Can You Bring Ketchup on a Plane?

Ketchup and most condiments are subject to the standard airport liquid rule in carry-on: containers must be 100 ml or under. Full-size bottles are banned from the cabin but allowed without restriction in checked baggage. Individual serving packets are a practical alternative for carry-on.

The Liquid Rule and How It Applies to Condiments

The 100 ml liquids rule (also stated as 3.4 oz in the US, 100 ml in the EU and UK) applies to all liquids, gels, and pastes — including condiments. Ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, soy sauce, and similar products all fall within this rule.

What the rule means in practice:

• Container size matters, not fill level. A 250 ml ketchup bottle that is one-quarter full is still prohibited. Only containers that are 100 ml or under are allowed.
• All allowed containers go in your 1-litre clear bag. You are permitted one clear resealable bag per person, with all liquid containers inside it totalling no more than 1 litre of combined capacity.
• Standard Heinz ketchup bottles are banned from carry-on. The common squeeze bottles (397 ml, 570 ml, 910 ml) are all over the 100 ml threshold.

This is a source of genuine confusion at airport security. The rule is often associated with toiletries, but it applies equally to any liquid or paste you carry — condiments included.

Standard Ketchup Bottles: Carry-On vs. Checked

A standard Heinz ketchup bottle in any of its retail sizes — the small 397 ml, the medium 570 ml, the large 910 ml squeeze bottle — is prohibited from carry-on at any fill level. There is no partial exception for containers that are mostly empty.

In checked baggage, standard ketchup bottles are allowed with no restriction. Pack them upright and consider sealing the lid with tape or placing them in a resealable plastic bag in case the pressure differential during flight causes minor seepage.

Travel-Size Containers: The Carry-On Solution

Travel-size condiment bottles under 100 ml are the standard solution for carrying condiments in carry-on. Options include:

• Dedicated travel squeeze bottles (GoToobs, Nalgene travel bottles) filled from a larger container at home — effective and reusable.
• Retail travel-size ketchup (some supermarkets and hotel chains stock 40–80 ml bottles).
• Mini condiment bottles produced by brands: Crystal Hot Sauce 60 ml bottles, Tabasco 60 ml and 150 ml (only the 60 ml is within limit), Cholula travel size.

All of these, being 100 ml or under, are allowed in carry-on in your 1-litre clear liquids bag.

Individual Sachets and Serving Packets

Single-serving foil ketchup packets — the 7–9 gram (roughly 7–9 ml) individual sachets given at fast food restaurants — are technically subject to the liquid rule by volume, but they are far below 100 ml individually and in practice are not placed in the liquids bag and do not cause problems at security.

A handful of individual restaurant ketchup packets in your carry-on is not a practical security concern. The same applies to:

• Individual mustard packets
• Soy sauce single-serve sachets (the 8 ml packets often included with takeaway sushi)
• Individual mayonnaise sachets
• Sugar and salt packets (dry goods, not subject to liquid rule)

If you are carrying a large number of sachets (say, 50 or more), security may want to inspect them, but this is about the unusual quantity, not the individual packet rule.

Hot Sauce: What Sizes Are Allowed

Hot sauce enthusiasts face the same 100 ml constraint as everyone else. The commonly traveled hot sauce landscape:

• Tabasco Original (60 ml): allowed in carry-on, fits in liquids bag.
• Tabasco 150 ml: not allowed in carry-on.
• Crystal Hot Sauce travel size (60 ml): allowed in carry-on.
• Cholula 150 ml: not allowed in carry-on.
• Valentina 100 ml: borderline — a container labeled exactly 100 ml is allowed, but confirm the label.
• Standard 350 ml bottles of any brand: checked baggage only.

Peanut Butter, Honey, Jams, and Spreads

TSA and most international aviation security agencies classify pastes and spreads — including peanut butter, almond butter, jams, marmalade, honey, Nutella, tahini, hummus, and olive tapenade — as liquids for security screening purposes. The 100 ml rule applies to all of these.

This surprises many travelers, particularly with peanut butter. Despite being a solid paste, peanut butter behaves like a liquid under pressure and is classified as a gel/paste for airport security. A full jar of peanut butter must go in checked baggage.

Practical limits:

• Jam, marmalade, or honey in carry-on: use the small jar (under 100 ml) or a travel squeeze tube.
• Nutella in carry-on: use the mini Nutella jar (25 g/approx. 20 ml) or pack a larger jar in checked baggage.
• Hummus in carry-on: travel-size pots under 100 ml are allowed; standard supermarket pots (200–300 g) must be checked.

International Customs for Condiments

Most commercially manufactured condiments clear international customs without issue. They are processed food products, not fresh produce, and most countries' biosecurity agencies distinguish between manufactured condiments and fresh agricultural goods.

Australia and New Zealand: these countries have strict biosecurity rules but focus primarily on fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and live plants. A sealed bottle of Heinz ketchup or Tabasco will almost certainly clear without issue. Commercially manufactured products with ingredient labels are generally allowed.

Meat-based sauces: Worcestershire sauce (which contains anchovies and tamarind) and some fish-based sauces may attract additional inspection in countries with strict biosecurity rules. If in doubt, declare them on your incoming passenger card — the worst outcome of declaring is a brief inspection; the worst outcome of failing to declare is a fine.

Soy sauce: commercially manufactured soy sauce passes freely into most countries.

Condiment Summary Table

Condiment / container	Carry-on	Checked baggage	Notes
Ketchup, standard bottle (397 ml or more)	Not allowed	Allowed	Over 100 ml — banned from carry-on at any fill level
Ketchup, travel bottle (under 100 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	Retail travel-size or refillable bottle
Individual ketchup foil packet (7–9 ml)	Allowed	Allowed	Well under 100 ml; no liquids bag needed in practice
Hot sauce, standard bottle (150 ml or more)	Not allowed	Allowed	Must be 100 ml or under for carry-on
Hot sauce mini bottle (60 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	Tabasco 60 ml, Crystal 60 ml
Soy sauce sachet (8 ml)	Allowed	Allowed	Single-serve packets pass without issue
Soy sauce bottle (150 ml or more)	Not allowed	Allowed	Standard restaurant/supermarket size exceeds limit
Peanut butter, full jar	Not allowed	Allowed	Classified as paste/liquid — 100 ml rule applies
Peanut butter, travel pouch (under 100 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	Justin's travel pouches are under 100 ml
Jam / marmalade, standard jar (340 ml)	Not allowed	Allowed	Paste/gel — liquid rule applies
Jam / marmalade, mini jar (under 100 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	Hotel mini jams are typically 28–45 ml
Honey, standard jar	Not allowed	Allowed	Honey is a liquid — full jar must be checked
Honey, travel portion (under 100 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	Squeeze packs or small jars
Nutella, standard jar	Not allowed	Allowed	Spreadable — liquid rule applies
Hummus, standard pot (200 g)	Not allowed	Allowed	Paste — banned from carry-on in large containers
Olive tapenade, standard jar	Not allowed	Allowed	Paste — 100 ml rule applies
Mustard, standard jar or tube (over 100 ml)	Not allowed	Allowed	Same rule as other condiments
Mustard, travel-size tube (under 100 ml)	Allowed (in liquids bag)	Allowed	French's, Maille travel tubes