Courgette chutney is one of those recipes that quietly becomes a summer staple -especially when the courgettes are coming thick and fast in the garden. This courgette chutney with warm spices is fragrant and full of aromatic flavours, turning a simple glut‑busting preserve into something that accompanies so many dishes. From curries to sandwiches, to topping ricotta on toast or adorning a cheeseboard, you’ll be reaching for it time and again.
Preserving summer with courgette chutney with warm spices
Slow-cooking the courgettes with onions, apples, and vinegar creates a soft, jammy base, while the spices bring depth and character. A mix of mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a touch of chilli gives the chutney a mellow heat and a rounded, aromatic flavour. It’s the kind of warmth that feels comforting without being overpowering, letting the courgettes’ sweetness shine through.
As it simmers, everything softens and melds together into a chutney that’s glossy, tangy and perfectly balanced. Spoon into jars whilst still warm, wait until it’s cooled, and then stash away – though it’s hard not to eat a little straight away. But it’s worth it, allowing the flavours to develop over the next few weeks. Make extra, get ahead, and save them up as homemade Christmas gifts!
What to serve with your chutney
This courgette chutney with warm spices, is brilliant on cheese and alongside cold meat, tucked into sandwiches, stirred through grain bowls, or served alongside grilled meats. In our house, we love the sweet tang of a chutney alongside our curries.
Other preserve recipes
Here are some more recipes for when you want to preserve seasonal produce:
- Gut-friendly pickled red cabbage
- Pickled red onion preserve
- Homemade tomato ketchup
- Spiced Bramley apple chutney
- Lavender and lemon shortbread biscuits
Growing courgettes
Courgettes are remarkably easy to grow in the UK and are perfect for beginner gardeners. They thrive in the British climate when planted after the last frost (typically late May or early June) and can produce abundant harvests from just two plants throughout the summer months, making them one of the most easiest and rewarding vegetables to plant at home.
Courgettes like a rich, well-composted soil, and above all else constant watering – especially in hot weather – as plants can produce 1-2 courgettes per day. Ensure you regularly harvest the courgettes to encourage further production.
It’s best to leave the chutney for 3-4 weeks before eating to let the flavours develop.
Once opened, the chutney can be kept sealed in the fridge for a couple of months
You should keep the chutney in a cool, dark place, and it will keep for a year.
Courgette Chutney with Warm Spices
Equipment
- Large heavy-based pan/preserving pan
- 6 sterilised jam jars
Ingredients
- 1 kg courgettes sliced – a mix of green and yellow is good
- 200 g apples diced
- 400 g onions sliced
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 50 g fresh ginger chopped
- 1 red chilli deseeded and chopped
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 50 ml light oil
- 2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 300 ml white wine vinegar
- 250 g light soft brown sugar
Instructions
- Clean the courgettes, remove the ends, slice in halve lengthways, and then slice into half moons roughly 0.5 cm thick. Peel the apples and cut into approximately 1 cm cubes. Set aside.
- Roughly chop your onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Add to a blender and blitz until you have a rough paste.
- Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a dry pan for 3-4 minutes until fragrant – shaking the pan a couple of times. Grind in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan/preserving pan. Sprinkle in the mustard seeds and cook until you hear them popping. Add your toasted and crushed coriander and cumin seeds, teaspoon of ground turmeric, and finally your paste of onion, garlic, chilli and ginger. Stir frequently for 5-6 minutes to cook.
- Add your diced courgette and sea salt to the mixture. Stir and cook until the courgette is beginning to lose its raw look – around 5 minutes – then pour in the vinegar and the sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a bubbling simmer and cook for 1 hour. Stirring now and then to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. The chutney should be thick, and the liquid reduced by half.
- Using a ladle and funnel (this is much easier and a lot less messy), add the chutney to your sterilised jars, pushing the chutney down to ensure there are no air pockets.
- Seal the jars, label and date them, and leave in a cool dark place for 3-4 weeks to allow the flavours to develop. The chutney will keep like this for a year. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within 4 months.
Notes
- To sterilise your jam jars, ensure they are completely clean, and place them in an oven at 160° C for 15 minutes.
- Store is a cool, dark place, for 3-4 weeks before eating the chutney
- Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within 4 months.
- The chutney will keep in sealed jars, in a cool and dark place, for a year.
- Note that the nutrition values are per jar.