This spicy plum chutney recipe is so easy to make, and the perfect way to preserve an autumn glut of plums and apples. Make it now to enjoy through the winter, with cold cuts, cheese and leftover turkey. Perfect for gifting too.
A Harvest Treat
Plums are plentiful at this time of year. They are one of our most abundant British fruits, so if you don’t have the luck to stumble on them growing wild, they can be a wonderful late summer bargain from the local market.
If you have more plums than you can eat, this delicious spiced plum and apple chutney is a great way to preserve any surplus fruit.
It certainly makes a change from filling up the cupboards with jam (though I do love plum jam!).
My spicy apple and plum chutney is sweet and sour with depth from the layers of spices, so that it has that lovely autumnal feel. It goes well with cheeses and cold cuts, and would be great for livening up a sandwich lunch.
If you like to make up hampers at Christmas, a jar of spicy plum chutney would be a lovely addition to someone’s gift.
You can make this plum chutney recipe with any variety of plum. I have used the classic Bramley apples, the traditional perfect cooker, but others will work too. It’s very easy to make, and if you have never attempted chutney before, this is a good place to start.
There’s none of the worry about setting points that you have with jam making, and the results are impressive.
5 Great Uses for Plum Chutney
- Serve with a cheese board for added spice and piquant contrast.
- Add to a toasted or grilled sandwich. Beware, though, as it will get very hot!
- It’s a great traditional accompaniment to cold meat.
- Serve with leftover cold turkey as a post-Christmas or Thanksgiving treat.
- Adds flavour to cottage cheese for a low fat snack.
- Presents – everyone appreciates a jar of homemade preserve! My friends return the jars so I can use them again and again.
Spiced Plum and Apple Chutney Recipe – Step by Step
Step one – Weigh and prepare the ingredients. Wash and stone the plums, discarding any damaged fruit.
Look out for any with dark brown eggs round the stone from plum moths, and throw these away.
Peel, core and chop the apples into 1 cm (half inch) pieces. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Crush the garlic.
Step two – Transfer all the fruit to a large stainless steel saucepan or heavy enamelled casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Don’t use a cast iron, copper or aluminium pan for making chutney. They react to the vinegar giving your preserves an unwanted metallic taste.
Step three – Bring to the boil. Then turn down to a low simmer. While your plum chutney cooks, warm some clean jam jars in the oven at 160°C/Gas mark 3.
This sterilizes the jars, making them safe for long term storage. It also helps to avoid them cracking when you fill them with the hot chutney.
The chutney is ready when a spatula scraping the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail for a second of before seeping back into the space.
Use your common sense here as if the pan is fuller you won’t get a trace.
Step five – Once the chutney has thickened sufficiently, fill the jars. The easiest way to do this to transfer the hot chutney to a Pyrex jug and use a jam funnel.
I usually stand the jars in a roasting tin to fill them in case one cracks, spilling hot chutney everywhere.
Step six – Screw the lids on tightly and leave to cool. The lids should pop down as the chutney cools, indicating that they are properly sealed.
Step seven – Keep jars in a cool, dark cupboard for at least a month. The chutney will really benefit from at least three months before you open it. Fresh chutney really does not taste great, so if you try any leftovers when you have filled your jars, don’t be disappointed. Just leave it to mature.
Spices
I’ve kept the spices quite light in this chutney as I want to taste the fruit. I’ve used teaspoon in total of mixed spices, as well as my flavoured pickling vinegar. Remember the flavour will develop with time as the chutney matures and the sharpness of the vinegar mellows
You want a mix of warming spices and a little heat. Grind any whole spices prior to adding to the chutney. Try any of
- Chilli
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Cinnamon
- All Spice
- Mustard seeds
How Long Does Plum Chutney Keep?
As with any chutney, your spiced plum chutney will keep for years, but may start losing flavour after a year, so it’s best not to keep it too long. Better to make a modest batch once a year.
Once opened I keep mine in the fridge (I have short on cupboard space), but it will be fine for a few weeks in the cupboard.
Watch out for Plum Moths
Plums can attract the plum moth, which lays its eggs on the immature fruit in late spring. If any of your plums have black specks or caterpillars inside them, then discard them.
Hints and Tips for Spiced Plum Chutney with Apple
- If you don’t have enough plums or apples, don’t worry. Simply make up the shortfall with the other fruit (apple for plum or vice versa) so that you have a total of 1.5 kg of fruit.
- Vary the spicing according to your taste. Prefer a chutney with a bit more kick? Add more spice!
- You can change the spices to suit your own preference (or spice rack). Add some allspice or cloves (or both) for a warming winter feel.
- If you don’t have time to make the chutney, stone and freeze the plums. When you do have time, defrost the fruit and proceed from there.
Spiced plum chutney with apple
Ingredients
- 1 kg Plums (900 g prepared fruit)
- 500 g Bramley (cooking) apples (400 g prepared fruit)
- 2 onions (medium)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 280 ml pickling vinegar
- 1 tsp ground mixed spices (I use chilli, all spice, cloves and cinnamon)
Instructions
- De-stone the plums, discarding any that are damaged or show signs of insects.
- Peel and core the apples.
- Peel and chop the onions. Crush the garlic.
- Add all ingredients to a large saucepan or casserole dish.
- Bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a low simmer.
- Place jam jars in the oven. Heat to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.
- Allow the chutney to cook until the apples are soft, and the chutney has thickened and reduced so that a trace from a spatula remains at the bottom of the pan for a couple of seconds.
- Fill the jam jars. A jam funnel will make the least mess. Screw on the lids tightly. Leave the jars to cool.
- Place in a cool, dark cupboard to mature for at least one month, but preferably three.
Notes
- If you don't have enough plums or apples, don't worry. Simply make up the shortfall with the other fruit (apple for plum or vice versa) so that you have a total of 1.5 kg of fruit.
- Vary the spicing according to your taste. Prefer a chutney with a bit more kick? Add more spice!
- You can change the spices to suit your own preference (or spice rack). Add some allspice or cloves (or both) for a warming winter feel.
- If you don't have time to make the chutney, stone and freeze the plums. When you do have time, defrost the fruit and proceed from there.
Kylie Archer
Oh my goodness! This is perfect for me right now- Ihave so many apples and a stack of frozen plums!
Helen
We freeze them too before we decide what to do with them!
Caitlyn Erhardt
This turned out amazing and loved the addition of the apple. Going to make this again during the holidays for gifts! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Helen
So pleased you liked it!
Vanessa Duncan
Loving this recipe, it is the perfect make for this time of year. The chutney smells amazing, and I can’t wait to enjoy it later in the year.
Helen
I hope you enjoy it Vanessa.
Charla
Love the photography and I have a giant plum tree growing in the back garden. I tend to pick the purple plums and eat them but I’m inspired to try your chutney.
Helen
I love having a cupboard full of preserves.
Kristy D
Plum chutney is one of my favorites. Delicious with cheese and crackers. A great addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.
Helen
We adore plums. this is such a good way to preserve the harvest
Nart at Cooking with Nart
Looks so good I want to have it now but I don’t have all the ingredients so gotta wait til tomorrow to try it!
Helen
Sadly you still have to wait after making it
Jen
This sounds amazingly delicious! I think this might be a fun project to do with the kids this weekend. thanks!
Helen
We adore making chutney.
Sam
What a fabulous recipe! So easy and tasty! I’ll definitely be making this one again!Thank you so much for the recipe!
Helen
So pleased you like it!
Sarah
Delicious chutney, and perfect for my glut of plums.
Beth Sachs
Delicious with Stilton and crispbreads! I’ll definitely be making some for Christmas presents this year.
Helen
so good with Stilton!
Erica
Oh this is perfect for Fall cheeseboard and sounds so delicious!
Helen
Absolutely ideal
Beth
This looks so delicious and was so good and easy to make
Courtney
I love the warm flavours in this chutney. Just perfect for a winter cheese board!
Helen
Perfect for a cheeseboard! Winter or otherwise!
Angela
I love this recipe! Your instructions are so easy to follow.
Helen
thank you
Sam
Thanks for the recipes – We’ve had a glut of plums so made lots of this.
Helen
Perfect for a good harvest of fruit.
Henry
Such a delicious recipe, it smells amazing. Looking forward to enjoying later in the year. It must be perfect with a mature cheese and a glass of port.
Helen
Absolutely, sounds like a perfect combination.
Dora Hampton
Plum chutney is such a good Fall recipe. I made batches of this and apple chutney last year and we’re on the last few jars. Look forward to making some more now.
Helen
Such a good way of preserving.
Charlie Hatton
I just love homemade chutney, and lasts throughout the coming months. Very good recipe and easy to make.
Helen
Homemade is always best.
Helena
I’m quite a novice when it comes to making my own jams and chutney, and was really thrilled with the results. I added more spices and the flavour is just amazing.
Helen
Spicy chutney is really good with mature cheeses.
Hannah B
I do like to make a good mix of jams and chutneys when it comes to late summer/autumn. I made this with the last batch of plums from the garden. Smells delicious, can’t wait to enjoy it.
Helen
The best bit is always eating it.
Derek Peterson
This was a really successful make and a great use of too many fruits!
Helen
So glad you had success.
pauline
I have found making a range of home preserves very therapeutic, and the smells that fill the kitchen are just amazing. This will be perfect at Christmas. Really looking forward to it.
Nina Bell
The spices and the fruit blend so well together, and smells delicious. The taste I had before jarring up was so good, it can only get better.
Lola Osinkolu | Chef Lola's Kitchen
Yum! Looks super delicious!
Ashleigh
A wonderful classic autumnal make, and will be enjoyed for several months to come, with cheese and cold meats.
Balbir
A delicious recipe for a good way to use up all those fruits. Smells amazing and tastes great.
Mrs. Bell
This was such a good make, except I was really tempted to eat it straight away. Must leave it to mature a little longer.
Dave
I had a proper glut of plums this year from our garden, so it has been a busy Autumn of making plum products! This is my favourite and will be great to keep enjoying over the next few months.