Skip to Content

Easy Onion Chutney Recipe

Ever so slightly sweet, spicy, and tangy, this onion chutney recipe is an easy and healthy one. Made with 9 plant-based ingredients, this onion chutney pairs beautifully with everything from curries to cheese boards.

Easy Onion Chutney Recipe

This onion chutney recipe is a fusion one and tends to be a bit on the healthy side. Like most of the other chutney recipes I share here on this blog, this one is made without any added sugar. Instead of sugar, I use maple syrup.

I simply love this onion chutney. It is a little spicy, a little sweet, a little tangy, and so tasty. I love slathering it on toast sometimes. But, it pairs beautifully with everything from curries and rice to crackers and cheese.

What is onion chutney made of?

Ingredients to make onion chutney

This onion chutney is made of the following 9 ingredients:

  • Red onions
  • Ginger
  • Garlic
  • Maple syrup
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Coriander
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cinnamon
  • Cayenne
Vegan Chutney Made with Caramelized Onions

Tips to Making this chutney

  1. Caramelizing the onions adds so much flavor to this chutney. I added chopped onions to a pan with olive oil and let the onions sauté over a low flame for about 25 minutes – gradually increasing the flame towards the end. While sautéing the onions, it is crucial to keep stirring them in the pan, so they caramelize evenly, and you do not end up with a bunch of burnt onions.
  2. Using fresh ginger and fresh garlic is preferred when making this. If peeling garlic and ginger is too much trouble, you can purchase the already peeled garlic and ginger that most stores stock in their produce section. However, I would refrain from using powdered ginger and garlic in this recipe as they would alter the taste significantly.
  3. After the maple syrup + red wine vinegar + spices are added into the caramelized red onions, sauté the mixture until the liquid starts to barely evaporate. For me, that was around the 3 – 4 minute mark.
  4. Blending all the ingredients together results in a smooth chutney with all those delicious flavors distributed evenly throughout. But this part is totally optional and can be skipped if you do not have a blender or food processor handy.
Spicy Sweet Tart Healthy Onion Chutney

What do you eat onion chutney with?

This onion chutney is delicious simply slathered on toast for a quick and easy breakfast.

Pair it with some chickpea curry and roti or with some of these black-eyed pea fritters for a delicious lunch.

It can also be paired with crackers on a cheeseboard for snacking on or movie-marathoning.

How long can you store this chutney?

If stored in an airtight glass container, this onion chutney will last about 2 weeks. It does seem to get better with time, and on day 3 it is even tastier than it is when you first make it.

A Few Other Easy Chutney Recipes

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think of it, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin or #savoryspin. For more fusion, spice-filled, recipe ideas, please subscribe and follow me on FacebookInstagram, and/or Pinterest!

Vegan Chutney Made with Caramelized Onions

Easy Onion Chutney Recipe

Yield: 12 servings approx.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ever so slightly sweet, spicy, and tangy, this onion chutney recipe is an easy and healthy one. Made with 9 plant-based ingredients, this onion chutney pairs beautifully with everything from curries to cheese boards.

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 lg or 3 medium red onions
  • 1 inch chunk of fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cayenne (use 1/2 tsp if you would rather have a more mild chutney)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Peel and roughly chop the red onions.
  2. Add the oil to a large, heavy bottom, pan and place the onions in it. Set the flame to low and saute onions for 25 minutes or so, stirring every few minutes so the onions do not burn.
  3. While the onions are sauteing, peel and roughly chop up the garlic and ginger and set aside.
  4. As the onions saute, you might need to increase the flame/heat on your stove and increase the frequency of stirring too.
  5. Around the 20-25 minute mark, the onions should be beautifully caramelized.
  6. At this point add in the peeled and chopped ginger and garlic, the maple syrup, red wine vinegar, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne, and cinnamon, and stir well until the liquid starts to evaporate. This should happen around the 3-minute mark.
  7. Remove from stove.
  8. Using an inversion blender, or you can add this mixture to a food processor or blender, blend the onion mixture to the consistency you like.
  9. Then, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  10. This onion chutney can be served right as it is made or chilled and served later.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 61Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 27mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 0gSugar 5gProtein 0g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an approximation only. Savory Spin makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. Please do consult a professional nutritionist for more accurate information. Please do keep in mind that prep times, cooking times, etc, are provided as guidelines as there are so many variables at play.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram &/or Pinterest tagging @SavorySpin #SavorySpin

Spice Up Your Love Life: Bold Vegetable Chutneys For February

Friday 8th of March 2024

[…] Grab the recipe here! […]

3 Ingredient Cherry Chicken

Friday 29th of September 2023

[…] cherry chutney. While I haven’t tried it yet, you could also use mango chutney or onion chutney in this […]

Easy Cherry Chutney - A vegan recipe by Savory Spin

Sunday 13th of August 2023

[…] ChutneyMango Habanero ChutneyApple Chutney Onion ChutneyPineapple Chutney, Peach […]

Homemade Easy Mango Chutney Recipe - Savory Spin

Wednesday 6th of July 2022

[…] few other chutney recipes we love are this one for apple chutney, this easy onion chutney, and this one for peach chutney – both recipes are super easy and quick to […]

John / Kitchen Riffs

Wednesday 12th of January 2022

Yum! This looks terrific -- SO much flavor. Thanks!

Skip to Recipe