Shop
My
Custom
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowGrilling season has officially kicked off, and I’ve got the perfect companion for all your cookout favorites: My sugar free ketchup! I was never happy with the ingredients in the store-bought stuff, so — many, many taste tests later — this has been my go-to homemade ketchup recipe for years. Guests (and even kids) can’t tell it has no added sugar. And it’s keto, too! Make it with me, and get ready to elevate your burgers, hot dogs, and everything in between.
Why You Need My Sugar Free Ketchup
- Tastes like the real thing – This isn’t just the best sugar free ketchup I’ve ever had… honestly, it’s the best ketchup I’ve had, period. It’s sweet and tangy, it’s smooth and thick, it’s even got umami notes. You’re going to love it.
- Quick and easy to make – Just mix all the ingredients and let them simmer away. It’s so simple. And it lasts beautifully for weeks in my fridge.
- Naturally sweetened, keto, gluten-free, and diabetic friendly – Most store-bought ketchups are packed with added sugars, corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners, like sucralose. Not mine! With just 2 grams of net carbs per serving, this is a true keto ketchup. (In fact, you’ll find it in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook with some of my other fave sauces and spreads.) But even if that’s not your jam, this healthy ketchup is also just better for you than those processed ones!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for sugar free ketchup, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Tomato Paste – This is the base and the main flavor. I prefer a can of tomato paste combined with a cup of water, rather than tomato sauce, because the flavor is more intense that way. But if all you’ve got is tomato sauce, use 2 cups of tomato sauce and 2/3 cup of water instead — and you’ll need to simmer for much longer to let it reduce.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – The key to making low carb ketchup or keto ketchup is really just the sweetener. This one dissolves effortlessly, and tastes and measures like sugar, so it’s the only one I like in my sugar free ketchup. Notes on other options:
- Powdered allulose also works great, but add 1 1/2 extra tablespoons.
- Most other sugar substitutes will crystallize, leaving a gritty or grainy texture. (This includes most brands labeled “monk fruit” or “stevia”, which are usually mainly erythritol or maltodextrin — check the ingredient list and you’ll notice it’s listed first.)
- Concentrated liquid sweeteners, like liquid monk fruit extract or stevia, would work, but these will leave an aftertaste and you’d need to use much less.
- White Vinegar – To make the ketchup tangy. Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar make a decent substitutes, they’re just a bit less neutral in flavor.
- Spices – You’ll need sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, ground cloves, and mustard powder. I modeled these after Heinz, but had to improvise because they don’t publish the exact spices. Funny enough, some readers are telling me mine tastes better — so thank you! 😊
How To Make Sugar Free Ketchup
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Combine the ingredients. Grab a small saucepan and whisk all your ingredients together, until smooth.
- Simmer the mixture. Let it gently bubble over low heat, covered, until it thickens up to just how you like it. Don’t forget to give it a stir now and then.
- Blend until smooth. For the smoothest, silkiest sugar free keto ketchup, pour it into a high-powered blender (I swear by this one!) and puree. This step is optional, but it makes all the difference if you’re after that classic ketchup texture.
My Recipe Tips
- Stir occasionally, but otherwise keep it covered. The sugar free ketchup can splatter as it simmers, especially as it gets thick, so a lid prevents a big mess.
- Simmering time can vary widely. It can depend on the size of your pan, the exact heat of your stove, and even your brand of tomato paste. Bigger pans will need less time.
- Cooked it too long? Just add more water to thin it out.
- Adjust to your taste. You can always tweak it at the end! If it’s too tart, add a bit more powdered Besti. If it’s too flat, a pinch more salt could do the trick. If it’s too salty, a splash of vinegar can perk it up.
Storage Options
- Store: Pour your keto ketchup into a mason jar or other airtight container (I like to use a squeezable bottle with a flip cap!), and stash it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you notice any separation, just shake or stir it, and it’ll be good as new.
- Freeze: You can freeze the whole batch in zip lock bags, but I prefer a silicone ice cube tray, so I can pop out individual portions. (I do this for my sugar-free BBQ sauce as well.) Either way, this sugar free ketchup will keep in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
- Canning: I haven’t tried it yet, but you should be able to can this in a water bath.
Serving Ideas
You probably already know the most common ways to use ketchup, but here are my healthier versions of the classics:
- Burgers – Slather this ketchup and homemade mayo on your hamburgers tucked between low carb hamburger buns, along with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions. If you’re grilling for a cookout, my creamy cauliflower potato salad is the perfect pairing.
- Hot Dogs – Make hot dogs on my keto hot dog buns, or try my bacon wrapped hot dogs for something new.
- Chicken – Dip your keto chicken nuggets (pictured above) or crispy low carb chicken tenders into my sugar free ketchup. My kids love them.
- Fries – My fave low carb options are rutabaga fries, jicama fries, or cauliflower tots. If you’re reducing sugar but not strict on carbs, dunk garlic parmesan fries or air fryer french fries instead.
- Meatloaf – Whether it’s a classic meatloaf or my special keto meatloaf, don’t forget to top it with a generous layer of this sugar free ketchup. It adds that perfect tangy finish!
More Homemade Sugar Free Condiments
Did you know how many sauces and dressings you can make at home (with much cleaner ingredients)? Try my versions, all sugar-free and super simple:
Sugar Free Ketchup
My sugar free ketchup tastes sweet & tangy like the regular kind! It's easy to make, with simple, natural ingredients and just 2g net carbs.
Remove Ads
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan, until smooth.
-
Simmer for about 30 minutes over low heat, with a cover, until the ketchup thickens (reduces) to your desired thickness. (Time will vary widely depending on the size of your pan.) Stir occasionally while simmering. Taste, and adjust salt and sweetener if needed.
-
For the best consistency, puree the ketchup in a high-power blender for at least 30 seconds, until smooth. (This step is optional, but I recommend it for a smooth texture.)
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 tablespoon
- The entire recipe makes 3/4 cup, or 12 tablespoons.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Sugar Free Ketchup
Gratitude Moment
Here’s me a couple years ago during a YouTube video shoot of making my low carb meatloaf, with this keto ketchup on top as a glaze.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how much I miss making those videos, something I thought I’d never say. As a pretty shy introvert, they were so hard! But they also stretched me to grow, and for that I’m grateful.
In case you missed it, I put a pause on YouTube when we moved to Florida. I needed time to get settled, get new equipment… oh, and figure out how to shoot those videos myself for the first time ever, instead of having help from my videographer friend.
It’s going to be a whole new learning experience, but I can’t wait! So if you want to be the first to know when I post my next recipe video, subscribe to my channel here.
204 Comments
Maureen
0I’m a little bit of a ketchup snob and this is bar none the BEST homemade ketchup I’ve ever made
Nancy Blanchard
0Love, love this ketchup…tastes amazing and I always make a double batch!
Thank you so much,
Nancy
Tonya Courchesne
0This ketchup is perfect. I prefer to any store bought brand which seem bitter. Thank you for creating this!
James
0I didn’t see any comments about making with stevia. What would the proper amount be? Thanks for posting this, can’t wait to try it.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi James, You definitely can make this recipe using liquid stevia. Check this sweetener calculator here to figure out the correct amount.
Mary
0I would give this ketchup recipe 10 stars if it were available. Excellent taste and texture. The apple cider vinegar gives it a boost in flavor.
Billie
0We make a quadruple batch of this once a month for our teenagers so they can use it with keto chicken tenders, burgers, hotdogs and what ever else they think task better with ketchup.
It is super easy to make we did reduce the vinager to 3tbs for the whole thing insted of the 12tbs. it would normally want for that much because the kids said it was to vinagery.
This is so much more cost effective than the store bought suger free ones!
Edie
0your recipes are easy & delicious. You make keto foolproof, thank you!
Tina Horner
0This is the best ketchup I’ve ever had!!!
Paddy Jonas
0The cloves were cloying. So have omitted
Nelda R Owens
0This tasted wonderful right after I mixed it up. After it cooked! Wow! Delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Makes Keto even easier with people like you coming up with great recipes.
Nancy
0I have granulated Monk Fruit sweetener that came in a large amount and since there is only me, I need to know if there is some way to use this in place of the powdered. Doesn’t it melt when heated like sugar does? I really don’t want to buy another large container in the powdered form if I can somehow substitute the granulated.
Gerald
0If you have a coffee grinder it powders it great that’s what we do. “The monk fruit”
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Nancy, It doesn’t dissolve the way sugar does, the gritty texture will remain. If you have a blender, you can try powdering it yourself, but it may still result in a gritty texture.
shanila
0A real Keto life saver. Have made this a few times now. I add a little more vinegar as we like our ketchup tangy.
Caril
0I liked the flavor and instead of using tomato paste I used tomato sauce and omitted adding the water.
I was out of paste but it still turned out great.
Linda
0This recipe was amazing – way better than store-bought and low carb to boot! I live in the coastal south and would really love it if you would create a cocktail sauce recipe using this ketchup as a base or starting point.
LInda
0I’m not sure if she made a cocktail sauce recipe yet but I make my own using the above and ground prepared horseradish, it adds a tiny bit of extra carbs but it’s so good. The brand I buy is Silver Spring Fresh Ground Prepared Horseradish at Walmart and it has 1g carb in 1sp. I’m sure you could purchase fresh horseradish and grind it yourself but I haven’t tried it.
Sarah williams
0Fantastic, easy and very very tasty
Betsy
0Easy to make and we like it better then Heinz. Will never go back to store bought again! Excellent ketchup and so simple to make. Thank you!
Lalala
0How is this Keto?! Tomato Paste has TONS of sugar! 🙁
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lalala, This ketchup only has 1 gram of sugar per serving. As long as you enjoy it in moderation, it can fit nicely into a keto diet.
John
0Just as good as the “real” thing, I use this as the base for Sloppy Joes.
Delight Schwartz
0I’m trying this today and am a!so going to try what I also do when making my homemade salad dressings and mayonnaise last , I mix the contents of one probiotics capsule into the finished mixture right when I’m storing them, it acts as a natural preservative. Since I make 1 quart of mayo each month, it stays good up to and over 30 days in the frig, provided I pasteurized my eggs beforehand. I bet it might work with this recipe too. It’s discouraging to just see all the sugar content in American processed foods, especially since I was raised on Best Foods and love that brand, until I read the label. So much bad sugar and hydrogenated oils which we keto dieters cannot tolerate. I think we can do better than that and make our own. Thanks for posting.
Adrian Mendoza
0We lover this recipe! It tastes just like Whataburger ketchup!
Claudia
0Delicious! I didn’t have all the ingredients so I had to make small changes like using whole cloves, yellow mustard, different sweetener and a little more vinegar.
Mel
0Wow. This tastes like real tomato ketchup. I didn’t have mustard powder so I used Dijon mustard. Easy to make and delicious.
Ralph
0Loved this recipe! Great flavor!
Brenda
0Just one of many recipes I have borrowed from you. I have not found one that I would not use again.
Thank you.
Connie
0I made this ketchup yesterday and it was delicious. The only thing I did different was to heat up the tomato paste to almost boiling prior to adding the remaining ingredients. It took all the bitter taste out of the paste, was so easy to whisk smooth. Then I continued as directed, Thank you so much for this recipe
Becca
0Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve not been able to find a sugar free ketchup and I’m happy to have this in my recipe book.
Julie
0Hi, Maya! I was wondering if all of the ingredients could be put in the blender BEFORE heating it on the stove. In so doing I could see if I needed additional (for example) sweetener, or other ingredient. I also think it would also be easier than pouring the ketchup into the blender after it’s simmered on the stove. Just my 2 cents. Thanks so much for all of the great recipes!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Julie, I think that could work. Please report back and let us know how it went!
Lisa
0I made this today as a base for cocktail sauce. This is an excellent recipe!
Pam
0What’d did you add to the ketchup to make cocktail sauce?
Linda
0I add lemon juice and horseradish. Simple but awesome!
Lori M
0I made a double batch this week for the first time ever. It came out wonderfully! I wanted to avoid the Sucralose in Heinz SF and some awful watery options. I also thought to avoid the high cost of some paleo options along with slightly sneaky sweetening in the form of carrot juice or balsamic vinegar. Due to the mess and the simmer, I would recommend that folks make a double batch and freeze the second. I learned to take the pot off the burner, wait until the plop-popping stops, before lifting the lid to stir. I tasted it along the way and found that the raw-tomato-in-a-can taste dissipated the longer it simmered and the flavors married. I simmered for 45 minutes. I found I needed no blender. This was so very easy to make with so little expense, I’ll only ever buy commercial products for a shelf-stable backup. Thank you for the careful label reading and recipe development!
Pamela
0If I refrigerate this Homemade Ketchup for several weeks to a few months, will I get sick?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Pamela, There aren’t any preservatives in this ketchup recipe so it definitely won’t last that long in your fridge. I would guess that this recipe is at it’s best for 2 weeks in the fridge. If you won’t use this much ketchup in that amount of time, you can half the recipe.
Nancy
0I canned my single batch in 2, 1-cup mason jars. Just used a 20 minute water-bath method.
Karen
0Delicious – almost filled my pint jar!
Rebecca N.
0Waaayyyy too sweet for me, but I think it’s still a good recipe. Will try again with much less sweetener.
Nancy
0I replaced the erythritol with 4 dates. They cooked up and blended in perfectly.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rebecca, You can adjust the sweetener to taste. Enjoy!
Jucel Riley
0Wow! Made this 2x , it is so good! No more supermarket sugar free ketchup. I’ve use this also to make bbq sauce. Thank you, thank you
Pat
0This stuff is AWESOME!!!!! I absolutely love it. I started on the Keto diet and was looking for Sugar Free Cocktail Sauce. I normally make my own cocktail sauce with ketchup and horseradish. So not having much luck finding sugar free cocktail sauce locally, I decided to look up sugar free ketchup….and found your recipe. WOW. I can’t say enough about the flavor. Thanks SO MUCH!!
Lin Armstrong
0It’s better than regular catsup. Had some on some roast. So good. I had some I bought from the store that was too sweet.
I will make my own from now on.
Judy
0This is a very good ketchup recipe. I only used a scant 2 tablespoons of sweetner which made it about perfect.
Jocelyn
0Literally tastes just like ketchup, I was surprised when I tried it. Absolutely love it, thank you so much.
Susan
0Thanks, Maya, for this recipe! Do you think it would be possible to used canned plain tomato sauce/purée with just a tablespoon or so of paste & delete some of the water? It’s just a question of convenience since I keep tomato paste in a tube & cans of crushed/sauce in the pantry & use those to make “pasta” sauce.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Susan, Yes, that should work out just fine.
cecilia osborn
0I made your ketchup, and absolutely loved it! It’s so much better than any other recipe that I have tried.
Thank you so much, for doing all the work. I appreciate it.
Jamie Winter
0How long can this stay in the refrigerator?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jamie, Homemade ketchup will last in the fridge for a week or more.
Jeanie
0Not sure about ketchup but I add a little sauerkraut juice to my homemade mayonnaise and let it sit on the counter for 5-8 hours BEFORE refrigerating. It will last about 8 weeks refrigerated after that. Without the sauerkraut juice my mayonnaise will last barely a week. Maybe ketchup will work that way also.,
Nancy Wolfe
0Made this ketchup recipe and it was absolutely outstanding. My husband just couldn’t believe that it wasn’t the real stuff. One of the most successful Keto recipes that I have made.
Tess Fjeldheim
0Would it be possible to can this ketchup? I’ve been looking for a good sugar free recipe that I can can in either a hot water bath or a pressure canner. Thanks!
Ann
0Have you tried canning this ketchup? How did it go? I was wanting to do this myself.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tess, Yes, I’m sure you can!
Kearby
0This is so good and so easy!
Eileen Shanley
0This was easy and tastes great! Don’t feel like I’m missing out at all and much better than many store bought!
Sonya Erdene
0I LOVE your recipes! Which nutrition calculator do you use? I live in Asia and use local ingredients so most brands mentioned in recipes are not available. How could I calculate the nutrition in this case?
Thank you!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sonya, we use the USDA Food Database to calculate macros. You can also use your favorite online macro calculator, but you might get different results.
Karen Teeling
0Seriously, why do all low-carb/keto cooks NOT list the sodium count in the nutritional values of their recipes? Low-carb is great, but some of us also have to watch our sodium intake!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Karen, feel free to plug this recipe into your favorite macro calculator to get the correct sodium count.
Christine
0This sounds really good. I would like to use monk fruit drops/ liquid monk fruit. Any idea on how much I should use to replace the powdered you have listed in the recipe? Thank you so much!
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Christine, use my sweetener conversion calculator for guidance. Your ketchup might end up a little less thick if you use a liquid sweetener.
Diane
0First atempt making this ketchup. Wow am I impressed on the outcome. I love ketchup and not having it as a part as my diet was driving me nuts. This will make me enjoy my meals again. Thank you.
Pam Andrews
0I was wondering how your nutrition facts come up with 1 g sugar when the tomato paste (everyone I have looked at) contains at least 4-5 grams of sugar.
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Pam, we calculate our nutrition facts using the USDA Food Database. Individual brands and calculators will vary, but you’re welcome to calculate your own macros based on the ingredients you use.
Carolyn Fox
0I made this and find it very vinegary. Love the tomato taste though. What can I add to cut down on the vinegar taste? Thank you.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carolyn, You can reduce the vinegar next time if you’d like. For the current batch, sometimes more salt helps cut the vinegar.