Easy Homemade Lemon Chutney

Deliciously tangy this homemade lemon chutney is the perfect accompaniment to a curry, on sandwiches, stirred into dips, and of course with a cheeseboard or charcuterie sharing platter too.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Lemon chutney isn’t one you will find readily in the shops so its something a wee bit special.
• The taste – this homemade lemon chutney is so zingy and fresh and had the heat of ginger and chilli, it’s delicious.
• Versatility – This simple citrus chutney is super versatile and can be used to brighten up everything from your standard curry to a bowl of plain rice and so much more.

I’ve made loads of chutneys here on Larder Love, from basic tomato chutney to Guinness chutney. In fact I have a whole Chutneys & Relishes section here, you could say I am rather partial to chutney!

Ingredients for lemon chutney

This simple lemon chutney recipe is basically made up of store cupboard ingredients. The sort of things you already have lurking around in the kitchen.

Lemons – use unwaxed lemons if you happen to have them but don’t pay the extra to buy them. Simply buy normal lemons and give them a good scrub in warm soapy water to remove the preservative wax and then rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a tea towel – voila! unwaxed lemons!

Apples – Any apples will do here, though I would steer clear of cooking apples as they are rather bitter and you have lemons for that already. Any eating apples from the fruit bowl will do just fine.

The base – by this I mean onions and garlic, always there with a chutney to add the base flavour and depth.

Dried fruit – I have used sultanas in my lemon chutney recipe, but quite honestly you can use raisins or mixed dried fruit if you happen to have a bag of that in the larder.

Spice – Chillis add heat as does the fresh ginger I’ve used here.

Sweet and sour – this is your must-have for any chutney recipe, the vinegar and the sugar. I have used apple cider vinegar and just plain white granulated sugar. If you use brown sugar you will get a richer, more caramel-like flavour to your chutney. For this lemon chutney I don’t want that, I want the lemon to really sing!

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 lemon chutney

Like all chutney recipes this is easy, just takes a bit of fruit preparation and then time for things to cook down and let the magic happen.

Peel your lemons trying to avoid the bitter white pith of the lemon. And chop the peel into little pieces, the smaller and finer the lemon peel the quicker it will cook.

Now slice the lemons in half and then cut off all the white pith around the lemon flesh and discard this. Chop up the lemon flesh.

Roughly chop the onions, garlic and apples (peel and core the apples first).

Now saute the onions in a large pan for 5 minutes before adding the chopped up apple and the garlic and letting this cook gently for 10 minutes till the apples are tender.

Blitz your lemon pulp just briefly in a food processor and add this to the pan along with the finely chopped lemon peel and give it a stir.

Now add in the sultanas, ginger, chilli, salt and half of your cider vinegar, stir again and let this simmer away for about 30 minutes till the peel is tender.

Add the sugar and remaining cider vinegar to the pan and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Let the lemon chutney thicken up and it’s done.

How do you know when chutney is ready?

Unlike jam and jelly where you have to check the setting point with chutney it is much easier to check when it is ready to pot up.

Simply drag a wooden spoon through the chutney and if it leaves a clear trail on the base of the pan for a about 10 seconds it is ready to ladle into jars.

Ladle your homemade lemon chutney into sterilised jars and you are done.

Let your lemon chutney mature for 2 weeks before you use it. This is to allow the flavours to mingle together and to let the vinegar mellow a bit so the chutney isn’t too sharp in flavour.

Please Note – We do not usually do water bath or other canning methods here in the UK. Our preserves keep perfectly well without this.

How long does this keep?

Your lemon chutney will keep for up to a year in a cool cupboard. Once opened store it in the fridge and use within a month.

How to use lemon chutney

Your homemade lemon chutney is just great with a curry of course. Adding that bit of extra sweet/sour heat and sing to your meal.

Why not turn it into a delicious dip by stirring some lemon chutney into simple Greek yogurt for a tasty creamy dip for crackers and crisps.

Add a dollop of homemade lemon chutney to a cheeseboard of charcuterie sharing platter for a zap of flavour.

or just add it to sandwiches, wraps and of course a cheese toastie to make anything extra special.

Looking for more delicious chutney recipes to make? Then check these out before you go;

Super easy curried banana chutney

Mango and peach chutney

Simple green bean chutney

The best beetroot chutney

And for even more chutney inspiration check out my Chutneys and Relishes section for loads more recipes.

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.