Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/09/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Increase boiling-water processing by elevation: 15 min at 0–1,000 ft; 20 min at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 min above 6,000 ft.
Source & provenance
Safety summary
Use cider vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the complete tested ingredient proportions. Do not dilute vinegar, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint Jars
- Headspace
- 1/8 inch
- Processing time
- Pints: 15/20/25 min at 0–1,000 / 1,001–6,000 / above 6,000 ft
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. This recipe follows the National Center for Home Food Preservation source. Follow its quantities and complete process exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars, canner, and ingredients.
- Prepare the tested tomato, onion, pepper, spice, sugar, salt, and 5% cider-vinegar mixture; follow the staged cooking and reduction sequence before filling hot.
- Fill pints only, leaving 1/8 inch headspace.
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Cool jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, then check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, heavy nonreactive stockpot, spice bag, food mill or sieve, jar lifter, and pint jars.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use sound produce and exact measured ingredients.
- Pack: Hot pack; remove trapped air and maintain 1/8 inch headspace.
- Process: Boiling-water canning; use the schedule for your altitude and canner type.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed before checking seals.
Safety essentials
Tested NCHFP acidified recipe. Use cider vinegar labeled 5% acidity and retain the tested ingredient proportions.
About this recipe
Tomato Ketchup is a tested NCHFP home-canning recipe using hot pack and boiling-water canning.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints only
- Headspace
- 1/8 inch
Read the linked authoritative source completely before processing.
Altitude and processing schedule
15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Tomato Ketchup — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 24 lb Ripe tomatoes
- 3 cups Onions chopped
- 3/4 tsp Ground red pepper cayenne
- 3 cups Cider vinegar 5% acidity
- 4 tsp Whole cloves
- 3 sticks Cinnamon crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp Whole allspice
- 3 tbsp Celery seeds
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1/4 cup Salt
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner For the documented boiling-water process.
- 6 Pint canning jars Yield about 6 pints.
- 6 Two-piece canning lids Use new flat lids and prepare according to manufacturer directions.
- 1 Food mill or sieve For removing tomato skins and seeds.
- 1 Spice bag For whole spices.
Directions
- Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water 30–60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water. Slip off skins, remove cores, and quarter.
- Add onions and ground red pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Cover, turn off heat, and let stand 20 minutes.
- Place cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and celery seeds in a spice bag; add to vinegar, bring to a boil, then remove the spice bag.
- Combine spiced vinegar with the tomato mixture and boil about 30 minutes. Press through a food mill or sieve.
- Return to pot, add sugar and salt, and boil gently while stirring frequently until volume is reduced by half or ketchup rounds up on a spoon without separation.
- Fill hot pint jars, leaving 1/8-inch headspace.
- Process pints 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve with burgers, fries, meatloaf, roasted potatoes, or use as a base for barbecue sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the ingredients or process?
Only make changes expressly permitted by the authoritative source. Use cider vinegar labeled 5% acidity and preserve the complete tested ingredient proportions. Do not dilute vinegar, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours using a new lid and the complete tested process if the source and current food-safety guidance permit.
How this recipe compares
This is a reduced, seasoned tomato condiment with a tested 1/8-inch headspace, unlike the looser tomato sauces and juices.
Troubleshooting
Cook to the source’s reduction endpoint. Refrigerate an unsealed jar promptly or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the complete tested process.
Discard any jar that is leaking, bulging, spurting, moldy, or otherwise shows signs of spoilage. Never taste food to determine safety.
Source & provenance
National Center for Home Food Preservation: Tomato Ketchup. Adapted from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2009.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: July, August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
40–80 lb of Tomatoes per person per year
The source-cited calculator below can convert your pantry goal into row foot estimates where compatible yield data exists.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.