Healthy Apple Chutney: Cultured and Sugar-free

Healthy apple chutney is a delicious way to preserve the bounty of autumn’s apple harvest. It is warm and rich with spices, and the sweetness of apples and dates is balanced by the addition of tangy and probiotic cider vinegar.

How To Serve Chutney

Healthy apple chutney is one of my favourite apple recipes.  I usually make large quantities and freeze it in straight-sided mason jars so that we can enjoy it throughout the year.

It is a versatile and rich condiment that adds flavour to all sorts of dishes:

• Chutney is delicious with an Indian meal. Serve it with samosas, pakoras or poppadoms.
• Freeze chutney in 1 cup mason jars, ready to serve for a quick addition to a cheese platter or charcuterie board.
• Make a cheese and chutney sandwich.
• Puree the apples for a smooth sauce that is a flavourful alternative to ketchup and relish. Serve it anytime you want a sweet and tangy sauce. Perfect with fries, hamburgers and hot dogs

Healthy Apple Chutney

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This healthy apple chutney is finished with cultured kombucha or cider vinegar for a probiotic twist on a traditional recipe. Don’t let the long list of spices scare you. Feel free to omit any that you don’t happen to have in your kitchen. It will still taste delicious!

• Author: Emillie
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 1 pint jar 1x
• Category: Condiment
• Method: Cooked
• Cuisine: Indian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 4 medium apples
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
• 6 dates (see notes)
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 tsp salt, to taste
• 1/4 –1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or kombucha (see notes)

Instructions

1. Peel, core and coarsely chop the apples. I recommend using a mix of soft and hard apples as they will give the chutney a nice consistency (mostly sauce with some chunks.)
2. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the seeds. When they start to smell fragrant add the ginger.
3. Heat for one more minute, then add the apples with the powdered spices. Toss to coat the apples in spices.
4. Pit and finely chop the dates. Add them to the apples with the water. Simmer until the apples are cooked and the chutney has thickened.
5. Stir in salt.
6. Pour the chutney into a sterile jar, and cool to room temperature. Make sure the jar is large enough for the added cider vinegar.
7. Once the chutney has cooled, stir in the cider vinegar. The chutney is ready to eat right away, or leave it to ferment in a cool dark location until bubbly (about 3 days.)
8. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

• The asafoetida and cayenne pepper can easily be omitted without impacting the overall flavour of the chutney. However, there are so many spices in this chutney that you can skip one or two of them without greatly impacting the overall flavour.
• The dates are used as a replacement for sugar in this healthy apple chutney recipe. For a sweeter chutney, skip the dates and add a 1/4 cup of sugar or honey instead.
• To ferment the apple chutney, use an apple cider vinegar that contains a mother. A few examples include: Viva Naturals, Braggs and Dynamic Health (affiliate links.)
• The ACV can also be replaced by a sour kombucha tea. Make sure it’s really sour so that it can give the chutney the right tanginess.
• Using 1/4 cup of vinegar results in a thick chutney that is rich and sweet. For a tangy chutney that is more of a dip than a spread use up to a 1/2 cup of vinegar.

Keywords: healthy, probiotic, sugar free, vegan, gluten free, fermented, fall, winter