Easy and delicious Tomato Chutney recipe – the perfect way to use an abundance of garden tomatoes in a hurry and perfect condiment on meat, veggies, eggs and more! You will NEVER want to run out!
Whenever I have an abundance of garden vegetables, canning comes to mind. Making jam, jelly, or chutney is one of the best things you can do when you are drowning in veggies.
When it comes to tomatoes, there are so many ways you can use them up in a hurry. If it wasn’t for a prolific garden of tomatoes, I would never have made so many different recipes over the last few months:
- Smoky Chipotle Tomato Jam
- How to Dehydrate Cherry Tomatoes
- Cherry Tomato Confit
- Tomato Basil Jam
- Slow Cooker Cherry Tomato Sauce
One thing I have never made with tomatoes, however, is chutney. Chutney is one of the most incredible condiments to have on hand at home. Use it as an addition to your steak, morning eggs, spread on a toasted baguette, or eaten straight from the jar with a spoon.
Wait.. maybe I’m the only one who does that? 😉
This recipe for small batch tomato chutney is totally doable – it’s easy, very much hands-off, and results in 2.5 pints of chutney. For a larger batch, double or even triple the recipe and give the other jars as gifts for family and friends.
Can I use honey in lieu of sugar?
Sugar is used in chutney – both brown and granulated white; however, you don’t have to worry about loading your body up with sugar.
You can substitute some of the sugar with honey, if desired, or agave syrup, or use your favorite sugar substitute (stevia). While I haven’t canned this recipe, if you choose to explore that route, you might want to reach out to Ball canning and run the recipe by them to see if it is indeed safe for canning.
It doesn’t typically last long in my fridge for me to want to fire up the water bath canner and heat up my (already hot) Arizona home. 😉
How to use tomato chutney?
There are a zillion ways to enjoy this chutney – just a few ideas include:
- topped on over easy eggs
- alongside your rice
- on your grilled veggies
- topped on grilled steak or chicken
- on your frittata
- added to your sandwich
Or, eat it with a spoon – not only am I guilty of that, my kids are, too. If anything, it’s a deeper, fancier version of our kid favorite condiment: ketchup. Except… everything will be amplified when you add it to your food.
How to make tomato chutney
Tomato chutney doesn’t require much in the way of fancy ingredients – in fact, the iplengredients that are included come together for a flavor explosion you would likely have never expected.
Making this chutney requires:
- garlic and onions (I used purple, but you can use white or brown)
- brown sugar, and granulated sugar (or, honey)
- apple cider vinegar (or sub white wine vinegar)
- raisins (or, can substitute chopped dates)
- cumin, ground pepper, red pepper flakes, ginger, cinnamon, and salt
To make the process easier, have these items on hand:
- 6 to 8 quart stock pot
- cutting board and large knife
- food processor – not queried, but I much prefer this, as it makes this chutney SO easy to put together
- 2 pint canning jars and 1 half-pint jar (or, more if you are doubling the recipe), lids and rings
Process to Make the Chutney
Start making the chutney by preparing the tomatoes. There is no need to peel or core the tomatoes for this recipe – simply quarter the tomatoes (peels and all) and toss in the food processor. Whizz until they are evenly chopped – then add to your medium stockpot.
To that same food processor, add the quartered onion, garlic and raisins. Whizz until they are finely chopped and add to the same medium stockpot along with the rest of the ingredients.
Bring the pot to a boil on high, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 60-90 minutes – the liquid will reduce considerably over that time. Once the mixture (chutney) has thickened, ladle into canning jars and top with lid and ring.
Refrigerate for short term enjoyment – or, opt to can if you are looking for longer storage of up to 12 months. (Directions for canning this chutney are detailed below!)
Tomato Chutney
Equipment
- Food Processor
- cutting board and knife
- medium stock pot
- half pint and pint canning jars, lids and rings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs tomatoes quartered
- 1 purple onion quartered
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/3 C raisins
- 1/3 C granulated sugar
- 1/3 C brown sugar light or dark
- 3/4 C apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes in small batches to the food processor and whizz them until they are evenly chopped. After all are evenly chopped, add to the stockpot.
- Add the onion, garlic and raisins to the food processor and whizz those until they are fairly fine. Add those to the stockpot along with the remainder of the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low/medium and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until the mixture reduces and thickens up. Stir occasionally to prevent the chutney from sticking/scorching the pot.
- Ladle the chutney into canning jars and leave 1/4" headspace. Top with lid and ring. Refrigerate until ready to use; or prepare water bath canner to can.
For water bath canning:
- Prepare the water bath canner; sterilize the jars, lids and rings. Ladle the chutney into the jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Transfer to water bath canner.
- Once all the jars have been lowered into the water bath canner, bring the canner to a boil. Boil jars for 10 minutes.
- When timer goes off, turn off the burner on the stove and allow the jars to stay in the canner for 4-5 minutes; then remove the jars (carefully) and place on a flat surface lined with a towel.
- The jars should seal - you will hear a ping or pop as they begin to cool. After 12-24 hours, check the seals; store the jars in a cool, dark place and consume within 12 months.
Notes
Did you make this chutney?
If you did, please RATE the recipe, above, and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out for you!
Check out these chutney recipes for more ideas:
[…] Easy Tomato Chutney Recipe […]