A delicious recipe for beetroot and surprisingly easy to make, and who doesn’t like a simple recipe for delicious food.
This beetroot chutney is great for pairing with roast vegetables and tastes equally delicious with pork pie, cheeses, including grilled halloumi and cold cut meats.
I’ve discovered the flavour of this beetroot chutney is perfectly delicious with a roast dinner too.
Beetroot is a versatile vegetable, most likely to be boiled, sliced and pickled, or perhaps roasted in the oven with other root vegetables, which is a delicious way to enjoy beetroot.
I decided to look for different ways to use the vegetables I’d harvested from the garden and found a different way to preserve them using a yummy chutney recipe.
Beetroot Health Benefits
This unassuming root vegetable is a wonderful source of fibre and is worth using in a wider range of recipes than you might imagine.
It is a health boosting vegetable in that it helps to promote your healthy gut bacteria, therefore helping you to improve your immune system.
Those who have a healthier balance of gut bacteria are known to be more able to fight off disease and infections due to the improved immune system.
It’s known that increasing your fibre intake helps the body’s digestive flow which reduces the chance of constipation and the general health problems associated with it.
Beetroot is a good source of:
- Potassium, which regulates the heartbeat, ensures the proper function of the muscles and nerves, and is also vital for synthesizing protein and metabolizing carbohydrates.
- Folate, which is a involved in growth development and healthy hearts.
- Vitamin C, an immune boosting vitamin, for growth, development and repair of all body tissues. It is also involved in many body functions, including the formation of collagen, and absorption of iron.
- Magnesium, which helps with depression, anti inflammatory benefits and heart health and sport performance.
- Vitamin B6, helps low mood and PMS symptoms as well as helping to treat anaemia.
- Iron, needed for growth and development, reduces tiredness and fatigue.
- Manganese used for bone formation, nutrient metabolism, brain function, and more.
Beets, according to studies, due to the nitrate levels may be useful in lowering elevated blood pressure and helps lower cholesterol levels.
They aid in detoxification and helps lower bad cholesterol (LDL) levels. The high Nitrate content of Beetroot gets converted to Nitric Oxide result in the expansion the blood vessels and thereby lowering the blood pressure and ensuring proper oxygen flow to all parts of the body.
Let’s get cooking
Have a large heavy bottomed pan and a wooden or silicon spoon available.
Have a few glass jars available ready to be sterilised. 3 x 300g jars should be enough but having another on standby is okay.
Easy Beetroot Chutney Recipe
A delicious recipe for beetroot and surprisingly easy to make, and who doesn’t like a simple recipe for delicious food. Great for pairing with roast vegetables.
12
servings30
minutes1
hour48
kcalIngredients
500 g Raw beetroot peeled and chopped chunky.
1 Large cooking apple, Bramley apple if available.
2 Finely chopped red onions.
250 ml Red wine vinegar.
250 g Sugar, caster or light brown
Directions
- Sterilising the jars
- Preheat the oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1
- Thoroughly wash the jars in hot water and set them on an oven tray without drying them first, with the lids and leave in the hot oven for 15 minutes, this should fully sterilise the jars and dry them. I leave them in the oven while I’m making the chutney.
- Alternatively, they can be sterilised on a hot dishwasher cycle that is at least 60C. But do not not dry them with a tea towel, leave them to air dry.
- How to make beetroot chutney
- Peel and chop the raw beetroot into chunks.
- Finely chop the red onions.
- Peel, core and chop the apple into smaller chunks than the beetroot.
- Into the large pan, add all of the ingredients and bring up to a boil.
- Bring down the temperature to a simmer and let the ingredients cook through and the beets are tender.
- Bring back to a boil and stir regularly letting it reduce down until it is thickened and sticky in consistency, almost jam like.
- The chutney is now ready to be transferred to the prepared jars that will be hot from the oven.
- Make sure you are safe and careful with the hot jars and chutney. Put lids on carefully and leave to cool.
- Set them aside for a couple of weeks at least to let the flavours infuse and become full flavoured.
Storage
The chutney can be kept in the cupboard in the sealed jars for about 6 months or once opened store in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. Can be frozen in freezer containers for up to 3 months.
Tips
A couple of teaspoons of fennel seeds can be added to the recipe or a couple of tablespoons of dill seeds. Some like to add capers, or ginger, it’s all in the taste buds, it can certainly be spiced up with chili too if you like it hot.
Nutrition Facts
12 servings per container
Serving Size1 servings
- Amount Per ServingCalories48
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
0g
0%
- Saturated Fat 0g 0%
- Sodium 0.04mg 0%
- Potassium 249mg 8%
- Total Carbohydrate
12g
4%
- Dietary Fiber 57g 228%
- Sugars 11g
- Protein 1g 2%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Can it be made with malt vinegar instead of red wine
Hi Judith,
My husband has made it with malt vinegar before and it tastes delicious. So I would say say use the malt vinegar in the recipe, it will turn out just as nice. Thank you very much for your comment.
Kind regards,
Janine
Great recipe. Thank you. Added 50g of dried cranberries and a tsp of chilli powder. Will pull more beetroot tomorrow and make another batch.
can this be eaten straight away please or does it need time? thank you for sharing what sounds like a winner
Hi Patrick,
Thank you for your comment.
You certainly can use this straight away. It tastes nice warm as well as cold. The flavour does increase after it’s been in the jar longer, but there’s no reason not to eat immediately.
Best regards,
Janine
This sounds delicious and I would love to make it. Is this recipe safe for hot water bath canning
Hi Mary,
Thank you very much for your comment.
It’s a good recipe especially if you have a glut of beetroot handy. I can’t say with any confidence whether it’s safe for hot water canning, I believe the more acidic types of recipe are more suitable.
Sorry my reply isn’t very reassuring.
Best regards,
Janine
Do I put a lid on when boiling or leave it off?
Hi Jane
Thanks for asking about this recipe.
When it’s boiling, leave the lid off so that it reduces down the fluid to a richness and thickness. But stay with it, and keep it from boiling dry. You’ll see it getting thicker when it’s ready.
Best regards,
Janine.
Hi Jane,
Thank you for your comment.
I leave the lid off while simmering it down. It will have a sticky constancy and the beetroot soft enough to put a skewer through when ready.
Best regards,
Janine
Could I make this with cucumber instead of beetroot? If so, how long would it keep?
Hi Barbara
Thanks for asking. I don’t think cucumber will give the right consistency for the chutney. I feel that cucumber is too soft and not compatible with the recipe. You’ve certainly made me wonder what recipe will work with cucumber now.
Best regards
Janine.
Hi Wies,
It’s great to hear about your success with this beetroot chutney. I’m so glad you were able to recreate your mum’s recipe and thank you for your lovely message.
Kind regards
Janine
Hi Janine,
This is exactly how I remember my mum making it, I just could not remember the recipe. Through your ingredients I have managed to make it right for the first time. I love this recipe. Thank you.
Kind regards
Wies
HI Jannie
How long dose it usaly take to boil down to jam consistance
Thanks
Michael
Hi Michael,
Boil down the ingredients for 30 minutes or longer if required. It can depend on how chunky you have chopped the ingredients.
I hope you enjoy cooking the chutney.
Kind regards
Janine.
How many jars does this make?
Hi Sally,
This Beetroot Chutney Recipe makes around 3 x 300g jars, but a smaller size jar is fine if you have more of them.
This Recipe looks so simple . can i ask 1 question ? You say bring to boil and simmer ? There doesnt appear to be any fluid to boil ? will the fluid come from the beetroot and apple ?
Thanks
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Good question, it’s quite surprising how much fluid comes out of the apples, onions and beetroot, there is also the red wine vinegar, it very quickly generates enough liquid and will come up to the boil gradually, then just turn the heat down to let it simmer. I hope that helps.
Regards,
Janine.