This delicious carrot peel chutney is a zero-waste recipe and ticks all the boxes as tasty, economical and good for the planet too, can’t get better than that!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- My carrot peel chutney is super economical as the main ingredient is carrot peel which you’d normally throw out or chuck in the compost heap.
- The taste, this is a super tasty chutney just perfect on sandwiches and with a cheeseboard.
- Zero waste – with this carrot peel chutney recipe you are doing your bit for our planet and that is all to the good.
I love using carrots, they are a veggie we have here all year round so something we can easily access and they are always cheap.
I’ve made everything from classic French vichy carrots (albeit with a Scottish touch whisky glaze!) to carrot cake jam, carrot crisps, carrot and walnut cake and much more, see end of post.
I have even made carrot top pesto with the fluffy leaves from the top of carrots.
Carrot skins
The skins (or peel) of carrots, like parsnips and potatoes is full of goodness and nutrients so well worth making full use of.
Ingredients for carrot peel chutney
This is a great recipe for using bits and pieces and of course those carrot peelings you would normally throw away.
Carrot peel – You’ll want to use carrot peel that you washed first before you peeled the carrots themselves for another recipe. I used the peelings from a kilo of carrots and that was 125g of carrot peel. When you peel carrots for cooking you can toss the peelings into a bag and store in the freezer to make this carrot peel chutney when you have enough.
Spices – Chutney always needs a good dose of spice and I’ve used a mix of ground coriander, fennel seeds, chilli and clove
Dried fruits – some dried figs and dried apricots add body to this carrot skin chutney
Onion – all chutney needs some onion and I have just used a standard brown onion here
Liquid – you’ll need vinegar, a little vegetable oil and some lager
Sugar – always a requirement with any chutney, I’ve just used white sugar in this carrot chutney recipe
Notes on dried fruits;
If you don’t have figs and apricots you could always substitute sultanas and other dried fruits instead.
The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make this carrot chutney
Chutney is super easy to make, much easier than jam or jelly where you have to wait for that magical setting point.
The first thing to do is to soak the carrot peels in half of the vinegar for at least an hour.
Fry the onion in the oil and then add the soaked carrots plus all the spices, sugar, remaining vinegar, dried fruits and half of the lager.
Give it a good stir, then cover and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring it regularly and adding extra lager if it looks like your carrot chutney is drying out.
How do you know when chutney is ready?
There is a simple test to check when your carrot peel chutney (or any other chutney) is ready; Simply drag your wooden spoon through the chutney and if it leaves a clear trail on the base of the pan that takes more than a few seconds to fill again your chutney is done and ready to pot up.
New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in no time at all.
Just check out these handy articles to get you heading in the right direction fast;
How to make great jam and marmalade
How to make chutney and relish
How to sterilise jars and bottles
Once your carrot peel chutney is ready simply ladle it into sterilised jars and pop on the lids.
Maturing chutney
Most chutney recipes require you to leave the chutney for a certain amount of time for it to mature. Basically for the vinegar taste to soften. This carrot peel chutney is ready to eat after a week to 10 days.
How much does this recipe make?
I got two small 200ml jars of carrot peel chutney from this recipe.
How long will this keep?
Your carrot chutney will keep for up to a year in a cool dark cupboard. Once opened store it in the fridge for up to a month.
How to serve carrot peel chutney
This chutney is perfect with a traditional Ploughman’s Lunch, with sandwiches and salad and of course with a good cheeseboard too.
Looking for more fun carrot recipes? Then check these out before you go;
Carrot turmeric and ginger smoothie
Refined sugar-free Carrot cake bites
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Carrot Peel Chutney
Ingredients
- 125 g carrot peel from 1 kilo carrots
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 dried figs chopped
- 5 dried apricots chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying onions
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 dried chilli crushed
- 1 clove crushed
- 4 tbsp sugar basic white sugar
- 6 tbsp white vinegar
- 250 ml lager light beer
Instructions
- Soak the carrot peelings in half the vinegar for 1 hour
- Fry the onion in the oil for 3 minutes then add all the other ingredients using only half of the lager to start with and stir well.
- Cover and cook for about 40 minutes stirring now and then and adding more lager if it seems to be drying out
- Your chutney is ready when you can drag a spoon through it and it leaves a clear trail on the base of the pan
- Carefully ladle into sterilised jars and pop on the lids and leave to mature to 7010 days before using
Leave a Reply