Made with delicious, ripe, fresh tomatoes, this easy tomato chutney is gluten-free and refined sugar-free. It is a versatile chutney that can be served with crackers and cheese or with rice and curry.

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This tomato chutney is such a delicious condiment. I love pairing chutney with some sharp cheddar cheese and crunchy crackers. In fact, we did just that when we hosted a wine tasting at our home recently, and the chutney, cheese, and crackers garnered rave reviews from everyone.

To me, chutney, like this one, is so easy to make. And, it usually comes together in about 20 minutes. It can be stored for up to 3 weeks and is delicious as an appetizer, or paired with meats, vegetables, or pasta dishes, or served along any rice/roti and curry.

What makes something a chutney?

Someone emailed me this question recently in reply to my mango chutney recipe, and I am going to answer this based on my experience. Between my early years in Sri Lanka and Abu Dhabi, i have enjoyed A LOT of homemade and store-bought chutney.

To me, chutney has always been a smooth, slightly savory, slightly sweet, slightly tangy concoction of vegetables or fruit that is cooked along with onion, ginger, garlic, spices, sugar, and vinegar. Usually, the fruits or vegetables used are cooked until they are soft and have absorbed the flavors they are engulfed in.

What is the difference between chutney and relish?

Based on my chutney diaries, I feel that chutney is usually a concoction in which the vegetables or fruits used are cooked until they are soft. The star fruit or vegetable absorbs the flavors of the spices, sugar, and vinegar they are cooked with and a tablespoon of curry is a delicous blend of all the spices as well as the sugar and vinegar.

However, to me, relish tends to be a tad bit more bland and the vegetables or fruit used tend to be quite a tad bit more crunchy as those cooked into a chutney.

What is this tomato chutney made of?

This tomato chutney is made with 14 ingredients. While that might sound like a lot, the spices I used seemed to work so well together, I do not want to suggest leaving any of them out as they make this one incredibly delicious condiment. The 14 ingredients are:

1. Oil
   I used olive oil to sauté the onion, ginger, and garlic. I usually use grapeseed oil for high heat cooking but olive oil was all I had on hand and went with that.
   
2. Onion
   While I used fresh onion in this recipe, peeling and chopping the onion (and the ginger and garlic) is the most time consuming part of making this. With that said, please feel free to use some of the peeled and chopped onion that is sold in the produce section of most grocery stores, instead. I love the taste and texture that fresh onion gives this chutney so I opt to use that instead of powdered onion.
   
3. Garlic
   As I mentioned above, feel free to pick up some already chopped garlic cloves to use instead of peeling and chopping fresh garlic cloves. I buy garlic in bulk and have recently started to peel and chop a batch of garlic cloves and freeze them in tablespoon-size servings. Then, when I need garlic, I just plop a frozen tablespoon of garlic out and use it.
   
4. Ginger
   Fresh ginger adds so much flavor to this. I have tried making chutney with powdered ginger (or ground ginger) and have just not enjoyed the taste. However, if powdered ginger is all you have on hand, then feel free to use that.
   
5. Brown sugar (zero calorie)
   When I make chutney, I usually use maple syrup or honey. However, this time, I wanted to make sure my mom who is diabetic could enjoy this chutney so I used Truvia’s zero calorie Stevia brown Sugar. By the way, this is not sponsored.
   
6. Vinegar
   Red wine vinegar is what I used in making this recipe. In the past, I have used white vinegar when I didn’t have any red wine vinegar on hand. And, while I prefer the red wine vinegar, the white vinegar will do if you do not have anything else on hand. However, I would not recommend using balsamic vinegar as that would drastically change the taste of this chutney.
   
7. Fresh tomatoes
   Fresh tomatoes on the vine are on sale so I used those. But, you could use any fresh, ripe tomato. If you do not have any fresh tomatoes on hand, you could also use chopped canned tomatoes as well.
   
8. Coriander
   Ground coriander adds a smoky savory taste to this and only very little is needed to make a difference. These days, you can find coriander at most grocery stores. However, if you do not, there is always Amazon.
   
9. Smoked paprika
   I feel like these days, smoked paprika is the “McDreamy” of the spice world. Every time I mention it, someone starts to swoon over the flavor of it. I will stress that it’s addition to this condiment is a necessity.
   
10. Turmeric
    Just a tad bit of ground turmeric goes a long way. To me, turmeric is one of those spices that if you add too much, it drastically changes the taste of a dish and can make a dish inedible. However, with just a smidge bit, it lends it’s flavor as well as color and nutritious properties to this chutney.
    
11. Cayenne
    This is probably the only spice that could be left out. I like a bit of heat to my chutney, hwever, if you do not, please feel free to omit this or reduce the quantity used.
    
12. Cardamom
    This is one of those spices that is usually associated with sweeter dishes. but, a tad bit of ground cardamom adds a delicious aroma and flavor to this.
    
13. Cinnamon
    Another one of those spices not usually associated with savory recipes, but, it is not to be omitted. I used a store-brand ground cinnamon. If you have ceylon cinnaon on hand, feel free to use that instead.
    
14. Cloves
    Just a pinch of ground cloves goes such a long way. It adds so much taste and rounds off each of the other spices well.

I also used salt and pepper to season this tomato chutney and unite all the other flavors together.

What can you eat tomato chutney with?

This tomato chutney can be served in so many ways.

It can be served with a sharp cheddar or Gouda and some crackers as an appetizer or as part of a charcuterie board.

It is a fantastic dipping sauce for vegetable puffs. And, it is also delicious as a topping or drizzle with these spiced potato puff pastry baskets.

This tomato chutney can also be served along with roasted or grilled chicken or meat or vegetables. It can also be used to sauté meat or vegetables as seen in this cherry chicken recipe.

It can also be paired with yellow rice or roti and a variety of curries like chicken curry, or broccoli curry. In fact, that is how my mom likes to eat her chutney, with a plate full of rice and a variety of curries.

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.
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Easy Tomato Chutney

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Shashi

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Made with delicious, ripe, fresh tomatoes, this easy tomato chutney is gluten-free and refined sugar-free. It is a versatile chutney that can be served with crackers and cheese or with rice and curry.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 inch chunk of ginger about 2 tsps chopped ginger
• 4 tablespoons Truvia brown sugar or 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tomatoes approximately 2 cups
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• Salt & pepper to taste approximately 1/2 teaspoon

Instructions

• Peel and chop the onion, ginger, and garlic.
• Add 1 tbsp oil to a heavy bottom pan and place it over medium heat.
• Add the onion, ginger, and garlic into the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, so they do not burn.
• While the onion, ginger, and garlic sauté, chop the tomato up.
• Then add the tomato, red wine vinegar, brown sugar or maple syrup/honey, coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and cayenne into the pan.
• Let all the ingredients simmer for 10 minutes over a low flame/heat. Stir a few times.
• As the mixture cooks, the liquid will cook down.
• When the mixture has been simmering for 10 minutes and it is starting to thicken, remove it from the heat.
• If you like, you could mash the ingredients with a fork so they are smaller or use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients together so they are not too chunky.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Let cool to room temperature and serve with cheese and crackers, roti and curry.

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Nutrition

Serving: 2-3 tablespoons | Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g

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