13 Weirdest Ketchup Products Ever Sold By Heinz

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Whether or not you're a sauce person, condiments have been used by civilizations for thousands of years. We're not just talking just about splashes of vinegar on vegetables, but fully fledged condiments used to enhance the flavors of foods from ancient Rome, to Greece, China, and India. Some are still used today, like the ancient fish sauce garum and the ever-beloved soy sauce — which, believe it or not, is over 2,000 years old — while many others have died out, only to be replaced by more other condiments. Think mayonnaise, mustard (also an ancient favorite), ranch, and relish. But even those have necessitated a level of experimentation over the years to keep consumers coming back.

Heinz is undoubtedly a very famous food brand that has succeeded beyond measure when it comes to its condiments. With net sales in 2022 reaching over $26 billion, Heinz has partnerships with a ton of fast food restaurants like Shake Shack, Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, and Raising Canes. On top of that, its iconic red bottle can be found in sit down restaurants across the country. But Heinz is like any other company competing in a saturated market and it's done its best through the years to innovate with new ketchup products while capitalizing on key moments in the trend cycle. Some have hit and some have not, but we rounded up thirteen of the weirdest flavors it's ever sold from around the world.

We're not here to judge whether a ketchup flavor is good or not, but rather focus on how out of the norm it might be, and the now defunct Heinz balsamic vinegar ketchup flavor was plenty out of the norm. Back in 2011, Heinz released its new flavor to much fanfare. At the time, Heinz launched the balsamic vinegar flavor exclusively on its Facebook page, and spoiler: it didn't go smoothly. The administrators with the Facebook page were allegedly fielding complaints that customers couldn't access the link to buy the flavor. Back in 2011, it was the first new ketchup flavor that Heinz had released in 10 years.

Why? Well we can imagine that a recognizable brand like Heinz would want to protect its highest grossing product from any other iterations, especially since the original recipe calls for white vinegar. To make an option using balsamic vinegar — the flavor profile of which is a great deal milder and more complex than its counterpart — was a departure for the brand. Fans seemed to love it, but the flavor was discontinued in 2018.

Calling everyone who grew up in the early 2000s! Do you remember eating colored ketchup? We're not talking about the bright red everyone knows and loves. No, we mean green, purple, pink, blue, and orange ketchup on your hotdogs, burgers, and fries. It first hit shelves in 2000 and not only was the colored ketchup a huge draw, but so was the ultra thin nozzle which allowed kids to draw their ketchup onto their food. The "Blastin' Green" was the first color and in the years that followed Heinz sold over 25 million bottles of colored ketchup to families around the country. It became such a fad that Heinz even sold "mystery" bottles where consumers wouldn't know the color until they squirted it onto their food and unsurprisingly, over 1 million bottles were sold.

Further leaning into the kid friendly vibe, Heinz even partnered with "Shrek" — which came out in 2001 — for a Shrek green and Fiona red bottle. But novelty often wears out. EZ Squirt was discontinued in 2006 likely due to product fatigue and perhaps even parents' concerns over the food coloring used in the product. Today, some consumers would love nothing more than the condiment to make its reappearance, but for now it stays in the vaults.

Tartar sauce has long been a preferred dipping sauce for seafood, dating back to the 19th century, most likely invented in France. That's because the French are who we can thank for mayonnaise, and that also happens to serve as the base of tartar sauce. However tartar sauce's flavor goes beyond the creaminess of mayo with the inclusion of capers, pickles, and lemon juice. That gives it a tangy, briney flavor that pairs well with the delicate and rich flavors of seafood. For Heinz, it saw an opportunity to marry tartar sauce with its most famous condiment to create Tarchup.

According to a Heinz Canada press release announcing the new flavor — alongside others — the mashup was actually inspired by a fan. Arianne from Toronto, Canada had shared a post on what is now X back in 2010 talking about how she "wished she'd had some tartar sauce and ketchup on hand." Heinz then took that idea and ran with it.

Another of Heinz's flavor mashups, the Sweet Ketchili product offering is, in the brand's words, "in its own class of condiments." The sauce combines Heinz's world famous ketchup with sweet chili sauce for a spicy, sweet dipping sauce it says works great on a whole host of foods, from chicken nuggets and burgers to hot dogs, shrimp cocktail, and fries. It's part of a range of mashup flavors that Heinz released in the United States alongside Buffaranch (buffalo sauce and ranch dressing). Previously mashups like Tarchup, Hanch, and Wasabioli were only available to consumers in Canada.

For those unsure of what exactly makes the Ketchili spicy, look no further than sriracha. The ingredients list has it listed fourth (these lists are by weight of ingredient in the final product) just behind tomato puree, sugar, and vinegar. If you already have some form of sriracha at home along with ketchup, perhaps save yourself the money and make the concoction yourself.

We aren't sure who asked for it, but back in 2019 Heinz released Kranch. For those unfamiliar, Kranch is a mixture of Heinz ketchup and ranch dressing. Now, ketchup is often known for its tomatoey, tangy and slightly savory flavor profile. Ranch dressing on the other hand is creamy and herby. It's not necessarily a flavor combination that immediately comes to mind, and others seemed to agree. The Washington Post even published an article with the headline, "Kranch is the latest condiments mash-up we didn't need."

But years later in 2023, Heinz re-released a limited edition sauce called "Ketchup and Seemingly Ranch" after international pop-star Taylor Swift was caught on camera at a Kansas City Chief's game eating what looked to be chicken nuggets dipped in, you guessed it, ketchup and ranch. It's been noted that Swift's fans are a passionate crowd and her work quite literally affects the U.S. economy, so it's no surprise then that Heinz wanted to capitalize on the fanfare.

Heinz describes Mayochup, the lovechild of mayonnaise and ketchup, as being in its own class of condiments. The mashup takes the creamy, tangy flavor of mayo and combines it with the acidity of ketchup for what could be seen as a quite versatile dipping sauce. Its versatility is noted on the Heinz website as being a delicious replacement for either mayo or ketchup on foods like sandwiches, chicken, fries, or burgers. Heinz even went so far as to poll its U.S. followers on X (formerly Twitter) about whether they wanted it released. A majority (not overwhelming by any means) voted "pass the Heinz Mayochup" at 54.8% while the naysayers voted to make their own at home.

This was back in 2018 and Mayochup is still sold in stores today though there are some controversies around the condiment. Mayo and ketchup, as a mixture, is already a popular dipping sauce in Puerto Rico and other countries in Latin America with some people questioning whether a pre-bottled version was necessary. Not to mention the fact that in the Cree language— a First Nations group in North America — Mayochup translates roughly to as "s— face."

Pickle Flavored Ketchup was first sold to consumers in the U.K before making it across the pond in 2024. In its marketing Heinz focused on the fact that more often than not, ketchup and some variation of pickles were often seen together. Pickles and ketchup on hamburgers or ketchup and relish on hotdogs (or a dill pickle spear for those Chicago-style hot dog fans) were used in its passionate campaign to get people excited about the mash-up. According to the Associated Press, the market for store-bought pickles grew to $3.1 billion the U.S. last year — that means this move was not only a callback to Heinz's roots as a purveyor of pickles, but strategic as well. Its also further evidence of the larger market shift toward innovation (and novelty) that Heinz is after. 

In a press release, Director of Heinz Innovation at The Kraft Heinz Company Katie Peterson said, "The current pickle craze in America mirrors the irrational love Heinz fans have for the brand, so it only made sense for our newest ketchup to blend these two beloved tastes together."

Spicy ketchup is nothing new, but Heinz took it to the next level with not one, not two, but three spicy ketchups. The Heinz Tomato Ketchup Blended with Chipotle was launched in 2023 amidst a passionate societal shift toward the use of hot sauce. In an interview with USA Today, Pedro Navio, U.S. president of taste elevation, meals, food service and Kraft Heinz Ingredients shared that, "Consumers have told us that they're interested in more than just the heat level, they also want to understand the source (of) ... where does the heat come from?" 

This aligns with the growing understanding that North American consumers love hot sauce. According to Fortune Business Insights, North America "dominated" the hot sauce market in 2024, making up a 44.24% share of the market.

The chipotle flavor is meant to have a medium spice level (perfect for those who want a kick, but don't want to sweat), and has a smoky taste that the pepper typically embodies. It's earthy, smooth, and can be used as a dip or sauce on breakfast sandwiches and meat like chicken. The pepper is a favorite among chefs as a versatile, bold flavor addition, so its addition to ketchup is sure to elevate the flavor.

For super spicy lovers, the Heinz Tomato Ketchup Blended with Habanero is a surefire win. When determining spice level, one has to look at the Scoville scale, invented by American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville in 1912. Heat in peppers comes from capsaicin, which is a chemical compound that has medical uses, hence Scoville's interest. From his tests, we have the modern scale, and habanero ranks in the 250,000-plus Scoville heat units (SHU). For context, habanero peppers are only three levels down from Carolina Reaper peppers.

Ketchup itself can be great at diluting heat, but the Tomato Ketchup Blended with Habanero should only really be eaten by people with a high tolerance for spice. Heinz even describes it as "perfect for adding a fiery taste" to food. Our sister site The Takeout ranked it as its favorite of the three spicy ketchups offered by Heinz in the U.S., but we'll let you make that determination on your own.

The Heinz Jalapeño Tomato Ketchup Blended with Jalapeño (a mouthful of a name, if we ever saw one) was released alongside its blend with chipotle and habanero peppers in 2023, but it also had a life all the way back in 2012. The Heinz Facebook page was selling bottles of "Heinz Tomato Ketchup blended with Real Jalapenos" ahead of a larger launch during a promotion called 12 Days of Jalapeno Ketchup. For whatever reason, the product didn't stick, but its new iteration is back and better than ever.

Jalapeño's are fairly low on the Scoville scale, seen as a more mild pepper (though we recommend avoiding the seeds at home if you're averse to spice) and so their addition to Heinz ketchup should offer a peppery, pungent taste. As a reminder, Heinz notes that its pepper ketchups are blended with real peppers so we can't be sure if the seeds were removed or not. As such, you should still expect spice, but not nearly as hot as chipotle or habanero peppers.

It may seem like a joke or part of the Mandela Effect, but once upon a time Heinz used to sell ketchup that sparkled. Yes, you heard us right. In the 90s, Heinz released a product only in Canada hawked by a mascot named Sparky. There's very little evidence left of the move, likely due to it being sold pre-internet boom, but users across the web remember their families having ketchup that quite literally sparkled. One video — purported to be a television ad selling the product — even ends with the tagline, "Sparky. The Heinz that sparkles."

According to a 1997 article by Canadian marketing publication Strategy, the Heinz team was looking to reach younger consumers in the way that brands like Sailor Moon were able to. Apparently, Sparky and its sparkly ketchup were actually born from the mind of a Heinz executive's child who wondered "what would happen if she added cooking sparkles to ketchup, her mom was intrigued and an idea was born." The brand even did activations with Crayola crayons, where every purchase of a Sparky bottle came with a free six-pack of crayons, to further the child-friendly, imaginative spirit of the product. From what we've researched, the product was never sold outside of Canada and was discontinued shortly after its launch.

On a roll in 2024, Heinz released Smokey Bacon ketchup. In line with the brand's pickle-flavored ketchup, the smokey-bacon flavor is a capitalization of people's love for specific food items. It was first sold in Iceland before being sold at large to the United Kingdom and if you know anything about the U.K., you know they love a full English breakfast. That typically consists of eggs, vegetables, beans, bread, and meat with most having ketchup and brown sauce available on the table. That's why on its website, Heinz recommended consumers enjoy Smokey-Bacon Ketchup on the side of "a cooked breakfast to enjoy a bright, smokey start to the day."

Metro shared that while some people were thrilled at the idea of such a flavor pairing, others weren't as enticed going so far as to joke if it was an April Fool's prank around its April launch. Regardless, the flavor is still available for purchase.

Much like some of the other flavor mash-ups on our list, curry and ketchup as a combination isn't new, but it has an interesting history. Back in 1949, Herta Heuwer created a food dish that Germans today still love and revere: currywurst. The dish is a blend of curry powder, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce served alongside sausage, a German staple. Today it's a beloved fast food dish with over 800 million portions of the dish eaten by Germans each year.

Heinz must have seen the deep rooted love that people had for the dish and created Curry Ketchup to complement the meal. It describes the product as its "famous Heinz ketchup blended with a spicy curry," but not every person who has tried it gets the curry flavor. Some recommend simply making it at home with as much curry powder as necessary to get the desired flavor for use on currywurst, burgers, or as a meat glaze.