Indian Apple Chutney

Indian apple chutney is an easy to make, delicious fruit chutney that has a lip-smacking taste. It will leave your taste buds wanting more.

Growing up my mom often made Apple Butter Chutney and this Indian apple chutney is inspired by that approach, except this recipe uses fresh apples.  Fresh apples do give it a different type of yummy flavor.

Chutneys are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Some Indian food just isn’t complete without chutney. All types of chaats like Samosa Chaat or my spin on it, Tater Tot Chaat are good examples.  Any type of traditional samosa or one of my spins like Samosa Pie, Pinwheel Samosas or Samosa Wreath also needs a samosa chutney.

 A chutney elevates a dish and adds depth of flavor.

This chutney is meant to be used fresh and consumed within a few weeks at most.  There is no apple cider vinegar or white vinegar in this recipe.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients with a few warming spices to balance sweet apples
• Versatile – can be used on a cheese board, with chaats, as a samosa chutney, and other Indian dishes
•  Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free

Ingredient Notes

Commonly used ingredients are used for this delicious, easy apple chutney. The main ingredient is of course apples!

Apples – Red apples add a sweet flavor. I use Gala apples. If you want more tang you can mix it with green apples such as granny smith apples.

Sugar – I used light brown sugar for a deeper flavor. You can substitute white sugar or do ½ brown sugar and ½ white sugar.

Spices – Cinnamon powder, salt, red chili powder, and cumin-coriander powder are needed. Cumin coriander is a commonly used Indian spice blend. You can use a mix of cumin powder and coriander powder.

Lemon juice – for tang and acts as a preservative.

Variations

Some alternative ingredients you can use if you like are:

Cinnamon stick in place of cinnamon powder

Black raisins or golden raisins substitute some of the sugar

Additional spices for a variety such as fennel seeds, garam masala, or even fenugreek seeds.

Substitute red chili flakes if you don’t have red chili powder.

Explore a variety of apples for new flavors

Try with fresh ginger or red onion

Making the chutney

 Prep by washing, peeling, and chopping the apples. Chop apples into small pieces so they cook more quickly.

Place chopped and apple pieces in a pan with salt, sugar, and cinnamon powder. Mix and turn on the stove to medium-high.

Let apples simmer on medium until fork tender. About 5-7 minutes. Mix in between to prevent sticking.

Add remaining spices and lemon juice. Mix and turn off the stove. Remove pan from heat. Let apples cool to room temperature.

Blend in a blender jar or food processor to make a smooth paste. Give it a quick stir.

Add water to adjust the consistency of the chutney.  

 Serving Suggestions

This spicy apple chutney can be used in a variety of ways:

Serve it with Samosa Pie or a Samosa Pull Apart Wreath or Samosa Pinwheels (all baked!)

Use it to make apple chutney and cheddar grilled cheese sandwich

Great way to use apples during apple season

Delicious on a cheese board as a side dish

Storage

Store apple chutney in an airtight container in the fridge. A mason jar works well. It should be good for a couple of weeks.

This chutney can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or bag.