Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney
Jan 08, 2016, Updated Jun 19, 2020
Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney is awesome with parathas or sandwiches! It's the perfect accompaniment to any Indian meal.
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Sweet & spicy tomato chutney is the perfect accompaniment to Indian meals. You will love it with paratha or your sandwiches!
India is often called the land of chutneys and pickles. Whatever you can think of, from lemons to onion to tomatoes to cauliflower to carrots and everything in between – we can make a chutney or pickle out of it.
Indian meals are often incomplete without a side of chutney.
The most common chutney that you get in every Indian restaurant is the mint cilantro chutney. It goes so well with all Indian appetizers, breads etc. however there are some other amazing chutneys as well.
I remember when I was little, I was so fond of a garlic and green chili chutney. It was basically just crushed garlic, chili and oil and it used to taste amazing with plain paratha (flatbread).
One of our house helpers at my grandparents house used to make that chutney and whenever we went there during our summer break, that chutney was the first thing I demanded!
This year while I was in India, I was totally hooked onto this sweet & spicy tomato chutney. This is my mother-in-law’s recipe and I am so excited to be sharing it with you guys because the chutney is absolutely amazing!
My MIL learnt this chutney way back in the 70s when she attended some cooking class. She had this written in her old diary and she made it this year while we were visiting.
Once I had this tomato chutney, I wanted it everyday. Seriously guys it tastes so amazing with parathas or just about anything!
I was so hooked onto to it that by the time we were leaving, I asked mummy to give me the recipe. She just explained me verbally how she made it and made me write down the ingredients. So as soon as I was back here, I had to make it! And I did and it turned out amazing!
Few things about this sweet & spicy tomato chutney – there’s a lot of garam masala in it so some people might find it hot. When I tasted it as soon as it was done, I found it too spicy but as it cooled down, it became just perfect.
However in case you can’t handle all the heat from garam masala and the chili powder, please reduce the quantity of both.
This sweet and spicy tomato chutney is great with parathans, on top of bread or with your favorite snacks! The chutney obviously is vegan.
Method
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in pan on medium heat. Add finely chopped tomatoes.
Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the moisture in tomatoes totally dries out. Set aside.
Pulse ginger-garlic and onion in food processor. You want them really fine for this recipe.
Heat a pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to it. Once the oil is hot add the chopped ginger and garlic and cook for a minute or two.
Add onion next and cook till the raw smell of the onion goes away completely.
Now add the prepared tomato and mix well. Cook for a minute.
Add garam masala, red chili powder, vinegar and salt. Mix well and cook for another minute.
Now add sugar and mix.
The chutney will turn liquidy as the sugar melts.
Keep stirring and cook for another 2-3 minutes till it thickens a bit. Don’t cook it for too long because the chutney will thicken as it cools down. Remove from heat and let it cool down.
Once the chutney has cooled down, store it in an airtight container.
If you’ve tried this Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
- 4 large tomatoes 500 grams, finely chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves 10 grams
- 3 x 1 inch ginger 25 grams
- 1 medium red onion 50 grams
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon oil divided
- 2 teaspoons garam masala around 8 grams
- 1.5 teaspoon red chili powder around 6 grams
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 250 grams sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in pan on medium heat. Add finely chopped tomatoes.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring in between or until the moisture in tomatoes totally dries out. Set aside.
- Pulse ginger-garlic and onion in food processor. You want them really fine for this recipe.
- Heat a pan on medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot add the chopped ginger and garlic and cook for a minute or two.
- Add onion next and cook till the raw smell of the onion goes away completely.
- Now add the prepared tomato and mix well. Cook for a minute.
- Add garam masala, red chili powder, vinegar and salt. Mix well and cook for another minute.
- Now add sugar and mix. The chutney will turn liquidy as the sugar melts.
- Keep stirring and cook for another 2-3 minutes till it thickens a bit. Don't cook it for too long because the chutney will thicken as it cools down.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down. Once the chutney has cooled down, store it in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sweet & Spicy Tomato Chutney
I have made this chutney for the past 3 years now as I grow a lot of baby plum tomatoes. It is absolutely delicious and goes well with cold meats and cheeses or in sandwiches. Everyone in my family loves it! I make a mild version and a fiery version where I add half a teaspoon of Queen Naga paste and reduce the garam masala. That gives it a kick. I saw a lot of questions about storage. In sterilised jars in a fridge, this will keep for months. Just as well, since I have to make big batches to keep the family happy! Thanks, Manali, for a great recipe.
Thanks Trevor for answering the question about storage, I am sure it will help other readers. Glad you enjoy this chutney! 🙂
This recipe looks perfect for all the summer tomatoes I have! I have to limit sugar intake and wondered what you might suggest to substitute: raisins? Dates?
dates will work well
I made this chutney and it was delightful and didn’t last long at all. I know it says that it will keep for up to 1 month refrigerated, but if it’s placed into sterilised jars what is the shelf life please?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried storing it for long honestly for if you can it the right way, it might be good for 6 months or so
Making this Chutney for the 3rd time . Thank you for the recipe , it’s better than any Chutney I’ve ever tasted . I’ve made this for family and friends as gifts and they’re always asking for more .
glad you love this recipe Amanda!
Hi Manali . I made your recipe and found that it had way too much sugar in it even though I only used 180grams . I had to add lots of vinegar and ended up doing another batch without the sugar and combined it all . That was better but still too sweet for me . Nice flavour though . Thank you
no worries, this is actually my mother in laws recipe and I just shared how she makes it 🙂 she does use that much sugar in her recipe
Hi Manali,
I’ve made this and it was beautiful, thank you! Is the vinegar white wine cinegar, cider vinegar or white vinegar please?
Thank you,
Carol
white vinegar
Hi Manali, I made this recipe of yours before and it was amazing. Unfortunately I have a lot of green tomatoes that did not colour yellow as they were yellow variety. Can I use green tomatoes. I can’t imagine the colour will look ok though? Thank you
you can but are they very tart? If they are very tart I probably won’t use.
Found there was too Much salt as it was missing something,otherwise nice will try again
Can this recipe be canned for stage?
I am sure it can be Channon
How long will the chutney keep for please?
easily for a month in the refrigerator
Do you have a recipe for onion chutney? It is often served with Samosas or paratha. The recipe I would like to find has diced chunks of onion with spice and a tomato base.
don’t have an onion chutney recipe yet on the blog, will share
I don’t normally comment on recipes, but EVERYONE needs to make this recipe. I made it on the weekend as I has heaps of tomatoes. And I have told EVERYONE about it since!
I added more chilli (to taste) and a little less sugar – mainly because I’m awful at following a recipe.
But 10/10 recommend, my husband is addicted & requested more is made ASAP!
Glad you liked it! and thanks for leaving a review, it definitely helps my little blog 🙂
I love this recipe, I made it and it’s absolutely delicious! Ran out and couldn’t find the recipe again!! Saved now, will be a staple in our house, thank you!
welcome!
I made this and I agree – too much sugar and I think too much garlic .
I’ll try again with 3 cloves of garlic and Half a cup of sugar and maybe some extra crushed coriander seeds .
That’s what cooking is I guess – adjusting to your own taste.
Hi
Ok the issue isn’t the recipe it is the source of ingredients – so Indian garlic cloves are much smaller and they would use jaggery instead of white sugar and this is 1/3,less sweet . I’ll try again with adjusted amounts .
Delicious! I used 1/4 less sugar and salt.
Delicious and authentic.
I followed the recipe without any adjustments, the taste and texture are perfect ,
Thankyou Manali
glad to know Jane!
Hi . How long does this excellent chutney keep?
it keeps in the fridge for 2-3 weeks easily
Hi Manali, recipie looks delicious. Can I use fresh chilli’s instead of chilli powder?
Lesley
you can, maybe add 2
Way too much sugar. I cut the recipe of 250 grams down to 75 and it was far better. I wasted the first batch at 250. Blimey woman, you must have a sweet set of teeth!
haha it’s not my original recipe actually. my mother-in-law learnt it in 1970s from a home science lesson that she took and shared that recipe with me. Glad you like it after cutting down the sugar
Hi there. Just came across your recipe. It sounds delicious. I am planning to do it soon. Should I skin the tomatoes please?
you can but the original recipe that I learned from the MIL, it didn’t involve skinning the tomatoes
Planning to make this recipe this weekend! Should I use brown sugar or white sugar?
I have used white, you may use brown