Cranberry, Onion, and Ginger Chutney Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Christmas

by: Sara Jenkins

October21,2016

4

4 Ratings

  • Makes 4 pints (but easily halved)

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

The cranberry and orange are familiar and classic, but the candied ginger adds heat and excitement, the sweet raisins balance the tang of the fruit and the cider vinegar, and the mustard seeds create little textural explosions. I toast them, along with dried turmeric and fresh and ground chile, as I sauté the onions (a lot of onions) and before I add in the cranberries and the ginger, so that their flavors can permeate the sauce as it cooks.

Most often, I serve this chutney in the winter months as a complement to cheese—the stronger the better (try a gorgonzola picante or a sharp aged sheep’s milk cheese). But it's a great complement to that pride of Thanksgiving, a beautiful, properly roasted turkey. —Sara Jenkins

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoonsvegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoonmustard seeds
  • 3 cupsdiced onions
  • 1 teaspoonground cayenne
  • 1 fresh cayenne chile
  • 1/2 teaspoonground turmeric
  • 2 quartscranberries
  • 1 cupcandied ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoonsalt
  • 1 cupseedless raisins
  • 2 cupsapple cider vinegar
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 pounddark brown sugar (2 1/2 cups)
Directions
  1. In a large sauce pan, heat the vegetable oil. Sauté the onions, mustard seeds, ground cayenne, fresh cayenne, and turmeric, and cook, stirring often, until translucent.
  2. Add cranberries and candied ginger. Sauté about ten minutes. Add salt, raisins, vinegar, orange zest and juice, and brown sugar and cook on low heat for about an hour and a half, stirring from time to time, until thick and sauce-like in consistency.

Tags:

  • Sauce
  • Condiment/Spread
  • Indian
  • Fruit
  • Cranberry
  • Ginger
  • Mustard
  • Onion
  • Raisin
  • Vinegar
  • Fall
  • Winter

Popular on Food52

15 Reviews

Monica K. November 28, 2019

Tastes like sweet vomit. :/ bummed because it sounded great.

rebecca S. November 18, 2018

I substituted dried figs for raisins, reduced apple vinegar and sugar by 25%.

Marit G. February 25, 2018

Yellow or black mustard seeds?

jayaymeye November 22, 2017

Just made this for Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's delicious! Vinegar adds a nice dimension so that it's not so sweet.

KAM November 10, 2017

What would be a good substitute for a fresh cayenne chile, or do these chiles also go by another name when fresh?

Dee G. January 8, 2017

Question: Is the measurement for the cranberries 2 qts. by weight or by volume?

Juli S. November 19, 2016

I'm not sure it would work as the candied finger has a lot of sugar, but if you want to use up your ginger take a look at the bridge creek fresh ginger muffin recipe (I think it is a food 52 genius recipe ) - really good!!

shemarlew November 19, 2016

I have a ton of fresh ginger in my fridge I am trying to use up, could I substitute it for the candied ginger in this recipe?

Ascender November 20, 2016

I've used both fresh ginger and fresh turmeric in cranberry relish in the past. Taste the chutney when it is finished and add a little sugar if it is lacking sweet balance.

Anne November 16, 2016

Sounds absolutely fantastic. Where I live in Western Australia it is hard to find fresh cranberries. Are you able to substitute dried for fresh?

Juli S. November 8, 2016

This is delicious! A - Can it be frozen?, and B - I'd like to give as gifts -- should I just use well-sterilized Mason or Weck jars?

Sara J. November 8, 2016

I dont see why not but I think you can easily put it in well sterilized mason jars, if you process them they will be shelf stable

Jeff P. November 19, 2016

I'm not sure if it'd be shelf-stable -- while it looks to have plenty of sugar and enough vinegar to keep the pH low enough, might it be possible that it'd still support microbial growth?

icharmeat June 2, 2017

If it has been processed properly, the microbes in the jars will have been destroyed, so until you open a jar for the first time, it should be shelf stable- after that, it still should repulse many a bug but it will have a sunset date so use it in a reasonable amount of time. Use 1/4 pint jars to start until you know how fast it will be consumed.

Alix D. November 28, 2020

Could you confirm that the recipe has been tested as safe or is close enough to another NCHFP tested recipe for water bath canning? With so many onions it doesn't look like it's acidic enough. Other tested or similar recipes either have a lot more fruit or a lot more vinegar.

Cranberry, Onion, and Ginger Chutney Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between cranberry sauce and relish? ›

There is an important difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry relish and that is that cranberry relish is made from raw ingredients blended in a food processor (it's more fresh and tart tasting) and cranberry sauce is cooked and often much sweeter than relish.

How to enhance cranberry sauce? ›

Spike cranberry sauce with citrus

Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.

What's healthier homemade or store bought cranberry sauce? ›

Nutritional Facts Face-Off

We can see there is a significant difference in the nutrition facts between the two sauces. The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!

How do you cut tartness in cranberry sauce? ›

Add A Splash Of Vinegar

Their sharp tang counteracts bitter flavors without having to add extra sugar. While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries.

What makes a sauce a relish? ›

Relishes are cooked or pickled chopped fruits or vegetables that are mixed together in a sauce. In comparison, chutneys are a type of relish. Relish is normally made with vegetables, while chutney is mostly made with fruit.

What is another name for cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce
Alternative namesCranberry jam
TypeSauce or jam
Place of originNew England
Main ingredientsCranberries, sugar, water
Media: Cranberry sauce
1 more row

What is similar to cranberry sauce? ›

14 Homemade Condiments to Serve With Turkey—That Aren't Cranberry Sauce
  • 01 of 14. Gingered Golden Fruit Chutney. ...
  • 02 of 14. Tangerine and Lemon Marmalade. ...
  • 03 of 14. Quince Butter. ...
  • 04 of 14. Plum Ginger Relish. ...
  • 05 of 14. Quince Jelly With Star Anise. ...
  • 06 of 14. Warm Plum Sauce. ...
  • 07 of 14. Quick Pear Chutney. ...
  • 08 of 14. Bacon Jam.
Oct 24, 2023

What is cranberry relish made of? ›

One of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving and the holidays is raw cranberry relish. There's no cooking involved, just using a grinder or a food processor to grind up and mix together raw cranberries, tart green apples, a large seedless orange, and sugar.

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