Spiced Pear & Apple Chutney

My spiced pear and apple chutney recipe tastes delicious and is really easy to prepare and cook. I combine the apple and pear with some warm spices, sweet dates and apple cider vinegar to add a sharp sourness to balance out the sweetness in the chutney.

This old fashioned apple and pear chutney is ideal for anyone growing and abundance of apples and pears in their garden. In fact the pears used in this recipe came from a friends garden.

When you have lots of fruit, chutneys are a great way of preserving it and putting it all to good use. I love making jams, jellies and chutneys, I find it relaxing. Once made this easy apple and pear chutney will store really well for up to 1 year, provided it’s in a cool, dark place.

Pears and apples work really well with warm spices like the ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg I’ve used here. I don’t add too much, just enough to add another dimension of flavour to this simple chutney recipe.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• As with most chutney recipes, this recipe is easily doubled up if you want to make a larger batch of chutney. Just increase the size of your saucepan to suit.
• Homemade pear and apple chutney makes a great gift for anyone who enjoys a cheeseboard. I always make enough for myself with some leftover to hand out as gifts.
• This easy apple and pear chutney is gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

Recipe ingredients

• Pear: I used 5 conference pears in this recipe. You can use any variety of pear in this recipe, but look for firm fleshed fruit and not something overly ripe.
• Apples: I used Granny Smith apples and they have a firm texture and lovely sharp apple flavour. You can use any variety of eating apple, but opt for one with firm flesh so that it doesn’t break down too much when cooked.
• Dates: dates add great sweetness to the chutney, for ease I use ready pitted dates, but if you have pitted dates its really easy to remove the pit.
• Onion: I use a brown onion as it has a great strong flavour which works well in a chutney.
• Vinegar: I use apple cider vinegar in this recipe as it adds acidity which balances out all the sweetness.
• Sugar: I like to use soft brown sugar in a chutney as it has a better depth of flavour than white sugar.
• Ground spices: I use a combination of ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in this chutney.
• Sea salt: I like to add a teaspoon of sea salt which helps to balance out the sweetness and acidity in this chutney.

How to make apple and pear chutney

• Take time to peel and core the apples and pears, then cut into even sized 1cm pieces.
• If not using pitted dates, remove and discard the pits, then chop the dates into small pieces.

• Place the apples, pears and dates into a large heavy bottomed saucepan, along with the remaining ingredients. Give everything a stir.
• Place the saucepan over the heat, bring to a boil, then turn the pan down low and simmer gently for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the chutney is soft and has a jam like consistency.

• You will know the chutney is ready when you pull a wooden spoon through the mixture, and it remains separate and does not run together again.
• While the chutney is cooking, sterilise the chutney jars.

• Once the chutney is ready to pot up, place a jam funnel over the mouth of the jar and carefully ladle in the chutney.
• Fill each jar, leaving a little space at the top, and carefully cover with a wax disc.
• Using oven gloves, place the lid on the jar and secure tightly.
• Set the jars aside to cool completely before labelling and storing in a cool, dark space.

How to sterilise jars?

It is essential that before jarring or bottling any food for storage, that you sterilise the glass jar or bottle first. There are many methods for doing this, all of them relatively straight-forward:

• Firstly, you can wash the glass and lids in hot soapy water, rinse them (do not towel dry) and place on a tray in the oven at 160C/320F for 15 minutes, removing when you are ready to fill. This is my preferred method.
• You can put them through a dishwasher cycle, removing them from the dishwasher as soon as the cycle has finished and filling them with jam immediately afterwards. I use this method if my dishwasher happens to be going on.
• You can boil the jars and lids in a large pan for 10-15 minutes. [I’m never keen on this method as it involves boiling water and leads to a risk of scalding.]
• Finally, you can wash and rinse the glass jars, placing them into the microwave wet and then cooking them on high for 60 seconds. However, the lids would have to be boiled in a pan of water separately for 10-15 minutes as metal cannot go in the microwave. [I have never used this method as it involves 2 separate processes which I think is a bit of a faff!]

Recipe variations

• Fruit – I’ve chosen to combine apple with pear, but you could also make this chutney using just one of these fruits, just make sure the total weight of fruit remains the same.
• Dried fruits – I love to add dates to chutney, they add a lovely sweetness. You could also add in other dried fruits like raisins or sultanas.
• Vinegar – I’ve opted for apple cider vinegar which enhances the overall flavour of apple in the chutney. White wine or sherry vinegar would be a great alternatives.
• Spices – you can use any combination of spices in this recipe. If there’s a spice you don’t like, leave it out. You could also use a spice blend like mixed spice or apple pie spice.
• Sugar – I like to use soft brown sugar as it adds a molasses flavour. You could also use dark soft brown sugar if you want to really enhance the molasses flavour, or regular granulated white sugar if you don’t have brown sugar.
• Nuts – chopped nuts make a great addition to chutney and can be added at the end of the cook and stirred through before placing into jars. Chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts would be great choices.

Serving suggestions

This spiced apple and pear chutney works really well on a cheeseboard with crackers and oat cakes, or on a cold cuts platter. It would also make a great addition to Ploughman’s platter with some crusty bread.

I also like to serve chutney with my Savoury Cheese Scones, replacing the jam with chutney and the cream with cream cheese!

Useful hints and tips

1. Opt for firm fleshed fruit: When choosing fruit for chutney opt for fruit with a firm flesh, which will hold it’s shape a better when cooked. If you use overly ripe fruit, you risk it breaking down too much which can make the chutney sloppy.
2. Use a heavy bottomed pan: I always use a pan with a heavy base when making jams or chutneys. This is essential as it retains an even heat. Do not use a thin bottomed pan or you risk the chutney heating up too quickly, sticking and burning to the bottom!
3. Use a wax jam/chutney disk: Place a wax disc over the top of the chutney, this helps keep the chutney fresh, stopping the air from spoiling it. Seal with a tight fitting lid and set aside to cool before labelling.
4. Jars: This recipe will give you approximately 4 x 350g jars.
5. Allow to sit: For the best flavour, try to leave the chutney to sit for at least 2 weeks before opening. This will allow the flavours to develop and meld together, resulting in a better tasting chutney.
6. Containing no dairy this side dish is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners.
7. Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

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Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of my other preserve recipes:

• Pear & Walnut Chutney
• Date & Tamarind Chutney
• Spicy Sweet Chilli Jam
• Blackberry (Bramble) Jelly
• Blackcurrant Jelly
• Apple Jelly