Easy 15 Minute Apple Chutney Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which vinegar is best for chutney? ›

Vinegar used in making chutney must be good quality and have at least 5% acetic acid content. Any good brand white, malt, wine or cider vinegar should possess the correct qualities. Brown sugar is used for darker coloured chutney but where a lighter colour is required granulated sugar is recommended.

Allow to Mature

Chutneys are best eaten after a long maturing period so we recommend storing them in a cool, dry dark place and leaving them for no less than 8 weeks before opening them.

If your chutney is too runny or your recipe calls for a thickening agent, always use cornflour mixed with a little of the vinegar. Cornflour is gluten free. Always to this at the very end because thickening your chutney like this will make catch and burn easily.

Pour boiling hot chutney into hot jars, leaving a half-inch of headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two piece metal canning lids. Process pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

The sugar can be white or brown, and you can use almost any vinegar under the sun. I would probably steer clear of Balsamic, but apple cider, malt, red wine are all contenders. I'd stick with something on the cheap side though because you're using a lot of it and the flavour will mostly get lost in the shuffle.

Ginger also works very well. Cooks tip 2: I used cider vinegar in this Apple chutney recipe, but it is fine to use malt vinegar or wine vinegar. They will all produce slightly different flavours and it just a matter of personal preference and what you happen to already have in your cupboard.

Fill the hot dry jars right to the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot. This rule applies to all jams, jellies, pickles and chutneys.

Relishes, on the other hand, are cooked for a shorter time, with the resultant relish chunkier and more sharply flavoured than a chutney. Some people argue that a chutney will always contain mainly fruit or a mixture of fruits, and relishes are generally made of vegetables, and usually one variety.

Our answer

So it is worth tasting the chutney before you transfer it to jars, to make sure that the mixture is not too acidic. Generally the vinegar in the chutney will mellow over time and we suggest that you allow 2 months for the sealed jars of chutney to "mature" in a cool, dry place.

Our answer. When you make chutney its consistency is determined by the evaporation of liquid as the chutney cooks. So if possible you should use a wide pan as this has a larger surface area which means that liquid will evaporate more quickly and should help to prevent the fruit in the chutney from becoming too soft.

How can you tell when chutney is ready? ›

How do I know when the chutney is ready? There's a very simple test. When the chutney appears thick enough, make a channel with a wooden spoon across its surface. If it leaves a channel imprinted for a few seconds without being filled by spare vinegar, it is ready.

It can turn bitter if you grind it too much of for too long in the electric grinder. The oils in the leaves start to turn rancid.

If the chutney seems too runny, cook it for another 5-10 minutes and test again. You may also like to give the chutney the odd stir as you cook it, to prevent the mixture at the edges of the pan from catching.

It's quite alright to reuse jam jars and they don't have to be Kilner jars either. It's not necessary to put a greaseproof or a waxed disc in the top of the jar - just fill it nearly to the top with the aim of having the smallest air gap. This is to prevent mould spores in the air spoiling your chutney.

I have a few windfall apples in there plus onions, dried fruit and garlic. So often chutney is brown but I make this one with granulated sugar and distilled white vinegar which results in a chutney that is colourful and vibrant - autumn in a jar !

Spices, too, can be switched, as can the vinegar – a cider vinegar would complement an all-apple chutney beautifully. But stick to the given weights and method.

White vinegar - this kind of vinegar comes from grain-based ethanol or acetic acid, which is diluted with water. It has a strong flavour and is a popular part of Indian cuisine. White vinegar also makes a great all-purpose cleaner!

Malt vinegar substitute: Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice are your best options for malt vinegar substitutes.