It was believed that tomatoes had powerful and magical properties that could ward off evil and cure diseases. Back in the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought tomatoes back to Europe, where it eventually became a staple of Italian cuisine. Making its way across Europe over the next two centuries, the Chinese created a recipe to ferment seafood into a salty, savory sauce using tomatoes—and at that time, physicians believed it to be medicinal. (See next section, “Are Tomatoes a Superfood?)
Ketchup was a descendant of an Asian fish sauce called ge-thcup or koe-cheup. We can trace the origins back to the 1800s where tomato ketchup got its start in pill form to cure indigestion and other stomach ailments. European traders traveling overseas brought it home and further adapted it into a beer-and-anchovies sauce. British sailors later brought this creation back home when it was modified with walnuts and mushrooms, eventually making it to America. So, yes, tomatoes were thought to be a natural medicine. [TastingTable.com]
In 1812, scientist and horticulturalist James Meade in Philadelphia invented the first tomato-based ketchup—as we know it today. At the time, most Americans and Europeans wouldn’t eat tomatoes because they resembled poisonous nightshade berries. People feared it would make them ill. That whole thought process began to evolve in the 1830s.
In 1834, Dr. John Cook Bennett, a physician living in Ohio, started selling ketchup as a cure for diarrhea, jaundice, and indigestion. [Reddit.todayilearned] Before long, Bennett started selling his concentrated ketchup in pill form. As demand for the miracle condiment skyrocketed, other companies started producing their own tomato ketchup and tomato pills. People’s fears were eased when people saw results.
Consumer demand was high, and with tomatoes being only in season for two months of the year on the East Coast, problems occurred. Demand was high enough to sell them all year long, but back then, the science of food preservation was not like it is today.
Many companies were making the medical tomato tincture with rotten tomato pulp. The importance of the almighty dollar in this industry had to do something to keep the ketchup from arriving to the customer looking like, well, rotten tomatoes!
Even worse, when they attempted to strain the rotten pulp out before bottling it, they discovered that what came out on the other side was no longer red. So, they began adding harmful chemicals like boric acid, formalin, salicylic acid, and benzoic acid to help preserve it. They also would add coal tar to dye it back to its original scarlet hue. Of course, we all know coal tar is extremely carcinogenic, and today, if you accidentally get any product with coal tar in your eyes or mouth, you are advised to rinse them out immediately.
Ketchup’s time in the medical spotlight lasted until the year 1850, when some companies got caught selling laxatives labeled as tomato pills and the demand for medicinal ketchup fell off a cliff. [Tasting Table.com]
In 1876, Heinz was the first company to create a new recipe from five simple ingredients; tomato concentrate from red-ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, cane sugar, salt, and onion powder. He released ketchup commercially as a tomato-based product initially known as Catsup. Several other companies were using that term, so to stand out in the market, Heinz started to promote his version as Ketchup and the name caught on.
Today, fancy ketchup is a U.S. grade-A ketchup that has good color, good consistency, good flavor, and is free from defects, according to the USDA. Grade-A ketchup must also have at least 33% tomato solids—making it thick enough to stay in place on your food.[Allrecipes.com] While today’s ketchup isn’t a powerhouse of nutrients, nor is it a superfood, it does contain lycopene, a potent antioxidant with potential health benefits, including heart health and cancer prevention.
Like me, when you’re looking at a handful of fast-food ketchup packets, you probably aren’t thinking about any health benefits hidden inside, you’re thinking about those delicious fries, that savory burger, or famous hotdog. Today, most ketchup is made with sugar or high fructose corn syrup, thus should be avoided by people on sugar-sensitive diets. (See our clean and simple, sugar-free option that doesn’t need to be cooked.)
ARE TOMATOES A SUPERFOOD?
Yes, tomatoes are considered to be superfoods. What makes them so great? Superfoods are nutrient-dense foods that provide significant health benefits. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and vitamins, as well as potassium, folate, and fiber.
Consuming tomatoes regularly has been associated with reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, lower cancer rates, improved skin health, enhanced immune function, and strong bones and teeth.
Therefore, based on their high nutrient content and potential health benefits, tomatoes can be classified as a superfood. Lycopene, which tomatoes are loaded with, gives them their bright red color and helps protect them from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. In much the same way, lycopene can help protect your cells from dam-age. Tomatoes also have potassium, folate, fiber, and contain vitamins A, C, and K, as well as vitamins B and E, along with other nutrients. Here are some specific areas where eating tomatoes will benefit your health…
Immune System— The antioxidant Lycopene fights free radicals that can damage your cells and affect your immune system. Because of that, foods high in lycopene, like tomatoes, may make you less likely to have lung, stomach, or prostate cancer. Some research shows they might help prevent the disease in the pancreas, colon, throat, mouth, breast, and cervix as well.
Heart— Lycopene also may help lower your levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, as well as your blood pressure. And that could lower your chances of heart disease. Other nutrients in tomatoes, like vitamins B and E and antioxidants called flavonoids, may boost your heart health, too.
Eyes— Tomatoes have substances called lutein and zeaxanthin that may help protect your eyes from the blue light made by digital devices, like smartphones and computers. They also might help keep your eyes from feeling tired and ease headaches from eyestrain. And some research shows they may even make you less likely to have a more serious form of the leading cause of blindness in the U.S.—age-related macular degeneration.
Lungs— Some studies show that tomatoes may be helpful for people who have asthma and help prevent emphysema, a condition that slowly damages the air sacs in your lungs. That may be because lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, among other antioxidants, fight the harmful substances in tobacco smoke, which is the leading cause of emphysema. Scientists are trying to learn more about those effects.
Blood Vessels— Getting more tomatoes into your diet may make you less likely to have a stroke, which is when blood flow gets cut off to a part of your brain. Studies suggest that they ease inflammation, boost your immune system, lower your cholesterol levels, and keep your blood from clotting. All those things may help prevent strokes.
Oral Health— Studies have shown that lycopene could help with the gum diseases gingivitis and periodontitis in the same way it may help prevent cancer—by fighting free radicals. But eating lots of raw tomatoes can damage the enamel on your teeth—thanks to the high amount of acid—and brushing soon afterward can make that worse. It’s a good idea to wait at least 30 minutes before you brush. [WebMD.com]
Enjoy growing your own!