Richelle's Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish
A chunky, old-fashioned homemade ketchup made with fresh garden tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions, and warm spices.
Richelle's Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish
There's something wonderfully comforting about a jar of homemade tomato ketchup relish. Across Quebec and Eastern Canada, homemade ketchups and relishes have long been part of the family table, served alongside everything from tourtière and meatloaf to roast meats and hearty Sunday dinners.
My Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish is my take on that tradition, made with ripe red garden tomatoes, colourful bell peppers, onions, and a fragrant blend of warm spices.
Unlike the smooth, sweet ketchup you squeeze from a bottle, this is a chunky, richly flavoured relish with plenty of texture. The tomatoes slowly cook down with brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, and celery seeds, creating a delicious balance of sweet, tangy, and gently spiced flavours.
And because I love making the most of my garden harvest, I leave the tomato skins on. There's no tedious peeling involved, just plenty of chopping, a good long simmer, and the wonderful aroma of homemade preserves filling the kitchen.
It's the kind of condiment that makes even the simplest meal feel a little more special.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
A taste of Eastern Canadian tradition. Inspired by the homemade tomato ketchups and relishes that have graced family tables for generations.
Made with ripe garden tomatoes. A mixture of Roma and heirloom tomatoes gives this relish wonderful flavour, colour, and texture.
No peeling required! Leave those tomato skins right where they belong. It saves time and gives the finished relish its lovely rustic character.
Sweet, tangy, and beautifully spiced. Brown sugar and vinegar balance the natural sweetness of the tomatoes, while cinnamon, cloves, and celery seeds bring warmth and depth.
Deliciously chunky. This isn't ordinary bottled ketchup! You'll find real pieces of tomatoes, peppers, and onions in every spoonful.
Perfect with so many meals. Serve it with tourtière, meatloaf, burgers, sausages, roast chicken, pork, or even a simple plate of eggs.
A wonderful way to enjoy the harvest. When the garden is overflowing with tomatoes and peppers, this recipe puts them to delicious use.
Richelle's Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish
Yield: Approximately 8–10 jars of 250 mL, depending on reduction
Preparation time: Approximately 30–45 minutes
Cooking time: Approximately 1½–2 hours, or until thickened
Ingredients
12 cups ripe red tomatoes (Roma, heirloom, or a mixture), cored and coarsely chopped, skins left on
4 cups bell peppers, seeded and chopped (a mixture of red, green, and yellow if available)
4 cups onions, chopped
3½ cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons pickling or canning salt
2 tablespoons celery seeds
16 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or up to 1 teaspoon for a spicier ketchup
Instructions
1. Prepare the vegetables
Wash and core the tomatoes, removing any damaged portions. Chop them coarsely, leaving the skins intact.
Seed and chop the bell peppers, then chop the onions. Measure each vegetable after preparation.
2. Prepare the spice bag
Place the celery seeds, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie securely with kitchen twine.
This allows the spices to infuse the ketchup without leaving whole cloves or pieces of cinnamon in the finished relish.
3. Prepare the vinegar mixture
In a large, heavy-bottomed stainless-steel pot, combine the white vinegar, brown sugar, pickling salt, and cayenne pepper.
Add the spice bag and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
4. Add the vegetables
Add the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions.
Stir well and return the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmer.
5. Cook until thickened
Simmer uncovered, stirring regularly to prevent sticking or scorching.
As the vegetables soften, the tomatoes will release their juices, and the mixture will gradually thicken.
Continue cooking until the relish has a rich, chunky consistency with very little free liquid.
Roma tomatoes generally contain less water than many heirloom varieties, so cooking time will depend on the tomatoes used.
Allow approximately 1½–2 hours, but judge the ketchup by its consistency rather than the clock.
6. Remove the spices
Taste the relish during cooking. Once the spice flavour is sufficiently developed, remove and discard the spice bag.
The finished ketchup should have a pleasant balance of sweetness, acidity, tomato flavour, and warm spices.
7. Cool and store
For refrigerated use, transfer the finished relish to clean, suitable containers, cool promptly, and refrigerate.
For longer storage, freeze in appropriate freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion.
Important note about preserving and pH
I strongly recommend using a properly calibrated food pH meter when preparing homemade tomato preserves, particularly when combining tomatoes with vegetables such as onions and peppers.
Measure a representative, thoroughly blended sample after the mixture has cooled to the temperature recommended by the meter manufacturer.
For acidified foods, a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below is an essential acidity requirement. However, a pH reading alone does not establish that a recipe is safe for shelf-stable canning. SO please be mindful of this.
I did can my own and feel ok about it, but this is up to you and your comfort zone. Below is the link to a page dedicated to canning safety with full details.
How to preserve by canning with safety guides.
Richelle's Kitchen Notes
Use what your garden gives you. A mixture of ripe red tomatoes is perfect for this recipe. Roma tomatoes contribute body, while heirloom varieties bring different flavours and levels of sweetness.
Keep it chunky. This is a rustic relish, not a smooth ketchup. There is no need to purée the vegetables.
Choose your peppers. Red, yellow, and green bell peppers all contribute flavour and colour. A mixture makes the finished relish particularly attractive.
Be patient with the simmering. A wider pot encourages evaporation, and frequent stirring becomes increasingly important as the ketchup thickens.
Adjust the heat to your taste. Start with ½ teaspoon of cayenne. The warm spices should complement the tomatoes rather than overpower them.
Use safe canning jars only for canning. Do not assume that you can use jars that are not a canning jar. If you do, it is best to refrigerate for the sake of safety consumption.
A Final Word About My Rustic Tomato Ketchup Relish
My homemade ketchup relish was canned, and the finished batch had a measured pH of 3.5.
I strongly recommend using a properly calibrated food pH meter when preparing homemade tomato preserves.
However, measuring acidity and obtaining a vacuum seal do not replace a validated heat-processing procedure. The shelf-stable canning process for this particular ketchup relish has not been independently validated.
Until a suitable tested procedure is established, readers should refrigerate or freeze this recipe rather than rely on the general water-bath instructions above for shelf storage.
See below for canning options.
Important Canning & Food Safety Note
If you wish to preserve this relish for shelf storage, consult a tested canning recipe or qualified food preservation authority. Otherwise, refrigerate or freeze your finished relish.
Serving Suggestions
Try this homemade ketchup relish with grilled sausages, hamburgers, meatloaf, roasted potatoes, cold meats, or a hearty sandwich.
It also makes a delicious addition to a cheese and charcuterie board.
From my garden to your table — happy cooking!
Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish
My Rustic Spiced Tomato Ketchup Relish is my take on that tradition, made with ripe red garden tomatoes, colourful bell peppers, onions, and a fragrant blend of warm spices.
Ingredients
- 12 cups ripe red tomatoes (Roma, heirloom, or a mixture), cored and coarsely chopped, skins left on
- 4 cups bell peppers, seeded and chopped (a mixture of red, green, and yellow if available)
- 4 cups onions, chopped
- 3½ cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons pickling or canning salt
- 2 tablespoons celery seeds
- 16 whole cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or up to 1 teaspoon for a spicier ketchup
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables
- Wash and core the tomatoes, removing any damaged portions. Chop them coarsely, leaving the skins intact.
- Seed and chop the bell peppers, then chop the onions. Measure each vegetable after preparation.
- 2. Prepare the spice bag
- Place the celery seeds, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie securely with kitchen twine.
- This allows the spices to infuse the ketchup without leaving whole cloves or pieces of cinnamon in the finished relish.
- 3. Prepare the vinegar mixture
- In a large, heavy-bottomed stainless-steel pot, combine the white vinegar, brown sugar, pickling salt, and cayenne pepper.
- Add the spice bag and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- 4. Add the vegetables
- Add the chopped tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions.
- Stir well and return the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle, steady simmer.
- 5. Cook until thickened
- Simmer uncovered, stirring regularly to prevent sticking or scorching.
- As the vegetables soften, the tomatoes will release their juices, and the mixture will gradually thicken.
- Continue cooking until the relish has a rich, chunky consistency with very little free liquid.
- Roma tomatoes generally contain less water than many heirloom varieties, so cooking time will depend on the tomatoes used.
- Allow approximately 1½–2 hours, but judge the ketchup by its consistency rather than the clock.
- 6. Remove the spices
- Taste the relish during cooking. Once the spice flavour is sufficiently developed, remove and discard the spice bag.
- The finished ketchup should have a pleasant balance of sweetness, acidity, tomato flavour, and warm spices.
- Cool and store
- For refrigerated use, transfer the finished relish to clean, suitable containers, cool promptly, and refrigerate.
- For longer storage, freeze in appropriate freezer-safe containers, leaving room for expansion.
- Important note about preserving and pH
- I strongly recommend using a properly calibrated food pH meter when preparing homemade tomato preserves, particularly when combining tomatoes with vegetables such as onions and peppers.
- Measure a representative, thoroughly blended sample after the mixture has cooled to the temperature recommended by the meter manufacturer.
- For acidified foods, a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below is an essential acidity requirement. However, a pH reading alone does not establish that a recipe is safe for shelf-stable canning. SO please be mindful of this.
- I did can my own and feel ok about it, but this is up to you and your comfort zone. I have a link on my site for proper canning methods.
