Fresh cranberry chutney recipe

This orange cranberry chutney is a sweet and sour condiment made with fresh cranberries, onions, ginger and orange zest. It is a great topping for crostini as an appetizer.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my cranberry chicken and cranberry orange upside down cake recipes.

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Orange cranberry chutney recipe

I love a good chutney. The combination of vinegar, sugar and fruit makes my taste buds sing.

That’s basically what a chutney is – it is a combination of fruit, aromatics (onions, shallots, ginger), sugar and vinegar. If you like this sort of thing, try my apple chutney recipe.

Homemade chutney is really easy to make and is so much better than store bought. If sweet cranberry sauce isn’t your favorite way to enjoy cranberries, this just might be for you.

You can adjust flavors to suit your preferences, which is one of the benefits of making things yourself. If you like more ginger, add in a bit extra. You don’t like vinegar? Reduce the amount and replace with orange juice a little to make it sweeter. 

This recipe for chutney makes 4 cups (or 1 quart), so it is perfect for gifting to friends and neighbors. Tie a pretty ribbon around a glass jar and take some with you as a hostess gift for holiday parties.

How to make

Making a chutney is as easy as adding ingredients to a pot and letting them cook down. That’s it. It could not be easier, so this is a great thing to make for all of the holiday gatherings that will be coming up.

After about 10 minutes of simmering, the cranberries will start to burst. At this point, the chutney will start to cook down and thicken. Continue cooking for an additional 10 – 20 minutes, until it reaches a consistency that you are happy with.

This recipe makes a fairly large quantity, so you will have plenty to give away to friends or to take with you to holiday gatherings.

If 4 cups is too much, cut the recipe in half and that will give you enough to enjoy yourself, plus give to a friend or two.

How to serve this chutney

I served this cranberry chutney on pieces of toasted baguette (or crostini), with a little goat cheese. You can use cream cheese, if goat cheese isn’t your thing.

It was fantastic just like this and would be the perfect holiday nibble to set out for guests.

I also slathered it on roast chicken for dinner one night and it was quite delicious. Serve it with a roast pork loin or put it on a turkey sandwich. It would make a great condiment for a wrap or sandwich for lunches.

Cranberry chutney Q&A

Helpful tools and equipment

• A medium-large sauce pot – about 3 quart size.
• A wooden corner spoon or spatula that get into the edges of the pot.
• Microplane zester for the orange.
• Glass jars to store it or gift it to friends are quite nice.

Variations and substitutions

Swap out the dried cranberries in this recipe for raisins, golden raisins or currants.

For a sweeter chutney, substitute fresh orange juice for half of the vinegar. You may want to reduce the sugar if you do this.

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