Blueberry Chutney Recipe To Can or Freeze (Honey Sweetened)
A blueberry chutney recipe with a little bit of spice, a little bit of sweet (only from the blueberries and honey), and a whole lot of flavor. Use frozen blueberries to make anytime.
Perfect for topping protein like turkey, chicken, and pork, cream or goat cheese for a quick and delicious appetizer, adding to cheese plates, or spooning onto vegetables. And when canned this makes a great hostess, house warming, or Christmas gift!
This recipe is sponsored by the Oregon Blueberry Growers. Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
It’s no secret here that I love chutneys. Adding a blueberry chutney version that’s slightly spicy with all that delicious blueberry flavor was a no-brainer.
There was a time, though, that I didn’t even really know what chutneys were or how to use them.
When you grow food, though, you start looking for all the ways you can use it, and chutney kept coming up in the search – so I tried it.
And it was definitely a case of, “Where has this been all my life?”
I like to call chutney an adult ketchup because you can use it on all the things you’d use ketchup on – meats, sandwiches, burgers, fried foods, and more.
Seriously, it makes everything taste amazing.
This slightly spicy blueberry chutney recipe is no exception – the flavor is SO good my family has been adding it to almost everything. Poultry, pork, potatoes, cheese – and it’s just wonderful spooned over roasted vegetables like green beans, peppers and onions.
Use Those Frozen Blueberries
One of the many great things about this recipe is that you can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. I used frozen blueberries that I had picked at one of our Oregon u-pick farms and then froze them when they were at their peak flavor.
Blueberries are super easy to freeze and last more than a year in the freezer.
Wondering about the benefits of using frozen blueberries? Studies from South Dakota State University show that freezing blueberries can make their powerful antioxidants more available to the human body, increasing their natural benefit. (source)
Canned Gift Idea
While this chutney works well frozen in freezer-safe containers, if you take the few extra minutes to water-bath can it, the shelf-stable jars make a wonderful gift. (And canning really is simple – here’s a step-by-step tutorial to walk you through it.)
Think holidays, hostess gift, house warming, or as part of a basket of other canned condiments.
How To Make Blueberry Chutney
Ingredients
- frozen blueberries (or fresh)
- onion
- honey (or maple syrup)
- red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- cup balsamic vinegar
- raisins
- garlic
- lemon (or orange)
- ginger (or dry ginger)
- ground mustard
- salt
- dried red pepper flakes
- cinnamon
- black pepper
Equipment
- 6-quart stockpot
- Spoon, Ladle, Measuring Cups
- Hand-Held Immersion Blender, optional
- Canning Jars
- Water Bath Canner or Large Stockpot with Rack
- Jar Lifter for canning
Directions
Place blueberries into a large stock pot, either undefrosted frozen or fresh (if using fresh rinse and remove stems).
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an hour, stirring regularly until the chutney has thickened to the desired consistency.
Use a hand-held immersion blender, if needed, to create a chunky-smooth sauce.
With a blender, the sauce texture can be what you’d like – smoother or left chunkier with a few whole blueberries visible.
To freeze: let the blueberry chutney cool and then transfer to freezer-safe containers, being sure to leave a good inch between the top of the chutney and the lid for freezer expansion (this is called the headspace).
To water-bath can:
- Ladle the hot chutney into hot half-pint or pint sized canning jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim clean with a damp cloth before placing lids and rings on jars. Tighten just to fingertip tight.
- Process jars in a water bath canner for 15 minutes, starting timer after canner comes to a boil. When timer goes off, turn burner off, remove lid, and let jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before transferring to a towel-lined surface to cool.
FAQs & Tips
How do you eat blueberry chutney?
Serving Suggestions:
- Alongside turkey, chicken, or pork. TIP: make a new holiday tradition with turkey and blueberry chutney!
- Spooned over roasted vegetables, or tossed with steamed veggies.
- As a topping for cream cheese, brie, or goat cheese served with crackers or bread.
- Add a small bowl to a cheese/charcuterie platter.
- A spread for turkey or chicken sandwiches.
- A spread for cheese panini or grilled sandwiches.
- Alongside fritters or fried foods.
Is fruit chutney healthy?
When made at home with quality ingredients and lower sugar, blueberry chutney is a healthy condiment to make meat, sandwiches, burgers, and cheeses more interesting and flavorful.
As a condiment, you only eat a tablespoon or so at a time as well, so even though the sugar content is higher from fruit and sweetener, it only adds 50-80 calories to a meal.
How long does chutney last?
Frozen or water-bath canned, chutney can store for 1 year to 18 months. When refrigerated, it lasts about 2 months.
How to Double this Recipe
You can easily double this recipe, though I’ve found it takes a little bit longer to cook down – about another 15 minutes.
For canning, you’ll need to can in two batches. Keep the remaining chutney on the lowest heat setting while canning the first batch.
More Favorite Chutney Recipes
- Delicious Green Tomato Chutney (Lower Sugar)
- Easy Addictive Tomato Chutney Recipe (Regular & Low Sugar Options)
- Spicy Rhubarb Chutney to Can or Freeze
- Spicy Honey Sweetened Cherry Chutney Recipe
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Blueberry Chutney Recipe to Can or Freeze (Honey Sweetened)
Equipment
- 6-quart stockpot
- Spoon, Ladle, Measuring Cups
- Hand-Held Immersion Blender, optional
- Canning Jars
- Water Bath Canner or Large Stockpot with Rack
- Jar Lifter for canning
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen blueberries about 6-7 cups – not defrosted if frozen
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1½ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup raisins, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 lemon zested and juiced*
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger or 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Place blueberries into a large stock pot, either undefrosted frozen or fresh (if using fresh rinse and remove stems).
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an hour, stirring regularly until the chutney has thickened to the desired consistency.
- Use a hand-held immersion blender, if needed, to create a chunky-smooth sauce.
To Freeze:
- Let chutney cool and transfer to freezer safe containers leaving 1 inch headspace for expansion. Label and freeze up to a year.
To Can:
- Ladle the hot chutney into hot half-pint or pint sized canning jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim clean with a damp cloth before placing lids and rings on jars. Tighten just to fingertip tight.
- Process jars in a water bath canner for 15 minutes, starting timer after canner comes to a boil. When timer goes off, turn burner off, remove lid, and let jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes before transferring to a towel-lined surface to cool.
- Leave to sit 12 hours or overnight before removing rings and testing the lids to make sure they have all sealed properly. Store on a cool, dark shelf for up to 18 months.
Notes
- Along side turkey, chicken, or pork.
- Spooned over roasted vegetables, or tossed with steamed veggies.
- Topping cream cheese, goat cheese, or brie to serve with crackers or bread.
- Add a small bowl to a cheese/charcuterie platter.
- As a spread for turkey or chicken sandwiches.
- As a spread for cheese panini or grilled sandwiches.
- Along side fritters or fried foods.
Nutrition
More Ways to Use Blueberries:
Disclosure: I received product and/or compensation for this post. As always, the opinions, thoughts, and projects are all mine and I will NEVER promote something I don’t love and think you will find helpful – promise! This article also contains affiliate links which earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. For more info, you can read An Oregon Cottage’s entire disclosure page here.
I just made this today and made one major mistake. I only made half recipe! This is a fantastic chutney. I’m planning a roast pork tenderloin tonight to go with this. Right now I could sit down and eat it with a spoon. I’m hoping to restrain myself so my guests will get to enjoy it tonight.
Wonderful!! Hope it lasted until the pork, since it’s fantastic with that 😀
I am making this recipe as we speak I tweaked it to my variations but I love the fact that you use honey and pure maple syrup I will try to get back to you and let you know how delicious it is
Oh, good – can’t wait to read about your tweaks!