As a GERD conqueror, I try my best to stick to low-acid and healthier recipes–going off-route can invite tummy trouble again.
This is why I tried making low acid ketchup—your go-to condiment for most snacks.
I wanted to make the best recipe that I could stick to forever. So, I tried 3 recipes and tested their equal batches side by side.
Pardon me, the images shared in this blog post are natural. I haven’t used filters to make the ketchup look bright red!
First, with no additional acids like vinegar or lemons, but only tomatoes, sugar, some herbs, a few spices, and seasonings.
Second, with tomatoes, lemon juice, sugar, herbs, spices and seasonings
Third, with tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, herbs, spices, and seasonings.
To make this tomato ketchup less acidic, I tried the viral trick of using a pinch of baking soda to reduce the acidity level.
In my experiment, I only altered the acid content of the tomato ketchup, moving from the natural acidity of tomatoes to lemons or white vinegar, but I didn’t change the seasonings, herbs, or sugar ratio.
Results?
Pretty fruitful.
Honestly, for the next time, I won’t use baking soda in my ketchup to control the acidity. Nor will I go for vinegar in my ketchup.
But, I’ve got 2 best recipes for home-made, additive-free, healthier ketchup with low acidity.
In this article, I’ll discuss all 3recipes briefly, followed by the baking soda hack. Finally, you’ll get the details of both winning recipes.
Simple Ketchup Recipe and its Taste Test
To make simple ketchup with no added acid like vinegar or lemon juice, I used 1 pound of Roma tomatoes. These tomatoes have an acidity level of about 5 pH. It’s considered a weaker acidity level.
For the recipes:
I chopped these tomatoes roughly.
I added onion, roasted garlic, cinnamon stick, and one clove to the tomatoes.
Let these tomatoes simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, I blended the tomatoes. After removing the whole spices, I added 1 small onion, one teaspoon of roasted garlic, chili pepper, salt, and sugar.
Strained the mixture using fine mesh to remove skin and seeds and get a finer mixture.
Then, I simmered it until the consistency passed the plate test.
For the plate test, you drip a teaspoon of ketchup on the plate to see if any water flows out of it. If no water runs, the consistency is perfect.
Then I tasted the ketchup.
To me, it tasted great.
However, it was not comparable to store-bought ketchup.
After all, it didn’t use any thickener, artificial color, or flavors.
If you ask me, I’ll always go for the simple tomato ketchup, which is the first recipe only.
I love that it has the mild, natural acidity of tomatoes and a pretty natural taste–above all, it’s healthier.
Low Acid Ketchup Recipe with Lemon Juice
For the next recipe, again, I used 1 pound of tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients as used in the first recipe, except that I added 1 ½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
What I found?
The ketchup with this recipe was slightly more acidic than the previous one, had a heavenly lemony fragrance, and, of course, deliciousness.
I love this recipe, too, and it’s another variation of low-acid ketchup that I’ll have–I’m pretty undecided between these 2 recipes–both are the best!
Ketchup Recipe with Vinegar
For the last low-acid tomato ketchup recipe, I repeated all the ingredients: one pound of tomatoes, salt, chili pepper, sugar, onions, spices, and herbs, but added 25 ml of white vinegar.
After preparing the tomato puree with other ingredients, I added the vinegar and simmered it until thickened.
When tasted, of course, it was more acidic than the other two batches.
So, the time was to reduce the acidity with the help of a chemical reaction between baking soda and ketchup’s acid.
I added just one pinch of baking soda (about 1/10 or a gram) to the ketchup.
What happened?
First, I saw some bubbles and fluffiness in the ketchup, and as a result of the reaction, I wouldn’t say I liked it.
When tasted, the tomato ketchup seemed less sour, almost acidity-free–again, I wouldn’t say I liked it.
Not only did it lose its acidity, but it also tasted a bit bland.
If you think maybe I overdid it with baking soda, it was only a tiny pinch for a full cup of tomato ketchup.
The disappointment may be because of the side-by-side better ketchup yields.
So, to me, it’s a thumbs down for any recommendations regarding using baking soda until you don’t find any better options–I had them.
However, only in one case can you use baking soda to reduce the acidity–it’s when you want to control the acidity of store-bought ketchup.
But do it gradually: add a tiny pinch of baking soda in one cup of ketchup. Taste it again…if the taste is fine, you’re all set!
Low Acid Ketchup Recipe with or without Lemon Juice
Are you ready to try my tested, low acid ketchup?
Here is the recipe.
Preparation Time
30-40 Mins (the time may increase according to batch size)
Yield
1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 pound of Roma tomatoes or any variety available to you
- 1 tbsp of sugar (you may increase or decrease the quantity depending on the sweetness level of your tomatoes).
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red chili powder (you can use paprika for brighter color
- 1 cinnamon stick of an inch
- 1 clove
- 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic fried until golden brown or ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 onion of medium size or 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 12 ml or 1 ½ tbsp of lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Roughly chop the tomatoes and onion.
- Fry garlic.
- Put tomatoes, onion and fried garlic in a pan. (I used a wok).
- Add cinnamon stick and clove.
- Let the tomatoes cook for 15 minutes on medium heat until softened.
- Turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and clove from it, and blend tomatoes in a blender until a smooth, velvety texture is attained.
- Add some mixture to the mesh and press it on with the help of a ladle or spoon to get a finer mixture in the bowl, and remove skin and seeds. Repeat the process for the entire mixture.
- Put the velvety mixture in the pan again.
- Add sugar and let it simmer on low-medium heat to evaporate the extra water.
- Keep stirring to avoid burnt edges–it can alter the flavor drastically.
- Keep stirring to avoid burnt edges–it can alter the flavor drastically.
- Optionally add lemon juice.
- Do a plate test to check the consistency of the tomato ketchup. For this purpose, put ½ teaspoon of ketchup on a plate and hold the plate vertically. If you don’t see any water running out of it, the ketchup is ready.
- Let it cool, and store it in a clean, airtight jar.
You can store this low acid ketchup in your refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Note:
You can also choose the seasonings, sweetness, herbs, and spices of your own choice; replace white sugar with honey. Feel free to do the experiment to develop the taste you like. However, follow the tomato-to-lemon juice ratio as described in the recipe.
I’ll advise you to prepare both versions of this low-acid ketchup and share which version you liked the most and how you worked with your personalized low-acid ketchup recipe.
Good luck!