This Green Tomato Chutney is a unique, tangy and delicious way to use up the last tomatoes of the season. If you grow your own tomatoes, you know it’s inevitable to end the season with a bunch of green ones. And after lovingly nurturing them all through the summer, I just couldn’t let any go to waste. This small batch chutney recipe is the perfect solution. Plus it’s a seriously tasty addition to your next cheeseboard!

I feel so grateful and lucky that I was still picking cherry tomatoes well into June! They are actually my favourite thing to grow and I planted 3 different varieties this year. Once the weather turned cold and I pulled up the vines, there were still quite a lot of green tomatoes. This recipe idea had been sitting in my Notes app for years, and I knew this was the time to finally give it a try.

Green tomatoes are perfectly edible, just firmer and sometimes more tart than their ripe counterparts. That actually makes them perfect for preserving! I used mostly green cherry tomatoes in this chutney with a handful of ripe ones thrown in too. Larger green tomatoes will work as well, just chop them roughly and you’re good to go.

One of the reasons I love making chutney (and jams and pickles too) is that you don’t need to go full homesteader mode to enjoy it. Small batch preserving is fantastic for beginners! And also for people with small gardens like mine, or for anyone who’s just picked up a great deal at the farmers market and wants to make something special with it.

With about a kilo of fruit or veggies, you can usually make 2 or 3 jars. It’s just enough to keep in the fridge or share with a friend, without spending the whole weekend sterilising 30 jars or setting up a pressure canner. Nothing against homesteading, I’m just not there yet! Plus, making smaller batches allows me to experiment with different flavour combos and try something new every season!

What is Chutney?

In Indian cuisine, chutney refers to a wide variety of condiments, from fresh herb pastes and yoghurt sauces to crunchy relishes and sweet preserves. What I call a chutney is a preserve that walks the line between sweet and savoury, often made with brown sugar and vinegar. Think tangy, spiced and super flavourful. I used malt vinegar for it’s delicious complex flavour but apple cider vinegar would work too.

Please don’t be intimidated by the ingredients list of this recipe. Every ingredient serves a purpose to create a well-rounded flavour. The good news is that once the chopping is done, it’s smooth sailing. Everything is placed into a large pot to cook down and thicken up over a low heat. Just keep an eye on it and give it a stir regularly so that it doesn’t stick or burn. 

You can of course play with the spices and the level of heat by adding more or less green chilli. The chilli heat hits more strongly while the chutney is hot but it mellows as it cools, and even more so after a few days in the fridge. If you’ve overdone the chilli and need to tone it down, don’t panic! Just add a little extra sugar (1/4 cup at a time) or some vinegar to balance out the heat.

This Green Tomato Chutney is really versatile! Here are a few of my favourite ways to enjoy it:

• With cheddar or brie on a cheese board with fancy crackers
• On a charcuterie board or ploughman’s platter with cold cuts and pickles
• In a cheese toastie with ham and sharp cheddar
• On roast beef sandwiches with swiss cheese and fresh sourdough
• As a side for homemade sausage rolls – a little bit fancier than tomato sauce or ketchup!
• Stir into hummus or yoghurt for a quick dip

I am absolutely loving from-scratch cooking right now. It’s so much fun to make interesting flavour combinations of jams and cordials and breads that you literally can’t buy from the shops.

And if you’re interested in swapping more store-bought items for delicious homemade versions, check out this recipe and more in my new free ebook ‘Things I No Longer Buy’. It’s a mini collection of recipes like this one that I make on repeat and haven’t added to my grocery list in years!

Related Post: Spiced Nectarine Chilli Chutney

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Green Tomato Chutney

Make the most of your harvest with this green tomato chutney recipe. A sweet, tangy, small-batch preserve ideal for beginners and seasonal cooking lovers.

Course Jams & Preserves

Keyword Chutney, Jam

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 2 or 3 jars

Ingredients

• 1 kg green tomatoes (or a mix of green and ripe)
• 1 onion
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced or finely diced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup malt vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Instructions

1. Halve or quarter cherry tomatoes or roughly chop up larger tomatoes. Halve onion and cut into thin slices. Finely dice the green chillies. You can leave out some or all of the seeds for a milder chutney.

2. Place all ingredients into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for around 90 minutes to 2 hours, stirring regularly. When it’s ready, the chutney will be well combined and thickened. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.