Life’s too short to exclude your favorite American comfort foods. Learning how to make a homemade sugar free ketchup recipe allows you to enjoy burgers and keto friendly fries the traditional way.
I remember long before I was living the keto lifestyle how much I loved eating burgers and fries. Of course, my nutritional consciousness expanded.
And as I became more aware of how your health is a mirror of what you put in your body, I drastically cut down on burgers and fries.
That doesn’t mean I never eat them anymore.
In fact, I make some pretty delicious jicama fries. No, these veggie stick fries will never be confused for thick-cut wedges of deep-fried potato you can get at the state fair.
But I swear to you they are very delicious. And once you’re used to eating low carb foods, you won’t miss conventional fries again.
Same goes for burgers. Check out my eggplant burger recipe which sneaks in a little veggie into a beef burger. And if you don’t care for lettuce wraps, take a look at my psyllium based low carb buns.
Low carb buns? Check. Low carb fries? Check. And low carb burgers? Yup.
Now all we need is a keto ketchup.
Homemade Sugar Free Ketchup Recipe
What’s wrong with regular sugar? If you’re at a restaurant, there’s no choice but Heinz.
(That company really has a monopoly on ketchup.)
After all, there’s only a few grams of sugar per tablespoon. You can still stay in ketosis even if you have a couple tablespoons. As long as the rest of your diet is ultra low carb.
That might be true, but here’s why you need sugar free ketchup.
First of all, four grams of sugar is a lot. That’s not the kind of carbs you want to be consuming if you’re living a low carb lifestyle.
Every grab of carbs is both precious and dangerous. That’s because everybody has a different biochemistry.
Having a few grams of sugar might not seem like much if you’re eating ultra low carb to begin with. However, those 4 grams of sugar might be all it takes to push you out of ketosis.
Furthermore, the sugar that’s in ketchup is very quick burning. There’s no dietary fat in ketchup to slow the insulin secretion.
But the biggest reason to avoid the conventional sugar filled condiment is: HFCS
High Fructose Corn Syrup
I remember eating burgers and fries back in the day and being surprised by how much I could eat.
I’m talking about a dripping, juicy bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings and a pot-hole-size serving of fries.
How could I have been hungry after eating such an enormous portion?
Blame it on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a sugar.
Because of government subsidies of corn, it’s a very cheap sweetener. This is the reason why virtually every manufacturer of processed food includes it in recipes.
HFCS is an added sugar. It contributes mightily to the obesity/diabetes epidemic.
As this article on AllNaturalIdeas.com states, “A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that consumption of HFCS increased over 1000% between 1970 and 1990. This far exceeds the changes in intake of any other food or food group.”
But HFCS is to blame for metabolic disorders not just because it’s in so many packaged foods and sodas.
It’s also to blame because it tricks your brain into thinking it’s still hungry. It basically tells your satiety hormone, leptin, to shut up. Moreover, it tells your hunger hormone, ghrelin, to wake up and start getting to work.”
If you love the red stuff, I really suggest you use this homemade sugar free ketchup recipe.
And before you go to a restaurant, put some in a little jar and bring it with you.
Sweeten Your No-Sugar Ketchup with Sukrin
As my taste buds have modified over the years and have become extremely sensitive to sugar, I think just having a dab of Heinz would taste artificial to me.
But I also like my homemade ketchup to have some sweetness.
That’s why I include in the recipe as an optionl ingredient, Sukrin Gold.
Never heard of Sukrin Gold?
Sukrin Gold is a corn-based product. But it’s not evil like HFCS.
In fact, it comes from non-GMO corn starch. It’s a sugar alcohol, which is perfect if you’re watching your net carbs.
There’s 8 grams of erythritol. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol, made from glucose. It’s extracted from corn starch through a natural fermentation process.
Sukrin Gold is free of additives, food coloring and preservatives. It’s a perfect substitute for recipes that call for brown sugar.
If you miss using brown sugar in your baking recipes, give Sukrin Gold a try. It really does have a similar aroma, taste and texture to that of brown sugar.
You’ll also notice I use several savory herbs in this homemade sugar free ketchup recipe. Once you try it, you’ll never ever want to go back to conventional ketchup again.
And if you also love barbecue sauce but hate the sugar, check out my low carb and gluten free version here.
Welcome back to ketchup!
Keto Friendly Homemade Sugar Free Ketchup Recipe
KITCHEN ACCESSORIES :
Cuisinart Smart Stick Power Trio High Torque Hand Blender – CSB-80HK
Saucepan or deep pan
Wooden Spoon
Airtight containers
Homemade Sugar Free Ketchup
Ingredients
- 28 ounces whole tomatoes in tomato juice seeded and canned (28 ounces/800 grams)
- 2.5 ounces tomato paste 70 grams
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon spanish paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt crystals or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Sukrin Gold optional
Instructions
- In a sauce pan over low heat, pour tomatoes, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and spices. Stirring regularly for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Using a stick blender (immersion blender), purée whole tomatoes. Add sea salt to taste and opt to add Sukrin Gold. Continue over low heat and stir regularly until sauce thickens, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Cool and transfer in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks.
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Notes
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Summer says
I love this homemade recipe because it has so much less salt than store bought ketchup!
This recipe is so creative! Thank you for sharing. 💞
Lisa MarcAurele says
You’re welcome!
Jaweriya says
This is a brilliant recipe – I am definitely going to try it. 🔹
Maria says
I made this tonight for burgers and fries. it doesn’t really taste like storebought ketchup, but it is really good! Much stronger flavor, and the tomato really shines through. I liked it a lot, especially how quick it was to make.nice sharing. thanks for the recipe. good one.🙂
Lily says
Thanks for sharing the secret recipe with us. The tomato ketchup recipe looks thick and flavorful with those lovely ingredients. It sounds wonderful. It would be helpful for everybody, who would like to cook tomato ketchup recipe. As usual, the pictures look stunning.
Thanks a lot! I love simple recipes so much 😀
How long does this last? Can it be made ahead?
Lisa says
It’s definitely good to make ahead. Mine lasts for at least a couple weeks.
Valerie says
I want to try to make this all from my garden… just cook longer not having tomato paste??
Lisa says
It should work if you are cooking longer to reduce liquid.
Brenda says
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. They have made a low card diet easy for me to follow. This recipe is cooked and now cooling. It tastes wonderful and I followed your recipe exactly except I could not locate seedless whole tomatoes. Your site is my go-to for recipes. Thank you for sharing your methods and brands-it has expanded my pantry but they have been worth the space they take up.
Lisa says
My pleasure Brenda! Thanks for being a loyal fan!
Sherry says
By “seeded” tomatoes…do you mean wth the seeds removed?
Lisa says
Yes. There’s no seeds.
Mimi A says
Would it be possible to can this?
Lisa says
It should be okay.
Linda says
What is Sukrin gold?
Lisa says
It’s a low carb brown sugar sweetener. You can learn more about it at Sukrin USA.
Katrina says
Could you just leave the sugar out completely.
Lisa says
You can. It just enhances the flavor but isn’t necessary as there is natural sugar in tomatoes.
Cici says
Searching high and low for the button to share the post to Pinterest. Am I missing It?
Lisa says
They should be back now. A software update wiped out the settings.