What Is Ketchup and How Can I Use It?

Ketchup rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 782 recipes to cook with it.

What is ketchup?

Ketchup, (sometimes spelled "catsup") is a condiment, usually made from tomatoes.

The ingredients in a typical ketchup are tomato concentrate, vinegar, corn syrup or other sugar, salt, spice and herb extracts (including celery), spice and garlic powder. Allspice, cloves, cinnamon, onion, and other vegetables may be included.

Ketchup has health benefits which are offset by the salt and sugar content. Ketchup is a source of lycopene, an antioxidant which may help prevent some forms of cancer.

This is particularly true of the organic brands of ketchup. Organic brands have three times as much lycopene.

Ketchup, much like marinara sauce and other cooked tomato foods, yields higher levels of lycopene per serving because cooking makes lycopene in tomatoes more bio-available.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find ketchup: Ketchup is usually found in the condiments section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Ketchup is a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

番茄酱

British (UK) term

Ketchup

en français

ketchup

en español

salsa catsup

How much does ketchup weigh?

Related

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Recipes using ketchup

There are 782 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Avocado Tatar

A quick and easy way to enjoy garlic bread with this delicious avocado tatar!

Barbecue Hamburgers

Barbecue hamburgers topped with a quick homemade sauce simmered from ketchup, pineapple juice, and onion. Pan-fried beef patties piled into soft rolls and spooned with a sweet-tangy barbecue glaze.

Double Decker Hamburger

Big Mac copycat double decker hamburger with two thin smashed patties, special sauce, shredded lettuce, and American cheese. Includes the homemade hamburger sauce that nails the fast-food flavor at home.

Family Favorite Burgers

Juicy homemade burgers with horseradish, Worcestershire, and breadcrumb binder. Bold, classic, and bursting with old-fashioned cookout flavor.

Hot Dogs with Homemade Sauerkraut & Pickles

Classic hot dogs are served with homemade sauerkraut, pickles, yellow mustard and ketchup. An easy and delicious summer meal.

Fourth of July Hot Dogs

Enjoy the summer with this simple recipe that will give your hot dog a new look.

More Power To Ya Meatballs

Smoky barbecue meatballs simmered in a sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, tomato paste, and liquid smoke. A crowd-pleasing party meatball that holds well in the slow cooker.

Burgers on the Grill

Grilled burgers mix ground beef with ketchup, finely chopped onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning for tender, well-seasoned patties off the grill. A 25-minute cookout classic.

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

Cranberry cocktail meatballs: ground beef bound with cornflake crumbs, briefly baked, then simmered in a sweet-tart cranberry-chili sauce. The classic holiday party appetizer.

Pork and Beans ala Crockpot

Crockpot pork chops and beans: tender chops slow-cooked down into a sweet-tangy bath of pork and beans, ketchup, mustard, and onion. A four-ingredient, dump-and-go dinner.

Maggie Meatballs

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs, First introduced to our family for my sister's puppy shower. My daughter Lindsey can eat the whole batch and requests them for every holiday.

Barbecued Flank Steak Sandwiches

Barbecued flank steak sandwiches pile thin-sliced steak tossed in a quick smoky-sweet chipotle BBQ sauce onto hoagie rolls with grilled red onion. Bold, saucy, and built for a fast cookout lunch.

4th of July Grilled Portobello Burgers

Succulent grilled portobello mushroom has the meaty texture, which is ideal for burger. It's also marinated in a garlicky-herby-lemony marinade to build up more flavour.

Garden-Fresh Turkey Burgers

Lean turkey burgers loaded with shredded zucchini, sweet bell pepper, and onion. Oats bind everything together for juicy, vegetable-packed patties on whole wheat buns.

Buffalo Burgers

Grilled buffalo burgers seasoned with Worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, and horseradish. Lean ground bison cooked low and slow for juicy, flavorful patties. Healthier alternative to beef.

Joyce's Sweet & Sour Sauce

Every Chinese cook has his own version of this. This one is intended for quick cooking in an American kitchen.

Korean Spicy Rice Cake, Cabbage & Leek Stew

This is another very normal dish that Korean people eat all the time, here the rice cake is nothing to do with dessert, it's a plain small patty or stick that is made of rice, normally simmered with stock, Korean chili sauce, cabbage and chilies. It soak all the delicious flavor, a classic and tasty Korean dish.

Barbecued Chicken

Grilled chicken rubbed with a bold homemade spice blend of paprika, chili powder, and garlic, brushed with a sweet ketchup-brown sugar BBQ sauce with a hint of orange. Crispy skin, juicy meat, zero fuss.

Sweet Onion Relish

Sweet onion relish sautés Vidalia onions in butter until golden, then folds in ketchup, garlic powder, Worcestershire, and Tabasco for a quick warm relish. The 15-minute burger topping that elevates backyard cookouts.

BBQ Lamb Ribs

BBQ lamb ribs grilled until the skin crisps, then brushed with a honey, soy and red wine glaze over a cooling fire so it caramelizes instead of burning. Juicy, tangy ribs straight off the grill.

Glazed Meatloaf

Glazed turkey meatloaf bound with cooked rice and bread crumbs, finished with a sweet ketchup-honey glaze that lacquers the top in the last five minutes. A leaner, lighter take on the diner classic.

Moo Shu-Style Grilled Chicken

Fantastic. I cooked it for my parents. My mother said it was very aromatic, my father just finished before I started to eat. It was a fun lunch. Thanks!

Soba Bibimbap

My craving for Korean food has officially come back to life again, and this was the dish I made for dinner yesterday. Instead of using cooked rice that traditional bibimbap does, this time I cooked soba noodles instead. Sauteed a few veggies that I had on hand separately, tossed with the spicy Korean chili sauce and a bit ketchup, and served with homemade kimchi. YUM!

Cola Chicken Wings

The taste does sound too good to be true but find out for yourself with this recipe that's easy to understand and follow.

Quick & Easy Bibimbap

Learn how to make Bibimbap, one of my favorite Korean dishes. This time instead of preparing each vegetable separately, I cooked the similar texture vegetables together, which saved time and still tasted delicious. I mixed the seasoned vegetables with soba noodles and of course always have some kimchee as a side, that's a must in Korean food.

Turkey Reuben

Sliced turkey, tangy sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese, and a homemade Russian dressing on buttered rye bread, broiled until golden and gooey. A lighter spin on the classic deli Reuben that's ready in 25 minutes.

Stir-Fried Veggie with Noodles

Stir-fried bell peppers, carrots, and zucchini with garlic, ginger, scallions are tossed with pasta, cucumber, cilantro, and miso-chili sauce. It's a delicious, light yet nutritious one pot meal that's perfect for week-nights.

Bbq Meatloaf Aussie Style

Aussie-style BBQ meatloaf with beef, sausage, and curry powder, basted with a dark, complex BBQ sauce featuring instant coffee, red wine, and Worcestershire. The meatloaf that earns its place at any cookout.

Karen's Meatloaf

I use crushed Ritz crackers instead of bread crumbs and add 2/3 cup of shredded sharp Cheddar. A simple gravy to go along with the meatloaf can also be made using another packet of soup mix, 2 Tbs. flour and 2 cups of cold water. Simmer until thickened.

Crockpot Baked Beans

Nearly any kind of dried beans works in this class sweet yet savory vegetarian two-day version of baked beans.

Lexington Red Coleslaw

Not your normal creamy coleslaw. The Lexington style coleslaw is tossed with ketchup, vinegar, and hot sauce, so it tastes quite sweet, sour and slightly spicy. A perfect side dish with Lexington style pulled pork.

Pulled Pork For Two

Spice rubbed bone-in blade chop replaces the traditional pork butt to deliver a smaller quantity of pulled pork without waiting half a day to cook.

Stir-Fried Veggies with Soba Noodles

You can say this is a combination of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Because it uses Chinese stir-fry technique, spices; Japanese noodles, miso paste; and Korean chili sauce. It has lots of yumminess and goodness in this one pot meal.

Cola Barbecued Ribs

These delicious cola barbecued ribs will for sure satisfy your tummy.

Barbecued Chicken Legs

Barbecued chicken legs slathered in a homemade sauce of tomato, chutney, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, and lemon. Cut, marinate, then grill or broil with frequent basting for layered flavor.

Pad Thai - Vegetarian

Vegetarian Pad Thai with rice noodles, scrambled eggs, mung bean sprouts, grated carrots, and crushed peanuts in a tangy lime-fish sauce. Ready in 30 minutes.

Pineapple Vegetarian Fried Rice

Definitely a dish that is easy to make and impresses your family! Also a great way to use up your leftover rice.

Curry Potato, Edamame & Lentil Soup

Packed with great flavors and textures. This curry potato, edamame and lentil soup is delicious and full of goodness. Serve it with rice or bread to soak all the yumminess.

Kenny Rogers Barbecue Sauce

A copycat Kenny Rogers barbecue sauce, sweet and fruity with an applesauce base, brown sugar, lemon, and a hint of cinnamon. A glossy basting sauce that caramelizes beautifully on ribs and chicken.

Pad Thai - Midsummer Thai Dinner

I ALWAYS add tons of seasonal veggies!!! This one had snow peas, carrots, eggplant, and asian prickly zucchini!

Anniversary Burgers

Anniversary burgers: tender beef patties with horseradish, thyme, and dry mustard, grilled and brushed with melted butter-ketchup baste. Old-school cookout royalty.

Maple Barbecue Sauce

Maple barbecue sauce simmers pure maple syrup, ketchup, apple cider vinegar and Dijon into a sweet, tangy, smoky homemade sauce. Better than bottled, and great on ribs, chicken or burgers.

Mac Skillet Dinner

Mac skillet dinner is homemade hamburger helper: ground beef, mushrooms, and corn in a chili-spiced tomato sauce tossed with macaroni. One skillet, budget-friendly, and on the table fast. The weeknight dinner kids actually finish.

Korean Sweet & Sour Cold Noodles

This sweet and sour cold noodles dish is one of my favorites, it's particularly good on a hot summer day. Easy to make, and tastes refreshing and delicious.

Traditional Crockpot Boston Baked Beans

Take a trip to Boston with this savory dish that is best served with bread bowls or dinner rolls.

Spicy Barbecue Wings

Sometimes I also add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a little more kick.

Quick Smokey Barbecue Dipping Sauce

Good as a quick barbecue sauce but we use it for a dipping sauce for chicken fingers or homemade chicken nuggets.

Slow-cooker Asian Pork Roast

Spice up your pork roast this summer with this recipe that creates a sauce made out of orange juice and soy sauce.

Quick-Easy Bibimbap

Bibimbap is my all-time loved Korean food, there are so many great flavors and textures in it, and the best of all is that I can add whatever veggies I like, adjust the seasonings to my own taste, and it always comes out delicious. This quick and easy version is the one I make when I am too lazy to prepare every single veggie.

Cajun Coleslaw

A delicious variation of coleslaw made with sweet bell peppers and tabasco sauce.

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