Fresh Cranberry Chutney

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, but is also delicious on baked chicken. If you love the combination of cranberries and orange, try this Cranberry Orange Upside Down Cake. For even more cranberry goodness, this Apple Cranberry Chicken Salad is one of our go-to lunches.

This recipe for cranberry 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.

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Homemade cranberry chutney

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, etc), sugar and vinegar. If you like this sort of thing, try my apple chutney recipe. That chutney was a huge hit!

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 it a little to make it sweeter. 

How do you make cranberry chutney?

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

We’ve all been told (or at least you should have), not to show up empty-handed – especially during the holidays. 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. Still a win!

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. Another possibility, considering that Thanksgiving is in a few days, would be to put it on a turkey sandwich. It would make a great condiment for a wrap or sandwich for lunches.

Can you freeze cranberry chutney?

The short answer: yes. You can make this chutney ahead of time and freeze it for a few months. So, if you want to make some for Thanksgiving in a few days and serve it again at Christmas or for a New Year’s Eve shindig, it will be just fine.

What do I need to make this recipe?

This recipe has 9 ingredients, most of which you probably already have. The only tools needed to make cranberry chutney are a sauce pot, a wooden spoon, a zester for the orange and glass jars to store it or gift it to friends.

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Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day!