This Purple Sweet Potato Chutney is a tasty blend of sweet and tangy. Made with vibrant purple sweet potatoes and a handful of other ingredients, this chutney is delicious paired with crackers, cheese, croquettes, burgers, and many other foods.

Easy purple sweet potato chutney in a small jar with crackers around.

I made this Purple Sweet Potato Chutney recipe when my daughter came for a visit, and, by the end of the day, there were no leftovers of it. She enjoyed this purple sweet potato chutney on crackers; then she added on some cheese with the chutney and crackers; she dabbed that chutney onto these purple sweet potato puffs, and even enjoyed it at a dinner with some veggie curry, marry me tofu, and turmeric quinoa.

I love chutney as much as my daughter does because:

It is a delightfully delicious blend of just little bit of sweetness with tangy, and spicy flavors,
It is so tasty
It pairs well with so many other foods
It is a great way to use up extra seasonal produce before it goes bad, and
It can be made with just a few pantry-staple ingredients,
Did I mention it is so delicious?

Why use purple sweet potatoes?

Last summer I grew and harvested so many purple sweet potatoes. After making everything from porridge to fritters to muffin tops, I still had so many purple sweet potatoes left. I baked all those leftover purple sweet potatoes and froze them.

I recently had a hankering for some chutney and figured I would see how it turned out with some of that purple sweet potato I had in my freezer. So, I thawed one out and, well, this tasty concoction you see, is the result!

Do purple sweet potatoes taste different from orange sweet potatoes?

In my opinion, yes, I feel that purple sweet potatoes taste different from their orange counterparts. They tend to have a mildly nutty, and earthy flavor. And, they tend to be less sweet than orange sweet potatoes.

What is the difference between purple yams and purple sweet potatoes?

Purple yams (also referred to as ube) and purple sweet potatoes are often mistaken for one another and, are sometimes, mistakenly referred to as “yams” collectively.

However, purple sweet potatoes and purple yams have their differences. Purple sweet potatoes are not botanically related to purple yams. They come from different plant families and different regions.

Purple yams (popular in Asia and the Philippines) taste sweeter than purple sweet potatoes and are often used in sweet dishes. While sweet, purple yams tend to have a starchy, more dense texture and are more difficult to find, in their fresh form, in the United States. If you check the labels on canned candied yams sold in grocery stores, you will see they are really sweet potatoes and not yams.

Purple sweet potatoes, with their mild sweet, nutty, earthy flavor are used in sweet and savory dishes. Purple sweet potatoes come in many different varieties depending on the region in which they are found. Some varieties are native to South East Asia while others are cultivated extensively in the US, with the two popular varieties being Okinawan Sweet and Stokes purple.

If purple sweet potatoes and purple yams have you intrigued, you can read more about them here.

Now, getting back to this purple sweet potato chutney…

The 11 ingredients needed to make this purple sweet potato chutney recipe.

What are the ingredients needed to make this purple sweet potato chutney?

This tasty purple sweet potato chutney is made with only 10 main ingredients, and they are:

Purple sweet potato (baked)
Oil
Red wine vinegar
Honey
Fresh Onion
Fresh Ginger
Fresh Garlic
Coriander
Smoked Paprika
Cinnamon,
Chili powder (optional)

In addition to the above ingredients, I also used some salt to season the finished chutney.

Substitutions

Purple sweet potato
A whole cooked purple sweet potato was used in this recipe. I love the fabulous color of purple sweet potatoes and used those in this chutney. However, orange sweet potatoes will work in this chutney just as well as the purple ones.
Oil
Olive oil is what I have on hand, but any oil will work.

Red wine vinegar
I like to use red wine vinegar as it tends to have a bolder tangy, tart, and fruity flavor that works well in a chutney. However, apple cider vinegar can also be used. But do keep in mind that apple cider vinegar is a bit milder and will alter the taste of the chutney.
Honey
While I used honey, any sweetener will work. Maple syrup can be used instead – especially if you are vegan and want to keep this a vegan recipe. And, if you are on a low-sugar/refined sugar-free diet, then any zero-calorie zero-sugar sweetener can be used like I did when I made this fig chutney.

Onion, Ginger, and Garlic
I like to use fresh onion, fresh ginger, and fresh garlic. In my opinion, the flavor of the fresh versions of these 3 are hard to match with the dried version. Now, if you are not a fan of peeling and chopping onions, ginger, or garlic, most grocery stores sell peeled and chopped versions of these 3 and I have included cup and teaspoon measurements in the recipe card below.
Spices
I love the combination of coriander, smoked paprika, and cinnamon. I added some chili powder as I like a bit of heat, but that is optional if you want to keep this chutney on the mild side. However, if you prefer this chutney to have a fiery punch, please add chili powder or red pepper flakes. If you do not have coriander on hand, garam masala or cumin powder could be used.

Instructions

Once all the ingredients are gathered, peel and finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic. The finer these ingredients are chopped, the less the need for a blender later.
Then, add the olive oil to a small saucepan, and add in the peeled and chopped onion, ginger, and garlic. Let this mixture saute for about 5 minutes over medium heat, until the onion is lightly browned and tender.
After that add in the cooked purple sweet potato, red wine vinegar, honey (or maple syrup), coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and chili powder, and stir well. Then, let this cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Once this has cooked, remove it from the heat and season it with salt and pepper. If the chutney is too chunky for you, then add this to a blender and blend until smooth, or use an immersion blender or food processor to get this to the correct consistency. I chop the onion, ginger, and garlic as finely as I can and opt to serve this chutney a bit on the chunky side.

Serving Suggestions

This purple sweet potato chutney can be added to a charcuterie and served with a plethora of cheese, meats, and crackers.

It can also be served slathered on toast or avocado toast for breakfast. I like to drizzle some of this chutney onto eggs as well.

This purple sweet potato chutney is so versatile, it can also be served with roti and curry or burgers and fries as well.

How to store this chutney?

This purple sweet potato chutney is best stored in an airtight glass jar, in the refrigerator. It does not need to be warmed before serving. In fact, it can be served at room temperature or right out of the refrigerator.

Just like this mango chutney, this purple sweet potato chutney is a favorite in our home and I hope you will enjoy eating it as much as we do.

A Few More Chutney Recipes:

Tomato Chutney

Peach Chutney

Cherry Chutney

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 Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest!