The best mango chutney starts with firm-to-ripe fresh mangoes. While you can use defrosted frozen mangos in a pinch, they don’t have the same texture or beautifully balanced sweetness and acidity. Fruit notwithstanding, this mango chutney recipe is almost endlessly customizable. Add a pinch of cardamom, nigella seeds, mustard seeds, or black pepper to your spice mixture, or 1 tsp. ground cinnamon instead of the cinnamon stick. Substitute dried cranberries for the golden raisins for sweeter flavors, or stir in a handful of diced red onion after it cools for a bit. Swap the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar or fresh-squeezed lemon juice (you might need slightly more of the latter). The chile here makes for a chutney with medium heat. Craving a fiery spicy mango chutney? Double it. Want something a bit milder? Keep the chile, but discard its seeds.
Often served as a condiment in Indian cuisine, mango chutney makes an excellent dipping sauce for pappadam, accompaniment for roast chicken or lamb, or tangy complement to a quick lunch of kebabs and naan. Spread it onto whole grain bread and top with sprouts and sharp cheddar or with the cream cheese on your next onion bagel.
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes plus cooling
Yield
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Toss 3 lb. mangoes, peeled and cut into ½" cubes, with ⅓ cup distilled white vinegar, ⅓ cup (packed; 70 g) dark brown sugar, ⅓ cup golden raisins, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Mince and mash 1 (1") piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh jalapeño including seeds, and 3 garlic cloves, chopped, to a paste with remaining ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt using a large heavy knife; stir in ¾ tsp. ground cumin, ¾ tsp. ground coriander, and ½ tsp. turmeric.
Step 3
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a 4-qt. heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté 1 medium onion, chopped, and 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¼" dice, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8–10 minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and 1 (3") cinnamon stick; reduce heat to moderate and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in mango mixture and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until mangoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and cool chutney, uncovered, to room temperature, about 45 minutes.
Do Ahead: Chutney can be prepared 1 week ahead; refrigerate after cooling.
Editor’s note: This mango chutney recipe was first printed in the April 2004 issue of ‘Gourmet’ as ‘Mango and Red Pepper Chutney.’
Leave a Review
Reviews (25)
Back to TopAwesome, everyone loves this stuff. It goes great on sandwiches, on salad, on curry, and I suspect on pretty much everything. It's definitely a sweeter chutney, though I skip the jalapeno b/c I am a spice wimp. It freezes well.
sissboombah
Berkeley, CA
7/29/2013
One of the best mango chutneys I have made (the other one is my aunt's recipe but I never seem to have it handy when I need it!) My best friend is Pilipina and her mom taught me how to eat mangoes their way. Cut both mango "cheeks", that is, along either side of the pit, then slice the meat in a grid pattern, then use a spoon to remove the cubes from the skin. I have found this is the easiest way to "cube" mangoes without slicing my skin off, which almost happend when I tried peeling them first.
pcclaudia
5/22/2011
Best chutney ever! I used only half the seeds in the jalapeno, and I'm glad. It was quite spicy, without going over the top. If I were going to make for company I would probably make two chutneys, one with seeds and one milder version without the seeds. My husband said "You could bottle this!" I think that's a good compliment :)
shoshj
Vancouver, BC
1/25/2011
Excellent chutney recipe! Easy to make, too. I only used one mango and scaled it down. Now I wish I had made the whole thing! Made for chicken tikka recipe. Used the leftovers of both to make a killer "curried chicken" sandwich! Definitely a keeper!
BlushingTomato
Campbell, CA
5/9/2010
Gluttonous. Everyone loves this dish. I'm convinced that I will never find a soul who can criticize this dish... maybe it's the 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Expect complements.
nmatulich
4/14/2010
This is a truly delicious mango chutney. I find that it freezes (and then thaws) quite well. Yum! Highly recommended!
Anonymous
Philadelphia, PA
9/10/2009
Excellent and easy chutney. I used minced crystallized ginger instead of fresh, for a bit more sweetness. Did 2/3's of the recipe with 2 mangos, which yields a liter of chutney. Had it as a side dish with grilled chicken, and then husband spread some on his sandwich of leftover chicken the next day. Still plenty left to enjoy over the next couple of weeks.
rjordan
Hanover, MA
6/22/2009
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