This easy to make Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney dances on the tongue with notes of sweet, sour and spice. You’ll want to eat this chutney straight out of the jar it’s so good!
If you’re lucky enough to have green fingers and grow your own tomatoes, then you’ll know that preserving them is the best way to enjoy your crop all year round! I’m quite new to tomato growing so have yet to harvest mine (see below) but they’re doing really well for a change. I made this chutney when I came across some bargain mixed tomatoes and sweet mini peppers.
Where does Chutney originate from?
Chutney (chatni) originates from the Indian subcontinent where they take the form of freshly made sauces to accompany a meal eg yogurt based cucumber and mint raita, tomato relish etc. Along the way sugar (jaggary) got added to tart fruits in Indian chutneys. Eventually chutney got anglicised with the addition of brown sugar and vinegar in order to preserve them for long storage eg Mango Chutney.
What’s in Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney?
I adapted my Mixed Tomato Chutney recipe which was based on a Nigel Slater recipe. So along with the mixed baby tomatoes, red onions, mustard seeds, garlic, salt and Muscovado sugar I added sweet mini peppers, chilli flakes, ground ginger, cider vinegar and currants. You might wonder why currants and not sultanas? Well they’re what I had and they went very well! However if you prefer to use sultanas, raisins or any other dried fruit then feel free to use what you have!
What do you serve Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney with?
This tomato chutney is perfect with cheese, cold meats, sandwiches, burgers, stirred into casseroles or just straight out of the jar. Believe me, you be inventing excuses to eat this delicious chutney.
How soon can you eat Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney after making it?
Often chutneys need to mature for a couple of months before they’re at their best but this chutney is so delicious you can eat it straight away! Just wait for it to cool though!
How long will this tomato and pepper chutney keep for and how should it be stored?
To enjoy this chutney its best I would advise to keep in a cool dark place and eat within 12 months. Once opened it should be kept in the fridge and eaten within 4 weeks. Although it will be a miracle if you have any left after a week!
What sort of pan should you make chutney in?
A large stainless steel or enamelled pan should be used as the vinegar won’t react with these, keeping the flavour at its best.
More Chutney Recipes
Once you’ve tried my tomato & pepper chutney you should check out these chutney recipes:
- Mixed Tomato Chutney
- Easy Spicy Mango Chutney
- Spicy Courgette & Apple Chutney
- Blackberry Chutney
- Spiced Rhubarb Chutney
- Homemade Fruity Chutney
- Spiced Apple Chutney
Easy Spicy Mango Chutney
Plus check out these more traditional fresh Indian chutney recipes:
- Coriander & Mint Raita
- Coriander Chutney a.k.a. dhania ki chutney
- Coconut Chutney a.k.a. nariyal ki chutney
Pin for later and check out the step-by-step video!
Spicy Baby Tomato & Sweet Pepper Chutney
Ingredients
- 750 g mixed baby tomatoes (red, orange & yellow) halved, leaving a few of the smaller ones whole
- 175 g mixed sweet mini (bell) peppers (red, orange & yellow) diced
- 350 g red onions chopped
- 1 tsp salt flakes
- 2 tsp mustards seeds
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp crushed chillies flakes, more if you wish
- 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
- 300 mls cider vinegar I used organic
- 90 g currants or sultanas
- 225 g light muscovado sugar
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a preserving pan except the tomatoes.
- Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the tomatoes and simmer for a further 35 minutes, still stirring. (The chutney will go syrupy and part easily when a wooden spoon is dragged through it).
- Ladle into the hot jars and seal with lids.
- Makes about 800 mls (2 – 3 jars).
Recipe Notes
Before you start:
Sterilise jars by washing in hot soapy water (or take straight from dishwasher), fill with boiling water, empty and then place in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C where you leave them until the chutney is ready. Washed lids should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain (if they don’t dry in time I pop them in the oven once the jars have finished “cooking” and just run the fan to dry them off for a few minutes).
Mette
Hi Camilla. Just made this – I added some of my Padron peppers too as I have many in the green house at the moment. The chutney is so delicious and recipe very easy – thank you for being such an inspiration!
Camilla
Aaw, thank you so much Mette, enjoy your chutney:-)
Debra Grove
It sounds fabulous. Being Canadian, I don’t even own a kitchen scale, and use volume measurements with a measuring cup. Frustrating.
Camilla
Hi Debra, I’m afraid you can’t accurately convert a weight to a volume. Do invest in a set of digital scales, they’re not expensive and a whole new world of accurate baking, jam making etc will be opened up to you. In fact I had a lady from Canada thanking me for my weight measures the other day as she realised is was so accurate (yes it was first LOL).
Renu
I make chutneys, but in a different style. This sounds delicious with the vinegar and all the different seasoning ingredients in it. Would go perfect with crackers and cheese. Bookmarking this to try soon.
Camilla
Thank you Renu, I’m sure you’d love it:-)
Susan Alexander
I made this with part of the glut of tomatoes I currently have. I added a couple of teaspoons of grated fresh ginger instead of dry and it wasn’t until after I had added the apple cider vinegar I realised it had honey and ginger in it, so I added 100 mls of malt vinegar to make up the quantity. With our own homegrown chillies the end result was amazing, definitely the best best chutney recipe so far this year!!! Thank you
Camilla
So glad you like it Susan, thank you for your feedback:-)
Mayuri Patel
I make a variety of chutneys but most are of Indian style. This spicy baby tomato and sweet pepper chutney looks so tempting. I can imagine how well I’d be able to pair it with some plain rice, or with a cheese sandwich or even just roll it up on a roti and enjoy as a quick snack.
Camilla
Thanks Mayuri, they all sound like great serving suggestions:-)
Meghan
I’ve never actually made chutney before. This recipe looks so delicious and flavorful. I’ll definitely have to give it a try.
Camilla
Thanks Meghan, I’m sure you’ll love it, so easy and so delicious:-)
Em Simmonds
My husband made this last night, absolute hit. Really easy and he loves it x x thank you
Camilla
So glad to hear that Em, thank you for your feedback:-)
Mandy
What a delicious chutney – saving to make asap. Thanks for linking to my rhubarb chutney x
Camilla
Thank you Mandy, I’m sure you’ll love it:-)
Choclette
I do love a good homemade chutney. Bread and cheese just isn’t the same without it. I’ve not come across this combination before but it sounds delicious.
Camilla
Thanks Choclette, I’m sure you’d love it:-)