Super Easy Red Onion Marmalade/Chutney (+ video!)

I’m amazed I haven’t shared my red onion marmalade recipe with you before now. It’s something I make all the time as it is just so damn useful and tastes amazing too.

So is this red onion preserve a marmalade or a chutney? It’s a wee bit confusing really name-wise. A marmalade is normally considered something to do with citrus fruit.

But this looks much more like a chutney and there is no citrus at all. Actually no fruit at all either.

Whether you want to call this an onion marmalade or a chutney you will have to agree on one thing, it’s delicious!

Onion relish

This is one of those savoury preserves that just ticks all the boxes for me. It is super easy to make. It just takes a little time. But not much real hands-on effort.

This onion marmalade is sticky and rich. It packs a hefty punch of flavour yet is sweetly soft in the mouth.

There are grown-up flavours here that make you want to break into a packet of crackers and reach for your finest cheese.

Ingredients for Red Onion Marmalade

There aren’t a whole lot of ingredients in this onion chutney recipe.

Red onions, olive oil, some salt and soft brown sugar.

Now for those all-important extras that make this onion jam so special; red wine, balsamic vinegar and some red currant jelly.

The red currant jelly is purely optional.

I often use my own Cumberland Red Currant Jelly or my Rowan and Red Currant Jelly for this recipe.

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.

Onions

Can you use brown onions for this red onion marmalade recipe? Yes, of course, you can. There will be a difference in the flavour but you will still have a rich and luxurious onion marmalade.

So just use whatever onions you have to hand.

Slicing onions

You want to finely slice your onions for this onion chutney. Either use a mandoline (please be careful and either use a guard when grating on a mandoline cutter or use one of those mandoline gloves.

Carmelised onion jam

You want to carmelise those onions. That means making them sweet and oh so tender by slow and low cooking.

The onions will be all melty and sweet, almost toffee-like. To get this effect I like to cook my onions in olive oil with the salt for about an hour.

Cover the onions with a piece of scrunched up and slightly dampened baking paper. This helps to make the onions sweat down.

Once my onions are all soft and gooey and seriously sweet I add my other ingredients to the pan.

First comes the sugar. Stirred in and allowed to melt into nothing. Raise the temperature and get the jam to boil.

Then add the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Finally, that spoonful of jelly if you are using it.

How do you know when onion jam is ready?

The onion marmalade is rich and thick when it cooks. Once you can drag your wooden spoon through the mixture and leave a clear trail on the bottom of the pan your onion marmalade is ready.

Carefully ladle the hot preserve into sterilised jars.

How long does onion marmalade keep?

This savoury onion preserve will keep for up to a year in a cool dark place. Once opened store the jar 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.

Can you water bath can this?

Yes, once you have covered all the steps mentioned above for making this luxurious red onion marmalade simply do your usual water bath canning for 10 minutes.

How to use onion marmalade

This rich and almost creamy sweet and savoury onion preserve is incredibly useful. Yes, it is totally addictive to folks like me who can eat it straight from the jar and forgo the crackers completely.

However, served with a cheeseboard this onion marmalade is a revelation.

As part of the great British Ploughman’s lunch instead of the standard pickle. Think outside the jar my friends!

Spoon a little of your onion jam into simple soups like tomato or potato. It will give an extra dimension of taste and texture.

In a melted cheese toasted sandwich. Just oozing out of the sides.

Onion marmalade for the perfect gravy

But my favourite way of using my red onion marmalade is when I’m making gravy. This is particularly true at Christmas.

Using your carmelised onion marmalade stirred into your homemade gravy gives all that amazingly rich sweetness of the onions without having to do the work.

The onion jam will do the work for you, making your turkey gravy deeply flavoured, rich and aromatic. It will have far more character and have your family and friends asking for more every time.

I use mine in all my gravies from beef to turkey, chicken to pork.

You can also stir this red onion jam into curry sauce, anywhere that you want a roasted onion flavour. This savoury preserve really saves time in the kitchen!

How much does this onion jam recipe make?

You will get one big 500ml jar from this amount of onions. Or a selection of smaller jars. I like to make smaller jars as this luxurious carmelised onion jam makes the perfect wee foodie gift to add to my Christmas hampers.

This recipe makes a great foodie gift, so why not check out my post on how to make Christmas hampers.

Looking for more super savoury preserves to make? Then check these out before you go;

Spiced apricot and almond chutney

Cranberry and apricot relilsh

French style leek confit

Super easy pineapple chutney

Rhubarb and raisin relish

Gorgeous Guinness chutney

Refined sugar free cranberry relish

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.