This recipe for sweet and spicy tomato chutney is unbelievably quick and easy to make. There’s no peeling or chopping required. You pour a few ingredients into an Instant Pot, and cook. Once it’s ready, you can spoon this bright and vibrant chutney on anything and everything.
Nani’s Famous Tomato Chutney
This is my nani’s famous tomato chutney – a sweet and spicy chutney that her kids would eat like ketchup or jam. They’d put it on roti, eat it with sabzi, slather it on toast, and stir it into their Maggi noodles.
She and my nana (my maternal grandparents), lived in Lucknow and would make this chutney together – it was nearly a half-day process.
They’d boil tomatoes, cool them down, peel them, chop them, then cook them again, strain the seeds out, add the spices in… gosh, I’m tired just writing it all out.
When my nani was starting to get sick, my mom asked her for this recipe and wrote it down. This is her chutney – only, I’ve modified the method to make it simpler to make. The flavor is exactly the same, but the process of making it is very different.
With my method, you dump ingredients into a pot and cook. Then you sauté to help thicken the chutney. There’s no peeling or chopping or straining necessary.
I have mixed feelings about simplifying a recipe that my nani used to so lovingly make for her family. To put that much time and energy into a recipe is true devotion. But, the truth is, if it weren’t for this easier version – I wouldn’t be making this tomato chutney for my family. At least this way, I feel like we’re still able to enjoy the chutney and remember her.
“Hi Ashley. I have just finished making your tomato chutney and I must tell you that it is delicious. So simple and so so easy to make. It tastes amazing. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe.”
Julie
Tomato Chutney Ingredients
This chutney is sweet, spicy, tangy, and goes well with everything. You only need a few ingredients to make it:
- Sugar: I use regular cane sugar.
- White Vinegar
- Tomatoes: I suggest using Roma tomatoes because they are meatier than regular tomatoes and they have fewer seeds. This recipe is written using Roma tomatoes, however, you can use the tomatoes you have on hand – just know you’ll need to sauté longer at the end as other types of tomatoes release more water.
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Spices: black pepper, salt, cayenne, fennel seeds, kalonji (nigella seeds). Do not skip or substitute any of these spices – they are crucial to getting the right flavor.
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How to Make Instant Pot Tomato Chutney:
- Put all of the ingredients in the instant pot and give it a stir.
- Pressure cook!
- Blend and Sauté.
Here are a few pictures to show you how truly easy this is.
Add everything to the pot and cook.
Open the lid, blend until smooth, and press the sauté button to reduce the chutney to a thicker consistency.
What Kind of Tomatoes Should I Use to Make Tomato Chutney?
I suggest using Roma tomatoes because they are meaty, release less water, and have fewer seeds.
You can use another type of tomato – whatever you have – you’ll just need to saute longer at the end to boil off the additional liquid they release. I tried using regular tomatoes and it took twice as long to boil the water off and there were more seeds. Still very good though!
What to Serve with Tomato Chutney
You can use this chutney the way you’d use ketchup or jam – put it on toast, spoon it over grilled chicken to add some zing, or serve it with any Indian meal. You can also serve it with any of the following:
- Easy Baked Chicken Kebabs (coming soon!)
- Aloo Pakora
- Onion Pakora
- Lazy Aloo Tikki
- Stuffed Aloo Tikki
- Charcuterie/Cheese Board
- Lamb Meatloaf
- Ground Meat Cutlets
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 ½ pound Roma tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon kalonji nigella seeds
Instructions
- Add sugar and vinegar and mix well, then add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
- Secure the lid and cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick-release.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the chutney until smooth (making sure to blend the peels – don’t remove peels they help thicken chutney).
- Press saute and adjust the heat to the highest setting, and cook for 12 minutes, or until the chutney is as thick as you’d like. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking/burning at the bottom of the pot, otherwise let it bubble to thicken. Around the 10 minute mark, you will want to stir more often.
- Let it cool down in the pot. Once it reaches room temperature, put it in the fridge to chill for a few hours.
Rebecca Kulangara-Zacharias says
This was so easy to make and all I needed to go get was the black seeds. After making this I made Aloo Tikka just to have something to dip in it 😂🤣 This is such a unique flavor but I am hooked!!!!! I dipped everything I had for dinner into this chutney. I recently have made a few different tomato chutney and this is by far the best. Thank you Ashley for sharing!!!! Your recipes never fail to be delicious
J says
Made this with 1/2 cup maple syrup instead of cane sugar and it turned out great. I probably reduced it too much but it tastes good so I don’t care. Planning on putting some of the chutney, along with some bacon, on a grilled dairy free cheese sandwich.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
So glad to hear that! I’m sure that sandwich will be delicious!
Adele says
Has anyone tried making this with a sugar substitute? If so, any suggestions?
Ellie says
I am trying it with coconut sugar today, will let u know.
Yash Shah says
What’s the alternative if you don’t have an immersion blender?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
You can use a regular blender 🙂
Aarti Gautam says
Hi Ashley, It came out very well! It is so easy to make! Instead of blender, I just mashed with spatula.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Aarti, that’s wonderful to hear! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out 🙂
Mimi Kvasager says
I love all your recipes! Thank you so much for making them easy yet exciting, simple yet with complex flavors. I also appreciate your suggestions on the tools you use. I have bought them and find referrals helpful. Saying that, what kind of immersion blender do you use? I’m in need of a new one.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Mimi, thank you for the kind words! Happy to hear that you find my posts useful 🙂 I have an all-clad immersion blender and it works great – I’ve had it for a few years now. Prior to that, I had a Breville, which worked well, but eventually stopped working after a few years.
Julie says
Hi Ashley.
I have just finished making your tomato chutney and I must tell you that it is delicious.
So simple and so so easy to make.
It tastes amazing.
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipe.
Kind regards
Julie
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Julie, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
dina says
Hi Ashley ,
I’m wondering if you can bottle this chutney as per normal method of sterilised jars .
I absolutely love your recipes.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Dina, I still need to learn about how to bottle/can things – so while I can’t say for sure, I don’t see why not. If you try the chutney, please let me know what you think!
D says
Not a big cook but looking at this recipe, makes me wanna try. My kids love tomatoes. Never really used kalonji so thats the only hold up till next grocery trip.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I hope you do try it – let me know what you think!
Zavera J Kanga says
Thanks for this recipe. My mom used to make a really great Tomato Chutney also, but she used the short c ut by using Tomato Puree in cans. I have tried it in the IP and it comes out good too. She also added raisins for a slightly sweet/sour taste.
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Zavera, love the idea of adding raisins – yum! Did she use similar spices? I love hearing about family recipes!
Gillian says
Hi Ashley you bring joyful tears to my eyes what adorable pictures and further more I have been vindicated there is such a thing as tomato chutney, my friends thought that I at age 73 had gone off my head ha ha thanks🤩
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Gillian, that’s so nice of you to say – thank you 🙂 And yes, there’s definitely such a thing as tomato chutney! Let me know what you think if you give this a try!