Most people enjoy a dollop of ketchup on their French fries or veggie burgers. But some brands sold in stores contain milk and artificial sweeteners, and most bottles are packed in plastic. Invented by Heinz back in 1876 (the ingredients are not that great, it’s just marketing to say it’s the best brand), the average person eats around 3 bottles a year, and just like wine, a good ketchup often depends on the tomato harvest. Here are some good homemade recipes, plus links to better brands that are vegan and tastier. Try this Naturally Sweetened Homemade Ketchup (Minimalist Baker).
Beetroot Ketchup with Chilli (The Veg Space) uses the natural sweetness of beets with chilli for an easy recipe made with fresh or pre-cooked beetroot. Ideal for dipping chips.
Where to Buy Good Vegan Ketchup
Rubies in the Rubble Banana Ketchup is one of a range of condiments that buys up leftover produce. This ketchup is made from bananas that would otherwise be thrown away. The ketchup is made with lovely fresh bananas, with a little heat from ginger and chilli. This fruity sauce adds a Caribbean twist to any dish, and is perfect as a dip, ketchup or marinade. It’s also good with roasted veggies, cureries or on veggie burgers. Made in the UK, it’s great to reduce food waste, as it saves 2 bananas from the bin (most grown in Southern and Central America, that are too overripe by the time they reach British shores). Banana ketchup first became popular in the PHilippines, as there was no tomato ketchup during the Second World War.
Slightly Different Spicy Red Ketchup is part of a range of gluten-free condiments. FODMAP friendly. This is a tasty blend of 43% tomatoes (tomatoes and tomato puree), red pepper, cider vinegar, sugar, cayenne pepper, chilli powder and salt, with some glucose and water. Slightly Different is a food brand that was created by a woman who suffers with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and knows what it is like to live with gut issues. All the products are free from animal ingredients, and lower in sugar and salt than conventional brands. They are all gluten-free and exclude the 14 major allergens.
This naturally fermented kimchi ketchup is a slightly spiced kerchup that is aromatic, raw, live and vegan. Made in Somerset to a traditional Korean recipe, this is a gut-boosting ketchup packed in glass, with a plastic-free label. It’s made with Chinese leaf cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, Korean red pepper, sea salt and seaweed (dulse, sea greens and nori). Avoid seaweed for iodine/thyroid issues. Bath Culture House makes artisan vegan cheese, in the Mendip Hills of Somerset. All items are vegan and made by a fermentation geek who switched dairy for plants. The founder studied biology which flourished into a career making cheese, which then led to teaching fermentation workshops at Demuths Cookery School in Bath.
Dr Will’s Tomato Ketchup was invented by a medical doctor, to offer a ketchup to parents with children who would not eat their vegetables. With up to 50% less sugar than conventional brands, it’s naturally sweetened with naturally occurring sugars. Contains tomatoes and tomato paste, date paste, apple vinegar, onions, apples, garlic puree, salt, radish and carrot concentrate, ginger puree, black pepper, allspice and cloves. Use it on chips or vegan pizza.
It’s also in a beetroot version. Like many a child, this one was a mistake, but one they don’t regret! This adds in 19% sweet beetroot with concentrate of beetroot too (one of nature’s sweetest vegetables).
