Chutney is an Indian condiment made with fruit, vinegar and spices. This Cherry Chutney Recipe delivers a sweet-tart condiment to serve with curries, grilled cheese and cheese plates, veggie burgers, grilled tofu, roasted vegetables and more.
Cherry Chutney Recipe Tips
Selecting the Fruit
When choosing cherries look for fruits that are firm and glossy with green stems. Minor blemishes are fine, but avoid cherries with mushy or moldy spots.
For this recipe I like to use a sweet-tart or tart apple. Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are good choices. Once again, minor blemishes are fine, but avoid fruits with gouges or soft spots.
Any type of raisin will work for this chutney – black, golden, red, green – but note that the cherry juice will turn all ingredients dark red as it cooks.
Pitting the Cherries
This Cherry Chutney Recipe calls for one pound of fruit. For years I pitted cherries using the paper clip method (cut an “X” in the cherry bottom, open a paper clip, stick clip loop into “X” and twist pit out). It worked, but it was time consuming for recipes with a lot of cherries. I FINALLY purchased this OXO pitter (NOT an affiliate link) and I’m glad I did. It quickly and neatly pits cherries or olives, it is reasonably priced, and it takes up very little drawer space.
Once the cherries are pitted, count the cherries and count the pits. If the numbers don’t match go back through your cherries and check them all for the missing pit(s). This is an important step to prevent dental mishaps.
Using Fresh Ginger
Fresh ginger is widely available in farmer’s markets and grocery store produce sections. Select pieces that are firm and without visible cracks or dried up areas. Store fresh, unpeeled ginger refrigerated in an airtight container. Although ginger skin is edible, it is best to peel it for this recipe. Use the edge of a spoon to peel the ginger; once you try it you will never do it any other way. No kidding.
Prepping the Ingredients
For this Cherry Chutney Recipe it is best if all of the chopped ingredients are the same size. Start by cutting the cherries into eighths: half, quarter, half again. Then cut the apple and onion to match the size of the cherries.
Recipe Yield
The yield is approximately 2 cups; the recipe is set at four 4 oz servings.
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This Cherry Chutney Recipe is an outstanding pairing with this Chocolate Hummus Recipe.
If you love cherries, you may also enjoy this Bourbon Soaked Cherries Recipe or this one for Dried Cherries – Dehydrator Method.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 1 lb cherries sweet, pitted, chopped
- 1 medium apple Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, peeled, chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup onion red, medium, chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard whole grain
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tsp ginger fresh, grated
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
Ingredients
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- Combine vinegar, orange juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, brown sugar, allspice and salt in saucepan. Stir over medium heat until all ingredients are combined and sugar is melted.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan, stir well to combine. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. As it cooks all of the ingredients will turn deep red from the cherry juice. At around the 30 minute mark the liquid will begin to reduce - this is desirable.
- Remove pan from heat. When the chutney is completely cool remove the cinnamon stick, and then transfer the chutney to a sterilized jar. Store in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
