To accompany today’s cheeseburger recipe, here’s a tomato chutney designed especially to be a burger sauce. Having said that, I’ve been using it as an all-rounder condiment for everything from sandwiches to scrambled eggs, pork chops to chargrilled skirt steak! I especially like that it’s not as sweet as traditional tomato chutney.
Need a fast sauce for your hamburger? Try my Special Burger Sauce!
Tomato chutney burger sauce
This is a tomato burger sauce which is pretty much a tomato chutney. The main differences being that traditional tomato chutney is usually sweeter, and typically includes a good amount of onion plus spices like ginger, chilli and sometimes cardamom. Not really natural pairings with beefy burgers!
Instead, I’ve gone with more savoury flavourings such as Worcestershire sauce, paprika, onion and garlic powder.
Different in flavouring it may be, but this burger sauce is just as versatile as traditional tomato chutney. See the section below for suggestions for use!
Best sauce for burgers
With the rise of gourmet burgers, you see all sorts of sauces and relishes on hamburgers these days! But here’s a core list of burger sauces I use:
Ketchup (or Aussie tomato sauce) – straight out of the bottle, just as it is!
Mayonnaise – plain, or flavoured like this Special Burger Sauce recipe.
Yellow mustard – I’m talking the bright yellow stuff, sometimes labelled “American mustard”. (Caution: Don’t accidentally get the bright yellow Hot English Mustard which is spicy!)
Creamy burger sauce (recipe here) – A mayonnaise based savoury burger sauce, usually with little bits of gherkins in it.
Tomato burger sauce (chutney/relish, this recipe) – A slightly chunky style sauce that’s similar to tomato chutney except not as sweet and less earthy spices like cardamom, ginger etc.
Thousand island sauce – A creamy pink sauce made with mayonnaise and ketchup that’s popular with seafood (Aussie favourite prawn dipping sauce!). Recipe here.
Barbecue sauce – See my Barbecue Pork Ribs recipe for a classic homemade Barbecue Sauce recipe.
What goes in tomato chutney sauce for burgers
Here’s what you need for this tomato chutney sauce for burgers:
Canned tomato – I like to use crushed as I think it’s got the best texture for the intended use. But diced will work too, though the sauce will look a little chunkier.
Worcestershire sauce – A good hit of savoury flavour.
Brown sugar – For sweetness, though you’ll find that this sauce is much less sweet than typical tomato chutney.
Apple cider vinegar – This brings the tang to this sauce which works well together with all the rich juicy meatiness and cheesiness in burgers.
Spices – These are the seasonings for this tomato burger sauce. We can be a bit flexible here:
Garlic powder – substitute with 1/2 garlic clove, finely minced, or more onion powder
Onion powder – substitute with more garlic powder
Smoked paprika – substitute with ordinary paprika
Mustard powder – use ordinary mustard spread instead (not a spicy one like Hot English Mustard, unless you’re intentionally trying to make it spicy!)
Celery salt – substitute with plain salt
How to make tomato burger sauce
Nice and easy – just place everything in a saucepan, stir to combine then simmer for 25 minutes on medium low until it reduces down enough so you can draw a path across the base of the saucepan.
Lovely concentrated tomato flavour going on here! Just what we want.
Batch size and storing
This recipe makes around 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) which is enough for 5 to 6 burgers. Not a big batch recipe like you’d ordinarily do for chutneys as I am sharing this recipe to be the sauce for Cheeseburgers which I also published today.
Storing – Store in sterilised jars for up to 6 weeks, or 1 week in normal containers, or 3 months in the freezer.
Ways to use this tomato chutney
As I mentioned at the beginning – and in fact, in the title (!) – this is a tomato chutney that was created specifically to be a sauce for slathering onto juicy burgers. Specifically, the big, juicy Cheeseburgers I also published today though you could also have a leisurely browse through my burger collection!
Having said that, as I also mentioned at the start, I’ve really enjoyed using this as a condiment much like any tomato chutney. In fact, possibly more because it’s got a fraction of the sweetness of traditional tomato chutney!
Here are the other ways to use this:
In sandwiches (exceptional with Meatloaf sandwiches!)
Dipping sauce – for things like beer battered fish, crumbed chicken tenders, beef kabobs
Dolloping on – pretty much any roast, egg white or normal omelettes, plain poached or baked chicken breast, grilled sausages (yes!), a simple piece of pan fried fish or grilled steak (try skirt steak!).
Crostini or any toasted bread – Either smear with something like ricotta then dollop over this tomato chutney, or smear with this chutney then scatter over crumbled marinated feta or goats cheese. YUM.
And that’s just a front of mind brain dump. Tell me in the comments below all the other possibilities I haven’t mentioned! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
It’s not a hard recipe, but I just wanted an excuse to show you how amazing a burger is with this tomato chutney!!
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Quick tomato chutney sauce for burgers
Ingredients
- 800 g / 28 oz canned tomato , crushed or diced
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Simmer Bring to a simmer over medium heat then lower heat to medium low so it's simmering gently.
- Cook for 25 minutes, stirring regularly, until it reduces down and is thick enough so you can draw a path across the base of the saucepan (see video or step photos).
- Cool & slather: Transfer into a bowl. For use on burgers, cool then slather. Browse my Burger collection for options! If using to dollop or dip for any number of the other suggested uses in the post, use warm or cooled!
Recipe Notes:
- Brown sugar -> white sugar
- Garlic powder -> 1/2 garlic clove finely minced or more onion powder
- Onion powder -> more garlic powder
- Smoked paprika -> ordinary paprika
- Mustard powder -> 1/2 tsp any smooth mustard (perhaps not hot English mustard though!)
- Celery salt -> ordinary salt
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Yesterday – early evening stroll on the golf course. Shocked he didn’t roll in duck poo which is his usual MO.
Unfortunately mine did not thicken. Do you know what I might have done wrong ?
very nice ketchup sauce, I made it vegan (minus Worcs sauce) and was gorgeous. Thanks 🙂
I’m gonna make this again, and again, and again!
Got a jar of it in the fridge now after making burgers the other night. Jar full of awesomeness!
Thanks Nagi ,made it and had it on a sausage sandwich delicious
Wow Nagi, you’ve done it again. Best sauce ever! Great little hit from the smoked paprika and not too sweet. Had it on your terrific burgers last night……and I had it for brekkie on toasted sour dough. Yum! Thanks again for making me love cooking Nagi.
Made the Tomato Chutney last week and it is really Yummy! I don’t use sugar but substituted maple syrup for the brown sugar and added just a couple of drops of liquid smoke. It is very versatile, I could see it used as a bbq sauce or dunking some shrimp in it. .
Both sauces perfect..best of all cheeseburgers, just del.
Thank you Nagi, and congrats on your cookbook, good for you!!, that is really a great accomplishment.
What a delicious and flavoursome sauce! Will definitely make again!
Do you think this would be ok for water bath canning?
I live in Mexico and the USA. How can I get your cookbook!!
I truly love every recipe I have ever made.
I wouldn’t say no to a more Indian-flavored chutney on a burger. A friend turned me in to putting a Indian spiced catsup (purchased), sliced onions & sharp cheddar on a plump burger. It was great!
At last! From now on I won’t have to spend ages at the supermarket reading small/tiny print to find a tomato chutney that’s not too sweet.(That’s even excluding the chutney’s that admit to including sultanas). Thank you!
Delicious and easy! The burgers were super moist but still cooked through. Will be a household favourite.
Hi Nagi
An email at the right moment, I have been looking for a good burger haven’t found it yet but ah ah I might just have found it we can hope, how can I get a beef patty recipe etc etc please help my taste buds please
Kind regards
Scott
You are a mind reader, I’ve been wanting a tomato chutney for so many of your recipes, like the sausage roll, meat pies and these burgers.
No wonder we all love you 💖💖💖