Sugar-free Mango Chutney

By the Gracious Vegan

This versatile sauce has a healthy edge over most recipes for mango chutney: no refined sugar. It gets its sweetness from orange juice, raisins, dates, and a little maple syrup. A bit of balsamic vinegar gives it a hint of smokiness, too. Now that mangoes are more and more available in grocery stores around the world, it’s a great time for more of us to use sweet, luscious mangoes in more of our everyday eating. 

This chutney is a version of Major Grey’s chutney, a type of mild mango-based chutney that emerged in nineteenth-century British India. Evidently there may not have been a real Major Grey, but the combination of mangoes, raisins, vinegar, citrus juice, sugar, and spices became popular in England. 

Chutneys like this one are great with curries (just drizzle some on top of the curry), with Indian bread, or as an accent alongside rice and vegetables. It’s also great on appetizers like Potato and Pea Samosa Quesadillas. I love having more than one chutney or dipping sauce when I’m making Indian food. Try my Mint-Cilantro Chutney and/or my Tamarind Dipping Sauce.

Makes about 1.5 cups

In a medium-size saucepan, water-sauté the shallot until it is translucent, 5-8 minutes.

• 1/4 cup minced shallot

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

Add the following ingredients and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes on a low boil. 

• 1 large or 2 small mangoes, peeled, sliced from the pit, and cut into small dice

• 1 cup orange juice

• 2 Tablespoons raisins

• 2 Tablespoons chopped pitted dates

• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

• 1/8 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground chile pepper (e.g., cayenne)

• Pinch of cinnamon

• Pinch of salt and pepper

Stir in the water-cornstarch mixture, let cook for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is thick, then remove from heat.

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch whisked into 1 teaspoon water

Timing: around 25 minutes

Gluten-free