Ready to graduate from jalapeño slices? Go with habanero heat! Habanero ketchup is at the upper echelon of spicy condiments; this is not a ketchup for the timid. It’s blazingly hot, but with that sweet tomato tang that pairs with burger oh so well. But don’t stop there, habanero ketchup is delicious wherever standard ketchup is in order: as a dip for fries, as a topper for meatloaf, or even as a tangy glaze for BBQ.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Sweet and tangy like ketchup, with warm spices and fruity habanero heat. |
| Primary heat source | One habanero. |
| Heat level | Hot. Habaneros run 100,000 to 350,000 SHU, and leaving the seeds and pith in takes it hotter still. |
| Texture | Smooth and pourable, a little looser than bottled ketchup unless you simmer it longer. |
| Best uses | Burgers, hot dogs, fries, meatloaf and BBQ glazes. |
| Customization ideas | Pith in or out to set the heat, smoked paprika for smoke, a longer simmer for thicker ketchup. |
| Before you start | Wear gloves for the habanero. About 30 minutes of cooking, plus an hour in the fridge for the best flavor. |
Flavor notes
One habanero runs 100,000 to 350,000 SHU, and most of that heat is in the white pith that holds the seeds, more than in the seeds themselves. So when you seed the pepper, scrape the pith out too if you want the ketchup on the tamer side of extra-spicy. Leave both in and you’ve got a more extreme version.
Wear gloves while you do it. Any chili can give you chili burn, but with an extra-hot pepper like the habanero it’s on another level, and the oils stay on your hands long after you’ve finished chopping.
Under the burn, habanero has a fruity, tropical sweetness, and it suits a condiment built on tomatoes, red bell pepper and brown sugar. The cider vinegar keeps all that sweetness in check, and it’s where the tang comes from.
Allspice, cinnamon and cloves show up in a lot of homemade ketchup recipes, and they give this one that familiar warm background. A quarter teaspoon of cloves is plenty, since they can take over quickly.
Roma tomatoes are meatier and less watery than most slicing tomatoes, which helps with a cook this short. Even so, this is a quick ketchup, and it comes out looser than the bottled kind. If you want it thicker, keep simmering after you blend it until it coats the back of a spoon.
And if you’ve got an hour, chill it covered before serving. It thickens a little as it cools.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat, and a couple change the texture.
- Want it milder? Remove every bit of pith and seed, or start with half a habanero. You can always stir in a few drops of habanero hot sauce later if it needs more.
- Want it hotter? Leave the seeds and pith in, or add a second habanero.
- Swap the pepper. A Scotch bonnet works one for one. It’s in the same heat range as the habanero, with the same kind of fruity flavor.
- Want some smoke? Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika along with the other spices.
- Out of fresh tomatoes? A drained 14.5-ounce can of whole or diced tomatoes stands in for the four Romas.
- Want it silky smooth? Push it through a fine sieve after blending to catch any bits of skin and pepper.
Serving ideas
Burgers, hot dogs and fries are the obvious places. Here are a few more.
- On grilled chicken or ribs. Brush it on in the last few minutes of cooking, since the sugar can scorch over direct heat.
- In a spicy burger sauce. Stir it into mayo with a spoonful of pickle relish.
- As a cocktail sauce. Mix in prepared horseradish and a squeeze of lemon, then serve it with cold shrimp.
- With breakfast. Next to scrambled eggs and hash browns, or on a breakfast sandwich.
- With onion rings. Or anything else fried that you’d normally dunk in ketchup.
Storage notes
Keep it in a clean, airtight jar in the fridge and use it within about two weeks. This isn’t a canning recipe, so it needs to stay cold.
Want to keep some longer? Freeze it in small containers or an ice cube tray for up to three months, then thaw it in the fridge and give it a stir.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Curry Ketchup: Another spiced-up ketchup, with sweet curry powder and cayenne. It’s the one to use for currywurst.
- Bloody Mary Ketchup: A no-cook ketchup built on the cocktail, with Tabasco, horseradish and lemon.
- Mango Habanero Jam: The habanero’s fruity side again, this time with ripe mango.
50 quick, bold sauces and salsas: classic salsas and fun twists, BBQ sauces with a kick, and dippers with bang. Simple to make, big on flavor.
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Habanero Ketchup
Ingredients
- 4 roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
- 1 habanero pepper seeded and chopped (leave the seeds and white pith in for super-spicy ketchup)
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until translucent.
- Add the roma tomatoes, red bell pepper, and habanero pepper. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the peppers soften.
- Add the cider vinegar, brown sugar, bay leaf, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes (until all vegetables are very soft).
- Remove the bay leaf, then pour the mix into a food processor or blender. Puree the mix until smooth, then return the sauce to the pan. Simmer the sauce for 5 to 7 minutes, until it reaches your desired ketchup thickness.
- Salt and pepper to taste, then serve or for best flavor, chill the ketchup for one hour, covered, prior to serving.
