Easy green tomato chutney recipe with green tomatoes, red onions, malt vinegar (5% acetic acid), and spices. This is a delicious condiment that pairs well with cheese and bread and cured meats. You can make it in an hour and the jars last up to a year.
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT60M
Total time: PT90M
Rating
4.96 stars (125 reviews)
Keywords
chutney, green tomatoes, tomatoes
Ingredients
1 Kg green tomatoes (2.2 lbs or about 6 cups / skinning is optional)
1 Kg red onions (2.2 lbs or about 6 cups)
150 g raisins
3 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp sea salt
500 g brown sugar (2.5 cups - your choice of dark or light brown sugar)
1 Litre malt vinegar
Categories
Preserves
Cuisine
British
Steps
Prepare the vegetables. Chop the tomatoes, onions, and raisins roughly and mince the garlic.
Place all ingredients into a stainless steel pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer and leave uncovered. Depending on batch size and your appliance's heat, it can take one to three hours. Keep an eye on it and stir regularly.
The chutney is ready when it's reduced down and appears thick and brown.
Spoon the chutney into warm, sterilized jars and seal with lids. It's common in the UK to reuse supermarket jars for homemade chutney and to simply finish with this step. If you do this, ensure that the lid of the jar doesn't have any exposed metal since the vinegar in the recipe can react with it. The vinegar can corrode the metal turning it black and potentially affecting your chutney. It's better to use preserving jars with non-metal lids. Either plastic-coated on the inside or two-piece Tattler lids. It's also best practice to water-bath the jars after they're filled*.
Water-bath the jars to ensure that they're fully sterilized. Fill a tall pan with water and place a rack at the bottom if you have one**. Bring to a boil, then lower your (still hot) jars in so that they're not touching and that there's at least an inch of water above. Bring back to a rolling boil and leave the jars in the boiling water for ten minutes. Lift them out vertically (not tilted) with a jar lifter and set them on the counter to cool. The lids will seal as the chutney cools. It may take twelve or more hours for the seal to take.
Label the jars when cool and store them in a dark cupboard. Green tomato chutney can last a year or more in storage if sealed. Homemade green tomato chutney is best enjoyed two to three months after it has been made, as the flavors will develop and mellow in that time. Once opened, keep the jar in the refrigerator and try to use it within two months.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 Tbsp
Calories: 35 kcal
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Fat: 0.1 g
Reviews
Karen Hebbe on 2026-02-05 (5 stars): Greetings from Australia, I made your green tomato chutney tonight. I cooked this as per your recipe, but...by mistake I bought sultanas instead of raisins. It didn't matter, I tried some on cheese and biscuits after cooling down and I've gotta say, it was bloody beautiful !!!!
Linda on 2026-02-03 (5 stars): This recipe is absolutely delicious. Two jars were eaten over Christmas. I gave some as presents and everyone came back for more…unfortunately I only had enough tomatoes for 5 smallish jars.
Definitely make some more next year.
Thank you.
Camila on 2025-12-22 (5 stars): I spent two lovely afternoons singing tunelessly to my favourite songs and making this delicious chutney. Heaven. I added mustard seeds and black onion seeds and it came out great - trying not to eat it all at once so some jars can mature a little. It was really easy to make and the perfect way to use up the last of the season's tomatoes which didn't manage to ripen. Thank you!
Linda Painter on 2025-11-25 (5 stars): This was my first time making green tomato chutney. Not only was it incredibly easy but it is absolutely delicious….we’ve already eaten two jars in five weeks!
I have two jars left and was hoping to give as Xmas presents but I don’t think there will be any left. I just wish I had more green tomatoes to make some more…
Rob Beauchesne on 2025-11-10 (5 stars): I followed the instructions to the letter and couldn't be happier with the results! Cooked it outside on the BBQ side burner. No smell in the house. 🙂