Apple chutney with ginger & cinnamon

Apple chutney is like a chunky apple sauce with the warming flavors of curry, ginger, and cinnamon.

It’s so easy to make! It can be eaten warm or cold straight out of the refrigerator.

Enjoy it as a side dish, dipping sauce, or topping.

Vegan & gluten-free.

Want an alternative to apple sauce or cranberry sauce this harvest season?

Make apple chutney!

• It is a great way to use the apples from your basket at the orchard.
• It comes together in just minutes.
• It is easy to make.
• It adds sweetness and bite to dishes like vegan holiday roast.
• It’s also a delightful dipping sauce for samosas.

What is apple chutney?

Apple chutney is similar to apple sauce. However, it has more of a savory flavor and warming edge.

Diced apples are filled out with sautéed onions, fresh ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, agave syrup, and a dash of apple cider vinegar.

A lot of apple chutney recipes call for an excess of sugar or vinegar.

However, I prefer mine to maintain a little of its tartness from the apples.

I don’t want their inherent flavor to get overpowered by too much sugar or vinegar.

So I use just enough of both to heighten their flavors without dominating.

But apples can vary. So if yours are particularly tart, feel free to add more agave syrup to suit your tastes.

What curry powder should I use?

Since curry powders are a blend of spices that vary from one to the next, I like to keep a variety of them in my spice cabinet.

S & B curry powder is a good choice.

It’s a mixture of turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, cloves, cardamom, fennel, nutmeg, laurel leaves, allspice, and garlic.

Penzey’s sweet curry powder is also a fantastic option.

The main thing is, you don’t want anything too hot or overpowering.

For this recipe, I like a curry powder with warming spices that let the apples take center stage.

Step by step instructions

Here are the ingredients you will need for this apple chutney recipe.

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance.

For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

Peel apples. Then cut them into small pieces. (Discard the apple cores.)

Sauté onions and ginger with oil in a pot until softened & fragrant.

(Pro tip: A Microplane zester is very handy for grating ginger. If you have lots of ginger root left over after this recipe, freeze it!)

Add the following to the pot:

• Peeled & chopped apples
• Curry powder
• Cinnamon
• Apple cider vinegar
• Agave syrup
• Salt

Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.

(If your apple pieces are on the larger side, you may need to cook as long as 25 minutes.)

Uncover, stir, and let the chutney cook for a couple minutes more to cook off any excess liquid, if your apples are particularly juicy.

Serve the apple chutney warm. Or move the chutney to a covered container and refrigerate.

Make it your own

You can make this tempting side dish your own by varying the ingredients.

• Vary the type of apples. (Pink Lady apples are my favorite!)
• Cut the apples into bigger chunks for more texture & crunch.
• For a totally smooth sauce, blend with an immersion blender.
• For more texture, leave the peels on the apples.
• Replace agave syrup with maple syrup.
• For sweeter sauce, increase the amount of sweetener.
• Add a sprinkling of cayenne for heat or use hot curry powder.

Prefer a chunky sauce?

If you prefer a chunky apple chutney, cut the apple pieces a little larger, and they will maintain more of their crunch.

Chunky apple chutney needs to cook about 25 minutes.

If you prefer a saucier & smoother chutney, cut the apple pieces much smaller.

(Smaller pieces work better for a samosa topping.)

Chutney made with smaller apple pieces cooks in just 12 to 15 minutes. Super fast!

Serving ideas

Apple chutney can be served hot or cold.

It is a delicious addition to any of these dishes.

1. Use it as a dip with vegetable samosas.
2. Put it alongside a vegan holiday roast with broccoli & mashed potatoes.
3. Use it as a topping on vegan sausage.
4. Serve it with sabut masoor dal or chana masala as a cooling side.
5. Serve it on a vegan cheese board.
6. At Thanksgiving & Friendsgiving, it is a terrific alternative to orange cranberry sauce.

(The mini vegetable samosas are one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products.

You could easily cook your chutney while the samosas are cooking in the air fryer. Air fry the samosas for 7 to 8 minutes at 400 degrees, stopping once to flip half way through.)

Storage instructions

Apple chutney keeps well in the refrigerator. In fact, the flavors improve over time as everything melds.

So this is a good one to make ahead of time if you’re planning a holiday get together.

Store it in an airtight container. And it will last for about a week in the refrigerator.

Apple chutney with ginger and cinnamon

Use this warming chutney as a dip with vegetable samosas or as a topping on a holiday roast. Slide it on top of seitan sausages. Or serve it with your favorite curry.

So many delicious options!

Makes 1 cup of apple chutney.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, Vegan

Keyword: fall recipe, relish, sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 82kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 teaspoon avocado oil or your preferred oil
• ▢ ½ cup yellow onions chopped
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon finely grated ginger I use a Microplane zester
• ▢ 3 cups peeled and chopped apples Chopped small* (Discard apple cores)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons agave syrup or maple syrup
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon curry powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• ▢
  Bring pot to a medium heat with oil.

  Add onions and ginger. Saute a couple minutes, until softened and fragrant.
• ▢
  Add peeled & chopped apples, apple cider vinegar, agave syrup, cinnamon, curry powder, and salt to pot.
• ▢
  Turn heat to low. Stir and cover for 12 to 15 minutes, until the apples have softened and are starting to break down a little.
• ▢
  If there is excess liquid, take the lid off of the pot and allow the apple chutney to cook for a couple of minutes more.
• ▢
  Remove from heat & serve right away. Or put the apple chutney in a covered container and move to the refrigerator.

Notes

*If you prefer a chunkier chutney, chop the apples into medium pieces instead. However, you'll need to cook it for approximately 25 minutes instead.

Apples vary in sweetness. If yours are on the tart side or if you simply prefer a sweeter sauce, add more agave syrup or maple syrup.

Store apple chutney in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week.

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 52IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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Content, photos, and recipe updated October 18, 2022. Originally posted October 15, 2018.