Fancy a bit of foraging and fabulous food for free (well almost)? Then this chutney is for you. If you like to zap up your sandwiches, burgers and the like with some relish and chutney then this Easy Homemade Elderberry Chutney will be the perfect addition to your store cupboard.
I just had to make use of all those lovely elderberries I picked at Carey’s place over the weekend. Had to make something a wee bit special with these tiny black jewels. Jam, jelly, liqueur? No, this has just got to be Elderberry Chutney!
Something hearty from such dainty little berries. Something to go well with cheese, to liven up a sandwich. Something savoury yet sweet.
Elderberries
When elderberries are perfectly ripe like this they expel their juice at the slightest touch. Let this be a warning to all those who like white clothing – beware of splats!
Elderberries are super healthy and packed with vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients for elderberry chutney
Elderberries, apples and sultanas make up the fruity part of this delicious elderberry chutney recipe.
Spices – these are all-important in any chutney – I have used a great mixture of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mustard and nutmeg.
Vinegar and sugar are the ingredients that pull together your elderberry chutney and preserve it.
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 elderberry chutney
You’ll see in this recipe that I have just chucked in all my spices with the berries for the initial cooking. I’ve used powdered spices and the mustard seeds will get sieved out when you press the cooked berries through a sieve to remove the tiny pips. These pips are bitter so this step is pretty important and doesn’t take long at all.
The chunky little bits of apple and the sultanas (raisins if you don’t have sultanas) give a bit of texture here or you would really just have a sauce.
How to serve elderberry chutney
The rich almost black purple colour of this chutney is certainly eye catching and would look amazing on a cheese board with a rich blue cheese. It is also good with rich meats and roasts.
Try it on burgers too and BBQ. It has a strong enough taste to stand up to all sorts of foods and flavours.
How long will this chutney last?
This elderberry chutney will keep for up to 6 months is a cool cupboard. Once opened store in the fridge and use within a month.
Please Note – We do not usually do water bath or other canning methods here in the UK. Our preserves keep perfectly well without this.
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
Looking for more fun foraging recipes for your larder? Then check these out before you go;
Homemade Cassis (French blackcurrant liqueur)
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.
PS Check out my 50 Easy Homemade Pantry Staples post for lots more super easy store cupboard basics you can make at home. They are quick, easy, fun to make and save money too.
Easy Homemade Elderberry Chutney
Ingredients
- 500 g elderberries
- 1 onion small onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
- pinch pinch ground cloves
- pinch grated nutmeg
- 250 ml malt vinegar
- 1 apple medium apple
- 50 g sultanas
- 75 g brown sugar
Instructions
- Rinse the elderberries and pick off the stems.
- Chop onion and heat the berries, onion, all spices and vinegar in a heavy based pan.
- Simmer for 40 minutes.
- Press this mixture through a wire sieve (dispose of stuff in the sieve obviously) and return what is pressed through to the pan.
- Peel and chop the apple into 1cm cubes.
- Add the apple, sultanas and sugar to the berry pulp in the pan and slowly bring to the boil allowing all the sugar to dissolve completely.
- Boil for 15 minutes and then spoon into 1 medium sized jar. Cover with wax disc and pop on the lid.
- This will keep for up to 6 months and once opened store in fridge and use within a month
I think this looks so good! I love seeing how you use the fruits that you have. This is so thrifty! I have jotted down a lot of the jams and things that you have shared with us. Thanks so much, Karon! Lots of new things to try. How do you think of all these neat things? Thanks again,
Patti xxoo
just made this chutney – should it thicken? After 15 mins boiling still very liquid?
No mention of thickening but most chutneys do….
Hi Sandie
You just have to keep going and keep stirring till you get it to a thicker point where you can drag a wooden spoon through and leave trail in bottom of pan. It will thicken more in jar as well.
K x
At which point do you boil until thick? During the first boil, before sieving it, or after adding the apple and sultanas? Looks great, thank you!
Hi Lina
It tells you in the recipe card at the bottom of the piost – Add the apple, sultanas and sugar to the berry pulp in the pan and slowly bring to the boil allowing all the sugar to dissolve completely.
Boil for 15 minutes and then spoon into 1 medium sized jar. Cover with wax disc and pop on the lid.
This will keep for up to 6 months and once opened store in fridge and use within a month
Hope this helps
K
Made this last fall and forgot to comment. This is an excellent recipe. Made a huge amount and it disappeared fast. Gave some to the neighbors as well. It’s the first recipe I’ve seen that actually uses elderberries well. Otherwise, they are a difficult fruit to use–kind of bland.
Thanks Pete, so glad you liked the recipe.
Can you use apple coder vinegar instead of the malt?
Hi Mike
Yes, go ahead. That should be fine.
K
Wasn’t sure – am I supposed to return the pulp to the pan or the liquid? I.e does the fruit itself get thrown away or the liquid (after sieve stage)
Hi Caro
As I say in the post itself it’s the pips in elderberries that are bitter so you are sieving these out to avoid bitterness in the chutney. You just chuck what’s in the sieve away. You are going to add the sultanas etc to the juice that has come through the sieve. Hope this helps.
K
I was wondering if I can use dried elderberries for this recipe? Thanks
Hi Mary
I’m sorry but I’ve never tried using dried elderberries so I can’t really help you on this one
K