Easy Green Tomato Chutney (2024)

My Easy Green Tomato Chutney is sweet and sour with aromatic spices and a touch of chilli. Delicious on everything from cheese and cold meats to burgers or your favourite sandwich.

A perfect solution to make the most of unripe green tomatoes. All deliciously preserved as jars of flavour packed chutney for the winter months.

My Green Tomato Chutney is a tried and tested family favourite, a proper old fashioned chutney. And you’ll be pleased to hear how easy it is to make. Simply chop up your ingredients, put them in your pan with spices, vinegar and sugar and cook. Then simmer until your chutney is glossy and thick.

Back when my Kitchen Shed garden produced masses of tomatoes and chillies, we’d pick green tomatoes early in the season. That way we could guarantee the best Green Tomato Chutney for the local Christmas fayre. Fortunately for us, we still had plenty of ripening tomatoes on vines so we could make Red Tomato Chutney.

Chutney making still forms a large part of what happens here at The Kitchen Shed. And, as it always has, chutney making follows what’s in season and what’s in surplus. We generally start with courgettes and before I know it, we’re into the summer glut of tomatoes.

Out comes the preserving pan and on goes a big batch of green tomato chutney. Not long after all the tomatoes are done and dusted, we’re harvesting apples and it’s time for Spicy Apple Chutney.

Old fashioned green tomato chutney is a great make ahead Christmas gift. Not least because it partners perfectly with Christmas cheeses and cold meats. So why not make an extra batch and you’ll have a few Christmas gift items for family and friends ?

What equipment do I need ?

• Preserving pan – nice and wide so liquid can evaporate and your chutney becomes glossy and thick. If you make a lot of chutneys and jams it’s worth investing in a good solid preserving pan. I use an 8.5 litre Penguin Home Professional pan.
• A ladle.
• A jam funnel. I prefer to use a stainless steel funnel because vinegar reacts with other metals such as aluminium.
• 5 or 6 jam jars with screw top lids. Make sure to use vinegar proof lids – generally plastic coated on the underside to prevent any acid reaction with metal.
• Adhesive labels.

How to Sterilise Jars

Sterilise jars shortly before they are to be used. This minimises the time in which the jars might pick up new bacteria and ruin your chutney. Make sure your jars are dry when you come to fill them.

• I like to sterilise jars in the microwave. Clean your jars as normal and rinse. Whilst the jars are wet, pop them in the microwave for two minutes on full power. Remember the jars will be very hot, so remove with care.
• Pour boiling water into a bowl or jug and add the lids and leave for 5 minutes. Drain and leave to dry completely before using.
• Alternatively, wash jars and the lids in the dishwasher on a hot cycle.
• Always sterilise more jars than you think you will need.

What ingredients do I need ?

Amounts are detailed in the recipe card.

• Apples – I used cooking apples as they cook down and thicken the chutney. Eating apples can be used – Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippin or Gala work well. But they will give a slightly different consistency to the chutney.
• Onions – I used white onions.
• Green tomatoes – choose firm fresh green tomatoes.
• Dried fruit – I used sultanas but you could substitute with raisins or currants.
• Vinegar – I like use cider vinegar in a chutney as, unlike malt vinegar, it doesn’t overpower the final flavour. You will need a good quality vinegar with an acetic acid content of at least 5%. Most reputable brands have at least 5% acetic acid and some even go as high as 8%.
• Salt – adds flavour and helps to preserve your chutney.
• Sugar – I’ve used a light soft brown sugar, with a molasses flavour in mind. Feel free to use dark brown sugar if you prefer a darker colour chutney.
• Coriander seeds – add a warm, aromatic and slightly citrus flavour.
• Yellow mustard seeds – gives a warm spice tone as well as slightly sweet.
• Black peppercorns – not as hot as white peppercorns and tend to mellow during cooking.
• Ginger – fresh ginger root adds a gentle heat.
• Chilli – I used chilli flakes which add a final kick to boost the heat. The amount of chilli I use won’t blow your socks off but omit it if you prefer less heat.

How to make Easy Green Tomato Chutney

Making a chutney couldn’t be more straightforward – just follow these easy steps for your best homemade green tomato chutney.

• There is no need to skin the tomatoes – the skins stay attached to the unripe tomatoes in cooking.
• Cut green tomatoes, onions and apples into roughly the same size pieces so they cook evenly. Bear in mind whether you want a chunky chutney or a smaller diced chutney.

• Add all the ingredients to the pan, adding the sugar and vinegar in last.
• Give everything a good stir.
• Make up your spice bag by tying the spices in a large muslin square or use a ready made bag.
• Add spice bag to the pan and stir.

• Bring to the boil and simmer until nice and thick.
• You don’t need to watch chutney like you do jam but you still need to keep an eye on it. Stir every now and then to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• The chutney is ready when the liquid has reduced and the fruit, vegetables and sultanas look plump and glossy.
• Check your chutney is ready by drawing a silicone spatula or wooden spoon through the chutney mixture. If the chutney parts and the base of the preserving pan remains visible for a few seconds, it’s done.

• Ladle your chutney into sterilised jars whilst still hot, filling to within 6 mm (1/4 inch) of the top. Pack down with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets.
• Seal tightly with a lid.

Do you need to water bath chutney ?

Here in the UK, the water bath method is not generally used for chutneys. Jars and lids are sterilised before filling with hot chutney and tightened lids on filled jars form a vacuum seal as contents cool. However, if you prefer to use a boiling water canner, process Easy Green Tomato Chutney for 15 minutes.

Ways to enjoy Green Tomato Chutney

Green Tomato Chutney is perfect on a cheese or ham sandwich. Serve it up with a traditional Ploughman’s lunch or with cheese and crackers. On barbecue evenings we’ve been known to add a spoon or two to a hot dog or burger.

But don’t limit your chutney to your favourite sandwich, use it in your cooking too:

• Add a tablespoon or two to your favourite stew, casserole or tagine.
• Puree a couple of tablespoons, add a little water and use as a glaze for your Christmas ham or roast.
• Puree a few tablespoons, add a little water and mustard and use as a dipping sauce.
• Spread some on toast, layer with cheese and grill.

How long before I can eat my Chutney ?

Easy Green Tomato Chutney improves as it matures. Leaving it in sealed jars for at least two weeks before sampling is definitely preferred. Leave for a couple of months if you can.
Despite knowing I should leave chutney to mature, I admit I have opened a jar the day after cooking. It was delicious and surprisingly there was no overpowering taste of vinegar.

More Homemade Chutney Recipes for you to try

• Red Onion chutney
• Pumpkin chutney
• Courgette Chutney
• Cranberry Chutney
• Basic Chutney

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