Our readers RAVE about this mango chutney recipe! Fresh, vibrant, and absolutely BURSTING with flavor, you’re going to love this versatile and wonderfully delicious condiment!
As a huge Indian food fan I love exploring and creating a wide range of chutneys out of fruits, nuts, vegetables and a whole host of spices. This mango chutney recipe is one of our very favorites.
Chutney dates back to 500 BC. Chutneys are endless in variety and ingredients, but they generally consist of fruit, vinegar, and sugar cooked down to a reduction. The word “chutney” is derived from the Sanskrit word caṭnī, meaning to lick. In other words, finger-lickin’ good!
How to Make Mango Chutney
Ginger, garlic and red chilies are sauteed in oil and then cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are added to coax out their robust flavors. Fresh mango, sugar and vinegar is added and it is slowly cooked down to a sticky and delicious concoction.
What Are Nigella Seeds?
Another spice that is in this recipe is nigella, which comes from an annual flowering plant native to south and southwest Asia. Other names for it include black cumin, onion seed and kalonji. It’s hard to describe the flavor of nigella. Wikipedia describes them as “a combination of onions, black pepper and oregano, with a bitterness like mustard seeds.”
The flavor is really unlike anything you’ve tasted before. It’s fantastic! I love to use it at every possible opportunity when I make Indian or Middle Eastern foods. It’s wonderful in curries and it positively transforms breads and potatoes.
Nigella is also commonly sprinkled on naan bread in India and is a wonderful spice to use in any “carb-based” dish. It adds an incredible flavor dimension to this mango chutney.
How to Use Mango Chutney
This mango chutney is sweet and spicy and is delicious either as a spread, a dip, or used in cooking a variety of Indian cuisine (for example, I love to add it to my curry sauces, SO good!)
Here are three recipes using this chutney:
Grilled Cheese & Chutney Sandwiches
Pulled Chicken Mango Sandwiches
Ready to make some incredible Mango Chutney?
Let’s get started!
Over medium-high heat, heat some vegetable oil in a medium stock pot and saute the garlic, ginger and some diced red chilies for about a minute.
Add the spices and saute for another minute.
Add the chopped mangoes to the pot.
Add the sugar and salt. Add the white vinegar.
Stir up the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue on a steady simmer for one hour.
After an hour of simmering. Depending on how finely you diced the mango, you can either leave it as is, or you can use a potato masher or blender stick to mash up some of the larger pieces.
After a bit of mashing. Stored in jars in the fridge this chutney will last up to at least two months. You can also freeze it for several months. For long-term storage, can it in airtight jars: Pour the mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours then store jars in a dark, cool place. Will keep for at least a year.
For long-term storage you can also can this mango chutney. I always make a double batch of this and can it so we can enjoy it all year long.
Canning Instructions:
Pour the mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours then store jars in a dark, cool place. Will keep for at least a year.
Enjoy!
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For more delicious Indian recipes be sure to try our:
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
- Tandoori Chicken
- Masoor Dal
- Indian Broccoli with Paneer
- Egg Curry
- Saag Gosht
- Chicken Biryani
- Panch Phoron Roasted Potatoes
- Tandoori Breaded Fried Mushrooms with Yogurt Sauce
- Chicken Xacuti
- Curry Powder
- Garam Masala
Mango Chutney (BEST EVER!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (neutral tasting)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger , finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1 red chili , sliced (optional: remove seeds and membrane for less heat)
- 2 teaspoons whole nigella seeds (optional but HIGHLY recommended for incredible flavor)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 large mangoes (about 250-300 grams each), peeled and diced
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high in a medium stock pot. Saute the ginger, garlic and red chilies for a minute. Add the spices and saute for another minute. Add the diced mangoes, sugar, salt, and vinegar and stir to combine. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce to medium-low. Steady simmer for 1 hour. Remove from heat and allow it to cool. If you prefer smaller chunks, use a potato masher to mash the mixture to the desired consistency.
- For storage, chutney will keep for a while because of the high acidity content. A conservative time frame would be up to 2 months in the fridge (in a sealed jar) or for several months in the freezer. Canning Instructions (for even longer shelf-life): Pour the hot mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours, then store in a dark, cool place. Will keep for at least a year.This makes roughly 2 1/2 pints of mango chutney.
Nutrition
Anonymous says
Hi, thank you for sharing the recipe. I came across it as I just made a green mango tomato curry paste without adding any sugar and was looking fir similar recipes. Will try it out and provide some feedback. For the recipe I tried, I used lots of curry leaves, garlic, curry powder, paprika, chili flakes, lemon juice, salt, pepper flakes, tomatoes, fresh basil and Spanish thyme. I have bottled it, one with lots of oil and one as is. Turned out very tangy flavorful concentrated base, which may work well in other cooked vegetable / daal / meat dishes.. let’s see.
RPM says
Were your jars sterelized?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, you should always sterilize jars when canning.
Steve says
Beautiful recipe. It turned out darker than the photograph, but I added some ground ginger as well to add some more warmth and depth. The nigella seeds are a great addition
Rae says
Just wondering how quarter or half a cup of goji berries would taste in this. I’m going to make it soon. Anything thoughts? It sounds like it’s a rave review recipe so I wouldn’t want to mess with it.
Cheryl says
Hi, thank you for this recipe. I do agree though with an earlier comment on the sweetness. It is far too sweet for me but I love the overall flavours. I’ll try much less sugar next time . ☺️
Anonymous says
The sugar helps with the preservation, if thats not an issue for you then lowering the sugar is no problem
Lyubka Simeonova says
Thanks for the lovely recipe. As usual, I used it as a guidance without measuring the ingredients.
I love the combination of spices with garlic, ginger and onion but didn’t cook the nigella, just added it before bottling. I also added a bit of all spice. I used a combination of green and ripe mangoes, whatever my garden provided. As I don’t like consuming too much sugar, I used a small amount of rapadura sugar-the one I have at home.
As for preserving, I poured the hot chutney in dry jars, closed immediately and set upside down covered with towels until the jars cooled to a room temperature (I preserve jams the same way). The chutney lasts for a long time, even a year.
RPM says
Were your jars sterelized?
Marianne Boot says
I ha I have a question about the quantities of sugar vs vinegar in this recipe. It has ended up very very sweet, and this overpowers the flavours of everything else??
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Marianne, the ratio of sugar to vinegar is correct. It’s a fruit chutney and is supposed to be sweet. Sugar doesn’t add flavor so it doesn’t overpower other flavors. It simply adds sweetness and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
Kevin Baker says
What white vinegar is best to use please? Will white wine vinegar work?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kevin, just regular distilled white vinegar is what we recommend.
Matthew Cuthbertson says
Hi I agree with Marianne, the flavour is lovely just far too sweet. Shall adjust sugar and vinegar next time – thanks Matthew
Manu says
Hi everyone,
Happy New Year!
I usually don’t write reviews. I mentally thank the cook for the recipe & post. I am grateful in silence.
But I wanted to thank you for sharing this with us.
I like to cook & experiment new recipes. A decent chutney is hard to find in stores at a convenient price. And the quantity is so small.
I didn’t have enough mangos, but I had pineapple and apples to supplement. So I cut everything and mixed with the spices (in my excitement I forgot the salt, silly me, but it tastes so good it doesn’t matter) and simmered the concoction for 1h 15 minutes. The whole house smelled amazing, and the taste, delish. I will make this again as soon as I find good mangoes on sale.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Manu, and a Happy New Year to you!
Noreen says
Fruity and tangy with a warm spicy finish. My local stores don’t carry nigella seeds. I can’t wait to order some and retry.
anu singh says
noreen, if you have ethnic food stores around, nigella/ onion seed/ kalonji is a stock spice, esp indian, mid eastern, pakistani shops.
Jacqui Shiels says
At first I made one batch and the requests for more kept coming now I have 20 mangoes waiting to be turned into this amazing Mango Chutney to be delivered from Qld to NSW… Oh and the chicken mango curry is delicious Merry Christmas😀
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Jacqui, thanks so much and Merry Christmas!
Gyongyi R. says
This is a fabulous chutney! Just made it, using apple and honey vinegar and a double quantity of hot chili. Family went crazy about it, after dinner only about 1 jar left for freezing. I’ll make a second round tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth says
This is a fantastic Chutney even though I omit the Chillies. I’ve now made it for the last 5 years & us always a welcome Christmas present.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, I’m thrilled to hear that! I agree, it’s a perfect Christmas present.
Tosca says
can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Tosca, yes you can.
Pauline says
Only ever had shop bought mango chutney befiore , but never again . This recipe is so delicious , just full of flavour & easy to make . A hit with everyone who has tried it. Christmas gifts solved
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Pauline, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
V says
This is super, but the colour was much darker than on your photo. And I shortened the cooking time to 30 min. But the flavor is simply divine. Cheers. V
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, V, thank you!
Steven Dick says
I substituted mango for pears. Tastes incredible. Thanks.
Karen says
Going to try recipe with pears, sounds awesome.
Lisa Anderson says
Is there a substitute for the vinegar?
Chris says
Wonderful!!!
When it simmers for an hour is it covered?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Chris! Leave it uncovered so that it can thicken.
Anonymous says
Love it and will make again.