BEST Mango Chutney
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
A reader favorite for over 10 years, just read all the rave reviews! readers RAVE about this mango chutney recipe! Fresh, vibrant, and absolutely BURSTING with flavor, this Mango Chutney recipe makes a versatile and delicious condiment with a wide range of tasty applications. It keeps for a long time in the fridge, can be frozen, and I’ve included instructions for canning so it will keep for up to a year!
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 my 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!
Mango Chutney Ingredients
Fresh mango, sugar and vinegar is added and it is slowly cooked down to a sticky and delicious concoction. For flavor we’re also adding fresh ginger, garlic and red chilies along with spices that are first sauteed in oil to coax out maximum flavor: cumin, coriander, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. These ingredients all come together to create an unforgettable flavor profile.
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. Here are just a few ideas:
- As a Condiment: Serve it alongside grilled meats, such as chicken, pork, or lamb. It’s also delicious added to meat dishes like pulled pork and chicken (see my Pulled Chicken Mango Sandwiches).
- In Sandwiches and Wraps: Spread it on sandwiches or wraps for an extra layer of flavor. I also love to add it to these Grilled Cheese & Chutney Sandwiches.
- With Cheese and Crackers: It makes a great accompaniment to a cheese platter. Pair it with sharp cheeses like cheddar or creamy ones like brie.
- In Curries: Stir a spoonful of it into your curry dishes. This is one of my favorite ways to use it, it adds SO much flavor and a nice contrasting touch of sweetness!
- As a Marinade: Mix it with a little olive oil, lime juice, and spices, then coat chicken or pork before grilling or baking. It’s so yummy!
- With Rice or Grain Bowls: Top a bowl of rice or grains with mango chutney for a burst of flavor.
- In Salad Dressings: Incorporate it into a vinaigrette or dressing for a sweet and tangy twist on your salads.
- As a Glaze: Brush some mango chutney over roasted or grilled vegetables to add a glossy finish and sweet flavor. Use it to make my Mango Chutney Chicken.
Mango Chutney Recipe
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!
For more delicious Indian recipes be sure to try my:
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Butter Chicken
- Chana Masala
- Tandoori Chicken
- Masoor Dal
- Shrimp Curry
- Egg Curry
- Dal Palak
- Dosa
- Chicken Biryani
- Chicken Xacuti
- Curry Powder
- Garam Masala
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
BEST Mango Chutney
Equipment
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
- 5 large mangoes (about 300 grams each), peeled and diced; can substitute around 1500 grams frozen mango
- 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. For best results let the chutney sit for a few days before using to allow the flavors to develop and mellow. 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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 9, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Sorry I forgot to leave my email address in the previous comment where I asked you to explain “process in a water bath for 10 minutes” Does that simply mean, let the jars stand in boiling water for 10 minutes and how far up the jar should the water come etc? Please can you clarify as I love the sound of this recipe! Thanks.
judith
Hi Judith, yes that’s correct but if you allow the jars to touch the bottom of the pan they will likely crack. There are dedicated pots for the purpose of canning that have a rack inside to hold the bottles in place. Alternatively you can fold a clean dish towel and place it on the bottom of the pot with the jars on top of it to prevent them from making contact with the metal bottom and just space them apart so they don’t knock into each other (you can put some wadded up aluminum foil between the jars). The water should be deep enough to cover the jars by at least 3 inches.
Would this recipe work with frozen mangos please?
Hi Kate, yes absolutely.
I adapted this lovely recipe by including a 32 oz jar of tamarind paste and sauteéeing onions along with the garlic, ginger and spices. It turned out absolutely amazing. 🤩 Thank you!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Arlene, and I agree that the base recipe is perfect for any number of other add-ins. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Simply the best!! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe. It’s a family and friends favourite
Thank you so much, Tasha! <3
This was a good recipe, I was a bit worried that it would be too liquidy so I upped the temp and kept an eye on the consistency and it turned out really nice…….
Thank you, Susan, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is fantastic. I’ve made it the last three years at Christmas and gift it to friends and family. It’s an absolute hit. Thank you
Jules – Australia
Hi there , Wayne here from Northern Ireland, we are having our family and 1st grandchild for a sleepover this weekend , making a few different Indian curry’s and and will be making this lovey chutney as a condiment
I will send some pics and feedback soon
Friendly greetings to Northern Ireland, Wayne, and I hope you have a wonderful visit and Indian food feast with your family!
I made this chutney for the first time today apart from one reviewer who added 2 black cardamoms, and another reviewer who suggested less vinegar and sugar. I used 6 large mangos 2 of which were fairly ripe and 4 not so much. The total weight once cut up into small chunks was 1.700 grams. I added half a cup of vinegar and one cup of sugar and followed the other ingredients. I cooked it in a very large round and shallow saucepan so the mango didn’t sit on top of each other but rather spread evenly across the saucepan. After half an hour of cooking the juice started to stick a little at the bottom of the saucepan so I added a splash of boiled water. Upon tasting it I decided it needed to be a bit sweeter so added 2 tablespoons of runny hunny. Had to mix it quite often during the latter part of the cooking but carefully so It didn’t go mushy. Towards the end I splashed a bit more boiled water no more than 20 ml. It is now covered up and I’m leaving it to cool. If I can see it is a bit too thick in the morning another splash of hot water and it’s going into Mason jars and in the fridge ready for an event in 4 days time. Thank you for a lovely recipe.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Rita, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Kimberley, I loved making this delicious chutney—thank you so much for the recipe! It tastes amazing, I made a double batch as we have lots of homegrown mangoes (Brit living in Portugal!). But it’s turned out very runny. What have I done, and do you have any quick, sure-fire remedies?! I appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you, Anne! Let it simmer longer to allow more excess liquid to evaporate.
Hi,
we made this chutney the 2nd Time now and it’s just great, so tasty and yummy! friends also loved it!
one question: is the weight of your mangos with peel and stone? because i had big mangos from crowdfarming and they weighed 500 – 750 grams each!
we also reduced sogar a little bit because the mangoes were so sweet. i think some lime Juice and /or shalots would also be nice in this chutney.
thanks & greetings from vienna, austria.
I’m so glad it’s been a hit, Hannah, thank you! Yes, the weight is for the whole mango (peel and stones) but the mangoes you had were particularly large mangoes indeed! Fortunately the exact weight is not important for making this chutney and better too much mango than too little anyway.
Delicious! I did 1500 grams of mango flesh chopped diced 1x recipe. I used green mangos which gave the flesh some bite still yellow. It gave the reduced finished product a little more chew like traditional mango chutney. Nigella seeds is a perfect touch!
Great recipe! Keep it up .
That’s fantastic, Dave, thank you so much for the feedback!
After having an amazing Mango Chutney at a restaurant in London, I was on the hunt for a recipe to make at home. This one is absolutely fantastic! I have made it 4 times so far with different varieties of mangoes and each lends a separate distinct flavor to the chutney. However you cannot go wrong with any ripe juicy mango because this recipe is amazing! Our favorite quick snack is spreading this on a slice of bread with cheese and basil.
Only note I have is that 2 tsps of nigella seeds was too much for me. 1 tsp is what I use now!
Really author has more work to do o. This recipe. Who buys whole mangos these days? What weight of mango needed? Also don’t care about how many pins it makes, need to know how many 1lb jam jars to have ready? My attempt failed because I brought 1.8kg mango pieces and did not seem enough for double quantity.
Hi Mark, it’s not my fault that you don’t buy whole mangoes and don’t care about how many pints something makes. If a recipe doesn’t work for you simply find one that does. It’s really that simple, right? No need to be rude.
“A pint’s a pound the world around.” Pints (liquid weight) convert to pounds one to one. You should end up with 2.5 lbs of chutney if that is your preferred measurement.
I love this recipe as well as others of yours.. the fermented black bean sauce is also a favourite.
And… after trying the 2x amount twice, l have decided it is a recipe that doesn’t like to be doubled. The single batches come out thicker ..kind of jammy, and the double batches just don’t ’set’. I tried a higher heat this time and it’s loose. Good thing it’s still delicious!
I always use close to the max amount of mango. If you have any suggestions, ld love to hear them.
Thanks so much for the compliment, Jane, I appreciate it! <3 I haven't heard that feedback before about doubling this. I have a very large pot that I use for making this. Depending on the diameter of the pot/cooking surface, doubling the recipe may require longer cooking time for it to cook down.
Great!
first attempt. really wish I had the exact ingredients. but it sure zinged up the ham steak. going to try it with some grilled shrimp. thank you for the recipe.