This refined sugar-free mango chutney is naturally sweetened with a few dates and - you've guessed it - sweet fresh mangoes. Serve this tangy savoury condiment with your favourite Indian foods, cold meats or cheese. You can also use it in curry and dishes such as this coronation chicken recipe, or coronation cauliflower.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- This quick, easy recipe is ready to eat in less than half an hour. There's minimal prep time. You can even use prepared frozen mango if you prefer
- Made with no added sugar, just the natural sugars in dates and mangoes, this chutney recipe is still rich and sticky and packed with flavour
- Easy refined sugar-free mango chutney is made with a few everyday ingredients
- This chutney is healthy. Not only is it made without refined sugar, but the spices in the recipe are very nutritious. Mango is also a healthy choice and very high in vitamin C and a number of other vitamins and mineral
- Vegan, fat free and gluten free. This homemade mango chutney is also preservative free:)
Ingredients
Mango. Use either a fresh, ripe medium-sized mango or you can also use 200g of frozen mango. You'll need to cut the peeled mango into small cubes about 1cm square. That way it'll cook more evenly and the finished chutney won't be overly chunky.
Onion. This adds a slightly savoury element to the chutney so that it doesn't taste like dessert. If you don't have a small onion, just use half of a larger one as you don't want an overwhelming onion flavour. If you prefer, you could also use a shallot or red onion.
Garlic. I used fresh, but you could also use garlic paste.
Dates. I used cooking dates which come in a block as they are much cheaper than whole dates and work perfectly in a recipe such as this. If you are using big Medjool dates, you'll just need 2 of them or 4 deglet nour dates.
Apple cider vinegar. A small amount of vinegar adds to the classic sweet and sour flavour of a chutney.
Spices. This list of spices is more of a suggestion than an instruction as you can vary them to suit your taste and what you have in the cupboard. Cumin, coriander and cardamom are 3 classic curry spices. None of them are hot spices, but they have a distinct flavour which enhances this fragrant, low-sugar mango chutney. You could also add clove, or some chilli if you'd like your chutney to be a little hotter.
Turmeric adds an earthiness and also a yellowish tint. You can either use ready ground spices, or use whole seeds and grind them yourself.
Freshly grated ginger adds a lovely tang. If you don't have any, you can also use ground ginger.
How to make mango chutney without added sugar
Use a large lidded pan to make your chutney. It's best if it's non-stick as sweet sticky chutney can easily catch on the bottom of the pan.
Start by cooking the prepared onions and garlic for a few minutes in the pan with a splash of water. This ensures that they are fully cooked through by the end of the cooking time and have a mellower flavour.
Add the mango, dates, vinegar and all of the spices. Add a pinch of seasoning - you can always adjust this at the end of cooking if you want to add a little more.
Add 50ml of water to the mixture and bring it up to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Check and stir occasionally to ensure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once cooked, the refined sugar-free mango chutney will have reduced to a thick and sticky relish. You can add a splash more water if it's too thick for your taste.
I left mine chunky, but if you prefer you can blitz it to a smoother texture with a hand blender.
Expert tips
- If you use frozen mango, you won't even need to defrost it. However, you might need to leave it to soften slightly so that you can cut it into small pieces.
- If you are using whole spices, you'll need to grind them before adding to the chutney. To really maximise their flavour, you can dry roast them in a pan for a couple of minutes. Then grind finely in a mortar and pestle.
- If you don't want to use individual spices, you could also use a teaspoon of a ready-made blend of garam marsala which has a similar combination of flavours.
Serving and storage
This easy, low-sugar mango chutney can be eaten immediately. However, it will taste even better the following day as the incredible flavours will soften and mingle.
Of course, fruity chutneys like this are great as a side dish with a curry and rice! However, you can also use it as a dip or spread. I also like a spoonful of it on Scottish oatcakes with cheese. It's a vital ingredient in coronation chicken salad, but you can also add it to casseroles and curries to add an extra depth of flavour.
You can store this vegan chutney covered in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to store it for longer, it's best to freeze it. As this mango chutney is made without sugar you can't keep it for months like a classic chutney.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Mango chutney is nearly 50% sugar. This low-sugar mango chutney recipe has only the naturally occurring sugar from mango and dates. As well as being healthier, cutting the sugar also reduces the calories.
A classic homemade mango chutney made with sugar and properly bottled will last much longer than this recipe. That's because sugar acts as a preservative, so you can store it for up to a year or two. If you want to keep this naturally sweetened mango chutney, you'll need to freeze it.
Most chutney recipes include vinegar as it gives a distinctive tangy flavour. In this recipe, where you only need a small amount of vinegar, you could easily switch it to white wine vinegar. You could even use lemon juice to provide acidity if that's all you've got.
Other refined sugar-free chutneys and sauces
Condiments and relishes such as chutney and ketchup are often very high in sugar, so why not try making more of your own recipes? Homemade condiments also make a lovely handmade gift.
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Recipe
Refined Sugar-Free Mango Chutney
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized ripe mango peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
- 1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled and very finely chopped
- 40 g dates finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a lidded pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and a splash of water. Cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the spices, seasoning, vinegar, dates and mango. Cover with 50ml water. Bring to the boil, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to stop the chutney sticking to the pan.
- The finished chutney will be thick and sticky. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
- You can enjoy the mango chutney chunky, or if you prefer blitz to a smoother texture with a hand blender.
Notes
- You can also use 200g of pre-prepared frozen mango to make this recipe.
- If you don't have apple cider vinegar, use white wine vinegar or lemon juice.
- Note that mango chutney sweetened with dates won't store for months like a conventional chutney made with sugar. You can freeze it, however.
Elaine says
Really good recipe, make it regularly now with a few tweaks. I keep in longer than a week in the fridge in a tight sealed jar and it’s fine.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, that's very helpful to know.
Vanessa says
This has got to be the best mango chutney I've ever had! The spices are perfect. I was a little skeptical because of no added sugar - in fact I had my jaggery out in case I needed it - but it was plenty sweet from the dates. In addition to curries, it would also go beautifully on a cheese platter or anything else that could use a sweet/savory boost. This is going to be a staple in my fridge.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thanks Vanessa, I'm really glad you enjoyed it:)
Rosana says
Thank you for this recipe. You said it won’t store for long. Do you know how long it stores for in the fridge?
Wendy Faulkner says
Hi thanks Rosanna. You can store sugar-free chutney for up to a week in the fridge. You could also freeze it if you want to store it for longer.