DIY Ketchup Just Like Heinz

Heinz Ketchup is about as common a product as any in the Hunt refrigerator. We love it. We’ve tried other brands, and nothing compares. So why on earth would I even think of making it myself? The cost! 

French fries with ketchup on wood tray

As I write, my cost to make this recipe is about $.70 or  $.05 per ounce. Heinz Ketchup at my supermarket is $.21 per oz Wow! What a savings.

How to Make Ketchup (Heinz Copycat)

You’ll need:

✅ tomato paste

✅ light corn syrup

✅ white vinegar

✅ water

✅ white granulated sugar

✅ salt

✅ onion powder

✅ garlic powder

 

French Fries with Ketchup
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4.89 from 9 votes

Copycat Heinz Ketchup

This recipe was created by Todd Wilbur for his book "Even More Top Secret Recipes". You can find more of Todd's original recipes at TopSecretRecipes.com
Now that the price of good ketchup is soaring, you can relax. Make it yourself! This is so close to Heinz, you're going to be amazed. And it's super cheap to make yourself.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 tablespoons
Calories: 23kcal
Author: Todd Wilbur

Ingredients

  • 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
  • ½ cup light corn syrup like Karo
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1 tspn salt
  • ¼ tspn onion powder
  • tspn garlic powder

Instructions

  • Into a medium sauce pan set over medium heat, pour all of the ingredients.
  • Stir or whisk until all ingredients are well incorporated and the mixture looks smooth.
  • Once the ketchup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer.
  • Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes (be careful to not let it burn).
  • Remove the pan from the heat. Cover and allow to cool. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.

Notes

  1. Yield: 1 1/2 cups (24 tablespoons). 
  2. This recipe was created by Todd Wilbur for his book "Even More Top Secret Recipes". You can find more of Todd's original recipes at TopSecretRecipes.com
  3. Store in the refrigerator a recycled Ketchup bottle or other covered containers
  4. My cost to make this recipe, using store-brand tomato paste about $.70. An equal amount of Heinz Ketchup, at about $.15 per oz at my supermarket, works out to $3.59 for the same amount—more than 5x this homemade version. Wow! What a savings. 
  5. Non-Fructose Version: Substitute blue agave sweetener for the Karo light corn syrup in the foregoing recipe. Everything else remains the same. 
  6. Shelf life: Up to 4  months when refrigerated. NOTE: If this homemade version contained any fresh items such as tomatoes or onions, the shelf life would be very short. But because there are no fresh ingredients, the tomato paste has been pasteurized (cooked, canned), and vinegar is an excellent preservative, it has long shelf life when stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 23kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 21mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

 

 

 

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29 replies
« Older Comments
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Did you see the corn syrup substitute in the recipe notes? Here it is again:

      Non-Fructose Version: Substitute blue agave sweetener for the Karo light corn syrup in the foregoing recipe. Everything else remains the same.

      Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Heinz, the world’s largest ketchup manufacturer, specifies a “best by date” of 15 months from the day the product was bottled (the day it was made). Or six months once opened and stored in the refrigerator.

      Now, if our homemade version contained any fresh items such as tomatoes or onions, the shelf life would be very short. But because there are no fresh ingredients, the tomato paste has been pasteurized (cooked, canned) and vinegar is an excellentpreservative, this homemade version would match up to its store-bought cousin: Up to six months when refrigerated.

      Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Shelf life: Up to 4 months when refrigerated. NOTE: If this homemade version contained any fresh items such as tomatoes or onions, the shelf life would be very short. But because there are no fresh ingredients, the tomato paste has been pasteurized (cooked, canned), and vinegar is an excellent preservative, it has long shelf life when stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

      Reply
  1. Roe says:

    5 stars
    For those who are concerned about corn syrup, read the labels of any corn syrup you plan to buy/use. Some commercial corn syrup does indeed have some high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in it. Not all corn syrup is alike. Karo corn syrup does not have HFCS. A person from the UK suggested I purchase their Lyle’s Golden syrup, which is not made from corn; Lyle’s is made from real cane sugar and a tad of lemon juice. I use it half and half with Karo with excellent results

    Reply
  2. TCRider says:

    4 stars
    My only concern in the recipe is the Karo. It has vanilla flavoring, which I don’t want. You can buy plain corn syrup without the vanilla, but I can only find it from one company in the U.S., Golden Barrel. It’s getting expensive too, about $10 a quart on Amazon. That said, the good news is it’s not HFCS, just CS (with no vanilla).

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Did you see the corn syrup substitute in the recipe notes? Here it is again:

      Non-Fructose Version: Substitute blue agave sweetener for the Karo light corn syrup in the foregoing recipe. Everything else remains the same. 

      Reply
  3. Joan says:

    5 stars
    I made this and it was delicious. It had the smell and the taste. I may have measured wrong because it was slightly sweet, but being more careful next time or even a slight tweak and will be right on the money.
    Thank you for these money saving recipes.
    Besides the savings, I love that I can put it in my own glass jars and along with other condiment/salad dressing recipes you provide, I can stop bringing home more future “trash”, therefore causing less plastic waste! A double win in my book!

    Reply
  4. Wilson says:

    I am disabled and unable to walk more than about 50 steps. I am currently without transportation, and out of ketchup needed for a recipe. I don’t want to telephone my daughter that lives 5 miles away to purchase a bottle so In about 15 minutes I plan on making this. Thanks.

    Reply
  5. Brenda says:

    5 stars
    Spot on taste! Even the kid approved! For those interested Agave can be substituted, I had to look it up because I didn’t have any corn syrup…

    Reply
  6. Norm Malinowski says:

    5 stars
    Mary,
    I made your ketchup recipe this weekend. OMG! Now it’s MY ketchup recipe. The flavor is at least as good as the name brand. It’s easy to make and I’m already looking at variations like BBQ ketchup, Jalapeño ketchup, etc.
    Thanks for all the great ideas and especially for your comforting support during the Covid pandemic.
    Norm

    Reply
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