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 caá¹nÄ«, 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. Â 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. Â Other names for it include black cumin, onion seed and kalonji. Â It’s hard to describe the flavor of nigella. Â 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. Â It’s fantastic! Â I love to use it at every possible opportunity when I make Indian or Middle Eastern foods. Â 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. Â 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 for a touch of sweetness – SO good!)
Here are three recipes using this chutney:
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. Â Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue on a steady simmer for one hour.
After an hour of simmering. Â 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. Â Stored in jars in the fridge this chutney will last up to at least two months. Â You can also freeze it for several months. Â For long-term storage, can it in airtight jars: Â Pour the mixture directly into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Â Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours then store jars in a dark, cool place. Â 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. Â Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours then store jars in a dark, cool place. Â Will keep for at least a year.
Enjoy!
For more delicious Indian recipes be sure to try our:
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Butter Chicken
- Chana Masala
- Tandoori Chicken
- Masoor Dal
- Shrimp Curry
- Egg Curry
- Dosa
- Chicken Biryani
- Chicken Xacuti
- Curry Powder
- Garam Masala
BEST Mango Chutney
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
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 9, 2013
Heinz says
Hello Kimberly, I’m going to try your recipe today after I pick up some kalonji at my local Indian market. Question: do you have a nutritional breakdown for your recipe?
Regards,
Heinz
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hello, Heinz! I do not have the nutritional breakdown, but there are many websites where you can enter the ingredients and their quantity and they’ll generate all those details for you. Just two examples are caloriecount.com and fitday.com. Happy cooking!
Sandra says
Hi Kimberley:
Was so pleased with the chutney recipe that I am making a double batch today!! Will be adding raisins to one of them, as I do so like raisins in my chutney as well as without. Funnily, both our daughters dislike raisins in any cooked food, so they will be receiving the raisin free chutney in their stockings at Christmas. LOL
Thanks again for this website….I will also be making the mango chutney chicken tonight. Your work is much appreciated.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Sandra! You know, that really is funny you mention the raisins. I like raisins in my chutney as well but my husband can’t stand them, which is one of the reasons I didn’t include them! This chutney really does make a lovely Christmas gift – something different from the usual homemade jams and preserves. You will LOVE the mango chutney chicken! Even my 2 and 4 year old kids devour it :) Thank you so very much for your feedback. Cheers, Kimberly
Sandra says
Yes Kim, the mango chutney chicken was a hit! My husband wants to know when I will be making it again.
At this rate, I will go through my chutney fairly quickly,….better make some more! Keep on cooking!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Sandra, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! The Mango Chutney Chicken is a regular in our home. And yes, I always make sure to have plenty of that chutney on hand :) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Deborah Niskin says
Kimberly, thank you so much for the chutney recipe! As everyone else, I loved it. I live in Miami and have made a lot of chutney from the mangoes in my yard, but yours is the best for my taste. The only thing I changed was that I mixed hard ripe and ripe mangoes. I bought nigella seeds, but never knew a good way to use them. Now I will experiment, thanks to you.
Kiran wrote about raw mangoes. Does that mean truly unripe/green mangoes or the green ripe ones I used. Green ripe ones are green on the outside but ripe looking on the inside. They are not soft. Kiran wrote
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Deborah, I’m so happy you enjoyed it and thanks for your feedback! I’m envious of your mango trees! It’s my understanding that raw (ie, “green”) mangoes are a different variety of mango sold throughout Pakistan, Thailand, etc. They’re not unripe regular mangoes and don’t change color with time. Their flesh remains more crisp and tart. You can find them in some well-stocked Indian grocery stores, but it’s challenging. I have not tried making chutney with regular unripe mangoes. If you do (maybe halving the recipe to experiment), let us know what you think of the outcome! Best, Kimberly
Sandra says
Hi, found your recipe this morning, had bought a case of mangoes and was planning on making chutney. Loved the look of this recipe and have just made it, it is simmering on the stove as I write. I know it will be delicious and plan on making a second batch tomorrow. I love to give my home made chutney as gifts at Christmas….if it lasts that long! Really into cooking Indian food, so cannot wait to serve this up with it.
Thanks so much!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sandra and welcome! I’m thrilled you found my site and are making this chutney! We love it. I use it regularly in my Indian dishes and always like to have plenty on hand. I’m on my last jar right now from last August and the flavor or seems to get better with time. Last week I used it again to make my Mango Chutney Chicken. Give that one a try and you’ll love it! I love to give this chutney away as gifts as well. Happy chutney-making!
Ang Fdez says
Absolutely divine. Fun to make! Thank you so much for a wonderful, delicious Sunday family dinner.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m thrilled to hear it was a hit, Ang! Thank you for your feedback!
Del's cooking twist says
Mango Chutney is a fave, I just love it! I really need to try this one. Thanks for the recipe, Kimberly!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Del! I LOVE what it does to transform a curry.
Kiran says
Hi! :) ..
Haven’t checked out your blog in some while, but saw this and had to come here and comment! ..
We eat mango chutney a lot, but not in the ways you have used it – very interesting! Need to try them out.
Do you get raw mango’s there? We make mango chutney and different kinds of mango pickles along with sherbats only from the raw mango (its known as Keri), so the flavor is more tart than sweet.
Still waiting for proper mango season here (it stats mid-may) then I am going to try this variation of chutney as well.
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kiran! I love adding this chutney to some of the curries I make. It adds such a wonderful depth and flavor dimension. And, of course, I love using it as a dip for naan. Raw mangoes are next to impossible to find here, so we just use what we have available. Thanks for visiting!
Anonymous says
Hi There,
Can’t wait to try this recipe, it’s definitely the most promising one I’ve found! One question: what do you think of substituting brown sugar and/or jaggery? If I do so, should I also adjust the amount of vinegar? Would the flavor of the chutney be greatly impacted?
Thanks!
Mary
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you for the compliment, Mary! I haven’t tried it with brown sugar before, so I really can’t offer an opinion. Brown sugar is simply white sugar with molasses added to it, so if you do use it, you wouldn’t have to adjust the vinegar. Yes, two cups of brown sugar would alter the flavor of the chutney, but whether that alteration would be a good – or not so good – thing, I’m not sure. If you experiment with that, let us know how it turns out!
Patrick says
Any specific recommendations if I want to can this in a water bath canner? Head space, jar size? Processing time? Thanks! Looks marvelous, everyone at work is requesting a jar to try
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Patrick! Absolutely, this is perfect for canning and that’s what I do with it every year. Just bought a basket of mangoes this week for that very purpose. Leave 1/4 inch head space and process for 10 minutes. Jar size simply depends on how quickly you intend to go through it. I make some in pint-sized jars and some in 1/2 pint jars. 1/2 pint jars also make a perfect gift. Happy canning! Best, Kimberly
Patrick says
That’s so funny I was JUST checking back to see if you had responded, because I’m about to get started! Ha! Happy canning to you too! I’ll let you know what everyone thinks
The Daring Gourmet says
Sounds great, Patrick!
Trace says
This is awesome! I doubled the chilli cos like it spicy. Would totally recommend!
The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, I’m glad you enjoyed it, Trace! Thank you for your feedback!
Samantha says
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe. The best one I’ve found! I return here every few months to whip up a new batch to always have around in the fridge. Thanks !
The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Samantha, I’m thrilled to hear that and really appreciate your feedback! Best, Kimberly
veryberryhandmade says
Hi – just thought you would like to know I have used your recipe as the basis for an Indian-style plum chutney. I love very spicy chutneys, so couldn’t find a recipe for plum chutney that really suited me, but thought, that as plums are sweet and perfumed, a little like mangoes, it might work to use a mango chutney recipe. I tried it, and it worked – we have lots of delicious Plumgo Chutney… Thanks so much for your very helpful instructions and fab recipe.
The Daring Gourmet says
Excellent, I’m so glad it worked out and that you’re happy with the results! Plum chutney sounds marvelous. Thanks for your feedback! Best, Kimberly
AayArJ says
Definitely a Moghal era creation.This marvelous chutney contain all the ingredients to fully activate every taste bud of the mouth.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
For sure, AayArj, we love it!
Nerissa says
This looks like a wonderful recipe for mango chutney…lots of spices :) I just love chutneys and Indian food! Just came across your blog yesterday and am loving your recipes, looking forward to following your posts.
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Nerissa! I’m thrilled you found my blog – welcome aboard!
Joyce Merne says
I’m new here. Will be making your mango chutney tomorrow…..I can taste it already, thanks for posting
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Joyce, and welcome! I’m happy you’re making this recipe! When I make it I’ll sometimes divide the recipe between two pots so I can make one with the nigella seeds and one without (for the few items that are strictly sweet-based). I love adding this chutney to curries – its adds such a wonderful flavor to the finished dish! I hope you like it!
P.S. Someone just left a comment a few days ago about preferring to use less vinegar. The vinegar level of this recipe is comparable to the Indian chutneys I used when I lived in the UK and it’s the standard amount that’s typically used for mango chutney. Still, the amount of vinegar can be tweaked to whatever your personal preference is. Let me know your thoughts once you’ve tried it!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Kirsten!