Homemade fermented ketchup is one of the easiest ferments to make and will easily take your backyard BBQ up a notch in flavor.
If there is one ferment you may want to start with as a beginner, homemade ketchup is where it’s at.
While I have been fermenting just about every vegetable for awhile now, condiments may be my favorite.
It’s like a sneaky way to get in probiotics with no one noticing.
My kids are far from picky. You will frequently find them asking for sauerkraut, but if there is a way to make something a little healthier, I’ll try it. Like this kefir ranch dressing, which tastes amazing with homemade sourdough pizza, by the way.
This recipe offers a wonderful tangy flavor that tastes amazing with crispy skillet potatoes, grass-fed burgers on homemade sourdough buns, or some sourdough fried chicken.
Since ketchup is basically a drink in our house, being able to serve it up with some gut-healthy bacteria… sign me up.
Benefits of Fermented Foods
Fermented foods, like this ketchup, are bursting with gut-healthy probiotics. When the sugars in the tomatoes are combined with a starter brine and allowed a little time, these healthy little organisms populate.
This beneficial bacteria can help increase your gut’s healthy bacteria. Regular consumption of fermented foods has been shown to increase immunity, improve digestion, reduce the risk of cancer, help reduce inflammation, and may even help you keep a healthy weight (source).
Why you will love this recipe:
Healthy: No refined sugars or weird ingredients you can’t pronounce. Just good, healthy, real food.
Probiotics: Made with brine from a previous ferment (sauerkraut in this case), plus a little time, this recipe adds a nice punch of healthy probiotics.
Delicious: It is packed full of flavor. You won’t be able to go back to the store-bought kind. From the roasted garlic to the tang of fermentation and apple cider vinegar, it has a ton of flavor. Plus, you can add even more seasonings, if you would like.
Tips:
- Don’t put ferments in metal bowls or containers, especially more acidic ferments like ketchup.
- Ketchup is a quicker ferment, typically taking only two to three days.
- If you enjoy the flavor of molasses, it adds a deep, rich flavor to the ketchup.
- Get creative with different spice additions. See notes below. This makes a thicker ketchup spread. If you enjoy a thinner ketchup, you can add a tbsp or two of water to thin it out.
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Tools you will need:
Bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking dish
How To Make Fermented Ketchup:
1: Roast Garlic
Preheat oven to 400.
Cut about 1⁄4 inch off the head of garlic to reveal the tops of the garlic cloves.
Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil and put in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Remove from oven, peel the skins away from the garlic, and mash down to a smooth paste.
2: Mix Remaining Ingredients
In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, starter liquid, sea salt, maple syrup, roasted garlic, worcestershire, and bay leaf.
Transfer mixture to a quart mason jar and take care to keep the sides of the mason jar clean.
Add apple cider vinegar to the surface of ketchup. The vinegar will help to prevent mold growth on the surface.
3: Ferment
Cover tightly with a lid and let ketchup sit at room temperature, away from light, for two to three days.
Taste on day two to determine if your ferment is done or if you’d like it to go another day or two.
When satisfied with the level of fermentation, mix the vinegar on the surface into ketchup, and enjoy.
Place in the refrigerator for storage. It will last a couple of months.
Potential additions:
- Ginger powder
- Chili Powder
- Allspice
- Cinnamon
- Ground Clove
- Mustard powder
- Cayenne
- Onion powder
Find More Delicious Recipes:
- Fermented Hot Sauce
- Fermented Jalapenos
- Easy Artisan Sourdough Bread
- Skillet Pork Chops With Garlic And Butter
- Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.
Fermented Ketchup
Ingredients
- 13 oz organic tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons starter liquid, such as whey or brine from sauerkraut or another vegetable ferment
- 1/2 teaspoon good quality sea salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or molasses
- 1 head roasted garlic, approximately 10 cloves
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
Cut about 1⁄4 inch off the head of garlic to reveal the tops of the garlic cloves.
Drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Remove foil and skins, then mash garlic down to a smooth paste. - In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, starter liquid, sea salt, maple syrup, roasted garlic, worcestershire, and bay leaf.
Transfer mixture to a quart mason jar and take care to keep the sides of the mason jar clean.
Add apple cider vinegar to the surface of ketchup.
Cover tightly with a lid and let ketchup sit at room temperature, away from light, for two to three days.
Taste on day two to determine if your ferment is done or if you’d like it to go another day or two.
When satisfied with the level of fermentation, mix surface vinegar into ketchup and enjoy.
Place in the refrigerator for storage. It will last a couple of months.
Notes
- Don’t put ferments in metal containers or bowls, especially more acidic ferments like ketchup.
- This makes a thicker ketchup spread. If you enjoy a thinner ketchup, you can add a tbsp or two of water to thin it out.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My husband LOVES ketchup, and I would love to make it healthier. This might just be the way to make both of us happier as he can make it his own.
Two questions, please:
1) What happens to the bay leaf? Usually recipes with a bay leaf require removing it before eating but this one doesn’t say.
2) How do you taste the ketchup without breaking the ACV “seal”? And if the taste isn’t right yet, do you put more ACV on top?
I just fermented beets for the first time so I now have a starter liquid! I was wondering if I should blend this so it’s a smoother texture. Also I would like to try to make this without added sweetener, so I’m thinking of blending some mushy dates instead of the molasses. Would blending it mess with the process?
Incredibly tasty. Used some brine from a homemade sauerkraut from my garden and homemade ACV. The little things make all the difference!! Thank you Lisa for all the wonderful recipes and being a homemaking inspiration <3
I wasn’t paying well enough attention and mixed in the ACV, will it still work? 😩
I’ve not personally tried it!
I have not fermented anything yet to use as a starter. Would it work to use liquid from store purchased fermented kraut?
No. It’s fine to just ferment it on your own.
So just to clarify, you CANNOT use the liquid from store bought sauerkraut? Why is that?
Oh. I was hoping to be able to use store bought as well.
You can use store bought sauerkraut liquid as long as it is not pasteurized. You are looking for any liquid that contains a healthy colony of lactic acid bacteria. (kimchi juice works as well) Fresh tomatoes naturally have wild Lactic Acid Bacteria, as long as you don’t wash them too thoroughly. however, tomato paste and cooked tomatoes will struggle to ferment nicely without adding a starter.
Could you can this? Water bath?
Canning takes away the benefits of the fermentation process. Once you heat it up that hot, you lose all the benefits.
I’ve seen a canning tool for canning things cold on Amazon, (Mason jar vacuum seal) it was more promoted for I way of extending the life of storing dried goods, but I wonder if it could be of use here. However would it continue to ferment if stored at room temperature? Or with the fermentation stop with a seal?
I would not store it at room temperature. It needs to be stored in the fridge.
Hi Lisa,
What would you suggest in place of
{4 tbsp starter liquid (such as whey or brine from sauerkraut or another vegetable ferment)}
I’ve never done any fermenting, but really want to try the ketchup.
Thanks
I had no idea!! Any idea if you could freeze this??
Lisa, my grandmother and great-grandmother were from Ava Missouri. They made a wonderful fermented Chow Chow. I tried making from childhood memories of her recipe, but it came out a little dry and not as flavorful. Do you have a recipe for one?
Also, we are on a well with a softener, plus have a carbon filter hooked up under the kitchen sink. Is this water ok for making sourdough starter?
Julie W.
I want to try this. Can I use kombucha(unflavoured)? Or store bought pickle juice? Also if I make it again can I just use some of the ketchup?
Thanks
You don’t need starter. The bacteria is already present in the vegetables. It’s called lacto fermentation
You definitely need a starter for paste-type fermentations. In usual fermentation, you can use a weight/stone to keep your ferment submerged in its own brine, but it’s not possible with this recipe. A starter gives it a head start against the nasties.