Easy Homemade Apricot Chutney

7th March 2022

Have you ever made chutney? If not, you’re in for a treat with this recipe! Fresh apricot chutney is like a little homemade jar of joy and, guess what?It’s really easy to make! Let’s get started.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg (6½ cups) apricots, halved
• 500g (3 cups) onions, chopped
• 500ml (2 cups) white vinegar
• 750g (3¾ cups) sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp curry powder

Method

1. Remove the stones from the apricots then chop the halves roughly.
2. Place all the ingredients in a large, heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 1 hour. Give it a stir every now and then.
4. If the chutney hasn’t thickened, cook for 10 minutes more or until no excess liquid is detected.
5. Spoon into hot, sterilised jars. Seal and then let it cool down.

This chutney doesn’t need maturing and can be eaten at once.

A few little pointers on how to get this chutney recipe right:

• Don’t overcook the chutney or it will be too thick. Remember… it does thicken as it cools down
• The proper consistency should be thick and syrupy, with no running liquid. Draw a little channel with a spoon in the chutney – if the channel stays for a few seconds before liquid rushes in, it’s ready!

The great thing about chutney recipes is their flexibility. So, with this recipe, make up your own divine combinations!

Customise your chutney and swap 50% of the apricots in the recipe below with one of these following fruits:

Mangoes – like a shot of summer, mango and apricot is pure fruity heaven

Oranges – add a little zing to the chutney. Grate in some zest too

Peaches – they’re from the same family as apricots and make for a good pairing. Go for over ripe peaches for an sweet dimension

Raspberries – sweet and tart, raspberries are a good chutney ingredient

Cherries – bring a little tartness and sourness with a handful of cherries

Lingonberries – a distant cousin of cranberries, these little berries are sour and juicy, making for an interesting counterbalance to the sweet apricot

Nectarines – another from the Prunus family, the same as apricot, nectarine and apricot go great together

Pineapples – brings a zesty tang or a deep sweetness, depending on whether it’s a young or ripe pineapple

Plums – plums are a fantastic chutney ingredient. Pair them with apricot for a incredibly tasty chutney

Strawberries – this makes for a very interesting flavor combination

Cooking apples – tart apples work really well with apricot and spices, e.g. Bramleys

Sultanas – in this recipe you can reduce the apricots by 250g and replace them with 250g (½ lb) sultanas