Jamaican-Style Tomato Ketchup

When it comes to authentic Jamaican cooking, ketchup is more than just a condiment — it’s a key ingredient in many classic dishes. From brown stew chicken to oxtail, bar-b fried sauce, and jerk marinades, a rich, slightly sweet, and lightly spiced ketchup adds depth, color, and flavor to your meals.

Unlike store-bought American-style ketchup, Jamaican-style tomato ketchup is sweeter, spiced, and often thinner, making it perfect for both cooking and dipping. It’s traditionally made with fresh tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, and warming spices like allspice and cloves.

Making Jamaican-style ketchup from scratch may seem intimidating, but it’s surprisingly simple. In this guide, I’ll show you step-by-step how to make it at home, including tips for perfect flavor, texture, storage, and variations.

History of Jamaican-Style Ketchup

Ketchup, as we know it today, originated in Southeast Asia as a fermented fish sauce called kecap. When it reached the West, it evolved into tomato-based ketchup. Jamaica, with its love for bold flavors, adapted ketchup into a sweeter, spiced version to complement its rich culinary traditions.

In Jamaican homes, ketchup is more than a table condiment — it’s often added to stews, curries, and braises to enhance flavor, add a touch of sweetness, and give dishes a beautiful reddish-brown hue. Traditional Jamaican ketchup highlights the balance of sweet, savory, and lightly spiced notes that define the island’s cuisine.

Ingredients for Authentic Jamaican-Style Ketchup

• Roma tomatoes: Provide the tomato base; sweet, meaty, and low in water.
• Brown sugar: Sweetens and balances the tang from vinegar. Also gives a richer color.
• White vinegar: Adds acidity to balance the sweetness and preserves the ketchup.
• Onion & garlic: Build savory depth and aromatics.
• Salt: Enhances all flavors.
• Black pepper: Adds mild heat.
• Allspice: Signature Jamaican spice; warm, sweet, slightly peppery flavor.
• Clove & nutmeg: Optional warming spices that create depth and complexity.
• Oil: Helps cook the aromatics evenly and bring out flavor.

How to make Jamaican Tomato Ketchup

Prep the Tomatoes

• Wash the Roma tomatoes thoroughly.
• Score the bottoms with a small “X.”
• Blanch in boiling water for 45–60 seconds, then transfer to ice water.
• Peel the skins off. Optional: remove seeds for smoother ketchup.
• Chop the tomatoes into medium-sized pieces.

Tip: Using fresh Roma tomatoes gives your ketchup a natural sweetness and a vibrant red color.

Cook the Aromatics

• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the chopped onion and garlic.
• Sauté for 3–4 minutes until soft and fragrant.

Tip: Don’t brown the onions too much; you want a gentle, sweet base, not bitterness.

Add Tomatoes and Seasonings

• Stir in chopped tomatoes.
• Add brown sugar, white vinegar, salt, black pepper, allspice, clove, and nutmeg.
• Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.

Tip: Stir often to prevent sticking. The sugar will start to dissolve and blend with the tomatoes.

Simmer and Reduce

• Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35–45 minutes.
• Stir occasionally to help the tomatoes break down and prevent burning.
• The liquid will reduce, and the mixture will thicken naturally.

Tip: Simmering slowly allows flavors to meld and the ketchup to develop that classic sweet-spiced Jamaican flavor.

Blend Until Smooth

• Use an immersion blender directly in the pot, or carefully transfer to a blender.
• Blend until silky smooth.

Tip: For an extra smooth texture, strain the ketchup through a fine mesh sieve.

Adjust Taste and Texture

• Too sweet? Add a small splash of vinegar.
• Too tangy? Add a teaspoon more sugar.
• Too thin? Continue simmering until it thickens to your preferred consistency.

Tip: Jamaican-style ketchup is typically slightly thinner than American ketchup, making it perfect for cooking as well as dipping.

Cool and Store

• Let the ketchup cool completely.
• Pour into a sterilized glass jar or bottle.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 weeks.

Tip: Always use a clean spoon to scoop ketchup out of the jar to avoid contamination.

Tips for Perfect Jamaican-Style Ketchup

• Choose the right tomatoes: Roma or plum tomatoes are best. Avoid watery or underripe tomatoes.
• Sweet vs. tang: Adjust sugar and vinegar to your taste; Jamaican-style ketchup is sweeter than most American ketchups.
• Spices: Allspice is essential for authentic Jamaican flavor. Optional spices like clove and nutmeg add depth.
• Thickening: If you want thicker ketchup, simmer longer or add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water) and cook 5 minutes more.
• Optional heat: Add a small scotch bonnet pepper during cooking for subtle Jamaican heat (remove before blending).

Variations

• Tropical Ketchup: Add ¼ cup of pureed mango or pineapple for a fruity, Caribbean twist.
• Smoky Ketchup: Roast the tomatoes in the oven before cooking for a deeper, smoky flavor.
• Spicy Ketchup: Infuse with scotch bonnet or habanero for authentic Jamaican heat.

Uses for Jamaican Tomato Ketchup

• Stews and Braises – Brown stew chicken, oxtail, brown stew goat, and vegetable stews benefit from the sweetness and depth of Jamaican ketchup.
• Marinades – Mix with jerk seasoning for a sweet-spicy glaze for meats or tofu.
• Dipping Sauce – Fries, chicken fingers, or roasted vegetables are elevated with this ketchup.
• Sandwich Spread – Add it to burgers, patties, or grilled sandwiches for a Caribbean flair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip peeling the tomatoes?

Yes, but your ketchup may be slightly chunkier. Blending smooths it out.

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Yes! Substitute one 28 oz can of tomato purée if fresh Roma tomatoes aren’t available.

How long does homemade ketchup last?

Refrigerated in a clean jar, it lasts 3–4 weeks.

How do I make it thicker?

Continue simmering uncovered until reduced, or add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water) and cook 5 more minutes.

Can I make it spicy?

Absolutely. Add a scotch bonnet or habanero pepper while simmering. Remove before blending for subtle heat.

“Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.” Psalms 119:37 NKJV

Wisdom

In this life that we live in, there are many distractions. Many things to get us off of our faith walk with Jesus. Many worthless things that we should not even pay attention to. We have all this social media that has endless scrolling.

Before you know it, hours pass by and all we’ve been doing is laughing at content that doesn’t add anything to our lives but entertainment. We should be in bed sleeping but we scroll, we should be doing our work but we scroll.

Spending quality time with our friends, family, husbands and wives, children and so on but we scroll. Most importantly we need to put the focus on spending more of our time with God, and scrolling in His word. Praying to Him and fasting.

Building our relationship with Him and staying in communication. We only get this one life to live, once chance at salvation, and our time is short. We don’t know the day, time, or hour that we will pass away from this earth, so we have to spend our time wisely.

Praying for God to turn away our eyes from worthless things and revive us in His ways before we all go off into eternity. Fear God and keep His commandments. 

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