Cranberry Chutney
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Sweet, tart and savory, cranberry chutney makes a delicious alternative to traditional cranberry sauce.
Chutney is a condiment of Indian origin made with a blend of sweet, sour, and savory ingredients like fruit, ginger, onions, sugar, spices, and vinegar. This holiday version comes from my mom’s dear friend Joanne Biltekoff, who’s like an aunt to me (and lovingly known to my kids as “the pickle lady” for her famous refrigerator pickles). Joanne makes a big batch of cranberry chutney every year before Thanksgiving to jar and share as holiday gifts. It’s a wonderful alternative to traditional cranberry sauce, delicious on turkey sandwiches, and perfect with cheese, crackers, and charcuterie.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Cranberry Chutney
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium pot or Dutch oven.
Mix well.
Bring to a rapid boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 45 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer the chutney for 15 minutes more, until thickened.
Let cool completely, then spoon the chutney into a bowl or jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Cranberry Chutney
Sweet, tart and savory, cranberry chutney makes a delicious alternative to traditional cranberry sauce.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, no need to defrost before using)
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 tart-sweet apple, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji or Gala, peeled, cored, and finely diced
- ⅔ cup finely chopped yellow onion, from one small onion
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger, from a 2-inch knob (see note)
- ¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1½ teaspoons orange zest, from 2 oranges
- ⅔ cup fresh orange juice, from 2 oranges
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- Generous pinch red pepper flakes
- Generous pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients in a heavy, medium (2 to 3-qt) pot and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer the chutney for 15 minutes more, until thickened. Let cool completely, then spoon the chutney into a bowl or jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The chutney will keep for 10 days in a covered container in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (32 servings)
- Serving size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 47
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 mg
- Sodium: 7 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
First, thank you for putting in measurements along with general guidelines (2/3 c onion, one small). Onions especially vary in size so greatly that the actual measure is so helpful. I needed 1 1/2 smalls to get there this time.
But for the crux of the review, I made this for Thanksgiving as written but for substituting dried apricots for the golden raisins (store didn’t have them). I served it both as an appetizer with cream cheese and crackers and on the main table as a side/condiment. HUGE success! I was told it should be jarred and sold and that I will be making it every year.
Hi Jenn,
Thank you for this wonderful cranberry chutney recipe that I made today! I have always loved chutneys since discovering them over 35 years ago. These savory-sweet, sour, fruity Indian condiments, (or relishes), are wonderful to accompany so many dishes, or even on their own as a spread.
I reduced the sweetness and used 1/2 cup of coconut sugar; reduced the raisins to 3/4 cup; and added 1/4 tsp of cardamom. I also sauteed the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, adding the spices in for the last minute to bloom them before adding it all to the other ingredients in the pot, and excluded the water.
It’s wonderful!
Thank you so much, Jenn!
Has anyone put this yummy sounding chutney over Brie?
Jenn, I guess I’m a little confused.
For the Cranberry Chutney “1 1/2 TSP orange zest frm 2 oranges.” Does that mean a total of 3 TBS
Same question re the juice?
2/3 cup OJ frm EACH of 2 ?
I’ve been a fan for yrs. This time I’m stumped.
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne, I apologize for any confusion! You only need a total of 1-1/2 teaspoons orange zest and 2/3 cup of OJ. I have the other information there to indicate how many oranges you’re likely to need to yield that amount of zest and juice. Hope you enjoy the chutney!
Hi, is there a way I can purée this into smooth sauce, rather than it being chunky?
I love the texture this has, but there’s no reason you can’t puree it if you prefer it smooth.
Excellent recipe. Easy to make. Lots of chopping but then you combine everything in one pot.
I cooked this in the Instant Pot, 1 minute on high pressure, then 10 minutes natural pressure release. I cut back on the sugar by 1/4 cup, didn’t add the water, used 1 tsp powdered ginger instead of the fresh ginger. We loved it! Perfect with the crown pork roast!
I simmered this for about 18 minutes and it’s still a little loose. Will it thicken up as it cools?
Yes, it does thicken as it cools off.
I’ve made Cranberry Chutney with crushed pineapple before but this recipe sounds much more interesting and tasty. Do you think it would be ok to substitute the apple with pineapple? And can you use dark brown sugar instead of light? Thanks!
Yes and yes. Hope you enjoy!