Sweet, tangy, and perfectly spiced, this Banana Ketchup will have you rethinking your condiment habits from here on out.
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*
I regularly get questions about how to preserve bananas. In the past, my default answer was to guide people away from trying it. The reason? Bananas are low in acid and there’s long been a dearth of reliable, scientifically tested recipes employing them. However, things are changing. The makers of Ball® home canning products have recently added this canning safe recipe for banana ketchup to their library of preserves.
To make this sweet, zippy preserve, you need two cups of mashed banana (I needed four bananas to total this amount), 2 cups of chopped onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 1-2 birds eye chilis, 1 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice.
You start by simmering the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of water until they’re soft. While the aromatics cook, prepare a boiling water bath canner and 4 half pint jars. Wash your new lids and rings with warm, soapy water and set them aside so that they’re ready for you when you’re ready for them.
Then you add the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring regularly, until it has thickened. This should take 15-20 minutes. And just a note here. Make sure to use a silicone spoon or a wooden spoon that you don’t mind dyeing a vibrant shade of yellow. Even though there’s only 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric in this recipe, it’s still potent enough to stain everything it comes into contact with.
Once the ketchup is done cooking, use an immersion blender to puree it smooth. Use canning tongs to remove a hot jar (I used Ball® Smooth Sided Half Pint Jars) from your prepared canner. Funnel the hot banana ketchup into the jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove the air bubbles. Wipe the rim, apply a clean, new lid and a ring and return the jar to the canner. Repeat this process with the remaining jars and ketchup. Process the sauce for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude if you live above 1,000 feet in elevation.
When the processing time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid from the pot and let the jars stand in the pot for an additional five minutes (this allows them to cool more gradually, which helps prevent siphoning and should also help develop a more robust seal).
Remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel. Let them sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours so they can fully cool and seal. Before storing, make sure to check that the seals are firm and unbending. Sealed jars are shelf stable up to 18 months, any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
My finished yield ended up being three half pints and a few spoonfuls that I popped into a 4 ounce jar and put in the fridge. This ketchup is delicious anywhere that you’d use the traditional tomato version. So far, I’ve enjoyed mine with roasted sweet potato wedges and spread onto a black bean burger.
Banana Ketchup
Ingredients
- 2 cups mashed bananas
- 1 large onion chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1-2 bird's eye chilis chopped
- 1 cup water divided
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic in 1/4 cup of the water over medium heat until soft. Add remaining ingredients and cook at a simmer stirring continuously until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Prepare boiling water bath while sauce is cooking. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
- Puree until smooth using an immersion blender or in the bowl of a food processor.
- Ladle hot ketchup into a hot jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water bath canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
- Process jars for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seals, they should not flex when center is pressed.
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed remain my own.
Can you please post the actual recipe from Ball with an official statement from them saying this is a safe and tested recipe? If not, then this should be considered not shelf stable, and anyone risking it is foolish.
Frank, this is the official, fully tested recipe from Ball. They haven’t published it on their website yet, but have thoroughly tested it for safety. I will ask them if there’s some additional confirmation that they can provide.
Should the seeds be removed from the bird’s eye chilis?
That’s up to you. If you want more heat, leave the seeds in. Less, remove them.
Sounds wonderful! Will be trying this very soon.
A while ago Kraft put out a booklet of recipes “Fruits of the Harvest Beyond the Basics Homemade Jams and Jellies” that has three recipes for Banana Butter. All three are basically the same recipe, each is written specifically for different pectin (Regular Sure-Jell, Low sugar Sure-Jell, and Certo). It uses a fairly high amount of lemon juice and Fruit Fresh and the end result is a jam consistency not really a fruit butter but it’s tasty.
Thanks for sharing that! I’d be interested to try it. I’ll have to look for that book.
Sorry but this is not a validated recipe from Fresh Preserving, here is the reply I received from them:
Thank you for taking the time to contact Fresh Preserving. We truly appreciate your interest in our products.
I will be happy to assist you today. I do understand you would like to verify if the Banana Ketchup recipe located on foodinjars.com website is a Ball approved recipe. To answer your question no, unfortunately that recipe has not been safety tested by our food scientist at this time. We do not recommend this recipe. I hope this information was useful for you. Stay safe during this time and have a great day.
If I can be of further assistance, please reply to this email directly so that we can see all previous replies. You may receive a brief survey about your experience with me. Thank you in advance for any feedback you may provide.
Sincerely,
Keely
Fresh Preserving Consumer Care
Case 33765745
Sylvie, I work directly with Ball. This fully tested recipe is scheduled to go up on their website in November. It may be that the customer service people aren’t aware of recipes that are in the pipeline, but I assure you it is safe and approved.
I appreciate that some people are questioning the safety of canning recipes, as there are so many out there that are not tested as safe. Even the NY Times posted a tomato sauce recipe that didn’t have enough acid in it! https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/22/at-home/coronavirus-homemade-tomato-sauce.html But Marisa/FIJ is one of the few sites I trust completely when it comes to safety for canning.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! This really is a tested recipe from Ball, so I feel totally comfortable with the safety of this recipe.
I get Fresh Preserving newsletter and the recipe is posted today from them. So it is approved for canning.
I’m going to try it because it sounds delish….
Thanks for confirming that! I appreciate it.
Ball Canning has posted Marissa’s recipe on its website: https://www.freshpreserving.com/blog?cid=banana-ketchup
Wonder if a natural sweetener (like stevia) instead of sugar will work for this and does it alter the shelf life (or dropping sugar at all)?
Using a non-sugar sweetener like stevia will alter the flavor, consistency, and shelf life of this ketchup. I wouldn’t recommend it.
12/26/22 I am a retiree and this recipe intrigues me, I will be trying it. Since you work for Ball, and all the acid in the recipe bumps up the safety factor, what @ trying plantains? I would really like to find a canning recipe that uses plantains, due to inflammation, I eat plantains often. This looks like it might work. Bonus if you can work some pineapple into it.
Hi Barbara. I don’t work for Ball. I was doing some sponsored content for them when I wrote this post. I don’t have any insight to offer when it comes to working with plantains.
Awesome, made a milder batch for those who prefer, this is a great recipe! Raves from my ‘bunch’!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled or more in a single batch? Or do I have to do one recipe at a time?
I grew up in the Philippines and banana ketchup is a common thing.