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 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 is like an aunt to me (and lovingly known to my kids as the pickle lady). Joanne makes a big vat of cranberry chutney before Thanksgiving to jar and give away over the holidays. Not only is it a nice alternative to traditional cranberry sauce, it’s also delicious on turkey sandwiches and goes beautifully with cheese, crackers, and charcuterie.
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.
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This recipe is a keeper. The combination of flavors is perfect for roast pork as well.
The recipe turned out good but you need to change the prep time to at least 30 – 45 minutes.
For me the cloves overwhelmed the taste. I’d leave it out or just put a tiny pinch in next time.
This was a great change to other homemade cranberry sauces I have made over the years. It was a huge hit and a great complement to the turkey and stuffing (Easy Sausage and Herb Stuffing.) The flavors hit the right notes and were the perfect combination of sweet and tart. We will be making it again in the future.
Hi Jenn,
This looks like a delicious alternative to cranberry sauce. I am wondering about a substitution for honey (due to an allergy) would maple syrup or agave syrup work?
Thank you,
Joanne
Yep either should work well. Enjoy!
This chutney sounds so delicious, and I’d love to make it for Thanksgiving, but I have a question. Since cranberries are usually only available during the winter .. and navel oranges are the commonly available variety during the winter … can this recipe be made with navel oranges (even though navel orange juice reportedly turns bitter), or should I ferret out valencia (seeded) oranges? Thank you!
Hi Mo, Navel oranges will work fine. Enjoy!
This is an old favorite of Julia Child and well over 30 years old,it`s delicious.
Can this recipe be frozen in a zipper-lock bag and for how long?
Sure — you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
I will recommend it to my cooking group. I made it for Christmas and plan to give as gifts.
Well, I loved this so much I decided to gift it for Christmas in small decorative jars from the dollar store. The only thing I added was a cup of chopped pecans after it was finished cooking. The rich flavor and crunch of pecans added extra texture to an already mouthwatering recipe!
Love that idea!
Can this chutney be preserved in a hot water bath?
Alice, I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
OMG, this is seriously irresistable! Its the 3rd batch I’ve made since Thanksgiving, since I keep planning on giving some away ..someday, if I can stop eating it all! Hot, cold, room temp, I’m all over this stuff!
And the ingredients take a bit to prepare, but i love that you simply dump it all in one pan and let it simmer. Eazy peazy!
Wonderful recipe! My husband said “it’s the best cranberry anything I have ever eaten”! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Let it cool completely before jarring and putting in freezer, cannot wait to share at Christmas, thank you for this amazing recipe. Took time to prep and to complete but completely worth the wait.
Worked out really well. love it. didn’t read the whole thing – only seeing after I made a large batch that it only keeps for ten days in a fridge as I was going to jar up to share with friends 😌 chutney normally matures with age 😊
Brilliant recipe 👍
I tried your recipe this Thanksgiving and I am giving you a huge thanks for sharing this delicious yet super easy recipe! I followed your instructions exactly as shown…everyone loved it and it will certainly be a tradition in our household for years to come 🙂
I made this chutney for the first time this Thanksgiving because I was tired of my same, old tried and true cranberry sauce. I was looking for something a bit more complex in flavor and less sweet than other cranberry sauces.
The chutney was absolutely wonderful and everyone who tasted it was delighted. But the prep time is very understated. I used a box grater to grate four navel oranges and those oranges did not yield enough juice. Next year, I’ll use a finer grate to get better results. It took me about an hour to prep all of the ingredients, which might discourage some people. But I can guarantee that it is well worth it – this recipe is a WINNER!
if you have a food chopper/ processor it does the job in a few seconds. OR hand slicing and chopping on a board using a large chef’s knife would make quick work of the oranges. I do this when making marmalade. Pulse a few times and slices are minced! I add a pinch of either cayenne or chipotle (smoked jalapeño) powder for a ZZZZIP. sometimes I chop and toss in candied ginger at the finish.
Can I use regular raisin instead of the golden?
Sure!
Hi Jenn!
Made this recipe for thanksgiving and it was delicious! However, even tho it looked great while coming to a boil, when I covered it and reduced the heat to low, it did not last even 20 minutes before it started burning and developed such a blackened crust on the bottom of my pot, in which were trapped all of the raisins! I moved the pot off the fire immediately, and picked out all the blackened fruit with long tweezers and was able to salvage most of the chutney without damage, but I can’t imagine what happened? Was it the honey? Was my version of a “medium” pot to large, making the chutney spread out a little too thin? What size do you call “medium”? It happened so fast that I couldn’t believe it- just glad I was watching it so that I saved most of it! Any ideas? Thanks!
Elise
Hi Elise, so sorry to hear you had a problem with this but glad you were able to salvage it! Honey would not have been the problem but I am wondering about the size of your pot and if perhaps it was too wide. I use a 3-quart pot that is 6-1/2 inches in diameter.
PS I didn’t have raisins so used “Craisins” instead!Peggy
I did this today totally in the 6 qt instant pot! I used the “saute” starting out on high until boiling and then put it on low “saute”, stirring it off and on until it reached perfection thick! Did not take as long, maybe 20-25 minutes! Turned out delicious and my husband said it was the best “anything cranberry” that he had ever had (and he is a senior now, ha!)! Believe I will double next time as don’t want to share this for Thanksgiving tomorrow, terrible me! Just kidding!😄 Thanks Jennifer for a keeper!
Awesome recipe! Made this today for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.
Simply delicious ❤️
How long can this be kept in the refrigerator?
Hi Patricia, It will last nicely for up to 10 days. 🙂
This is beyond fabulous!
Hi Jenn,
Any experience with canning this recipe? I love chutney and it seems like a great gift.
No, no experience with canning this and I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say confidently that it would be safe. Sorry!
Is this suitable for canning?
Hi Deborah, . I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
This was a huge hit at our thanksgiving this year. I didn’t, and wouldn’t, change a thing!