This Apple Cranberry Chutney could be a delicious addition to every year’s Thanksgiving celebration. The combination of tart cranberries with ripe apples, golden raisins, spices, fresh orange juice or lemon juice make this chutney a favorite during the holidays. If you try this recipe, you will never buy cans of cranberries again.

Easy cranberry-apple chutney recipe
I never buy cans of cranberries from the store. I like to control the amount of sugar I put in my cranberry sauce. I also don’t make very often traditional cranberry sauce. I enjoy combining flavors and textures, so the cans absolutely do not work for me.
Even for you, the ones out there who are in charge of the cooking during the holidays, please buy fresh cranberries and make your own sauce or relish. This dish will be one of the stars at the holiday table.
The recipe is so easy to make that you really don’t have any excuse not to try it.
What ingredients do I need for this recipe:
- Fresh Cranberries
- Dried apricots: I love dried fruit, but dried apricots are my favorite. They bring a lot of flavor to this chutney, so please do not skip them.
- Ginger powder: I usually like fresh ginger, but in this particular recipe, ginger powder is preferred.
- Red pepper flakes: If you do not have them, you can use Cayenne pepper or Chile de Arbol. Chile de Arbol can be found in Mexican stores or the ethnic area of the grocery store. It could be in a dried pepper form or powder.
- Granulated sugar:
- Raisins: It doesn’t matter the type, dig through the pantry and use what you have. I like golden raisins.
- Apples: One or two fresh apples are enough, and you can use any apple you have available.
- Orange juice and zest: I like buying oranges as I can also use the zest from them. It brings more flavor to the chutney. However, orange juice is accepted too.
- Lemon juice and zest: Same with the oranges, the zest, and the fresh lemon juice are so much better.
What happens after you cook all these ingredients together? You end up with a delicious chutney that smells like heaven, has a ton of flavor, and a wonderful texture. You cannot go wrong with this simple recipe for the holidays!

More recipes to love:
Cranberry Custard Pie With Cream Cheese Crust
Pumpkin Bread With Fresh Cranberries
A few notes about cranberries:
This fruit, native to North America, has long enjoyed a prominent place at holiday meals.
Known for their health benefits, cranberries have a long history and an important place in the American diet.
Cranberries are a good source of calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. They are also high in antioxidants. If cranberries grace your table only once or twice a year, you are missing out!
This tangy, versatile tart berry can add zip and flavor to lots of recipes and bring joy to the table.
How To Make delicious cranberry apple chutney recipe:
Step 1.
Prepare your ingredients. Wash the apples, core, and chop them into small pieces.
Wash the cranberries and remove any of the soft or spoiled ones.
Step 2.
In a saucepan, combine chopped apricots, sugar, raisins, orange juice, cranberries, apple, and lemon zest.

Step 3.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring for 5 minutes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes more or until at least half of the cranberries have popped.

Step 4.
Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and ginger into the mixture before removing from the heat.

Serve the chutney chilled or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. It also makes a great gift around the holidays. Pretty easy, right?
How to eat cranberry chutney:
Apple Cranberry Chutney could be a delicious accompaniment for many dishes and here are a few of them:
- Turkey or Ham– Think Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas.
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin or Pork Loin
- Serve it with a platter of cheese or a cheese board. Baked Brie is a good one that goes really well with the cranberries and the flavors from the chutney.
- In a turkey or ham sandwich– a great way to use the leftover turkey or ham.
- In yogurt- make sure the yogurt has no added sugar.
- As topping on ice cream.

If you like cranberries, try these other recipes on my blog:
Cranberries Pecans Chicken Salad
Easy Sausage, Cranberries and Walnuts Stuffing
Baked Brandied Cranberries Sauce
Vegetarian Wild Rice And Mushroom Stuffing
Pistachio-Cranberry Marshmallow Fudge
Almond- Cranberry Shortbread Cookies
Check out the web story for this recipe: Best Cranberry Chutney

Cranberry Chutney with Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- ¼ cup dried apricots chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 cup orange juice or 2 medium oranges
- zest from the oranges
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 big apple or 2 medium ones
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients. Wash the apples, core and chop them into small pieces. Wash the cranberries and remove any of the soft or spoiled ones.
- In a saucepan, combine apricots, sugar, raisins, orange juice, cranberries, apple, orange, and lemon zest.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring for 5 minutes. Simmer for 15 minutes more or until at least half of the cranberries have popped.
- Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and ginger into the mixture before removing it from the heat.
- Serve the cranberry chutney chilled or at room temperature.
Cristina
Friday 27th of November 2020
Fantastic cranberry sauce! I made it for Thanksgiving using dried cranberries and it came out delicious, a little tangy, a little sweet, perfect to accompany any meat. The trick with the dried cranberries is to soak them in water overnight, then follow the recipe. Can´t wait to make this again for Christmas. Thank you Gabriela!
The Bossy Kitchen
Friday 27th of November 2020
Thank you, Cristina! I never thought to use dried cranberries but if you cannot find fresh cranberries, this is a great idea!
Shakira
Thursday 21st of November 2019
Hi. Can I use dry cranberry in the recipe of cranberry chutney?
The Bossy Kitchen
Thursday 21st of November 2019
You can, but you will have to increase the liquid in the recipe, as cooking raw cranberries will release the juice, while the dry cranberries do not have that. I would not be able to tell you how much liquid you need to add, as I never made the recipe with dried cranberries. If you try, let me know, I am curious to see what you came up with.