Tired pineapple? Turn it into pineapple chutney!

Miss Thrifty12 September 30, 2014

pineapple chutney recipe

I picked up a pineapple in the supermarket discount aisle, took it back to my kitchen and didn’t do anything with it. The leaves on the top began to turn brown and a couple of fruit flies were sniffing around. Food waste? I think not. PINEAPPLE ACTION STATIONS.

My pineapple chutney recipe is great for using up a dusty old fruit. It’s an Nigella recipe from ages ago, which I have given a frugal, slow cooker makeover. Chutney is perfect for the slow cooker: pile in the ingredients and leave the slow cooker on a low setting overnight. The fruit is soft anyway; as it becomes hot and sticky, the spices slowly infuse.

However if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this the Nigella way: break the cinnamon stick into little pieces and cook the ingredients over a medium heat for 1 hour 45 minutes.

(If you don’t have a slow cooker and want one, check out my guide to the best budget slow cookers.)

Why I like this recipe: it’s quick and easy. If you have the pineapple, you’ll probably have all the other ingredients already.

old pineapple recipe

The apple in the picture above is a homegrown cooking apple, from my sister-in-law’s garden. We started out with a bag of these; I am keeping them in the fridge and they are lasting forever.

Finally, I gotta tell you: pineapple chutney is a great recipe for (whispers) Christmas. Make it now and it will keep, if you are a stickler about sterilising your jam jars and sealing the tops. Pineapple chutney goes beautifully with cold turkey cuts.

I like to eat pineapple chutney with cheese though, as a chutneyed-up nod to that classic British buffet dish of yore…

slow cooker chutney

PINEAPPLE CHUTNEY RECIPE

Ingredients

1 pineapple
1 cooking apple
1 cinnamon stick (or use 1 tsp ground cinnamon, which is cheaper)
1 tsp mustard (I use wholegrain but really, any will do: powdered or jarred!)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mixed spice (I use supermarket-brand ground mixed spice, which costs pennies)
A few cloves
100ml white wine vinegar
100g sugar

How to make it

1. Peel, core and chop the pineapple into 1 cm chunks. This is the most difficult part of this recipe (ha).
2. Peel, core and chop the cooking apple.
3. Throw everything into the slow cooker. Give it a stir. Leave it overnight, on the low setting.

I kid you not, that is it. I don’t even add any water (although you might consider doing so, if using a fresher and crunchier pineapple). You’ll come down in the morning to a sweet and spicy-smelling kitchen – and a pot of delicious pineapple chutney, ready to be decanted. The recipe produces enough chutney to fill two regular-sized jam jars.

pineapple chutney

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12 Responses to “Tired pineapple? Turn it into pineapple chutney!

Jenny says:

This recipe sounds HEAVENLY! I noticed that it has mustard…is this dried or can I use regular prepared mustard? I can’t wait to make this and it sounds so easy!

September 30, 2014 at 11:59 am

Daniel says:

Great idea, not just for pineapple, but for any fruit that is sitting around a wee bit too long. I like to add vinegar to any chutney I make, to add that sour/sweet contrast. I also like a spicy chutney, so add some fresh ginger and chili, too. Whole mustard seeds is a nice touch, too.

September 30, 2014 at 3:52 pm

Niftynorah says:

Never even thought of pineapple chutney – but it sounds delicious so I’ve got to try it.

September 30, 2014 at 4:03 pm

Veronica Vatter says:

is that prepared mustard or dried?

September 30, 2014 at 4:06 pm

Miss Thrifty says:

Thanks for the feedback, folks. I’ve made a couple of updates to the recipe to reflect this.

@Veronica & @Jenny – any mustard will do the job! I use wholegrain because it’s what I have and it looks nice in the finished jar (mustard vanity) – I’ve added a line to the recipe to make that clear.

@Daniel – (blushes) I read your comment and realised that I had left vinegar out of my recipe! Tsk. I do add a splosh of white wine vinegar (although, as with the mustard, any vinegar will do). I’ve updated the recipe & will also point it out in my next mailout, so thank you for the nudge. 😉

October 2, 2014 at 1:16 am

jenny says:

I’ve never had chutney and this may be something new I will make around Thanksgiving.

October 2, 2014 at 1:27 am

Mina says:

That sounds fantastic – if only we didn’t have tomato, green bean, courgette and onion chutneys to get through – and then my latest batch of chilli jam to make a dent in! And we don’t even eat cheese!

October 16, 2014 at 10:05 am

Michelle says:

I want to make this NOW!

October 18, 2014 at 1:04 am

Rene says:

Made this today in double quantity. It’s has been simmering for 8 hrs but there still seems a lot of liquid. Should there be much? Should I simmer for longer to evaporate some of the juice?

June 6, 2015 at 10:01 pm

Aslik says:

Looks delicious!

July 20, 2015 at 9:15 pm

Sounds fantastic – better get the old pineapple on the shopping list!

April 5, 2016 at 3:58 pm

Val says:

Just cooked this in slow cooker for 10 hours .Sill runny, have lid slightly open for an hour.Can I boil it up in pan to thicken it up . Never used slow cooker for Chutney before.???

March 3, 2018 at 9:30 pm

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