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How To Make Red Onion Chutney With This Easy Recipe
This caramelised red onion chutney is sweet, spicy and full of so much flavour. Serve with cheese and crackers or gift as a Christmas present. Find out how to make the best red onion chutney with this easy recipe below.
Sweet, sticky, spicy, chilli; there’s so much going on with this red onion chutney! It makes the perfect accompaniment to a good cheeseboard or sandwich and it’s so easy to make too. The background taste is flavoured with spices such as ginger and garlic that work really well with the sweet caramelised onion taste.
Say goodbye to buying chutney because you can make your own homemade version and it’s very simple too!
What Is Onion Chutney Made Of?
The main ingredients generally used to make onion chutney are onions, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and sugar. These ingredients are cooked together until the onions have softened and are coated in a dark, caramelised, sweet and sticky sauce.
You can of course add even more flavour by adding spices and seasonings into the chutney mixture whilst it’s cooking. Flavours like nutmeg and cinnamon are great for the Christmas season where eating onion chutney is popular in the UK.
Watch How To Make It
Which Onions Are Best To Use?
For this recipe I used red onions, they are said to be milder and sweeter which is perfect for this chutney. You can of course use white or yellow onions but red onions are best to use.
Quite a lot of red onions are needed to make the chutney. As the onions begin to cook and simmer away, they do reduce in size. It might seem like a lot a first but it will go down during the cooking process.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the few ingredients needed to make this onion chutney:
- Red Onions: I used a mixture of 12 small and medium sized onions, by weight it was 1.5kg
- Sugar: I used light brown sugar.
- Red Wine Vinegar: You can buy this at your local supermarket; It’s made by fermenting red wine.
- Balsamic Vinegar: An intensely flavoured vinegar.
- Spices & Seasonings: To flavour this chutney recipe I added salt, garlic granules, ginger powder and a red chilli. Adding these spices are optional but they do make a big difference. You can substitute the spices I used with others that you prefer.
How To Make Red Onion Chutney
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make this easy red onion chutney, full instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step One:
Peel the red onions and thinly slice them. Then finely dice the red chilli pepper and leave aside for later use.
Step Two:
Put oil into a saucepan on medium to high heat and add the sliced onions. Stir the onions so that it’s coated in the oil and continue to stir for 10 minutes until the onions have softened. You don’t want the onions to brown.
Step Three:
Add the salt, sugar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, ginger powder, garlic granules and finely sliced chillies into the saucepan and continue to stir on a high heat for 10 minutes.
Step Four:
Lower the heat to a low temperature so that the mixture is simmering with mild bubbles.
Then leave the saucepan uncovered and leave to simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until the onion chutney has thickened and has a dark caramelised appearance. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the bottom.
Tip: A quick test to see if the chutney is ready is to use a wooden spoon and brush it against the pan. If it leaves an imprint for a few seconds before the juices cover the pan, then it’s ready. If when you drag the spoon against the pan the liquid quickly covers the pan, it needs to simmer for longer.
Step Five:
To store, place the chutney into sterilised jars. I usually store it in two 500ml clip lid canisters.
Which Jars To Use And How To Sterilise Them
You can keep the chutney in preserving jars which are made to store homemade jams and chutneys.
You’ll need to sterilise the jars before storing the chutney in them. A popular way to sterilise the jars is to wash it with soap and hot water. Then place the jars in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 140°C (gas mark 1, 275°F). The jars should be hot and have dried completely by this time. Boil the rubber seals and lids for at least 10 minutes before leaving them to dry.
Then fill the jars with the warm chutney mixture.
How Long Will Onion Chutney Last?
Chutneys last a long time and the flavours deepen and intensify the longer they’re kept. You can keep them for up to 6 months in jars like this.
What Goes Well With Caramelised Onions?
There are so many ways to eat caramelised onions besides with crackers and cheese. Though it tastes so good with them, below is a list of even more ideas:
- Sandwich Topping
- Burger Topping
- Salad
- Pasta
- In a southern fried chicken wrap
- Garlic Tear And Share Bread
- Curries
Caramelised Chutney The Perfect Homemade Gift
Having chutney alongside a delicious cheeseboard is a popular snack here in the UK, especially around Christmas time. You’ll see that the shops are stacked with chutneys! In a fancy decorative jar this chutney recipe can make an easy homemade Christmas gift, you can make a big batch of it and give it to your friends and family.
If you want to gift the chutney as a Christmas present, make them around 2 months before so that the flavour would have deepened and developed by then.
More Onion Recipes
- Onion Bhaji
- Crispy Fried Onions
- Fried Onions For Burgers
- Dirty Fries
- Chicken Bhuna
- Chicken And Aubergine Curry
Caramelised Red Onion Chutney Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 12 Red Onions 1.5kg Onions
- 200 g Light Brown Sugar
- 200 ml Red Wine Vinegar
- 200 ml Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Garlic Granules Or Garlic Powder
- 1 tbsp Ginger Powder
- 1 Red Chilli
Instructions
- Peel the red onions and thinly slice them. Then finely dice the red chilli pepper and leave aside for later use.
- Put oil into a saucepan on medium to high heat and add the sliced onions. Stir the onions so that it’s coated in the oil and continue to stir for 10 minutes until the onions have softened. You don’t want the onions to brown.
- Add the salt, sugar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, ginger powder, garlic granules and finely sliced chillies into the saucepan and continue to stir on a high heat for 10 minutes.
- Lower the heat to a low temperature so that the mixture is simmering with mild bubbles.Then leave the saucepan uncovered and leave to simmer for 40 to 50 minutes or until the onion chutney has thickened and has a dark caramelised appearance. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the bottom.
- To store, place the chutney into sterilised jars. I usually store it in two 500ml clip lid canisters.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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