Spicy Beetroot Chili Ketchup Recipe, made from roasted beets, sweet and sour flavors and a kick of heat from chili peppers, ain’t your kids ketchup!
Oh how I love the versatility of spicy beetroot chili ketchup, made with roasted beetroots and a kick of chili peppers! A favorite sweet and sour ketchup now pushing tomatoes out of the way!
The New Ketchup Flavor You Will Prefer!
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. Why did the tomato dominate the sauce industry!
The juice inside the tomato is rather clear in color, the skin tough and the seeds shouldn’t be consumed, especially if you have intestinal issues.
So many other ingredients are required to take that ole tomato and turn it into ketchup.
And so I decided that if ketchup, we think is American, but actually from China, then I was going to create a healthier ketchup from my Mediterranean roots!
Oh how I love the versatility of spicy beetroot ketchup, made with roasted beetroots and a kick of chili peppers!
A favorite sweet and sour ketchup now pushing tomatoes out of the way.
One Fabulous Beetroot Ketchup Recipe
Move over traditional ketchup, with your mounds of added sugar, and dense tomato paste.
There’s a new taste in town and my French fries are so excited!
Sure you may have had sweet beets as a vegetable or side dish.
But have you had ketchup that is naturally colored, from red beets, seasoned with sufficient garlic puree, and enough umami in its flavor to convert you to beetroot ketchup?
What Is Beetroot Ketchup?
Ketchup made with roasted beets, has a unique, slightly earthy flavor, I now prefer on a variety of dishes, over tomato.
Add a little extra zing from a fresh chili pepper or dried flakes, and typical recipes will fast become something new.
Taking beetroot chili ketchup along for outings is idea because it tastes best when served room temperature.
What To Serve Beetroot Ketchup With
Serving ketchup, here in America, can mean on everything from hot dogs to your favorite breakfast eggs.
However, since this homemade ketchup is loaded with flavor, and way more nutritious than tomato ketchup, I’ve enjoyed it on a variety of dishes.
- Sweet Potato Fries – Sweet potato fries are sweet and salty, and with spicy beet ketchup, your mouth will celebrate the new flavor.
- Veggie Burgers or Vegan Meatballs – A great earthy flavor adding depth to other veggies.
- Short Ribs -Smear, dip or cook in the beet ketchup.
- Turkey Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – The perfect dipping sauce for these turkey cabbage rolls I make with leftover Thanksgiving Turkey!
- Roasted Rabbit – Rabbit is my favorite ‘light’ meat over chicken any day however its flavor is gentle and mild, so this ketchup is a welcome addition.
Just to name a few!
Beet Ketchup Instead Of Tomato Ketchup
Condiments are often a matter of personal taste.
Not everyone likes tomatoes, believe it or not, one of my grandchildren being one of them.
Tomatoes also are problematic for folks with acid reflux, and are advised to avoid. Homemade tomato ketchup does not turn out the bright red color I know in store bought ketchup, which raised concern.
Beets, especially when roasted, even slightly smoked on the grill, make for a luscious ketchup. The color is naturally rich and the flavor is most versatile with a variety of dishes.
Let’s Talk About The Better Ketchup
As for the color, of beets, what’s not to love!
Since beets are not juicy, like tomatoes, thickeners don’t need to be added, like they do in tomato ketchup.
Let’s start with a roasted beet, a sweet and sour of sugar and balsamic, add garlic, herbs, olive oil and a pinch of heat… well, you’ve got the best condiment!
Beets, especially when roasted, even slightly smoked on the grill, make for a luscious ketchup. The color is naturally rich and the flavor is most versatile with a variety of dishes.
Beet Lovers Are Going To Love These Other Dishes!
Since I have started growing beets every summer, for the last three years, I have gone overboard with creating fabulous beet recipes.
Here are just a few for you to explore.
- Beetroot Ice Cream – Oh yes I did! Earthy, creamy, sweet and beautiful!
- Beet Hummus – Fabulous flavors with chickpeas, tahini, sumac, ginger and lots of other hummus ingredients.
- Beet and Spinach Braided Bread – A perfect, nutrition rich bread for all occasions.
- Sugar Beet Cake – Way better than any carrot cake, prettier too.
- Beet Hummus Deviled Eggs – Probably the healthiest snack, lunch or nibble you could make!
Spicy Chili Ketchup
The levels of heat can be controlled in beet ketchup when you make it yourself.
Even the slightest hint of heat, from a fresh chili pepper, adds so much more to ketchup.
When a little spicy heat is added to a ketchup recipe, less sugar is needed.
Less sugar in ketchup is a wise approach to a really great condiment.
I added a freshly picked chili peppers from my garden, while simmering the ingredients for this ketchup.
A few dried red chili flakes work well too, if you don’t have fresh chilies on hand.
How To Make Spicy Beetroot Chili Ketchup
Cooking the beets is the first step and that can be done in several ways.
- Roast the beets in a closed roasting pan or wrapped inside parchment paper in the oven.
- Bundled inside foil and placed on the grill, while cooking other items.
- Boiled on top the stove until soft.
- Buy them already cooked in the produce section, something many markets have in their produce section.
Once the beets are cooked and peeled the rest goes fast.
Place the cooked, peeled, rough chopped beets in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients. Simmer until the carrots and celery are soft.
Cool, puree and this rich, dare I say ‘healthy’ ketchup is ready to use with other recipes or simply dip some fries in!
Beetroot Ketchup In Stores
While I, myself, would love to make this ketchup available for everyone in your favorite grocery stores, I wouldn’t want to have to add the preservatives to give it shelf life.
For this reason, I have made this recipe available for you to make at home.
It couldn’t be easier to make, even for busy lifestyle homes.
The only thing you need to make the job fast, is a food processor.
The rest comes together in under 30-minutes, especially if you purchase already cooked beets.
Make a batch, store small bundles in the freezer to pull out all year long.
Hey, I guess I could make it for stores if they stored it in their freezer, couldn’t I?!
Equipment Needed
- Roasting pan with a lid, parchment paper or foil
- Sauce pan
- Chopping knife
- Cutting board
- Veggie peeler
- Immersion blender, food processor or blender
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Airtight container
Ingredients Needed
- Beets
- Carrot
- Celery
- Chili pepper
- Sugar
- Onion
- Garlic
- Salt
- Sumac
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
Spicy Beetroot Chili Ketchup
Equipment
- Saucepan with lid
- Food processor or blender
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Beets peeled
- 1 Carrot peeled
- 1 Celery stalk
- 2 Chili peppers small or red chili flakes
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/2 Red Onion medium
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sumac
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar red wine vinegar or apple vinegar for options
- 1/4 cup Olive oil more if needed
Instructions
- Peel and rough chop all of the veggies into small cubes, onion and garlic included.
- In a saucepan, on medium heat, pour half of the olive oil into the pan, followed by each of the ingredients. Place the lid on and simmer for 20-minutes. Cool.
- Transfer the cooled mixture into the food processor or blender and give it a whirl while pouring in the remaining olive oil. Puree until smooth and creamy. Add more olive oil if needed to emulsify.
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