This apple chutney recipe is easy to prepare and a wonderful way to enjoy fall’s bounty. It’s sweet, spicy, and slightly sour. I love serving this simple condiment alongside chicken or pork!
This homemade apple chutney is a great condiment to keep on hand when you want a quick way to jazz up dinner. It comes together very quickly and with minimal prep! To prepare it, all you do is cook the onions for a few minutes in melted butter, then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the flavors come together for about 40 minutes.
How to serve
Unlike apple sauce, chutney has tanginess from vinegar and savoriness from onions, making it an excellent accompaniment for pork and chicken. For a quick dinner, I love serving it alongside rotisserie chicken or sliced pork tenderloin.
How to Store
The vinegar and sugar will act as a preservative, keeping the chutney fresh for several weeks. If stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it should be fine for at least three weeks, possibly four.
How to Freeze
You can freeze homemade chutney to extend the shelf life by several months. I recommend using a freezer bag and pressing out as much air as possible while sealing it (this will help prevent ice crystals). The chutney will keep in the freezer for 6 months, but I recommend using it within 3 for best flavor.
Recipe Substitutions
- You can swap out the yellow onions for shallots (they both work equally well).
- You can substitute dried cranberries or cherries for the raisins. This won’t alter the overall flavor much, but will add a subtle note of whichever fruit you use. Raisins have a more generic flavor.
- Dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown sugar.
What Are Shallots?
This recipe uses one of my favorite ingredients: shallots! Learn more about shallots and when to use them in recipes with my ingredient overview: What Are Shallots?
How to Chop an Onion
This recipe calls for chopped onions. Check out my fast and easy technique for how to chop an onion with step-by-step photos!
More Apple Recipes
If you like this recipe, you might also enjoy my Skillet Apple Cobbler, Cinnamon Apple Fruit Leather, and Caramel Apple Pound Cake! I also love these Apple Crumble Cheesecake Bars from A Classic Twist.
Apple Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow onions, chopped (approximately 1/2 large)
- 3 cups tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and chopped (2-3 medium)
- 3/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (approximately 1 orange)
Instructions
- Set a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the butter; once melted, add the onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onions are fragrant and translucent.
- Add the apples, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, vinegar, orange zest and juice, stirring to combine the ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then turn the heat back down to low and cover.
- Simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and check the chutney consistency. If it's watery, allow excess liquid to cook off for 3-5 minutes, turning the heat up slightly if necessary. When finished, the chutney should be the consistency of applesauce.
- I recommend serving warm apple chutney alongside chicken or pork. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks.
Notes
Substitutions
- You can swap out the yellow onions for shallots (use what you have). Vidalia onions would also work.Â
- You can substitute dried cranberries or cherries for the golden raisins. This won't alter the overall flavor much, but will add a subtle note of whichever fruit you use. Raisins have a more generic flavor. You don't have to use golden raisins if you already have regular raisins in your pantry. I like how the golden raisins blend in and don't speckle the chutney.Â
- Dark brown sugar can be substituted for light brown sugar.
More Condiment Recipes
For more homemade condiments, check out my honey mustard dressing, bacon jam, and teriyaki sauce!Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
YUM! I have plans to go apple picking in a couple of weeks and following the trip with an apple binge. This is totally on my list.
I haven’t started making chutneys yet, but I’m sure it wil happen soon enough. I love the idea of swapping in cherries for raisins. (While I like raisins, I don’t seem to like them IN things unless they are the star ingredient, I don’t know why). Love that deep brown color.
Love your blog! Hmmm, looking forward to the day I can grow, pick and cook my own apples!
looks delicious! is apple chutney different from apple butter because of the addition of savory ingredients?
Apple butter is smooth and similar to jam in its application. Chutneys are textured and typically have a balance of sweet and sour flavors that make them excellent accompaniments to pork and chicken.
Hot dog, this sounds and looks delicious. I love apple chutneys and I think the addition of dried cherries will take it to a whole new level. Thanks for the awesome recipe. I can’t wait to try it out :)
P.S. Which apples did you use? Granny Smith? Do you think Pink Ladies would work?
I had McIntosh apples on hand so that’s what I used. I think Granny Smith would be best because they’re tart and hold their shape well. Pink Ladies are sweeter, but if you have those already I think they will work fine. You may want to add a bit extra lemon juice, just a splash.
I love chutneys, I really need to start making my own. Looks delicious!
Thanks for visiting my blog earlier. Thanks for this great post as I will be given some freshly picked apples this weekend and was not too sure what to do with them. I love all chutneys. Will this recipe work for mango as well, you think?
I love anything with mangoes. They’re much sweeter than apples, though, so you may need to adjust the ratios of sugar, lemon juice and vinegar.
Thank you for the hints! I’ll have to try it out one of these days!
Oh Yummy, I will be making this! :)
This looks great! I hope I can try it soon!
This looks lovely! My boyfriend loves chutneys; I’ll have to ‘borrow’ this recipe to make him some for winter! Thank you! :)
Mmmmm! I’m always looking for something to accent my vegetarian entrees, and this looks like it would complement garbanzo beans, eggplant and the like. Puuuuurfect:)
Lovely recipe – I make jam, but have never yet attempted chutney. This is where I begin….
definitely have to try this! i’m on an apple/squash kick right now :)
YUM! This looks amazing! I will definitely have to make a batch as soon as possible! I have never tried making a chutney, but this looks like the perfect 1st try!
What a beautiful site you have! I also am crazy for chutney…just made a tomato chutney yesterday and will be sharing on my blog soon. Thanks so much for visiting it :-)!
Best!