With it’s deep rich flavor and beautiful red hue, Red Onion Chutney is a must have condiment. It brings a blast of complex flavor, it’s versatile and can be used in so many ways. It’s a great topping for grilled steak, chicken or even burgers.
What Is Red Onion Chutney?
When you think of chutney, fruit chutney’s probably come to mind. However, my recipe for Red onion Chutney is a Western style Chutney rather than a fruit style chutney you’d find in traditional Indian cuisine. Red onion chutney is a condiment made by cooking thin sliced red onions in sugar, red wine and vinegar to make a fruity and tart flavor profile with a sticky onion marmalade or onion jam consistency.
With its sticky thick texture and rich flavor, this red onion relish is a treat for anyone who loves a sweet and savory flavor combo.
Use it as a topping for Flank Steak, (our favorite) or as a condiment for Cheeseburgers. Grilled chicken is also a great platform for onion chutney.
You’ll be surprised at the process, as it’s a much quicker process than making caramelized onions.
Red Onion Chutney Uses – Why You’ll Love It
- Crostini: Toast thin slices of French bread and top it with very thin sliced rare cooked beef tenderloin. Then add a spoonful of the chutney for an impressive appetizer.
- Baguette: Smear some on top of slices of baguette and incorporate them into an appetizer meat and cheese platter.
- Pizza: Spoon some over your next slice of pizza.
- And don’t forget about using this condiment as a topping for these Brie Burgers.
- Add it to a grilled cheese sandwich.
- Try a little spoonful on a cracker that’s been smeared with Dubliner Cheese Spread.
- Double or triple this recipe and use it as gifts for friends.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Wine: Choose a dry red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Pinot Noir is also a good choice.
- Red Onion: One large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
- Red Wine Vinegar: With a sharp, tangy, and fruity flavor, in my opinion it’s the best vinegar to make Red Onion Chutney.
Ingredient Substitutions
Vinegar: Try this recipe using Sherry Vinegar, or even a balsamic vinegar would be nice here.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy!
- Step 1: Combine ½ cup of the sugar with the wine and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the red onion slices, cover and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2: Drain the onion slices and discard the liquid. Return the onion to the pan. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the red wine vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 6 – 10 minutes longer.
Tips For Success
- This recipe moves along quickly. Stay close to the stove and stir occasionally to keep track of its progress. It’s an easy and quick recipe.
- Knife vs. Mandolin: You most certainly can use a sharp Chef’s knife to slice the onions, but I recommend using a mandolin. A mandolin will create more uniform onion slices and result in even cooking.
Storage
- Store red onion chutney in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. Let it cool before transferring it to the refrigerator. I like to use a 4-ounce Mason style jelly jars, or a half pint jar.
- Can You Freeze Red Onion Chutney? Yes, It’s an excellent way to preserve it for a longer period. It will keep up to 6 months in the freezer. I like to use freezer safe zip-lock style baggies. Just squeeze the air out and lay them flat to maximize freezer space. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Variations:
- Want to make this a spicy red onion chutney? Just add ¼ cup of diced jalapeno peppers at the same time you add the onion to the red wine mixture.
FAQ’s
Technically this is a chutney. Chutneys are made using vegetables or fruit cooked with sugar and vinegar whereas Marmalades are made using citrus fruit. I’ve seen this recipe referred to as either red onion chutney or red onion marmalade. More than likely this recipe is referred to as a marmalade due to the stringy texture of the thin sliced onions.
In chutneys both sugar and an acid, like vinegar, are used to create a sweet and savory flavor for either vegetables or fruits. A jam is traditionally made with fruit and sugar only. Chutney can include a lineup of spices, where jam is usually made to highlight a fruit forward product, like this Peach Jam Recipe
Yes. You can use yellow, sweet or white onions. You’ll just miss out on that deep red color and bite of flavor from red onions.
Yes, all of the ingredients are naturally gluten free and vegan friendly.
In Conclusion
This red onion chutney is vegan and gluten free. A quick fix, these wine soaked rings of goodness will have your tastebuds thanking you later.
A perfect condiment when you’re wanting to add a pop of sweet flavor to a savory dish.
More Condiment Recipes
And don’t miss my Condiment category, you’ll find lots of other homemade sauces, butters and mayo’s. And the most popular pickling recipe on my site for The Best Spicy Pickled Made From Jarred Dills.
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Quick Red Onion Chutney
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Sugar divided
- 1 Cup Dry red wine
- 1 large Red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ Cup Red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Combine ½ cup of the sugar with the wine and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Add the red onion, cover and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Drain the onion slices and discard the liquid. Return the onion to the pan. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the red wine vinegar and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until syrupy, about 6 – 10 minutes longer.
Notes
- Crostini: Toast thin slices of French bread and top it with very thin sliced rare cooked beef tenderloin. Then add a spoonful of the marmalade for an impressive appetizer.
- Baguette: Smear some on top of slices of baguette and incorporate them into an appetizer meat and cheese platter.
- Pizza: Spoon some over your next slice of pizza.
- And don’t forget about Red Onion Chutney for Burgers
Nutrition
Red Onion Chutney … It’s What For Burgers (my favorite use)
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