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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Our 5-Ingredient Pineapple Chutney is bright, tangy, and bursting with flavor, making it an ideal condiment to elevate your meals with a touch of sweetness and spice.
- Effortless Preparation: Quick and easy to make with just five ingredients, perfect for busy days.
- Flavor Versatility: Pairs wonderfully with curries, grilled meats, fish tacos, and salads, adding a refreshing twist.
- Homemade Goodness: Control the ingredients to tailor sweetness and spice to your liking, ensuring a fresh taste every time.
Pineapple’s tropical sweetness makes it a versatile ingredient in both desserts and savory dishes. Whether you’re savoring a creamy Homemade Disneyland Dole Whip or a rich Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, pineapple adds a refreshing twist to any treat. For a simple yet decadent dessert, try Grilled Pineapple with Butter Rum Sauce, or cool off with Pineapple and Coconut Frozen Yogurt. Now, let’s explore a savory side of pineapple for pairing with your favorite dishes.
Table of Contents
- What is Chutney?
- Tools You Need
- Key Ingredients and Why
- How to Make Pineapple Chutney
- Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- Pineapple Chutney Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- FAQs
- More Jarred Recipes
What is Chutney?
Chutney is a flavorful condiment that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It’s made by combining fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, and sometimes vinegar or sugar. This blend creates a balance of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors.
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Texture: Chutneys can be smooth or chunky, depending on how they’re made. Some are cooked to a thick, jam-like consistency, while others are more like salsa.
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Flavor Profile: Chutneys often include a mix of sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. Common ingredients are fruits like mangoes and pineapples, vegetables like tomatoes, and spices like ginger and chili peppers.
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Versatility: Chutneys are used to enhance the flavor of many dishes. They’re often served with Indian foods like curries and samosas but can also pair well with grilled meats, cheeses, and sandwiches.
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Variety: There are many types of chutneys, such as mint, tamarind, coconut, and mango, each offering its own unique taste.
This pineapple chutney combines the sweetness of pineapple with the heat of chili peppers to create a unique and flavorful condiment that can add a burst of flavor to a variety of dishes.
Tools You Need
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Glass measuring jug
- Kitchen scale (optional)
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Large saucepan
- 8 oz Jam jars
- 6 oz Jam jars
Make it Bolder!
If you want to experiment with the Pineapple Chutney, try adding a little lime juice or zest and some chopped mint or cilantro. If you prefer, you can also switch out the pineapple for under-ripe mango.Key Ingredients and Why
Pineapple Chutney
Pineapple
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- Pineapple adds sweetness, tangy zestiness, a floral-like taste of the tropics, and an incredible juiciness to this chutney.
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- You can use either fresh pineapple or unsweetened canned pineapple.
Red Chilli Peppers
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- Red chili peppers’ heat plays beautifully off the super-sweet pineapple
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- Red chili peppers come in many varieties with very different levels of heat.
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- Unless you are familiar with chili peppers, use sparingly and taste as you go. Everyone’s tolerance for heat is different.
Garlic
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- Garlic grounds the chutney with its robust, intense, earthy flavor.
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- Freshly peeled garlic from a bulb will always have better flavor than pre-peeled or pre-crushed garlic. Take a few extra minutes for better flavor in your chutney.
Granulated sugar
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- The sugar adds another note of sweetness to the chutney.
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- As the sugar cooks, it caramelizes, adding a deep buttery toastiness to the chutney.
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- The sugar gives the chutney a thick, syrupy consistency.
Rice wine vinegar
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- Rice Vinegar, aka rice wine vinegar, is made by first fermenting the sugar in rice into alcohol, and then into acid.
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- If you are unable to find rice vinegar, then use white wine or apple cider vinegar.
How to Make Pineapple Chutney
Prepare the ingredients and place in a saucepan.
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Finely chop the pineapple until it is almost crushed. Place in a medium (4 quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan.
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Chop the chilis and garlic really fine and add to the saucepan followed by the sugar and vinegar.
Cook the chutney
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Place on high heat and bring to a boil.
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Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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As the chutney is simmering, use a metal spoon to remove the scum that rises to the surface.
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When the chutney has reduced by half and the pineapples are almost translucent remove from the heat.
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Wash 3 (6 oz) jam jars and lids in hot soapy water before drying well.
Jar and refrigerate the chutney
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While the jars are still warm, fill them up to a ½-inch from the top with the hot chutney.
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Screw on the lids to allow them to cool down for about 6 hours at room temperature before placing them in the fridge for up to 4 months.
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Serve this chutney with flatbread or on top of curries with yogurt.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
- One-stop shopping. All of the ingredients for this recipe can be found in any well-stocked grocery store. Jam jars can also be found in some grocery, and homewares stores, and also online. I used both 8 oz jam jars and 6 oz jam jars for my chutneys.
- Use chillis carefully. Add the red chilis gradually and taste as you go. You may need more or less, depending on the chili you use and your personal taste. Also, be sure to protect your hands with gloves when chopping chillis as the capsaicin (what makes it spicy) can stay on your fingers long after you have washed your hands.
- Choose the tomato you like. Any large variety or color of tomatoes can be used for the tomato chutney. Just make sure they are not mushy or over-ripe.
- Make it vegetarian. To keep the tomato chutney vegetarian, you can replace the fish sauce with soy, tamari, or Worcestershire sauce.
- Wash before filling. The jars do not need to be sterilized. They only need to be washed in hot soapy water. Wash the jars just before filling them with hot jam so that they are still warm when you are filling them. This will keep the jars from cracking.
Pineapple Chutney Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Chutneys are a perfect make-ahead food because they contain natural preservatives like chillis and vinegar.
- My chutneys last in the fridge for four months, which is perfect for me, but if you need them to last longer, you can freeze them.
FAQs
What is chutney, and how is it different from jam?
- The flavor profile of chutney makes it different from jam. Jams are cooked with sugar and are very sweet in flavor. They are generally consumed spread on baked goods like bread or scones, or layered into cakes.
- Chutneys can be a touch sweet but are also usually flavored with vinegar, and the flavor is more spicy and sour.
- Chutneys are used as a condiment for savory dishes.
What is the difference between chutney and pickle?
- The main difference is that pickles are made with whole or large pieces of vegetables whereas chutneys are more like sauces or pastes.
- Pickles are marinated or fermented in spiced oil or brine for a period of time before they are consumed, whereas chutneys are usually sweeter and made with fresh ingredients.
I can’t tolerate spicy food. Can I make this milder?
- Yes, you can reduce or even eliminate the chili peppers from the recipes.
- Chilis do help preserve the chutneys, so chutney without chilli may have a shorter shelf life.
More Jarred Recipes
5-Ingredient Pineapple Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups (16 oz/450 g) pineapple, fresh or canned
- 2 red chilies, seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/240 ml) rice vinegar
Instructions
- Finely chop the pineapple until it is almost crushed. Place in a medium (4 quart) heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Chop the chilis and garlic really fine and add to the saucepan followed by the sugar and vinegar.
- Place on high heat and bring to a boil.
- Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- As the chutney is simmering, use a metal spoon to remove the scum that rises to the surface.
- When the chutney has reduced by half and the pineapples are almost translucent remove from the heat.
- Wash 3 (6 oz) jam jars and lids in hot soapy water before drying well.
- While the jars are still warm, fill them up to a ½-inch from the top with the hot chutney.
- Screw on the lids to allow them to cool down for about 6 hours at room temperature before placing them in the fridge for up to 4 months.
- Serve this chutney with flatbread or on top of curries with yogurt.
Would this recipe work with canned crushed pineapple?
Will this freeze