Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (2024)

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There is nothing I love more than using a humble ingredient and coming up with a fantastic result. A case in point is this carrot chutney.

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (1)

This is not your ordinary chutney recipe. It's subtle, tangy and zesty with an amazing kick to it thanks to the cayenne pepper and ginger.

It's needless to say that a homemade carrot chutney is healthy and can be used as a spread too. Buy lots of glass jars, make a large batch, and voila, you have created homemade Christmas gifts!

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (2)

CHUTNEY EQUIPMENT YOU NEED

Check out the ultimate list to chutney making equipment. You actually don't need that much and most of the items are quite affordable!

Making your own preserves is a great and satisfying hobby. Giving the gift the lovely food to your friends and family are especially rewarding!

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carrot chutney recipe

Overall, this carrot chutney recipe works with all types of recipes and can be enjoyed on any occasion. For example, you can pair the chutney with an Indian curry such as lamb karahi.

Serve it as a side dish alongside other delicious chutneys and sauces, like pakora sauce or runner bean chutney. If you're feeling adventurous, why not serve it as a starter with chicken liver pate?

However, my favourite way of enjoying this recipe is when it's served as part of a cheese platter. Listen up, cheese lovers!

This carrot chutney pairs perfectly with soft and hard cheeses. Plus, it lends a certain aesthetic to your cheese platter, especially if you serve it with fruits like figs and grapes.

Are you up for the challenge of become the master of homemade chutneys? You can start with this simple carrot chutney recipe.

grating and zesting with Microplane

Even though this carrot chutney is a simple recipe, it involves the use of many fresh ingredients. This chutney recipe calls for fresh carrots, ginger, oranges, onions, lemons, in combination with some herbs and spices for extra flavour.

Carrots give the chutney a beautiful vibrant colour which makes the chutney all the more appetising. However, the secret to making this carrot chutney recipe a doddle is to have the best equipment - aMicroplanegrater. forever!

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (3)

Microplane is a grating specialist that revolutionised kitchen graters. The company has over 50 years of experience in this type of technology, and I can assure you that you won't find any grater sharper than Microplane's.

Microplane is original amongst photo-edged graters, and trust me, you'll notice the difference. I used to detest the monotonous task of grating but with Microplane it was a piece of cake.

Renowned for being the sharpest in the world, the blades are manufactured in the USA. They are photo-edged and long-lasting. While grating a tonne of carrots for this recipe, I've noticed the following benefits:

  • I grated the carrots with minimal effort
  • the carrots were cut precisely
  • the aroma of the carrots unfolded naturally, and
  • the overall results were visually impressive, making the carrot chutney uniform and appealing
Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (4)

Microplane also has a Premium Classic Zester, which I used for the citrus fruit, and can use for so many of my other potential recipes.

Click here to find out more about Microplane, its unique story and its large blade selection that made history in the kitchen.

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (5)

best carrots for carrot chutney

There are several types of carrots which you can use for this carrot chutney recipe. Generally speaking, carrots are usually categorised by their shape and colour.

Let's start with the traditional orange carrots, which are most commonly available. As you might have noticed, there are also various types of orange carrots.

Thin, long, thick, short, you name it. However, what intrigues me more are the carrots which have different colours.

what do different coloured carrots taste like?

  1. Orange carrots: These are generally sweet and carry an earthy flavour. Best consumed raw in a salad like this creamy carrot salad or vegan coleslaw. Also excellent for this carrot chutney recipe.
  2. Purple carrots: Intense sweet flavour with a subtle peppery note. Excellent with spices, try them with this cumin roast carrots recipe. Or, try them in this carrot salad recipe.
  3. Red carrots: Taste resembles orange carrots. They are best braised, baked or used in soups. Try them in these recipes: carrot and swede mash or easy carrot soup.
  4. White carrots or golden carrots: Very mild earthy flavour and perfect for glazing. Try this simple roasted carrots recipe.

Basically, all carrots are interchangeable for this carrot chutney recipe, except for one type of carrot and that is baby carrots. Although they are sweet and flavourful, they are too small to give this carrot chutney the texture you are looking for.

This is because they are not so easy to grate. Trust me, the larger your carrot, the easier it will grate.

In addition, think of the fact that you can actually want to make a larger batch of the carrot chutney.

spicy carrot chutney recipe

This is where you are in control of the intensity of the carrot chutney. This chutney recipe gets its spicy flavours from two elements, fresh ginger and cayenne pepper.

Firstly, if you want to cut down or scale up, then lessen or add more ginger, respectively. The latter adds a certain heat and pepperiness.

Secondly, you can tweak the amount of cayenne pepper used in the recipe. Alternatively, you can also consider red pepper flakes or chilli powder.

That's the beauty of making your own carrot chutney from scratch. You can control which flavours you want to max out on or omit altogether!

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (6)

carrot chutney for sandwich

As mentioned above, you can pair this chutney with any type of recipe. One great suggestion is to use it as part of a sandwich filling. You can add this carrot chutney to these sandwiches to jazz things up a bit:

  • lamb sandwich with avocado and jam
  • brie sandwich with chicken, pear and balsamic onions
  • steak and caramelized onion sandwich

carrot chutney calories

Believe it or not, a serving of 30ml (2 tablespoons) is only six calories! This means that this carrot chutney is excellent as a flavour enhancer to other low-calorie recipes, which sometimes don't carry a lot of flavour.

For example, let's consider that you make this delicious low-calorie curried cauliflower with yoghurt. You can pair the cauliflower with a spoonful of carrot chutney to add more flavours and textures.

Nevertheless, this is why I also opt for adding this carrot chutney onto a cheese platter when I run out of my seedless blackberry jam.

In comparison to any type of jam or homemade marmalade, this chutney doesn't contain too much sugar or fructose. Hence, you can munch away at the cheese guilt-free without worrying about its sugar content.

So, forget counting calories and indulge in these addictive savoury and tangy flavours of this carrot chutney!

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (7)

More Fabulous Chutney Recipes

  • Nectarine Chutney - can't find it at the shops? Make your own!
  • Kumquat Chutney
  • Orange Chutney
  • Courgette Chutney
  • Apricot Chutney

How would you serve this carrot chutney? Let me know!

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📖 Recipe

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (8)

Carrot Chutney

★★★★★4.7 from 11 reviews
  • Author: Michelle Minnaar
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 18 x 250ml (1 cup) glass jars 1x
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Description

An easy carrot chutney recipe made with oranges, carrots, ginger & more. It's spicy, tangy and above all, delicious.

Ingredients

UnitsScale

  • 1.5kg (3 ¾ lbs) carrots, peeled and grated
  • 3 onions, peeled and grated
  • 90ml (6 tbsp) fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
  • 750ml (3 cups) apple cider vinegar
  • 750ml (3 cups) water
  • 600g (3 cups) brown sugar
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme, washed and leaves only
  • 7.5ml (1 ½ tsp) cayenne pepper
  • 1 lemon, washed and zested
  • 3 oranges, washed, zested and juiced
  • 15ml (1 tbsp) salt
  • 5ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place all the ingredients in a large pot.
  2. Bring the contents to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, giving it a stir once in a while.
  3. Reduce the heat and let the chutney simmer gently for 45 minutes until thickened.
  4. Ladle the chutney into sterilised jars and top with paper jam covers.
  5. Seal the jars while still hot.
  6. Leave to mature for at least a month in a cool dark place.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Chutney
  • Method: Boil
  • Cuisine: English

Keywords: carrot chutney, spicy carrot chutney recipe, homemade Christmas gift recipe

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (9)

P.S. This is a sponsored post.

Carrot Chutney - An Easy Homemade, Tangy & Spicy Carrot Chutney Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make chutney less spicy? ›

First, excessive spicy taste is can be neutralized by adding appropriate filler/absorbent ingredients to the mixture. Fresh coconut shreds are commonly used to absorb the excess chilli in chutneys. Second, you can add sweet and/or sour substances to counter the feeling of hotness.

Is chutney a sauce or spread? ›

Chutney is a condiment (Also referred to as a sauce, which is handmade and crafted with various ingredients) used to add flavour to food. Unlike your traditional sauces, chutney is made of chopped fruits, vinegar and spices that are cooked into a chutney spread.

Can carrots be spicy? ›

No, carrots are not inherently spicy. However, some varieties of carrots grown in parts of the world such as India have been bred to have a slightly spicier taste and aroma.

Is chutney supposed to be spicy? ›

Chutney is a condiment of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices, and sugar cooked into a chunky spread. Although it is best known as originating in India, chutney is famous worldwide, often transformed to suit local tastes. While most chutneys are on the spicy side, it's easy to adjust the heat factor if you make it at home.

What do you eat with chutney? ›

Ideas on What to do with Chutney
  1. Mix with sour cream for a dip.
  2. Add to barbecue sauce.
  3. Add to mayonnaise and use with sandwiches.
  4. Serve over a block of cream cheese or goat cheese as a appetizer.
  5. Spread on bread in grilled cheese sandwiches.
  6. Add to stuffing for turkey.
  7. Add to chicken salad.

What do Americans call chutney? ›

Stateside, chutneys are somewhere between a jam, a relish, and a jelly, but in India, that's just the tip of the chutney iceberg.

What's the difference between a relish and a chutney? ›

Relishes, on the other hand, are cooked for a shorter time, with the resultant relish chunkier and more sharply flavoured than a chutney. Some people argue that a chutney will always contain mainly fruit or a mixture of fruits, and relishes are generally made of vegetables, and usually one variety.

What makes carrots spicy? ›

This is usually due to a condition known as "spicy carrot syndrome," which occurs when a chemical called terpenoid, which is found in some chili peppers, accumulates in carrots grown in the same soil. This chemical can cause the carrots to taste spicy or bitter.

What spice is related to carrots? ›

Did you know that carrots are related to celery, celery root (celeriac), fennel, parsnips, and lots of herbs used for their foliage and/or seeds, including angelica, anise, caraway, coriander, cumin, chervil, cilantro, dill, lovage, and parsley?

How to spice up raw carrots? ›

Here's some of our favorites to sprinkle on carrots:
  1. Garlic (minced, powder or granules)
  2. Onion powder or granules.
  3. Black malabar pepper.
  4. Cinnamon (Cassia for sweeter, Ceylon for sweetness with some more complex savory and vanilla flavors)
  5. Nutmeg powder.
  6. Cayenne pepper powder.
  7. Ginger powder.
  8. Aleppo chili.
Mar 28, 2021

How do you make chutney less vinegary? ›

Generally the vinegar in the chutney will mellow over time and we suggest that you allow 2 months for the sealed jars of chutney to "mature" in a cool, dry place. As it is only 2 weeks, the chutney will still be on the sharp side but this should soften by Christmas or early January.

What's the difference between a sauce and a chutney? ›

The texture of this condiment is what primarily distinguishes it from a sauce. Because it is made from slow-cooking fruits and vegetables, chutney often has a chunky yet spreadable consistency and is created similarly to jam. Sauce, on the other hand, is typically much thinner.

How do you dilute chutney? ›

If you want a thinner consistency, you can reheat it and add any complimentary liquid that you desire: apple juice would be fine, but remember, you are diluting the flavor of your chutney with the additional juice, so you will want to find balance between texture and flavor that you like the best.

Does vinegar mellow in chutney? ›

Traditionally, chutneys are left to mature and 'mellow' for about 3 weeks once you've made them. I've reduced the vinegar in this recipe so that it's good to go straight away! Chutneys are great for gifting (wrapped in a pretty jar) as they have a super long shelf life.

How do you loosen chutney? ›

It will not loosen as it matures. You could let it down with a little water then simmer it for 10 minutes before potting.

What can I add to Indian food to make it less spicy? ›

Adding curd, milk or buttermilk is a nice way to dilute the spice quotes of curries. This also helps in adding a rich texture and delicious taste to the curries. Starchy foods like rice, bread, and potatoes can help dilute the spiciness of curry.

References

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