Spicy Cherry Chutney
This Spicy Cherry Chutney is sweet and sour with a bit of a kick. The perfect condiment to serve at your summer barbecue!
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Cherries are in season and boy does that make me happy! I love sitting on my back patio on warm summer nights, post-BBQ, munching on cherries. I love watching my three year old girls nibble on cherries only to have a clown face when they’re done. And, believe it or not, I love using my cherry pitter (affiliate link) to pop the pits out of those sweet, slightly sour and tart cherries when I make my homemade spicy cherry chutney.
This recipe came about over four years ago, when I made my grilled salmon burgers. The burgers were delicious on their own, but what’s a burger without a condiment?! Ketchup didn’t seem appealing on salmon and mustard seemed too plain Jane. I don’t quite remember how I landed on the idea to make a cherry chutney, but I did and it was a perfect fit.
I’ve made these burgers many times since I posted the recipe, but I’ve only made the chutney one or two times since. I sort of just forgot about it. Until I stumbled upon the old recipe post and decided it was high time I remade the chutney and rephotographed it. So for a recent barbecue, I remade the chutney with a few modifications and served it with grilled chicken and my grilled Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Burgers. This time I made sure to photograph it properly! It was a hit for adults and kids alike, although I will say you’ll want to be careful with the kids depending on how much heat you add!
In addition to serving as a condiment for burgers and grilled chicken, this chutney would be delicious paired with cheese and crackers at a cocktail party!
Without further ado, here’s my updated, better than ever Spicy Cherry Chutney! I hope you’ll give it a try at your next BBQ, maybe even your July 4th celebration!
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Spicy Cherry Chutney
This Spicy Cherry Chutney is sweet and sour with a bit of a kick. The perfect condiment to serve at your summer barbecue!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons minced habanero or jalapeno pepper, (use as few or many seeds as you'd like depending on your preferred spice level)
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cups pitted, halved cherries, (can use frozen cherries out of season)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion and pepper until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add cherries, sugar, cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a boil; lower heat to a rapid simmer and cook until sauce thickens, about 40 to 45 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl or serving dish and set aside to cool. Chutney will continue to gel and thicken as it cools. Serve room temperature or store in fridge and serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition Facts (per 2 Tablespoons): 60 calories, 1 g total fat, 78 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fiber, 10.5 g sugars, 1 g protein
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 8 servingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 60
Love this! And, I still have lots of cherries, so definitely will be whipping up a batch. Yum!!
Thanks EA! Would love to know what you think after you make it and what you serve it with!
Can these cherry chutney recipes be doubled or trippled and bottled for winter use??
Hi Mary, You can definitely double or triple the chutney and freeze it. I have never bottled it though. Hope that helps.
I LOVE cherries too. This is such a great way to use them. There are so many ways you could use this!
Thanks Jenna! I agree – so many things you can do with this!
This recipe came at the best time for me… we are going to Michigan’s Cherry Festival this weekend so I’ll be sure to try out this recipe when we do burgers for the 4th 🙂
That sounds like so much fun! Can’t wait to see pics! Please let me know how you like the chutney if you get a chance to make it!
How creative!! I was just thinking how I should buy some cherries this weekend… looks like I have a reason to for sure now! Have a great 4th!
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it if you get a chance to make it. Lmk!
What a great use for all the wonderful summer cherries!
Thanks Rebecca!
I have only ever had mango chutney and I LOVED IT! I totally need to try this cherry version!
Thanks Taylor. Personally I like this better than mango chutney, but I could be biased! Would love to know what you think!
This sounds so good! I adore cherries (but can’t say I always adore their price!) and call me boring, but my favourite way to enjoy them is just straight-up fresh on their own!
Totally with you on the price! Thankfully I’ve found a few good deals lately.
Ummmm, I already ate dinner, but now I’m hungry again. 😡 I’ve never heard of/tried cherry chutney, but salmon burgers sound perfect with this!!
haha…hope you give it a try!
What a fun summer recipe. I LOVE the added touch of ginger.
Thanks so much Alisa!
[…] a sweet way to end a meal, but we also like adding them to smoothies and oatmeal, turning them into chutney to top burgers, chicken, and fish, and roasting them like I do for this cherry farro […]
Can I eat it by the spoonful? Love cherries so am sure I’d love this chutney. And what a beautiful color!
You sure can! In fact I do sometimes 🙂
I am doubling the recipe and would like to can it,
Can you tell me how long to process the jars. Thanks
Hi Annette,
I have never canned the chutney for prolonged use, so unfortunately I don’t have guidance for how to do it. Here’s a post from a colleague of mine that may help: https://livelytable.com/beginners-guide-to-canning/. Good luck!
the spicier the better at our house! This looks right up my alley
Then you’ll definitely want to add those seeds!
ohh what a great idea, I love adding cherries to help with inflammation!
Thanks Amanda – there is so much nutrition in cherries!
I absolutely love cherries and this chutney is absolutely amazing! It looks so delicious and sounds so flavorful. I really like your spicy twist 🙂
Thanks so much Whitney! Hope you try this spicy cherry chutney soon!
This chutney looks so addictive! Perfect for any summer spread
It’s pretty darn delicious! Enjoy!
I am all about that cherry season right now! This sounds delish, and I would definitely be putting it on just about everything!
I hope you give it a try Emily! Would love to know what you pair it with!
Yum! This would so good with so many different sandwiches and burgers.
It sure is! Thanks Jill.
I love the idea of cherry chutney! I’m a total spice wimp, so I’d have to sub some milder peppers, but YUM!
You can totally leave the hot peppers out Laura. Will be delicious either way!
I haven’t had chutney in years. My grandmother used to make if for my grandfather all the time.
I should definitely try this out.
Well that should definitely change right about now Mikki! Hope you give this spicy cherry chutney a try soon!
ohhh what a great idea! this looks delicious & love the kick from the habanero
Thanks rebecca. Enjoy!
When you said spicy, I was for some reason thinking “spiced” like ginger and cinnamon. I didn’t expect that hot pepper kick in the ingredients! Talk about full flavored.
Sorry I tricked you! But there is ginger in there too and you could totally sub the hot pepper for cinnamon! Either way would be delicious, this is just a more savory spin!
Hi. I have been picking and preparing cherries for days now. This year I am trying new things, cherry bbq sauce, cherry amaretto jam, and now I want to try your spicey chutney recipe. Do you have the weight equivalent for the cherries in this recipe? I have 3 and a 1/2 pounds of pitted cherries, it seems like 9 cups. Just want to make sure the proportions are correct since I’ll be canning it.
Thanks
Hi Susan,
That’s fantastic and all those recipe ideas sound so good! I do not have the weight equivalent from what I have measured myself, but based on the measurements I have found from packaged frozen pitted cherries, it looks like 3.5 pounds of pitted cherries is about 11 cups. The next time I make the chutney I will weigh the two cups of pitted cherries to get an accurate weight. Hope you enjoyed the chutney!
I have a lot of frozen pitted cherries can I mske the Chutney and put in sterlised jars for keeping for a few months.
Hi Margaret, I’ve never stored the chutney for that long, so I can’t really advise you do so. You could make the chutney and then freeze it though. Hope that helps!