The BEST fruity, sweet Strawberry Chilli Relish with a spicy, tangy kick. You can make it as a thick relish/spread or a smooth sauce to be used as a delicious glaze on grilled meat or BBQ sauce! An incredibly versatile and easy to make relish, and a great way to use up those juicy summer strawberries!
Updated: July 2017
We used to have a small patch of strawberry plants in our backyard when I was little, which my father tended to with great care. When I was a little older, I remember how my parents told me this story of how the strawberries kept going missing one time and they couldn’t figure out what was happening for months. They feared that birds or some animal was getting to them before they ever could. Eventually, my father apparently went out and got a bird net once and then set it up, only to find that the strawberries still kept disappearing. And then one fine day he went out to the backyard and caught the culprit red-handed (literally), and it turned out to be a very small version of yours truly! I thought it was hilarious and although I have no memory of this, I guess it goes to show how my love for strawberries goes a long way back!
You guys know that I have an obsession for combining sweet and spicy flavor profiles. I think it’s a great way to challenge and enlighten your taste buds. I’ve always loved eating sweet and spicy tomato relish, so I figured it might work just as well with strawberries too. Strawberries pair so beautifully with savory flavors like balsamic vinegar and black pepper, so I decided to make this beautifully bright red Strawberry Chilli Relish that you could use at home with whatever you fancy!
I added some Aleppo chilli flakes, but you can add regular crushed chili (crushed red pepper) instead, but that’ll make this strawberry relish a bit spicier. I sliced the strawberries for this recipe, but I have used chopped strawberries as well. The difference is that you get a chunkier spread with sliced strawberries and a smoother relish with chopped strawberries. If you’re looking to make a delicious spicy strawberry sauce (like ketchup), or a base for a BBQ marinade, then I’d recommend that you chop the strawberries instead.
This spicy strawberry chilli relish is perfect to use up that bounty of strawberries in the summer, even when they are overripe and soft – in fact those are ideal for this recipe! I first shared this spicy strawberry chilli relish recipe in early 2015, but I figured an update with better photos was way overdue!
With that bright red color and the bold, sweet and spicy flavor combo, this strawberry relish is perfect on ANY summer table. It’ll be right at home even on a Valentine’s day menu as well. Whether it be a grilled chicken, a perfectly cooked steak, a sandwich, a salad, your breakfast, dessert recipes or just straight up from the bottle/jar (like a boss!), this strawberry chilli relish will add a fantastic fruity sweetness and a spicy chilli kick.
I often make a double batch of this strawberry chilli relish because we could never get enough of it! It’s such a versatile relish and the possibilities are endless. I frequently use it to spice up my grilled chicken, and recently, one of my readers said that it tastes great as a glaze for pork tenderloin on the BBQ! So go ahead and make a double batch, you just can’t go wrong with a fruity, sweet, spicy relish like this! 🙂
Lately, I’ve been using this strawberry chilli relish on my bagels and sandwiches. But for a truly nifty idea – try using this sweet and spicy relish in place of strawberry jelly/jam in this frozen cheesecake recipe for an amazing summer treat!
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Ingredients:
- 1 lb / 450 g ripe strawberries hulled and sliced (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes/crushed red pepper only add 1 tbsp if you have a relatively low tolerance to heat - this is a spicy relish with chilli flakes as the co-star, I used 1 tbsp crushed chilli flakes and 1/2 tbsp Aleppo chilli
- 5 oz / 145 g sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Extra water to thin out the sauce if needed
Instructions:
- Slice the strawberries (or chop if you like a smoother, sauce-like relish).
- Add the strawberries and all the ingredients (except water) into a saucepan and mix well.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer on low-medium heat for about 40 minutes, until the relish thickens.
- Stir the relish from time to time to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- If you like a thick relish, keep it as is. If you prefer a pourable sauce-like consistency, add a few tablespoons of water to thin out the relish.
- Store in an airtight jar, or a sterilized glass jar. It should stay fresh for about a week in a normal jar, but longer in a sterilized jar.
Tips & Tricks
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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Waheeda says
Omw, I cannot wait to give this a try, can I use frozen strawberries & if i don’t have balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar can use normal white or brown vinegar & maybe add a dash of red wine? What is the shelve life of this relish should I jar it. Thank u.
Dini says
Hi Waheeda!
You can use frozen strawberries! You will need to cook it longer to get the same consistency though because of the extra water in frozen strawberries.
I don’t recommend using white vinegar as a substitute for balsamic vinegar. But you can use apple cider vinegar instead. It should last about 5 – 7 days in the fridge.
I hope that helps!
Waheeda Carels says
Thank u, I tried it, I added a quarter cup of Merlot & 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 grated apple & also 3 tsp of atchar /pickle masala with a few curry leaves. Came out amazing… Different sweet & spicy perfect with cheese platters & to add as a side relish to ur barbeque. This will also go great as a samoosa dip. Love it, Thank u
Pearl Davids says
Looking for more relishes please really love this one.appreciate
Craig Criddle says
I tried this on chicken and pork, but my favorite way to eat it is for the dressing on coleslaw
Christine Spiteri says
Can this relish be frozen? And if so, for how long?
Christine Spiteri says
You can’t get enough of it.
Christine Spiteri says
Simply YUMMY! I reduced the amount of chilli flakes to 1 1/4tbsp though.
Susan says
Love the strawberry relish so much
Jacki Bourn says
I liked the flavour but mine ended up being quite liquidy
Dini says
Hi Jacki
If the relish was liquidy, then it needed to be cooked longer. Each stove and/or pots are different, so the heat in your stove ay have been less than mine, or your pot may have been smaller than mine too. This means you need to cook it longer to get the same consistency.
Katie says
It was amazing with salmon. I used to make a a strawberry sauce with Prosecco for salmon but this was way better.
Alison says
This is the second time I made it every one loves it
Meme says
This is good, has a nice kick but it definitely did not cook down to a relish
texture. More like a jam
Marie says
Can you process this recipe in a hot water bath as you do jams to extend shelf life?
Dini says
Hi Marie!
I would love to be able to give you a definitive answer, but I am not very familiar with canning, and don’t know how the process will impact the relish. I’m truly sorry! A very basic google search of canning relishes, gave me this result – and I hope it might be able to help you!
Cheers,
Dini
Jane says
I’ve made this a couple of times and love the taste but it’s always too thin, how can I get it thicker please?
If I simmer it longer the strawberries just go to mush and let out more juice. Baffled
Dini says
Hi Jane
Unfortunately, you do have to cook it for longer to make it thicker. This relish is more like a jam, so it does get “mushy”. If you do want to make it thicker without cooking it too long, you could use pectin to thicken it, or reduce the vinegar (which will change the taste). I hope that helps.
Ds Panicker says
Wow, amazing recipe, I have tried this recipe and came out really well. Thank you
Kate says
Such a great and inspirational relish – I made a few changes (other than a lot less chili) due to the ingredients I had to hand – I used Apple cider vinegar with a dash of old Shiraz (as I didnt have any red wine vinegar) Balsamic glaze (instead of the vinegar), I used 2/3 of the amount of sugar and added in a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder. I really reduced it down and although I dont normally like chili relish – this was totally amazing, will def be making more. Thank you for the inspiration.
Carla says
You’ve inspired me. I have all of the basic ingredients and am adding a touch of ginger. This feed back is great and it’s smelling lovely as it simmers!
Barb Henshaw says
Love strawbs.,love chillies.
Live in France & grow my own chillies.Will grow lots more this year.
Looking forward to lots more of your recipes. À bientôt.Barb.
Tara says
3 tbsp of chilli flakes is way too much for his recipe. It was literally too hot to eat.
Dini says
Hi Tara! I’m so sorry it was too hot for you!
This was meant to be a spicy relish and because my entire family loves chilli, this wasn’t too hot for us at all especially with the sweetness. I usually mention that we have a high spice tolerance level, but somehow missed adding that here! Again, I am so sorry! HOWEVER, I will be adding a note to the recipe warning everyone to add chilli according to their preference, so thank you so much for letting me know…
STEPHANIE says
I was thinking of trying this with fresh rambutan. Any suggestions?
Dini says
Hi Stephanie!
That would definitely be interesting! You could make it with rambutan, but since rambutan has a delicate flavor, you want to reduce the chilli to a minimum or it would overpower the flavor of rambutan. Definitely do not add the balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar, and stick to white wine vinegar instead. I honestly cannot guarantee how well it would turn out, but it is definitely something that I am curious to find out too! 🙂
The texture could be different as well. If I were making this, I would cook down the vinegar, chilli and sugar first, and then add the rambutan and cook it down until you get the desired consistency. Do let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
Oh Dini, this looks so good! I’m thinking I want to try it on a grilled cheese!!
Joy @ Joy Love Food says
Such a cute story! And this relish sounds wonderful!
Laura says
I never, ever, would have thought to put strawberries with chicken. I need to try this relish! Strawberries are my favourite thing ever. Even more than chocolate.
Hirra Pervaiz says
The relish looks divine and the chicken recipe with it looks super Yum
Faye Wilkerson says
It’s strawberry season in the south. Will have to make this relish with local fresh berries. Thanks for sharing.
Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen says
Dini, you seriously make the coolest, most unique food. I would love to try this with that awesome combo of sweet and spicy!
Liz @ spades, spatulas, and spoons says
I love the combination of sweet and spicy. My mouth waters thinking of this in a salad with goat cheese. I’m definitely going to pin and give it a try.
Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt says
This relish sounds fantastic. I love the pairing of fruit and chili flakes. I would definitely slather some of this on some chicken wings. Yummmm!
Johanne Lamarche says
Yum! Would be good in a grilled cheese too:)))
Dini says
Thank you!! It definitely would Johanne! Especially with a little goat cheese and Balsamic Vinegar! 🙂
Natalie says
Oh, yummy 🙂 I love the sweet and spicy combo.
Dini says
Thank you Natalie!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
oh wow this looks soooo good, I need this in my life!!
Dini says
Thank you Michelle! 🙂 Happy Galentines Day!
sue obryan says
This jam is amazing. I’ve never had a fruit jam with chilli in it butI am so intrigued! I will take a couple of jars please! Thank you for going above and beyond this week and bringing two delights to the party!
Amanda says
Okay, I’m licking my screen! Lol, not really, but I totally want to, because wow that looks SO GOOD!!
Jing says
This draws me in! I don’t try sweet and spicy taste very often because I don’t know what dish to make with it. But you have me on board at the Spicy Strawberry Grilled Chicken 🙂 Looks like a very tasty combo.
Dini says
Thank you Jing! This tastes amazing in salad dressings too. I hope you come back as I’ll be using this again for another dish next week! 🙂
Brandi @ penguinsinpink.com says
I love strawberries! This sounds so good. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned to the Bloggers Brags Board.
Ganu says
Hahaha of course it was you!!! 😛 this looks so good and so easy to make too! Thank you for the recipe! Would it work with frozen strawberries?
Dini says
Definitely will work with Frozen strawberries. Just taste it at the end, to adjust sweetness and tart levels! 🙂
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
What a neat relish! And you’re right, this time of year it’s all about the reds and pinks! Sometimes I can’t quite wrap my mind around fruit relishes, but the tartness of strawberry actually sounds like a winner.
Dini says
I really get it! Fruit relishes are the kind of stuff you either hate or love or grow to love. I grew up with Fruits being eaten with vinegar, pepper or chilli, so I think I’m at the point where I like trying it with any fruit! Finding out if it’s a winning combo or “bury in the ground” combo… 🙂
Bonnie Lee La Madeleine says
I made this yesterday with some of the few strawberries that survived our odd spring and early summer in Vancouver. OMG, it is amazing. Not only did the flavour of these sweet local berries rise to the top of the relish, the spice gives it a nice kick. We are using it tonight as a glaze for pork tenderloin on the BBQ. Thank you so much for sharing this idea.